Saturday, June 1, 2013

Putting a Shelf on the Island Table

Years ago, maybe 13 or 14?, I found an old table in my grandma’s garage.  It was missing a drawer and looked as though it had been forgotten for a long time.  She didn’t know where it came from, or anything about it, but she let me have it.

Glenn made a little drawer for it.  I painted the bottom part of it white, and we oiled the wood planks on top and had a piece of glass made to fit it.

We used it for many years as our computer/office table.  Later, we used it in the school room to hold 2 computers and assorted papers. 

 

We put the table in our schoolroom when we moved here, but it made the crowded schoolroom feel even more crowded.  At the time though, my imaginative juices were a little drained. 

Can you see it there in the corner? 

IMG_3382

A couple of months ago, I got a bee in my bonnet and felt like mixing things up a bit.  I cleared everything off of it and Noah helped me move it to the kitchen.  The temporary “island” we had been using was a utility table from Costco.  We put it in the school room to take the place of the old table.

And I have loved having Grandma’s old table for our kitchen island! It’s wider and longer, and a little shorter than the utility table so the girls can reach it easier.

IMG_8870

 

But….. I really wanted a low shelf on it. 

So I traipsed out to my private salvage yard and looked for something that might work.  I found 3 boards that looked perfect.

IMG_9576

And Glenn found a piece of trim, which he cut in 2 pieces to use for the supports underneath the shelf.

I’m sure you can guess that I sanded them, with Noah’s help, primed one a coat and then painted 2 thin coats of our white trim paint. Then I distressed the boards a little.  I’m sure they’re going to get a lot more distressed over time, so I decided to start them out that way so it would all look very deliberate in the end. ;)

And here it is!

IMG_9714

I’ve been needing a little more room for my really big pot, and this is the perfect spot for it!

IMG_9777 

The old white paint I had used years ago matched the new trim paint almost exactly.  I just did some long, sweeping brush strokes here and there all around it, and then sanded the edges a little.  It already had a nice amount of distressing all over, so there was not much to do.

 

As for the schoolroom table, I put a white table cloth over it and it feels much less cramped in that corner now!

IMG_9000

I painted the window trim around the same time.  I think the room feels like it took a deep breath!

Ahhh…. a little more space for all of us.

 

Don’t you think so?

IMG_3382 IMG_9000

Happy Weekend!

10 comments:

  1. Love the table and the school room does look better!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Sharron!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks great! Can't believe you didn't paint the top of the table white! :-) It's such a simple, pretty table. I wonder if Uncle Rob made it, or knows anything about it? They lived in that house years before Grandma did, so maybe they left it in there. It would be neat to know if he made it. Definitely something he could've done.

    (I accidentally posted this comment as Rachel, which is why you see a deleted comment from her. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Sis! Sounds like I need to call Uncle Rob and see if he knows anything about the table.
    Great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love that table in the kitchen! Such a great way of adding an 'island' if you don't have one that was installed with the kitchen. And the school room does look better! I was wondering how you do piano with your kids? I am also planning on teaching my girls myself, so was just wondering, when did you start? What books do you use? And do you ever pass them onto another teacher? Do you fit it into the school day? How do you fit classical education for 7 into a school day at all??:-) Sorry for all the questions! Suddenly feeling totally overwhelmed by the prospect of homeschooling, as it is not common in SA. Classical Christian education is basically unheard of. About to do some serious pioneering! But someone has to go first;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Sandy!
    I have a little notebook on the piano for the kids. Each week I date that week's assignments beside the first letter of each of the kids' names.
    I try to do 1-2 instructional lessons per weekday. Using Alfred's Basic Piano Library book series, I started them each when they were around 6 with the first series. Originally, Luke and Alix took lessons from a family school in town. But it was very inconvenient to drive there, and then wait in the van for an hour with 4 other very young kids. So I decided I could do it myself. I've learned a lot along the way! My goal for each of them is to be able to sit down and sight read at an adequate skill level. So they can play well enough to bless others, as well as know the satisfaction of being able to play something for themselves if they want! :) They are supposed to practice every weekday, it's part of their school checklist so they don't forget! So far, a couple of them really love to play, but haven't expressed an interest in going beyond what we do here. School is all day! :) We get up and get started by 7:00 during the regular school year, and then continue through the summer, but with a later start time, more like 8:30 - 9:00. Once they finish all their books for the previous year, we concentrate on review of our core subjects - Math and Latin - plus a few other things here and there. I used to struggle with getting Art and Music accomplished during the school year. Then a few years ago, I decided to do Music once a week during the year (we have a couple of different curricula we have alternated) and Art every day throughout the summer. Of course last summer was different, since we were working on Kenilworth! But, Lord willing, we plan to do Art this summer again. You have loads of resources for a CC education! You can do it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for answering Kelly! That is really helpful! I have recently read The Well Trained Mind, and I am quite familiar with Veritas Press' curriculum. Its the choosing that totally freaks me out! Shurley or Rod and Staff? Science or no science? What to do for Art appreciation? I definitely need to trust the Lord more in this area. But it is really helpful to have older, wiser moms to ask! So thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those were just examples of the things I'm thinking about! Just in case you thought you had to answer them all!;-) But that being said, I may well ask your advice from time to time, if that's ok! My Olivia (snap!:-) is just about to turn 3, so I'm a few years away. I laughed at how you started Kindergarten early with Luke because you were excited to get going! That's me for sure!:-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Sandy!
    Most likely you'll discover more about what works best for you and the kids by just choosing something and trying it. Thank goodness there are so many great choices, right? :)

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete