Where Rustic Living Meets Refined Elegance

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Table (part 1)

I know it's be way too long between post. I had a big job in November and on the last day my truck broke down after I left the job. I pulled into a 7-Eleven to get something to drink for the 45 min ride home and when I got back in the truck it was dead as a door nail. It's a long story but after calling AAA and determining the problem might just be needing new batteries (did you know diesels had two batteries? I didn't but I do now, and they're not cheap) I ended up spending 3 1/2 hours sitting in front of a mini mart until the Cowboy could get there and after another hour determine it was more than the batteries so then AAA was called again and we waited for another 2 hours for the tow home. (You know it's really interesting what you see sitting in front of a 7-eleven for 6 1/2 hours).Then within 20 minutes after we got home that evening, the Cowboy came down really sick, and I mean REALLY sick. He's rarely sick and then usually just works through it. Not this time. In bed for a week and half, ended up with phneumonia and boils and is still not fully recovered. And of course both the girls and I all came down with a horrible flu on the same day, (just two days before I was supposed to have art work done for a local art exhibit and none of it was fully done, of course). Then our oldest girl got sick so we picked up little Rico Suave to keep him so his mom could rest and then just when I thought everyone was getting well, they all came down sick again! So it's been just a little overwhelming and nothing much interesting to post other than barf buckets and doctors visits none of which I wanted to photograph and post about.


I've had several of you ask where I've been so that's the story and I'm sorry it's been so long. So today our middle daughters boyfriend, the Chef, came over and made us French Toast for breakfast (I know, he's a dream of a guy) and as I was sitting there eating and chatting with the kids I realized I hadn't posted about my table. It 's not done so this a "part 1" post but here goes.

This wall is in our living room and backs up to the guest bath and the stairway. It's a long wall. We put an old garden door that hangs on a track on the one end to block the entry to the stairway and close off the upstairs. When this door is open the length from the edge of the door to the other end is 10'. I knew I needed a long narrow table that would run the length of the wall.  Anything else would look too small.  I looked but couldn't find anything that long and the few that even slightly came close was way too expensive.  So one day as I'm talking to my mom and dad, GG & Jamesy, telling them my delima, Jamesy of course pipes up and says "Just show me a picture of what you want and I'll make it".  So I took a picture of a table that I love that's in one of my clients home.  It is a beautiful table.  Plain but very well made.  I love the way the legs are pegged together.  I show it to Jamesy and a few days later, voila!  the perfect table!

He tapered the legs and pegged the ends.  It's beautiful.  He even delivered it, what a guy!  I need to distress it and then put a finish on it but I haven't yet decided what to do.  I know I want it heavily distressed but I can't decide if I want to stain it a light brown or make it that sort of gray brown color that's so popular like you see in Restoration Hardware.
The first addition to accessorize the table was my grandmas wall sconce light.  She had her apartment professionally decorated in the 60's and this was one of the pieces she chose.  I never thought too much of it and almost sold it in her estate sale 8 years ago.  Thank goodness I didn't!  I absolutely love it.

Above it hangs a simple shelf with old books of all types and some silver. You know how I loves me silver!  And I am so addicted to the old ratty tatty uncovered books right now!  Restoration Hardware was selling them for $29.00 (plus tax and shipping) for a set of 4.  Sorry I just couldn't justify that.  I just grabbed some old garage sale books and started ripping off the covers.
Love 'em!
I also love hat blocks.  These two look great on the end of the table and give the Cowboy a place to rest his hat du jour at the end of the day.
A couple of pictures of little Rico Suave along with hand castings also grace the table. The one on the left is of my oldest daughter, his mother, when she was 5 months old and the one on the right is his when he was just 4 months old.


We all agree it looks like he's going to have big ol' bear paws for hands like his daddy and grampa!


 This old greenhouse door we had for a couple of years before we bought the place and was just waiting for the perfect place to put it.  I think this is just the spot.  It closes off the living room so that the baby can't climb the stairs and also keeps all the heat from the fireplace going upstairs and leaving me cold down stairs.

We bought it and didn't do a darn thing to it. Just hung it up the way we got it. Chipped paint, dings, dents, old drip marks and all.


Someone at one time carved in 1-15-5.  No idea what it stands for but there it is.
Underneath the table sits a couple of baskets with toys and this little roadster.  I also keep my knitting stuff tucked away in the old suitcase.

I love to knit and I can make some of the best bunny slippers around even if I do say so myself.

So that's it.  The go to table in the house.  It can double as a bar or a buffet table, but mostly it's the stop gap for books, keys and anything else as we come and go from the house.  I absolutely love my table and even more I love the man who so generously made if for me.  My dad.  Thank you Jamesy.

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