a labor of love

i mentioned a few posts back about some projects in the making. 

this table and sideboard (aka:cupboard) was a labor of love for my parents.

  my sister and i found the table on craiglist for a sweet price and the cupboard was in their basement.  my folks once upon a time had a smaller table and the cupboard had been used for storage in the dining area of the kitchen.  now that the "new" smaller table is in place, there is now room for the cabinet once again.   as you can see the table was very dated, however, we fixed that problem with a bit of paint and glaze. 
the top and leaves were sanded, re-stained and poly'd. 

the really cool thing about this table is the way the leaves are stored and used.  the table top lifts off and the two leaves, stored underneath, 

(each have double arm supports-you can see part of one in the right corner of pic below) 
fit into metal supports on the underside of table.   

the table top then fits back down between the leaves.

the cabinet was a handmade project (1970's era) by their former neighbor, mr. love (his real name) who worked for rockwell and had his own heated workshop in his backyard. this cabinet was a "whatever i have on hand to use" kind of project. most of it was real wood, but there were a few strange, mystery components. the very top was a sort of mdf board with wood edges, interior walls were a silver paper-covered board and the front skirt has wooden pegs that have a dimpled efect to them. overall, it was sound with a few minor issues. our carpenter friend, darrin, came to the rescue with refitting the bottom of the cupboard with a "warpless" piece of plywood and a wooden support for the middle shelf.  i also changed out the dated paneling that was used as door panels for beadboard to give it a classic, cottage look.

once sanded to take off the sheen from the dark stained & poly'd finish it was ready for paint.  i probably should have used a primer but after 3 coats of a creamy white pittsburg paint (pure performance) eggshell, it was done.  i painted the hardware using craft paint (it was too cold to spray outside) and then waxed it.  i had considered changing out the hardware but figured my parents (in their late eighties) didn't really mind one way or the other. 

so to keep things simple, i just re-used.  

i had wanted to add something special to the top, once i painted it.  i decided to go with a dinner prayer that my parents have always said in their home.  i found the font that i liked and using microsoft word, printed out the text.  i cut around each word, spaced it accordingly and using pencil rubbings a fancy technique, drew out the words and handpainted the letters with a mix of black and brown craft paint.

the next decision was "to glaze or not to glaze".  i let the cupboard sit in my painting booth (aka diningroom) for several days and then as christmas fast approached, it was necessary to make a decision.  i glazed and am SO glad i did.  it took several tries on the top as it wasn't coming out quite right but finally the 'less is more' application worked.  afterward, mr.1829 gave it 4 coats of paste wax (thanks cassie for the suggestion)

i'm really happy the way it turned out, from an ugly duckling to a white swan!

my mom was especially pleased with both pieces and couldn't believe that the cupboard was the same one from the basement.  she really appreciated the prayer painted along the edge.

  both pieces were a total surprise for them (we snuck the cupboard out without them knowing!)

i'd say overall that this was a mission accomplished!



sorry for the looooong absence but my parents have needed alot of help lately (dad's been battling varous infections & hospitalizations) and with that comes the neglect of the home front, paperwork & laundry piling up, along with various appointments here and there. life has been full of anxious moments but i am choosing to be grateful & prayerful. (phil. 4:6-7)

linking up to

Make it 4 Monday at Cottage Instincts

Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

February Before & After at Thrifty Decor Chick

Power of Work Wednesday at Primitive & Proper

update june 2011:

these pieces qualify for under $100 as the cupboard was free and the table was well under $100 including the paint and paste wax which was already on hand.  nothing extra was purchased to complete this transformation.  my favorite kind of project!

also linking to: