Using Antique Calendar Pages on a Table Top

I absolutely love when I can turn discarded nothings into something.  It makes my heart skip a beat when something that was being thrown away can be recreated and given a new life!

For this project, I created a calendar page table top with some free vintage and antique calendar pages and a table that I literally found on the side of the road.  What better materials than 40 and 60 year old pieces of perfectly preserved paper and a thrown away table! To begin, I wanted to paint the table to complement the antique look of the calendar pages.  I used a custom mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Cream and Coco to create a soft beige colour that would be perfect for the table legs and shelf.  In order to have the table look as aged as the calendar pages, I used a round paint brush moving it in all directions when I was applying the paint.  These miss-matched strokes, when dry, would provide the perfect crevices and lines for a glaze that would give the table the antique look I was going for.  To bring out the crevices and lines of the paint, I used Fusion Mineral Paint Antiquing Glaze. I have used this glaze before and love the aged look it brings to the paint.  (you can see another project where I used it here)To apply the glaze, I brushed it on the painted surface woking on one small area at a time.Once it was brushed on, I rubbed it in with a soft, clean cloth and wiped it back as I was going.  For the table top, I used these incredibly beautiful calendar pages that I was given at a recycling store for free because no one else wanted them.  Can you believe no one else wanted them?!  (you can read more about that adventure here). I am still absolutely in awe that they look so lovely together since two of them were from 1954 and two were from 1974. To turn the pages into a usable top that wouldn’t damage the paper I began by “gluing” them to the table using Minwax Polycrylic.  Once the pages where in place, I painted on about six coats/layers of the Polycrylic allowing each to fully dry between.

Tip: If your pictures bubble up when the Polycrylic is wet, it is ok.  When it dries, they will shrink back and dry flat.   Once the Polycrylic was dried and hardened, I used a knife to trim off the excess paper.  To finish off the edges, I dabbed on a little more of the Antiquing Glaze right over the edge of the paper to make it look like it was part of the table.  When it was all done, this piece turned out to be incredibly unique!  I could see it fitting perfectly into a den or next to a gorgeous, over-stuffed leather chair 🙂 I am so very happy that I was not only able to save a perfectly useful table from ending up in the trash but was able to preserve these gorgeous pieces of antique and vintage paper!