Kitchen Table Crafting

Nope! Not crafting on the kitchen table.  Crafting a kitchen table.  Our kitchen dining area is an odd size which I really needed to maximize.  After more than a year of searching for the perfect table in the perfect size with the perfect price tag I had to call it quits.  It just wasn't going to happen.  So what does a crafty girl do?  Makes what she needs!

 Thanks to woodworking plans by Ana White and a long holiday weekend my hubby and I were able to build and sand this 36x 72 inch table in about 10 hours.  The hardest part was waiting for stain, paint and poly coats to dry.  The finishing of the table took me about 2 additional days.

 We used a cross between the Ana White Rustic Table and the Farm House Table. Our wood was just common pine from Home Depot.  I think the 4x4's are actually some other kind of wood. Not sure.

 I used two coats of stain after a coat of wood conditioner.  The first was Minwax English Chestnut.  It made the wood far to red.  Then I put a coat of Minwax Provincial over it and that worked pretty well on the top and apron.  However the legs just did not accept the stain the same way.  So in the end I painted the legs and apron.  Which was actually what I really wanted.  Hubby did not : )  The legs and apron are painted in a flat paint which I will wax today. 

This weekend I will be building two of these by myself ! This is the Vanessa X Bench.

I will change the plans a little bit as these will be used inside.  I will also be making covers and cushions for the tops of the benches.  Like these from Coastal Living Magazine.