I Found a Thrifted Hobby Table for $18!
It’s no secret that we have the best thrift stores here in Maryland.
I think the reason why is because it’s such as large metropolitan area that borders Washington, DC, and it’s so transient here. People come for years (maybe military families??), and then move on. And where do you think all that furniture goes from these people coming and going?
Oh yeah–right here into my greedy little outstretched hands! ( I say that facetiously, but the truth is that if it weren’t for thrift stores, I have no idea how I would have decorated our house!)
Anyhow, I used to allow students to bring their own furniture to furniture painting class. And although it wasn’t a problem for most people, there was always that ooooonnnnee student who would bring in something so badly chipped that it would be falling apart…or someone would bring something old and worn with mahogany stain–and you know what mahogany stain does……bleeds through!
To prevent all of those issues, I decided that instead of students bringing their furniture, I would supply all the furniture pieces. I was nervous about making this change because I thought students would mind (and some probably do), but doing this helps me to control the environment–I can pick things I know make a great project, without bleeding or being too difficult of a project.
But guess what that means for me??
It means I get to hit the thrift store more often in search of projects! WOO HOO!
For my recent furniture painting class here in Maryland, I stopped by my favorite thrift store right after dropping my kids off at school.
But what does my eyes see??
THIS.
You’re probably wondering, “What the heck is it?”
Well, look a little closer.
A shimmy here….a shimmy there… and you totally get this: a hobby table!
Umm…..with two drawers.
Sitting right there in front of me, spread out in its glory!
I hadn’t even been in the store for more than 30 seconds when it caught my eye.
One of the regular stock guys, with his African accent, saw me and ask, “Ah, you want dis? You see da price? I should have marked it at $39.99! It’s a good price!”
Damn right it is, I was thinking.
I replied, “Oh, wow, thank God you didn’t!”
What’s even better is that I had a 30% off coupon, so I got it for just over $18!
I wasn’t even going to chance it by having them put a “SOLD” sticker on it so that I could walk around the store to keep browsing.
Nope. Learned my lesson there. Too many thrift store vultures lurking at my back.
I swooped that baby up so fast, loaded it up in my car, and then went back into the store to keep searching for furniture painting projects.
And When I Thought It Couldn’t Get Any Better…
Right at the back of the store, I saw this huge 36″x72″ cutting mat sitting on top of the shelf! Just my luck!
What I think happened is that this cutting mat got separated from the hobby mat.
And I was one who was going to bring them together again. HA! 🙂
Cutting mats can be pretty expensive. (Check out my affiliate link to search for cutting mats on Amazon).
I can’t even tell you how much it would have cost me brand new on Amazon, but here at the thrift store, it was $7.99, and just because I asked, I was able to get 30% off (since I had already used my coupon on the hobby desk, I thought they would say no, but they said yes. Score!).
And if you read my last post about furniture painting class, I found the cute little side table at the same time.
It was badly chipped, but I knew a little bit of sanding would make it amazing (click here to see the AFTER of this little table!).
The Prettiest Vintage Dresser
It’s not too often I get super excited about dressers at the thrift store anymore. Most of them are pretty run-of-the-mill, but every now and then, something grabs my eye and makes me wish I could lug it home, even though I have absolutely no need for one more dresser in this house.
But this one–ohhh…it was gorgeous. If it hadn’t been sold, I would have bought this!
You’re probably shouting at your phone, table, or computer screen, “OMG, I hope she bought that dresser!!! $35??!!!!”
Sorry to disappoint, folks, but there was already a SOLD sticker on it when I saw it!
And that’s not photoshopped.
It really was only $34.99!! Can you believe that?!?!
And the funny thing is that normally with dark furniture like this, my first inclination is to paint it. But there was something special about this piece.
Yes, it was chipped on top and could have used a good sanding and smoothing (piece of cake).
But there was something so pretty about that wood grain.
I’m pretty sure that if this dresser had been mine, I would have stripped and restored it.
It was that pretty.
Of course, there are times when you shouldn’t paint wood furniture. And while this one would have passed my “should I paint it or not?” test, my gut would have told me “NO!” on this piece! What about you guys–would you paint that dresser if it were yours?
I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a thrift haul lately as I was with this one.
It looked all pretty packaged in the back of my minivan!
Watch the Video!
I did a Facebook Live video right before I stored it in my trunk, and you can see how large this table is! Ignore my horrible voice! I had a cold. 🙂
The Resemblance is Uncanny!
I had posted this awesome find on my Facebook page and someone said, “That looks very similar to the hobby table at Crate & Barrel for $299!”
Well, of course I had to go hunt down this “expensive twin” of my hobby table.
And sure enough, she was right!
The $18 Hobby Table
The $299 Hobby Table from Crate & Barrel
The big difference is that their table has shelving and is enclosed.
My table has a small drawer on each side, too, which is awesome.
But, I’ve got power tools, you guys…..and I know how to use them. Wouldn’t take me longer than a couple hours, max, to figure out how to nail or screw some boards on the inside.
A little bit of wood and–BAM!–mine, too, will have shelving.
I’ve even though about the fact that I could easily build a hobby table like this from scratch and then share the tutorial with you guys! Let me work on that….
In the meantime, I’ll probably paint the whole thing white, too.
That makeover will be coming very soon!
Couple Other Fun Things
I also stopped by the ReStore and saw this cool chest. It was pretty beat up–more beat-up than what I would have taken or thought possible to really restore–but it still looked awesome with those handles and card catalog type of plates!
And I was >thisclose< to almost buying these Ethan Allen dressers which were pristine. Seriously the most clean thing I’ve ever seen while out thrift diving. They were $80 each, which is what stopped me. Who has $160 just sitting around?? They would have been amazing for my son’s room, which I think I’ll be tackling in June.
But I think they were too tall to use for bedside tables, so I skipped them. Wise decision or not?
Hmmm…I wonder if they’re still there…..
So Where’s the Hobby Table Going?
Well, as you know, I’ve been working on The Never Ending Garage Makeover. It’s moving slower than the pace of my 4-year-old getting dressed (and that’s pretty slow, HA!). Eventually, the goal is to strip and paint the garage floor…move out the remaining furniture that’s still in there…and add in some organization and finishing touches.
This hobby table is a perfect workspace to pull out when I need a surface for doing projects. And since it folds pretty compactly, it won’t take any amount of space to store when I’m not working on something.
I couldn’t have stopped by the thrift store at a better time than the morning I found my thrifted hobby table for $18.
Have you found something awesome at the thrift store lately? Leave a comment below and share what you found! 🙂
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Excellent find! That is great found the mat too. I don’t if everyone would recognize how or why you put that all together but that is why we have you! I made one of those tables about 25 years ago and the wood alone was way more money than what you spent on yours. A friend still has it along with the mats too. Excited to see what you do with the rest of your finds!
Oh wow, you make one of these? I hear you–wood is sooo expensive! I don’t think I could probably buy enough wood to make the legs for $18!! LOL. I’m going to try it out, though, and see if I can do it and how much it would cost. At the very least, it would be a great blog post, although not very cost-efficient!
I love that craft table! I have been wanting something like that for sewing projects. Ikea has a similar table for $199. Too much money in my opinion.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70290223/
Hey, Lisa! Oooh, yeah, I remember seeing these at IKEA! $200 is so expensive. If I were paying that amount, I would just pay the extra $99 and get the one from Crate & Barrel. But hey, $18 is perfect for me! 😉 I’m going to try to build one from scratch and see how much it costs! It will be a lot, but it might be perfect to give away to someone, you know? Or maybe make the top a nice wood stained top. Not sure yet!
Love love all your thrifting finds, we have nothing in the way of thrifting stores in eastern NC
Great job finding the craft table.
Hey, Juanita! Oh no, no thrift stores?!?! Are you very rural? Sorry to hear that. I don’t know what I would do without thrift stores!
I’m not only envious of your side table find, but also of the prices you get. I’m down in Va Beach, and I can assure you, our thrift stores would have had a hefty price tag on those pieces. Maybe a day trip up your way should be in order. 😉 Of course, after riding up the Eastern Shore, I might have a full load before I even got there, if I stopped in any of those cute towns along the way up. Anyhoo, I loved the after pics of the table as well as the other pieces you highlighted in that post. I’m in the mist of closing my business and cleaning out the office, getting ready for an auction, plus we are packing and moving to Newport News. Once the dust has settled, I have a round table that I found at an estate sale that I want to give a makeover to. The table post gave me a couple of ideas, and I’m excited to get started.
You’d have to travel with a U-haul! 🙂 HAHA BUT….you know, if you find something you absolutely love, you could always have a store ship it! I was in Minnesota back in the Fall and found a vintage cabinet and paid $50 to pay it shipped back to Maryland! Sits in my garage now! So don’t let that deter you! LOL
The mat is for rotary cutting.
I hope so, Jessi! I love using a rotary cutter and this would be perfect for that.
It looks like a quilting table to me. $18 (or even $34) is a steal really !!! You got blessed.
It was a blessing for sure, Nina! I can’t wait to get that garage done and can use it in there!
Such great finds, Serena. And by the way, are we/you still working on our challenges? I got sidetracked (again) and Still have to clear off the other half of that big table in my bedroom/office plus several other things. . It has all been this way for so long I have forgotten what it was like to have a “normal” bedroom. Some headway was made before my ‘sidetracking’, but , yikes, there is still work to do.
Have you had the courage to set a deadline? I don’t know if I can bear it. 🙂
Hey, Joan! Well, technically, the challenge ended in March, but for the challenge, I took one small portion of my garage. The goal date for me is in the next month. I was just thinking today that we should do a bigger room challenge for the June Room challenge. We started these 30-day challenges a couple of years ago with a June Room challenge and it was a hit, as we all tackled a room (whereas this time it could have been more “project” oriented). Let me think about this, because in July I’m doing a HUGE patio makeover challenge and doing two challenges back to back is tiring! 🙂 But keep working on your room! I’m still working on my garage!
You are right….2 back to back Is tiring, however, we can do anything, right? After I posted the above comment I had a thought about how much it helps in various endeavors to have a ‘buddy’ to encourage one another. I don’t know if it is even doable, but what about somehow letting people (who are open to it) connect to be mutual cheerleaders? It might be a great way for people to help each other achieve more during these challenges. And make a friend in the process. Just a thought, but I for one, would be willing to be an encourager during a challenge.
Hey, Joan! I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot lately and have been wanting to put together a coaching program where we hold regular weekly meetings online and support each other with video conference and chatting with each other, answering DIY questions, etc. I haven’t figured out how it will work yet, or how much it will cost (not very much), but I’m taking notes and thinking about how I was going to work it out, but yes, this is where we’re headed! I realized that people need accountability and a coach or group to report back to in order to get things done (I know I do!!). I’ll keep you posted on how this goes! Good to know you’re interested. I’ll have to ask you be my “tester” and give me feedback on if you find it valuable!
Yep you totally scored. I’m having a bit of a craft table envy moment lol. I am working on a keepsake quilt made from baby clothes this weekend.
Oooh, that sounds awesome!! Are you doing it for someone, or are the baby clothes from your kids? That’s a great idea. I’ve got some babies clothes that are just taking up space, but it would be cool to do a quilt out of them! 🙂 Love that idea!!
I am doing it for someone else (for money even!). The baby’s name is Legend so I am signing it “A Legendary Quilt By Rebecca Halley” I have three big bed sized quilts to do next , same thing- bags of baby clothes plus outfits their mother and father wore plus fabric from the Grandma’s robes who is commissioning them.
That’s such a great idea, Rebecca. AND the fact that you’re getting paid–even better! Send me a pic when you’re done. I’d love to see it! My cousin did something similar recently with my grandmother’s clothes (she passed recently) and my mom asked my cousin to give me one of the pillows that she made from the clothes. I haven’t gotten it yet since I haven’t seen my mom in a couple of weeks. But I had never thought to do this with my old baby clothes from the boys. Can’t wait to see yours!
Awesome finds Serena! That chest of drawers with curved legs was so cute! Pity it was sold! Think I would paint since I couldn’t see the wood grain as well as you can.
Florence
LOL, you can’t see the grain? I see it, which is odd, because I’m usually the first one to say “Paint it!” Oh well….someone else go it, so I’ll be looking for the next great piece! 🙂
Wow! You scored some awesome finds. I’m curious about the cutting mat…can you use a rotary cutter with it, or is it just for scissors? Great post…fun to read 🙂
I think it may only be for scissors, because it doesn’t look like my self-healing cutting mat. But that’s okay. I do a lot of measuring when I’m cutting wood and this would be an easy way to “eye” the length of something without having to pull out the tape measure! 🙂