help, I've become my father

teenagers embarrass easily

i was embarrassed more often than not when i went out with my family during my very bizarre teenage years

if it wasn't the dilapidated car we were driving it was my sister’s haircut (think butchy mullet here) or our family's obvious lack of social skills

the worst by far was something we dubbed highway shopping

driving along and we would notice something up ahead on the side of the road in the trash or having been lost from a moving vehicle

sometimes we would offer a distraction or simply hold our breathes hoping we could pass by without stopping

but inevitably, my dad would point, comment, and pull on over to check out a diamond in the rough kind of treasure that had been spotted

we would slink down in the back seat praying that no one we knew would happen to be driving by

mortified that my dad would actually stop his car and get out just to salvage something so seemingly silly, some piece of worthless garbage

seven feet of garden twine, a bicycle rim, a dented watering can… the list goes on

the best, or worst i suppose, was a dead porcupine that was to be salvaged for his quills that would be used in a crafting project at some point in the future

MORTIFYING

but apparently not mortifying enough

because…

today, roughly 15 short years later, i am far worse than he ever was

luckily i have boys and they love to get involved, not embarrassed in the least

the only one in this family that’s offended by my highway shopping ways is Scott, poor Scott (but not actually too poor because I save him a lot of money this way, or so I tell him)

driving through the bus stop neighborhood the other day I found this little gem…

It was in rough shape.  solid wood but a bad paint job several years ago and some bad care for several more had left their mark.  I wasted no time tossing him in the back of my truck and also took the matching pair of Dell computer speakers.  I did refrain from the tempting pair of size 8 bowling shoes though.  Gotta save something for the other scrappers you know.

Once home I unloaded my table and examined it.  The brand name on the bottom and a quick Google search confirmed that some silly person had once spent over $100 on this little table.  Worth far less now, it was time to get dirty and reclaim some of the value that this table once had.

I started with a bleach and water scrub down to clean and disinfect as I always do.  Then some time to dry in the sun.  I am convinced that bleach and sun kill almost anything.  It always make me feel better anyway. 

Next step was to give it an overall coat of off white spray paint.

I sanded some rough spots and gave it one more coat and then sanded some more.

 

My little table really started taking on the look I had imagined however, it looked to clean and too new to fit in with my household so I roughed him up a bit.

 

I aggressively sanded the sides and corners simulating years of wear and stylish tear until i achieved a shabby chic look that satisfied me.  This is a fantastic technique that can be used to make the real existing flaws blend in and appear to be the look you are going for. 

 

  

I was so proud that I made Scott come out and marvel at how clever I was for repurposing this table and how skilled I was for making it look new again and then old at the same time.  i only sent him back in the house when he pointed out that I should be working on a few more of my finds so that he can have his carport back. 

The little table that was destined for the landfill now serves our family room with great style and new purpose.