In spite of the single digit temperature right now (8 degrees as I type this), I feel like Spring has sprung in my heart. I went into last week truly dreading my birthday and it was the first time in my entire life that I did not look forward to my day. While I am not one to enjoy a lot of fuss over it, I still quietly get excited about it in my own way but this year it was different. I was just over it all. However, the Lord heard my cries and answered my prayers for some answers as to "why" I was feeling this way. Once I knew the source then I could get down to the business of dealing with my heart and my emotions so that I could prune the dead stuff in order to allow the new growth to come forth and someday blossom. One of my best friends and her husband invited me into their home for dinner on my birthday and just loved on me the entire evening. It was a precious time indeed and I left looking forward to the many more times we will share together in the future. The next evening, I had dinner with my dad, who was in town, my sister and her sweet man. I was given my birthday gifts and able to retreat to my home to open them in private ... I don't like to be watched when opening gifts. If my mom had been in town then I would have opened them in front of her as we all know she's the one who bought them but my dad could care less. Hahaha! Thursday and Friday night were spent at home and in anticipation of Saturday. Yes, anticipation of Saturday, February 14th ... Valentine's Day. How many single women do you know who look forward to Valentine's Day or "Single Awareness Day"? Well this one was because she was going to build a coffee table!
5 weeks ago, I saw this pin on Pinterest and decided I wanted to find a coffee table similar to this one ...
After looking at various places I couldn't find what I wanted and certainly not at a price I was willing to spend. So I got this wild idea of what if I build one? I knew this would take someone with skill and thankfully, I have just that friend. I sent him a text and asked if he was up for a little building project. Lo and behold, he was game! We looked over our schedules and the only free Saturday we had upcoming was the 14th so we tentatively penciled it in and went for it. I started thinking through supplies and he started thinking through how to build it. Now, please keep in mind I never fully researched this picture because if I had I would have discovered where the author lays out how she built it too. I'm so sorry, Stephen. But if it makes you feel any better you were dead on! :)
Saturday morning, I pulled up to my friend's house loaded with chocolate chip muffins, hot chocolate, 4 table legs (courtesy of Lowe's) and few of my own (pathetic) tools just in case. I thought we'd hammer a few nails, drill a few holes and in a couple of hours I'd have a coffee table that would be ready to paint and stain but I forgot that I asked an engineer to help me! Measure twice, cut once! My friend surprised me by snagging some pallets from his work and these weren't dirty pallets either!! Before we start, I need to say thanks to David (a.k.a. Daddy) for the loan of saws and ratcheting bar clamps and to Rusty who would have loaned us a router table if he had a router table.
First ... we (read, he) broke down the pallets.
Then we discussed the measurements one more time. We were shooting for 3.5 feet long, 1.5 feet wide and 1 foot tall. Once we had that decided, we *cough* figured out how many boards we would need and what size they would need to be cut down to. We decided to start with the bottom. We were very patient when the other who isn't good at math would just smile and say, "that's perfect!"
Thankfully, our, my, expertise came into play when it was time to pick out the right boards ... the ones that would be seen. We then began the task of cutting the boards to size.
Unfortunately, there aren't any actions shots of this because I was too busy holding the boards down to which I told him that I felt like The Waltons except we didn't have to worry about chains or belts snapping and hitting us in the head thus causing us to miss our entrance exam to Boatwright College ... he graciously laughed with me but I am pretty sure it was more at me. :) After we got the boards cut down to size we then headed into the barn to begin assembling the frame for the bottom. My friend was particularly excited about this part as he had bought himself a new toy, I mean tool, for this project and the ones to come ... a Kreg Jig R3. This nifty little piece of plastic allows you to drill a pocket hole into your wood project so that you don't actually see where the pieces join together ... they just do. Once he got it adjusted to where he wanted it and knew he was "in love" with this new tool he put me to work drilling the holes from that point forward while he cut more boards. Now for a safety precaution, I did borrow some safety glasses by this point because the drill was blowing cold air into my eyes and it was making them water ... I couldn't have my mascara running ... duh! And I wanted to be obedient to the sign that he had posted in his barn!
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| The Best Sign EVER! |
After I mastered the drilling and he figured out how we were going to make the legs work we put the bottom together. He wanted to make sure that this table had a solid foundation so we glued and screwed the pieces together. I would glue and he would screw. While the wheels were turning in his mind on how to accomplish the next step, my mind was turning over the phrase glued and screwed.
... Growing up in a generation that is used to being crude and to the point, I couldn't help but to think of the other meaning that "screw" is applied to. If you don't know, it's slang for having sex or being really messed up. Isn't that lovely?! So while the 12 year old in me wanted to laugh every time at the word, and did quite a few times, something else started forming in my mind ... a solid foundation ... you glue (get married) then screw (become one). My convictions on sexual purity came under spiritual attack back in January and my friend encouraged me with the truth from God's Word to hold fast to those convictions no matter what the World says or even fellow believers may say. I know what is biblically right and the Lord has a reason for setting those standards. When we try to get ahead of His plan or step outside of His order on things we make a big mess. It certainly doesn't mean that He can't redeem our mistakes and in turn bring something beautiful from it but when we are consistent with His plan then our foundation is much more solid. It's a lot less work to apply the glue first and follow up with the screws then to go back and add the glue later. Less mess to deal with overall. I think the Master Carpenter really does have the perfect plan ... is it easy to always follow? No. Is it worth it? I believe it will be...
Once we got the bottom assembled we had to make a fairly quick trip to Home Depot and Lowe's for a few more supplies. The Lord certainly had His hand of protection on us has we were hit on the way there by a young person driving down the middle of the road coming around a curve. They over-corrected in our direction and hit the driver's side mirror. Thanks to the quick reaction of my friend we were spared from being hit head on and the mirror can be fixed as everyone was ok. Once we got back to the house we continued our work. More "feet" were cut for the legs and I got to use the table saw to cut one out! I took care of drawing the perfect lines so we would know where to drill the holes. Then I was introduced to a new toy, tool, known as the drill press. I was entrusted with this contraption to drill the initial holes into the feet and then widen it to match the 5/8th screw in the table legs. My friend was kind enough to snap a picture of me to prove to my sister and sister-in-law that he wasn't doing all the work!! ;)
After completing my impressive drill press work, I moved over to the work bench and helped finish inserting the screws in the table legs. We then began assembling the legs and a coffee table was starting to form ...
I was starting to get giddy at this point as I was realizing this coffee table was really going to happen and it was going to look good!! Not that I ever doubted but still ... :) The momentum started to build and he put me to work drilling 800 thousand more tiny holes into the tops and bottoms of the feet. We had the top assembled and were ready to flip her over to add the bottom but there was just one more thing that needed to be done in order to make her perfect ... the builder and his apprentice had to sign it!
We got her flipped over and completely put together by 7:20pm. He routed the edges for me so that everything would be pretty and rounded ... he had actually done this several times throughout the day. If he had a router table it would have made the process a little easier and I'm working on David (a.k.a. Daddy) to buy me one as a late birthday gift. I mean what girl doesn't need a router table? ;) He then showed me how to sand her down and while I worked on that he cleaned up the barn. Once I got her to where I wanted her he gave me this other fun tool that blew the dust right off of her ... of course, my first thought was "if we hooked some liquid foundation up to this we could do some airbrushed makeup in here!" I shared that thought to which he kindly smiled. Ha! Here are few pics to show the last of our work.
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| Route away! |
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| Just a little more needed! |
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| Seriously, airbrushed makeup anyone? |
When it was all said and done I pulled out of his driveway at 9:20pm and we started at 10:30am. We ate all but 3 of the chocolate chip muffins, drank two glasses of hot chocolate, plus water and ate some chips and homemade (by him) guacamole. But it was a great day. I learned so much from him and had so much fun in the process. I would give you the specifics of what sizes we cut the boards down to but I don't know. :) I know we had 2-10 3/4 in., 2-42in, 4-31in. and several other sizes. If you click on the link to the original picture you will find what that person did. After I got home, I carried the table downstairs to my apartment, climbed into bed to warm up and went to sleep! I went to Home Depot Sunday afternoon to pick up the paint - Behr ultra pure white flat - and polyurethane - semi-gloss finish - and a few supplies. I had picked up the Minwax stain - espresso - the day before. I laid a clear tarp on my living room and got ready to work. It was almost a sacred moment getting ready to paint her. She was beautiful as is but I could see what she could be and I was ready to get down to business! Here are her before shots ...
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| The Bottom |
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| The Top (the nail holes were already there) |
She received two coats of paint, one coat of stain and 3 coats of polyurethane (for the top). I started the first coat of polyurethane on Monday morning and she didn't dry till Tuesday night. It took forever. I finally placed a fan near the top and that moved the process along thanks to the advice of my sister in law ... who I also owe a HUGE shout out to as she gave me oodles of advice on all things staining and polyurethaning!! After staining the top, I took the excess rag and wiped it around on the bottom to give it a distressed, antiqued look.
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| Painting is complete! |
She received her 3rd and final coat on Wednesday afternoon and was put into her new spot Wednesday night. So friends, without further ado, it is my privilege to introduce you to "Olivia"!
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| Get it? Olivia Walton!! :) |
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| I'll be getting a basket for the bottom! |
Thanks for hanging out on the blog with me today and enduring this long description of my Saturday. I hope you enjoyed it. Since I've already thanked the others and you for reading, I need to thank my friend for his help on Saturday.
Stephen,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything! I had no idea that this was going to be an all day project, yet you knew and still said yes. Thank you for caring that we get it right and seeing that I come away with this gorgeous piece of furniture! Thank you for your patience in allowing me to walk alongside you through the process of building this and checking with me to make sure your math was right even when you knew I didn't know. :) Thank you for taking the time to teach me the different tools, their purpose and for sharing your stories along the way. Thank you for your quick thinking on the road and keeping us from really being hurt. I will be forever grateful to you for this piece and for this day. I owe you so much.
- Melody
I'll leave you all with my 4th verse for 2015 as it seems an appropriate finish to this post ...
"May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5
I love you all!!
Blessings ...
- Melody Faith
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