Rustic Dining Table Make-Over

I have been dying to make-over our dining room table for so long now. In fact, my mom started the process by stripping the stain off of the table top about 10 years ago, but the project just never got finished. This table is probably 60 years old. My grandmother got it from a friend back in the early 1950's, so this table has been through a lot. It was in my mom's home when she was a child, was my family's dining table for much of my childhood, and now sits in my own dining room. Yet, it still never felt just right. First, we were going to paint the legs and stain the table top. Then, we were going to paint the whole thing - maybe red, maybe gray, maybe teal. Then, I saw this tutorial from Our Vintage Home Love on Pinterest and swooned for months over their dining room reveal before we actually got up the nerve to try it. But, our wonderful Pacific Northwest summer is coming to an end and I didn't know how much longer we would have before the rain, so we just dove in. I am SO HAPPY with the result. Take a look for yourself.

First, we removed the rounded, hinged sides to the table, creating a rectangle base. Then we primed with Kilz spray primer and finished it off with a few light coats of a creamy white spray paint. This seriously took no time at all - I was very surprised.


Next, we distressed the legs a bit. I really did want a rustic, worn look, and thanks to some 220 grit sand paper, that's what we got.

Finally, we got 3 - 2" x 8" x 12' boards from Lowes. I think we found them in the decking section, just like they did on Our Vintage Home Love. Our boards cost about $7 each. We took advantage of the "we cut for free" policy at Lowes and had them cut each of the boards down to 6' in length. We stained the boards with a dark walnut stain and then put them together with a cross beam (that's what you call it, right?) on each end.

All in all, this was a very easy project that only took us a few hours. I am 100% satisfied with the results and am a little bit sad that we waited this long. Thanks for the idea and tutorial, Our Vintage Home Love!!

Now all I can think about is making over some dining room chairs...

JoTotes Giveaway

Head on over to Two of a Kind to enter their giveaway for a JoTotes bag (*swoon*). ;)

photo courtesy JoTotes (link)

25 - 21 'Till 30

This has been a long week, but at the same time it completely flew by. Nothing went as planned, and thus, this post is a week all in one.

25. Paint My Nails An Obnoxious Color. I'm probably already too old for this, but I decided to use one of my obnoxious polishes just one last time before I turn 30. Not too exciting, but it still felt daring. :)

24. Break a Silly Rule. Some rules are silly. Mythbusters busted the cell phones on airplanes myth. So, shouldn't the cell phones in a hospital myth also be busted? I think so. And that's why I broke this silly rule.


23. Do Something A Little Selfish and Immature. Ellie has been sick this week. She started to feel better, but then slipped back to feeling awful. But, we had a date night planned tonight and had committed to our friends to be there. So, we did the selfish, immature, terrible parent thing and left Ellie with her grandma and went anyway. It was probably a bad idea, but I felt like no matter what choice I made, I would be letting someone down.

22. Go For A Week Without Soda. I have had a goal to give up soda for good for a very long time. But, I just LOVE my diet coke. Seriously. Love. And Dr. Pepper 10. So good. But, I gave it up for a week and I felt so good.


21. Start Mockingjay. Again. I loved the first two books of the Hunger Games series. I have tried and tried to read the third book, but I just can't get into it. I think the main reason (I fully accept the ridiculousness of this) is that someone I don't have much respect for said it was their favorite book. And yes, I am just immature enough to make that

25 'Till 30

25. Stay Up WAY Past Bedtime. Just a few short years ago, I could stay up all night and still go to class in the morning with plenty of energy. Sure, I would need to retire early that evening to make up for the lost sleep, but it was actually possible to make it through the next day relatively unscathed. Not so much anymore. This is probably too irresponsible for a nearly 30-year-old, but tonight I'm staying up way past bedtime. If only there was a way to ensure that tomorrow won't be as painful as I know it will be after little to no sleep. Oh well, I guess I'm getting old not as young as I used to be.

26 'Till 30

26. Completely Empty My Inbox Before I Leave Work On Friday. TGIF. Seriously. And what a wonderful Friday it was. Today, maybe for the first time ever, I left work with an empty inbox. [Technically, I received an e-mail just after I left, but I maintain that it was empty, even if just for a moment]. This accomplishment is only marred by the fact that I will have to work a little bit this weekend. :)

27 to 30

27. Re-watch My Favorite T.V. Series. Oh, Arrested Development. I seriously LOVE everything about that show. Even though I always say that it is my very favorite show of all time and I know how witty and wonderful it is, I am still surprised at just how constantly I can laugh through an episode. Tonight, I started re-watching this series and I hope to finish it this week. If you haven't seen it, A.D. is streaming on Netflix right now (all three seasons) and you should go watch it. Now.

28 'Till 30

28. Convince My Daughter That Food Is Not The Enemy.  Although this is not even close to being accomplished, I consider tonight a very important victory in the never-ending quest to convince E that food is good (and good for you). This child and I just do not see eye to eye on this subject. I, have a problem not eating everything in site. She, has a problem eating anything (that is not frozen waffles, cucumbers, ramen, or shell mac'n'cheese). Tonight, she actually ate an entire cheeseburger AND liked it. Battle conquered; war yet to win.

29 'till 30

Day 29. Tell a succinct, funny story. It has been a long-term goal of mine to tell a funny story without too much background and tonight, I did it. I finally did it. I am a terrible story teller. First of all, I am hyper and much too talkative. Second, I often feel that in order for someone to understand the story I want to tell, that person first needs to understand another story (and another and another). I've know this about myself for a very long time. My friend Anna Lisa used to say "I love that story, Meghann" after every story I miserably failed at recounting.  But tonight, I told a story that was succinct, appropriate, and made everyone laugh for a moment. I am very proud of myself. *Side note - the description of this accomplishment, however, demonstrates my usual story telling style. 

30 'till 30

I have a mere 30 days left before I turn 30. For those of you who don't know me, this is a VERY EXCITING thing. I can't exactly figure out why, but I have been SO excited to turn 30. I mean really, really ecstatic. I have been counting down for several years now. I know most people dread it, but I just can't wait.

So, to make this momentous occasion even more exciting, I have decided to count down the last 30 days until I turn 30. In this next month, I will attempt to try new things, accomplish long-overdue goals, and prepare for the next 30 years of my life.

And so it begins...

Day 30. Pay off a car loan. Yes, it's true. As of today, we actually own a vehicle. B and I both owned the cars that we had when we got married, but this is the first and only car we have actually got a loan for and paid off together. I am convinced that it is going to die tomorrow, knock on wood.

Cheap and Easy DIY Valentine {DIY Gift}

We aren't really big on Valentine's Day gifts around here. In fact, I told B that if he ever bought me jewelry for V-Day, I would probably take it back. I didn't mean for it to sound ungrateful, but I just don't think it's right for us. Valentine's Day is a day that tends to be about showing those around you how much you love them and how well you know them. But, if B were to buy me jewelry, he would be accomplishing the exact opposite - showing me that he doesn't like me at all. So, we have always made each other Valentine's. I will post some of my favorites from the past later this week, but for now, I will give you a sneak peak of my valentine for him this year.

Repurposed Treat Container {Party Favor}{Valentine}

I might just be obsessed with gum. This has been an affliction for as long as I can remember. I may or may not have stolen a piece of already chewed gum from under the counter at the bank (I know, right? Disgusting. I would probably throw up if one of my kids did that). I want to show you what I do with all of the empty containers from my very favorite gum by Mentos.

source

I love this gum for many reasons. It comes in a bunch of different flavors; the flavor lasts forever; and best of all, the containers ROCK. They actually stay shut in my purse and that, my friends, is awesome. I couldn't bear to part with these bright, well-contained containers when I was done with the gum, so I turned them into candy containers.

When Worlds Collide

I find it unsettling when worlds collide - not bad, not good, just unsettling. I view my world in compartments, you see? Or at least I try to. Work is work. Home is home. Social is social. I rarely venture into a world that combines different sectors of my life. In fact, I am just now getting used to the idea that it is actually possible to make friends at work. I know. I am (almost) 30. This really should have occurred to me about 15 years ago.

Facebook has created this weird phenomenon that makes worlds collide and always baffles me - people I know, know each other. That whole "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" thing exists in the real world and not just in the celebrity world. Weird. Slowly, I got used to that idea.

And then this happened...

What I Wish I Wore Wednesday

Oh, to be stylish. A few months ago, my husband asked me what I would buy if I had an extra $1000 to spend just on me (as if that would ever happen). All I could think of was clothes. And shoes. And accessories. Seriously. If I had $1000 just for me, I would take a giant trash bag, walk over to my closet and fill that sucker with almost everything I own. Then I would start over. And I would dress like this:

My Mom Style by laura-haynes-cole featuring love quotes scarves

Black and white and pop of green, I love you.

And that, Folks, is What I Wish I Wore Wednesday.

A Tile Tale - Scrabble Crafts

For some reason, I am in love with Scrabble. I can't win the game - I can barely come up with three letter words sometimes thanks to "Mommy brain" - but those little tiles are irresistible. Here are some fun scrabble tile crafts and projects for your enjoyment...

Scrabble Drink Coasters by MadeByMarcy on Etsy