Dining Room Table {Project Pretty}

Over the past couple of years I've been debating on revamping my kitchen table. It was a cookie cutter table, and I was eager to make it unique...but how?

I've been a huge fan of the farmhouse look --natural, dark wood. I'm also a fan of color and metallic, along with natural ocean decor. My decor taste is truly all over the place, so finding a look that isn't too masculine, too feminine, too rustic, too beachy, or too posh has been a challenge.

There's still so much that I want to change/alter/upgrade, but for now I'm working with what I have.

First up, the dining room table.

 Here's a peek at what it looked like when I started. It was your standard honey toned table.

What you'll need:

• Old Rag for staining (I didn't use a paintbrush for staining or painting during this project)
• Shop Towels (for your paint and glaze-- this is the blue thick paper towels. You could use another rag if you'd like)
• Paintbrush (used only for sealing)
• Rust-Oleum Kona Stain
• White Latex Paint (any brand will do)
• Valspar Gold Glaze
• Polycrylic Sealer
  

Steps:

• First, sand your table. I used a palm sander for the top, and hand sanded the legs.
• Second, stain your tabletop. Wipe on with your rag, then wipe off. Let the stain soak into wood, but in thin layers at a time. I gave mine four layers. 
• Third, stain your legs and the sides of the table in the same fashion --wipe on, wipe off. I only gave the legs two layers of stain.
• Fourth, once the stain in dry, take a shop towel and rub a thin layer of white paint over your stain. At this point, you're thinking "Dear God, I've ruined my table!". Don't worry, it gets better and you CAN'T mess this up!
• Fifth, once the "ugly" is dry, lightly sand over the legs and sides until you've achieved the level of distressed you desire. You should have three colors at this point --the original wood, the stained wood, and some white, depending of how much you sanded off.
• Sixth, with a clean shop towel, wipe on some gold glaze-- go crazy if you want, but make sure you get some in the grooves and cracks of your table. I glazed only my legs and sides --thick in the grooves, thin on my flat areas-- leaving it with a nice shimmer when the sun directly hits it.
• Seventh, once everything is dry, apply a coat of polycrylic sealer. Let it sit for 24 hours before reassembling your table.

 Industrial bookcase is another DIY project. I'll post a tutorial on that soon.

 table leg detail

 chairs painted in Valspar Mermaid's Song, Ocean Whisper, and Sea Lily
bamboo rug, overstock
fur blankets, Target
black and gold pillows, Target

Love Emmie

2014. Here we are.

2014.

This is going to by my year. My year for results.

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."

During the next 12 months, I hope to accomplish big things. I'm jumping into this year in full force and with full optimism. My hopes and dreams are huge, but with hard work and planning, I know we can accomplish great things.

Out with the old, in with the new; a new beginning and a clean slate.

Here are a few things on my 2014 Checklist:

Goals towards others:

• Pause before speaking
• Show more compassion
• Patience
• Learn from others

Goals for self:

• Amp up fitness
• Eat fresh
• Kick off "Love Emmie Designs" with my husband
• Blog everything (well, almost everything)
• Finish DIY projects
• Design, Design, Design
• Re-Organize 
• Simplify household
• Brainstorm a marketing plan
• Learn from mistakes
• Don't repeat the past

I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you for your readership, for sticking with my posts, and traveling alongside me year after year. Thank you for supporting my little blog and continuing to read about our experiences. Most of you have become great friends, and I'm so thankful for your relationship.

 My heart is full.

Love,

Emmie