I thought it was only fitting to show you on Labor Day what I have been laboring over these past few months...I started with a $10 garage sale coffee table. It was good and sturdy and the perfect "canvas."
Every day the sun shined I dragged the table from our family room outside to the deck - it made for a very nice working environment. To begin, I lightly sanded the table, then with a white pencil I drew on my designs. I drew on designs that had meaning to my family and as you can see, this table is a total rip-off of Sticks Furniture and Art. I love their stuff, unfortunately it's a bit spendy for my budget...so, in the keeping with the "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" idea, I have imitated their style for my own personal use...now, they can hardly get mad at me for that!
After drawing on the designs, I used a hand-held Dremel tool to carve each and every design. The heaviness of the tool and the pressure needed to carve the table limited the time I could spend - my hand gave out after about an hour; I think it took about 8 hours to carve the table. Next I gave the table a nice fresh coat of black paint and after the paint was dry I began painting the blocks. I wanted to keep with muted tones so the table would still work with the other things I have in my family room - I love, love, love how it turned out!
Here's some close-ups of the finished table...I have always wanted a leetle Air Stream trailer...not to camp in, oh Heaven's no! Just to take to the lake to eat lunch in! Like my own personal Barbie House on wheels! Grapes of course, because we are a grape-eating-family, they are always in the kitchen and music notes because I used to teach piano, and occasionally still play, when no one is listening. The American Flag over the purple mountains in all their majesty for my Marine, a fire cracker as I also come from a family of pyromaniacs, and a cupcake...I owe my thighs to cupcakes.
I painted flowers on the table because I love flowers, I always have a fresh bouquet or two or three in the house. A heart with a key in it with diamonds sparkling all around because the key to my heart IS diamonds! Duh! A wedding cake, I love weddings and I am looking forward to MY next one! A little red house to represent our house; a spool of thread and needles for the quilts I make; a big question mark because I never know from one day to the next what life will bring; a paint brush and palatte; and Northwest trees which we love to pieces until they fall down and smash things to pieces! The center is made up of stars and the sun...bright and happy!
After 8 hours of carving, 10 hours of painting and three coats of varnish the table is finally finished - didn't it turn out great?! I really love it and surprisingly, the mister does too! Now of course, the entire room needs to be revamped so everything can live "happily" with the new table :)
Happy Labor Day!
