fabulous french (ish) coffee table find

I found this amazing rusted and gross table on the side of the road one day while I was out driving searching for junk (ie. trash). And I just went searching for the before photos I took to show you but they are no where to be found :(

So, you'll just have to take my word. This thing was a piece of junk. All the tiles around the center are metal. They were rusted pretty bad, it looks like someone left it sitting outside maybe on a patio or something and the weather took it's toll on it. The wood was in decent shape, at least not broken or falling apart and the entire center of the table was missing. The metal legs were in great shape but were this hammered silver with black finish - not bad, but left a lot to be desired.

Despite all this I tossed it in the back of my van and scooted home quick before someone else decided it was something THEY needed :) Since then this table has just sat in my garage. It's not a small table - at least 3 foot square, so it's rather large to have to keep moving over and over again. One day I had an epiphany (I constantly work on problems like the center of the coffee table, over and over again until a solution comes to me) and realized I had recently picked up this nice square frame one day at GW while it was 30% off. Not a bad deal - frame and glass for $6. Once it was painted it would be great. I wondered to myself - "self, will that frame fit in the center of that coffee table?" so, I skipped slowly walked over to the table and held the frame next to it. Yup, looked close. Hmm...put it up against the back of the table...still close. Then lost all finesse and just crammed the frame in the hole. It fit!!! And it fit perfectly, you know, like it was made to go in that hole.

After dancing myself around the garage with happiness I got my super yummy chalk paint out and got to painting. I painted in in Old White and then black washed it and distressed it to no end. Waxed with clear and medium wax. When that was all painted I went to work on the image for the center. I went over to my favorite graphic website - the Graphics Fairy - and found a graphic I wanted to use. Then I enlarged it and did this fancy hold the fabric {drop cloth} on top of the paper and up against the window and trace technique. Worked like a charm. Glued it to a piece of foam core, put a couple coats of hard coat modpodge on it and then put it all together.

Here's the end result: (Don't mind the glare of the glass on the center)