Double-Pointed Knitted Needles Storage

My DPNs frustrate me.  The current storage solution is to put them in jars on a shelf, all sizes mixed up.  I tried putting rubber bands around them with little tags containing the sizes on them to sort them, but I quickly nixed that idea upon realizing that I would almost immediately lose the rubber band with said size label after one use.  Being organizationally challenged, I realized that I need something that is simple, that I can just grab and use at a moment's notice, and that is equally easy to put away.  I also wanted it to look good.  Thus, the following project:

 3 for a buck at Dollar Tree.  I bought fifteen.  Anyone need an extra toothbrush?  I seem to have some extra at the moment...

 This spray paint is awesome, by the way. 

They are currently drying.  I took yarn and closed the cases over it so I could temporarily paint them and let them dry without having to touch them and get fingerprints on them.  I got enough drips with my impatient painting technique that they're already a bit rough-looking.  They're just going in a drawer, so as long as they look good from a distance, I don't really care.

 (I can only imagine what my poor husband thought I was doing as a new home decor project!)   

Here is their new home once they dry and have needles in them, sorted by size.

Here's the numbers I found to label the cases.

I will update once they are finished, I'm currently waiting for paint to dry!

Here's the Reveal:

Antique Typeset Drawer Table--The Reveal!

It has been finished! After lots of prying, sanding, staining, and waiting, I'm finally finished with my project.  It's perfect for my living room decor, and the size is versatile enough that I can use it as a small coffee table or as a side table.  Here's the photos!

 Normally that blue couch has a white slipcover, please ignore it for now! 

 I need to find more knick-knacks from around the house to put in the compartments.

The stain job is not that great upon closer look, but with the glass over it and once more stuff is in there, one won't be able to tell.  It was very difficult to get the stain in all those nooks and crannies, and I soon discovered that imperfections and drips were inevitable.  I decided to focus my time on the outside of the table, where drips would be much more noticeable. 

What to do with an Antique Typeset Drawer?

My friend Julie, her mother and I went to a place called Loafer's Glory in Blanchard, MI yesterday.  It is an antique shop, a restaurant, an old-fashioned soda fountain, candle shop, and more all in one.  There are also a few other antique shops within about fifty feet of Loafer's Glory.  It was heaven, and we were there for several hours looking at all the neat things.  Among them, I found this:

I had initially planned to hang it on the wall and put some knick knacks in it, but then it hit me:  coffee table!

So here is how I did it:

First, I removed the main drawer part.  I bought a piece of 1/4" plywood to replace the particle board at the bottom of the drawer, since I planned to stain it and I'm pretty sure particle board would not look good with stain.

The particle board wouldn't come off the drawer sections!  There were brads in different areas that had hooks at the bottom, so I had to break off the particle board in chunks to maintain the drawer sections.  Then I glued the wooden slats back together and put them in the frame and nailed the plywood to the bottom.

After nailing the bottom back on, it was time to put the hardware on the bottom for the legs.

Home Depot sells table legs that come ready to screw into this type of hardware, it was very easy to mount.

Now all that is left is a coat of stain!

I plan to add one or two more coats of stain, then I am going to get some glass cut for the top after I find some fun things to put in it!  I'll update with the finished product in a few days!


Also, Julie painted her antique table, her first refinishing project.  Here's the before:

And here's the after (still wet paint):

******UPDATE******

I added a second coat of stain to the table, and I have the glass ordered for the tabletop.  I plan to add a third coat of stain (I think I can be patient enough!), but here's what it looks like after the second coat:

Some of the stain is still damp.