DIY: Rescuing a Classic

I picked up this little gem a few years ago, at a thrift store for $15.  It's a old folding top Sears Roebuck sewing machine table ....It's three different colors.  I hadn't done anything with it because I didn't have time and frankly, I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it.  Ace Hardware does a promo; a quart of paint...FREE!  They must hope that you either get a color and get hooked on it, therefore buying more, or that you buy painting supplies while you're there...or they're just awesome.  I'll go with they're just awesome.... A DIY'ers dream right! So I went in and picked out a color called "Pickup Truck Blue."  I had intended on painting my front door this color, but Hubby vetoed that (it wound up being "Sun Dried Tomato")  So I had a quart of paint...light bulb! This poor table.  I took it out side and started sanding it...Oh my word....a million layers of paint later, okay four layers of paint later I got the top sanded.
Next to paint the bottom. I scuffed the existing paint so my paint would hold well...I didn't do the inside yet because I haven't decided this tables fate yet.  I saw a beautiful one, just like mine, that had been converted into a beverage cart. Any who...I painted a total of three coats.
Now the top.  I still have some of my stain from the kitchen and school table.  What a great way to tie them all together.  I left a bit of turquoise paint on the edges (one of the million layers).  I thought it would look awesome with the stain.

After two coats of stain, I sealed it and....TADA!  This table cost me a grand total of......15 DOLLARS!  Yep, between the free paint, left over stain, and I reuse my brushes...These things sell re-purposed for between $75-$200 (That beverage cart I saw was the exact same model and it was $175).  I barely skimmed the top of the paint, so I have almost a whole quart left. I am just a bit proud of myself.
I thought about distressing it, but I promised Hubby clean lines.  He isn't a big fan of the shabby chic look.  So now I have a beautiful functional side table.  Maybe someday I'll get ambitious and finished the inside, maybe do one of those fancy beverage carts like this one.  Or, even better, find an old sewing machine and return this beauty to her true mission!

I do a light first coat.

Love it! The milk glass lamp was my grandmothers, the base anyway.  I had to hunt down a lamp shade, found it at an estate sale.

Look at that gorgeous wood grain! Why would anyone want to hide that under a million coats of paint?!?