Side Table Make Over - FINISHED!

To recap, I started out with this side table I picked up at a garage sale for $5.  It's solid wood and very heavy. It was it perfect condition, just needed a make over into something more French/shabby chic. :)

Now it looks like this ...

 After giving it a sand I gave it an undercoat of paint.  Then 2 top coats of white gloss paint.  

Then I got out my NEW SANDER and sanded it to give it an aged and distressed appearance.  Using a sander was so much faster and I think it actually gave it a better appearance than hand sanding.

Next I decided to add some drawers for storage.  I had recently purchased some fabric drawer dividers from Kmart for approx $6.  Two of them side by side were the perfect fit.  I decided to cover them in gorgeous canvas drop cloth (left over from another project).  Not the neatest drawer covering, but no one will see inside anyway. ;)

 I then decided on some inspirational words which I printed up on my computer to fit the fronts of the drawers.  After printing out the words and cutting them out with my blade knife, I taped the stencils to the fronts of the drawers and filled in the letters with black fabric paint. I love the effect it created!

I left the top shelf empty and have added a basket to store our remotes. I love the contrast of the cane.

So my finished side table is now in it's new home next to the TV unit in our lounge room. 

 I've added a mirror, my stencilled shabby lamp, and a few other trinkets on top for interest, including a cute little silver tea light holder lantern which was on the mark down shelf at the hardware for $2.  Bargain!

I love my new side table.  It looks great and has lots of storage.

Total cost of project - $11 (plus paint and drop cloth which I already had).  Not too shabby. :)