I DID IT! I DID IT!

Last week I went to Pottery Barn to spend a Christmas gift card. While there I fell in love with this great, rustic console table. Great, yes?

Now, unfortunately I don't have a spare $400 lying around but I still couldn't shake the table from my head. I started studying it online. Thursday night I stayed awake into the wee hours of the night planning and designing my "project" in my head. The next morning I redesigned it because nothing can be trusted that happens in my brain past 10 pm. (I should add here that one of the best gifts my husband ever got me was a compound mitre saw a few years ago. Melts my heart and I mean it. Nothing like sawing through something.) Friday night, my husband and I went to Home Depot. He only kicked and screamed a little but was a really good trooper. I believe the supplies cost me about $130. I could have come in QUITE a bit below that but I decided to use a harder wood than pine.


That night, I made the jenkiest part of the table, the top. For the record, I have no idea what I am doing. I am a self-taught, furniture "maker." I am embarrassed to even type that word because I REALLY don't know what I am doing. I watched a few youtube videos and did my best. For the top I just laminated some pieces together. I know I should have attached them more securely but notching is not in my repertoire. The next morning, all dried and somewhat secured I moved on to the base. I think I actually did ok. It feels incredibly sturdy and is VERY heavy. Once the screws were countersunk and the holes patched and sanded, I beat the crap out of it. haha. So fun. I sanded the edges, beat it with a wire brush, a hammer, chain and a sock full of bolts that tore and flew through the garage.
Before Nick was home from his enginerding outing I put on my first layer of stain. When he got home he decided it wasn't distressed enough. So he put that table in its place. A couple more coats of stain and 4 coats of polyurethane (sanding in between) later, I had a table.

I have made furniture in the past but I rushed it and, while they work, they are embarrassing. I am quite pleased with myself. Pay no attention to the paper on the wall. I designed those tonight and am trying to decide if they are worthy of framing.


On top of it, I found a hidden treasure behind home depot. Some friends told us about this awesome imports place. I kind of want to tell all 11 of my faithful readers about it but at the same time, there is this bench there that I MUST own, can't afford and have no room for. You take it and you die. Impact Imports is a small warehouse type situation out by the freeway. Everything is from India. The husb/wifey pair travel to India a few times a year to buy all of this stuff. I LOVE it all. Totally my style. I got that mirror over the table and that carved wooden bowl there as well. Seriously, leave my bench alone.