Trash to Treasure

Last summer, when I first began refinishing my own furniture, I really had no idea that it would go this far.  It started off with my grandparents dining table, as mentioned in this post, but I intended for it to be more of a fun hobby than a small business.  However, things progressed and I quickly realized that I loved refinishing furniture, so after selling a few pieces off of Craigslist, I decided to open my Etsy shop in October. 

One of the first major refinishing projects that I tackled was this table I picked up off of the curb in my condo complex:

You can't even fully see the awfulness that was this table; but it was structurally sound, and  I had a vision.  Not to mention, I NEEDED a project to keep me busy.

Here is a little side note on why I needed such a project: my boyfriend, who is now my fiance :-), was preparing to head out for a deployment with the Army and I was going a little crazy with how I was going to fill my time. So, about a week before he left, I picked up this table and brought it inside.  He saw it and his first response was "Why is this trash table in the living room?".  I told him that it was going to be my project when he left, so that I could stay busy and keep my mind off of things...and that it did.

The very day he left, I got to work.  I envisioned adding a bottom to the empty space where the drawer was, with a flip open front for storage, and wanted to try out some color layering and distressing techniques I'd been reading about on Pinterest, but had yet to try out.  So, I got my supplies and a few days later, after a lot of trials and re-do's, this is the piece I ended up with:

At first, I decided to keep the piece, and not sell it, just for sentimental reasons.  This piece of furniture got me through a very rough first week, and I almost feel like I owe my sanity to it. So, I held on to it and began picking up other projects to fill my time, which eventually led to the opening of my Etsy shop, and my new small business!
  However, when he returned this year, I decided that I had so much furniture around the house, that I would part with it, and it sold to a local buyer from my Etsy shop in just a few weeks. 

This is still a very special piece to me and today on the 4th of July, I find myself looking back on it and thinking about those terrible months when my fiancee was gone and how  Furniture Alchemy  became a part of my life; a trash turned into a treasure.

Happy Independence Day everyone!