Thursday Favorite Things: Mothers Day DIY Unicorn SPiT Table.

Katherine's Corner Hop

Yes, it is Thursday!   I am so ready for my long weekend but before I go I have to share with you my Thursday Favorite things post.   This week it is my mom's Mother's Day present.


This table was a very boring blonde wood finished thing with a bunch of finger paints and scratches on it before I prepared it for refinish which in this case was sanding it down with my orbital sander (yes, I use an orbital, I have a mouse and a belt but I just can't make myself buy a palm sander when my orbital is the love of my life!).   Once it was plain wood again I started the refinishing process...and here is what I came up with:

Script: Here Come The Irish of Notre Dame

Even though Mother's Day is this weekend,  I took mom her present last weekend so this blog won't ruin anything.   Now before you question me on my taste, style or design choices here, know a couple of things, this table, which ended up being the perfect size for her new coffee table, was done specifically as a Notre Dame Fighting Irish table because my mother is a huge Notre Dame fan.   Once, when I was in high school, we had one of those big-square coffee tables with the glass in the middle and during a Notre Dame game I heard this giant crash.  I ran into the living room and found my mother covered in glass in the middle of the coffee table and my step father trying to extricate her from the mess and evaluate her injury.  Now, this was the late 1980's and way before cell phones so my mother was forced to go to the ER due to her injuries (minor in the end) and when the woman walked into the house the only thing she said to me was "Did Notre Dame win?".   Please note, this table is solid wood and nobody is flying through the center, at least I hope not.  

This was my first time using *Unicorn SPiT which is the amazing stain product on the table top.  There are actually 3 colors used on this table, Blue Thunder (the green sort of overpowered the blue but it is in there, trust me) Lemon Kiss, that brilliant burst of Golden dome and Dragon Belly the amazing green.  

Okay, here are the pro's of Unicorn SPiT: 

*The colors are amazing and bright.  If you are sick of everything being dark colored stain and cream, this is the way to express yourself. 

Source: Express Yourself

*It is harmless to kids and pets.  This company is dedicated to making a product that is safe, non-toxic, and no VOC.  The product was made for special people and the company, frankly is inspiring.

Here is the Story of Unicorn SPiT.

*You can apply it with your hands!  

Yep, for all of you who miss finger painting, here is your stain.  Now, I am going to admit, I applied it with my hands on this table and I was a little bit green for about 24 hours.  Next time I use it, I will probably use a pad, brush, or gloves but it was totally harmless and just looked funny.   

*Your imagination is your only limitation with this product.  

*The product smells amazing.  No really, it smells incredible.  I was applying spar-urethane to my Texas Rangers Bar Table so I didn't get to enjoy the lovely smell as much as had I just been using the SPiT but the stuff is lovely.  

Con's of Unicorn SPiT:

The only thing I can really say is a con is that there aren't a lot of How-To's on the product out there so you kind of have to just feel your way.  (The company is pretty new but the service was fast and they sent my package with the most adorable decorations on it.)   The site has a little bit of info and apparently the owner tries to send the people who buy her product info, although I only saw one video and that was on one of my painting Facebook pages.   I have to say though, this isn't a big deal.  You just try and let the product figure itself out.   You are never going to get the exact same look twice and that isn't a bad thing. 

How I did this?

First I got one of those baby medicine syringes and sucked up the lightest color of paint.  In this case, the yellow.  I applied it in spots and kind of pushed it around in the pattern I wanted with my hands.  I had the idea that I wanted a star burst effect on this table from the start so that was always the plan.  Next I did the green, if I had it to do over again, I would have done the blue next so it would have shown up better.   Same process dots of green and then dots of blue here and there and pushed it around with the palm of my hand until it was done.   I wanted a saying on this table so I used stencils to write "Here Come the Irish of Notre Dame".   It is hard to see in the pictures but it is kind of fancy font and I actually used blue and gold paint pens for the script.  

Once the furniture dried, I applied Teak Oil.  The creator said to use Tung Oil but I couldn't find any at my Home Depot and I knew I was adding a wipe on poly because I wanted shine on this thing.   So I applied the Teak Oil and let that soak into the wood.  Finally I applied a LOT of wipe-on polyurethane.  I mean a TON!.  I think I probably finished this table with 8 or 9 coats of polyurethane.  It isn't a huge table but I used nearly 3/4 of a bottle of poly.   It took a while to build up the shine I was looking for and I know the protection on the table top, which will get abused by kids in my family, is completely tops. 

Anyway, my mom says she loves the table and I had fun creating something that is so unique and different.  I am looking for another piece that is perfect for this stain so I can play with it some more.  I have a few ideas but I need to pick something just perfect.   I am really enjoying doing the sports related items but I want to use this product on something bigger.  

So what do you think?  Is something wild and crazy your cup of tea or would you rather just stick with dark coffee colored wood and creamy white paint?

*Alright, so have I mentioned that I am not affiliated with this product in any way and I am not being paid for any of my opinions and that my opinions are simply that, mine.