Scavenger Chic

Thrift Store Carved Wood Side Table

• By Joan
• November 13, 2024
• 5 Comments

Thrift Store Carved Wood Side Table

Every project has to start somewhere and this one started with the discovery of this beautiful carved wood plaque in a local thrift store for only $12.

This gorgeous plaque is 21″ in diameter and 2 sided, though why anyone needs 2 sides to their plaque is beyond me. Plants and vines on one side and what looks to be an African village on the other.  It had to come home with me.

Just look at the detail on this cow!

The closest thing I could find to my plaque online was this carved wood decorative wall plaque on Ebay.  While this one is only $7.61  (shipping $52.55), it is only 14″ in diameter.  

I was hoping to find a little history on my piece but I got nuthin.

The same day I found the plaque I also found this vintage side table for $8.00 on the other side of the store.  Now I had somewhere to place the plaque.

It’s been months since I found the original 2  pieces and I finally found a piece of glass to place on top.  There was absolutely no way the carved wood plaque would make a good table top as it was.  Besides the dust getting into all the nooks and crannies, there was a good chance there would be a lot of spilled drinks.

At $19, this was the most expensive part of the table.  It did come with a cast iron outdoor patio side table but that is going to be put to the side for now.

I only needed to do a couple of tweaks to the table.  The curved piece closest to the top was a little loose.  I just ran a bead of glue around the inside seam.

Also, the one pedestal leg was a little wobbly.  With a nail gun I shot 4, 2″ finish nails into the corners where that square piece meets the round piece.  The round piece itself seemed to be screwed on securely.  Voila!  No wobble.

I love quick and easy fixes.

The last thing to do was apply Restor a Finish to recondition the wood.  

I didn’t really have to do the top as it will be hidden beneath the plaque but I did want to show you what the Restor a Finish will do without stripping the finish. 

The Restor a Finish  will only cover up small scratches and blemishes.

Time to marry my 2 pieces together (or maybe just dating).  I chose the animal side as the top.  With my nail gun still out I shot 2 more finish nails thru the top into the table just so the top wouldn’t slide around, hiding them in the grooves of the carving.  If I ever change my mind on the table, the holes can easily be filled and hidden.

I didn’t want to add too much to the tabletop as it would hide the beautiful carvings.

You can find how to create the coverless books here.

Vintage Sewing Box, Footstool

I have one more thrift store flip for you.  This little vintage  sewing box/footstool was $6 at my local thrift store. When I looked it up with Google Lens, I couldn’t find any more details about the piece.  I’m calling it a footstool because of the padded top and it’s the size of a sewing box. 

If anyone knows anything more about this little guy I’d love to hear from you.

There are 2 sets of hinges on the box so that the lid can flip open and the front flops down.

Underneath the padded top I could feel different layers.  A piece that is meant to have a padded top would be all one layer. 

And this stapled fabric was definitely not original to this sewing box.

Sure enough, removing the staples, foam and fabric revealed a two layered box, still in great condition.

I think the fabric was the only thing holding this sewing box together.  Once I had removed the top and foam a couple of pieces immediately came loose.

A thin bead of wood glue held together with clamps brings him all back together.

This piece also got a quick coat of Restor a Finish to refresh the wood.

Happy thrifting.  Until next time, stay inspired.

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