Curbside finds are full of potential, and when Denise from Salvaged Inspirations gets involved, the results are always incredible! In today’s guest blog, Denise is showing us how she gave a magazine table a fresh new look using Dixie Belle Paint products. With a little creativity and the right tools, this once-forgotten piece is now ready for a new chapter in any home. Let’s dive into her process and see how she brought this table back to life! 

(The following is an excerpt from Salvaged Inspirations. Read the full article here.)     

Look what I found – a vintage magazine table at the end of someone’s driveway. It really needed some fixing so it’s the perfect restyle for today’s Furniture Fixer Uppers tour. I’m also excited to share SEVEN BRAND NEW Southern Chalk Mineral Paint colors from Dixie Belle!  

Before picture of brown wooden table on curbside with snow and a green tree stand in he background

WHAT YOU’LL NEED 

Vintage Magazine Table  – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Sanding Sponge
Bonding Boss Primer
Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint
Magnolia Chalk Mineral Paint
Peter Rabbit Decoupage Paper
Water Mister Bottle
Shop Towels
Oval Paint Brush
Artist Brushes
Clear Coat Satin 

MAGAZINE TABLE MAKEOVER 

Here’s how I upcycled this vintage magazine table using two NEW paint colors and a sweet Peter Rabbit Easter theme. 

CLEAN 

I removed the top from the base and used a heavy-duty furniture cleaner to clean it from top to bottom. From the dirt and ‘dyed’ water that came off this piece, I knew the existing finish on this table was very prone to bleedthrough. 

A gloved hand wiping the brown wooden magazine rack with a white sponge

REPAIRS + PRIME 

After giving it a good cleaning, I flipped it over to remove the dried glue gun glue that was on the legs. I think it’s very nice that someone used what they had to try fixing this old girl! After the dried glue was off, I cleaned up the underneath and bottom of the legs and let everything dry. 

Gloved hand holding a piece of old dried hot glue next to the brown wooden magazine stand

SANDING 

I used an orbital sander with a 120 grit sandpaper attached. This was tough enough to sand the repairs level and get all the scratches and imperfections super smooth. I used a medium grit flexible sanding sponge to hand-sand the entire base. Sanding by hand isn’t difficult. This entire piece took me all of five (5) minutes to scuff sand. And I really like the sanding pad because it contours all the curves nicely.  

double shot photo of brown wooden table being sanded with an electric sander on the top and by a sanding sponge on bottom

Once everything was sanded, I brought it back into my paint room and removed all the dust with a Tack Cloth. 

Brown wooden magazine rack being wiped by a tack cloth in a plastic bag

PRIMING 

Before I finished the rest of the repairs – the glue up that was needed to reassemble the table, I went ahead and rolled a coat of Bonding Boss Primer on the entire table. I knew there was going to be bleed through issues and I wanted this primer to have ample time to work its magic. It’s recommended to apply a coat. Let it dry for at least 2-3 hours. Apply another coat. Then let it dry for 24 hours for the stain blocker to take effect. 

The next day when I came down, I saw bleedthrough beating through the top so I added another coat to be safe. 

3 picture collage of Bonding BOSS being applied to magazine rack, showing tannins bleed through

PAINTING IN MAGNOLIA 

Now for the fun part! Dixie Belle has come out with 7 NEW colors in this gorgeous Southern Roots Collection. 

A jar of each of the new 7 Southern Roots Collections paint sitting in a wooden tray with floral pieces and rocks and wooden bowls laying around it

I picked this Magnolia Chalk Mineral Paint for this table. Magnolia is this beautiful spring, delicate, creamy off white. It painted two coats to cover the entire table using my ‘slap it on’ paint technique so I wouldn’t have any brush marks on the spindles. 

Open jar of Magnolia Chalk Mineral paint with a hand holding a paint brush above it that has just been dipped into the paint

PETER RABBIT DECOUPAGE 

That’s the GREAT thing about curbshopped pieces, I feel free to ‘play’ around with them and I have ZERO guilt if it doesn’t turn out exactly as I envisioned. They are the BEST learning pieces and offer the perfect exercise in creativity and trying new products and techniques. So with Easter just a month away, I decided to have a little fun with this table and use this Peter Rabbit Decoupage Rice Paper I had in my inventory. 

Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper

Applying this decoupage paper is super easy. 

  1. Cut the image to size. 
  2. Apply a coat of Clear Satin Topcoat 
  3. Lay the design down over the wet topcoat 
  4. Brush on another coat of topcoat over the decoupage paper 
  5. Let dry 

White tabletop with a piece of the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper being applied to it, a paint brush applying Clear Coat Satin over the decoupage paper.

Once I had the three designs placed and sealed, I went in with this NEW Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint and dabbed around the design to blend it in with paint. Using paint to hide the papers seams works really nicely. 

Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint being applied to magazine rack around the decoupage paper

For the final details, I decided to paint the rim of the table in Olive Wood and also add pinstriping down the front legs in the Olive Wood. Even though I was using an artist brush (which is usually very helpful!) I wan’t able to paint a crisp clean line.  I had to come up with a hack to clean up my mess. A damp shop towel and wiping the oopsies away works really well. 

Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint being applied to the rim of the table with a red Artist's Brush.

THE BIG REVEAL… 

Here’s the finished look. I had so much fun trying out these brand-new paint colors, they are gorgeous!!! 

Finished project - a magazine rack table painted with Magnolia and Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint that has the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the top and side sitting on a brown and white rug in front of a white wall with a white rabbit and green potted plant in the background. White and pink flowers are coming out of the magazine rack, and two books and a green potted plant sit on top of the table Finished project - a magazine rack table painted with Magnolia and Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint that has the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the top and side sitting on a brown and white rug in front of a white wall with a white rabbit and green potted plant in the background. White and pink flowers are coming out of the magazine rack, and two books and a green potted plant sit on top of the table

And the vintage Peter Rabbit paper is super sweet too! 

Finished project - a magazine rack table painted with Magnolia and Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint that has the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the top and side sitting on a brown and white rug in front of a white wall with a white rabbit and green potted plant in the background. White and pink flowers are coming out of the magazine rack, and two books and a green potted plant sit on top of the table

I think this would be adorable in a child’s room, holding books and stuffed animals. 

Finished project - a magazine rack table painted with Magnolia and Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint that has the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the top and side sitting on a brown and white rug in front of a white wall with a white rabbit and green potted plant in the background. White and pink flowers are coming out of the magazine rack, and two books and a green potted plant sit on top of the table

A few close-ups of the decoupage. If you look up close you can see the papers edge but overall, it blended really well. I also dry brushed over the paper with the Magnolia to further blend it in and give it a more ‘vintage’ look. 

Close up of top of table painted with Magnolia Chalk Mineral Paint with the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to it Close up of the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the magazine rack Close up of the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper applied to the front of the magazine rack that has been painted with Olive Wood. White and pink flowers are coming out of the rack

What an amazing change! With just a few supplies and a bit of creativity, Denise has turned a curbside find into something special. Thanks to Denise from Salvaged Inspirations for sharing her process with us. Be sure to check out her blog for more great ideas, and don’t forget to pick up your Dixie Belle products for your next project! You might just have your own curbside treasure waiting for a makeover! 

Before and after picture of wooden magazine rack that was painted with Magnolia and Olive Wood Chalk Mineral Paint and the Traditional Peter Rabbit decoupage paper

To learn more about our new Chalk Mineral Paint colors, check out our blog, The Southern Roots Collectin: 7 New Chalk Mineral Paint Colors.

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About the Author

Salvaged Inspirations

Denise is a blogger, self-taught furniture artist, writer, photographer and the owner/creator of Salvaged Inspirations. She is a lover of all things vintage, repurposed and restyled. A thrift enthusiast, she’s always in pursuit of the next creative upcycle.

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