The Making Of...

Ok, truth be told,  I did not think to take a whole bunch of pictures while I was making the table.  The ones I did take I emailed to my husband to annoy him.  He wasn't exactly excited that I wanted to play with circular saws and nail guns (he was babbling on and on about losing fingers and blah, blah, blah)

Here are the ones I did take:

This is the first time I used the Kreg jig.  I love this thing!!  It is AHMAZING!!  It was simple to use and simple to set up.  

It makes these pretty little pocket holes and they make the board meld together seemlessly.  It makes the whole table process easy (well this is my first project, so I don't actually have anything to compare it to, but these holes made it easy for me). 

This is me using gravity to secure the top boards together.  Gravity is my friend :)

This is the table, unfinished and in my unorganized (to say the least) garage.  I was super impressed...LOL!  I had sanded all of the wood before I put it together and that was a time saving tip that I read on this website: sawdustandpaperscraps.com.  Sandra is AHMAZING!  I wanna be like her one day :)  Check out her web site,  you will not be disappointed.  

This is the table with just the stain and one top coat.  I used Minwax Express Color Wiping Stain in Oak.  This was my first time staining so I did not buy enough tubes.  I only bought one tube and then had to go out and buy another tube.  It is really easy to work with.  You just take a cloth and wipe it on, let it sit for a minute and then wipe it off. Then I sanded it and applied another coat.  The color was just what I wanted.  I was so relieved because I had read many times how staining can go wrong and I had worked so hard putting that darn table together... 

  This is the top coat after two applications.  I used Minwax Polycrylic.  It is a water based top coat.  I  ended up putting three coats on.  Each time I sanded and then added another coat.  This was the most tedious part.  I now hate sanding, but I have three kids and I wanted my beautiful table to last longer than a week ;)

And this is my finished product.  Yay!!  I love it!

I can't WAIT until I start my next project :)

Thanks for stopping by :)

Kathy

"Necessity is the mother of invention"

We needed a new table... one that fit in the space between our kitchen and our playroom (AKA the family room in most normal people's houses).

This was our old set up.  It was a small table and a small kids picnic table next to it...

Sorry about the picture quality, I actually didn't have that many table pictures to choose from.

It was way too small for our family.   When we first bought that round table, we were a family of four, and then Jimmy joined our family.  Fast forward five years of hating how small that table was....We needed bigger table, something not too big and not too wide.  I searched and searched, but I couldn't find one that fit the measurements I wanted.  My ideal table was this one...

image from Pottery Barn

This table had the right shape, but I hated the legs and I hated the bottom bar thing.  AND I hated the price tag $999.00 (without shipping).  AND, it was too large for that area in my kitchen. AND, I needed the table to match the rest of the furniture in the kitchen.  Enter Ana-White.  Have you seen her website?  ana-white.com .   I am in awe of this little lady.  She inspired me to blog and gave me the confidence to DIY.  

So, I stalked Ana's web site.  I searched the tables and melded the Farmhouse Table with the Turned Leg Coffee Table to make this...

Please don't mind the mess behind it.  This area is a work in progress!

My baby!  (ps it cost around $100.00 to make mine including the stain and top coat plus various supplies)  I promise to be more diligent with the cost of my next project.  I worked so hard and learned sooo much.  This wood working thing is truly a make a whole lot of mistakes and learn as you go process.  I researched how to do this and how to do that (to death), but there is only so much one can learn on youtube and stalking web sites;  getting down and dirty is where you gain the knowledge.  And making tons of mistakes :)  Don't get me wrong, all of the tips are what helped me accomplish the goal, but actually building it....  

Can you tell that I am super proud of this table?  I made it!  

Tomorrow I will post the pictures of building the table.... 

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathy

In the beginning....

there was a New Years Resolution to start a blog.... and this is it.   I don't have a clue how to create a blog.  I have no idea how to make this blog interesting enough for people to want to read it.  How do I get all of those buttons and gadgets that emails interested readers?  I am all green and terrified, all the while knowing my Mom will probably be the only one who reads this.  But, here it is:  my blog.  I want to take you with me on my journey as I fix up my house one DYI project at a time.  As a bonus... you get to watch me make a fool out of myself as I navigate this blogging thing.  Technology and I DO NOT get along.   If you're reading this,  I hope you stay around for a bit and witness the transformation.  

Kathy