Two homes are better than one.

Jade: If there's anything I've learned about refinishing furniture, it's that you have to be open-minded. When I buy a piece, I usually have an image in my head of what I want it to look like when I'm finished, and where I am going to use it. {not always, but usually!} But more often than not, I get working on a piece and change course. 

Such was the story of this little lady. I picked her up off Kijiji for a song, planned to sand it all the way down, give her a good fresh coat of antique white paint and use her in our living room as an end table. 

A few layers of terrible paint jobs left this girl looking pretty shabby, not so much chic.

I got out my palm sander and with a fair amount of elbow grease, started grinding away the top layer of paint. I probably worked away for about 20 minutes before I took a break. I put down the sander, and took a look. And this is what I saw: 

 
In that minute, I knew my plan had changed. I wouldn't describe my own style as shabby chic, but I love that style. And this had shabby and chic in all the right places. I quickly snapped a picture with my phone and sent it on to my fellow blogger and chipped-paint-lover, Anna: 

Unfortunately for Anna, she was at the lake, and Terra was on her way to my house. That's where my relationship with this little lady ended, and Terra's began:


Terra: Jade was busy working on a few projects that weekend sans family, so I popped over that Saturday evening with a beer to check on her progress. When I walked into her garage, I laid eyes on this beauty and asked: "Oh my goodness! Where on earth did you get this ... and What are you going to do with it?" That is when she told me her dilemma: It was meant to be part of a master plan and end up as an end-table in her living room.

I would say as a mixed group of three ladies, we all love a lot of the same styles, but we also each have our own flare ... and we are all good at recognizing when we have a piece that is likely living with the wrong owner. When we re-new a piece, we pass ideas back and forth, but ultimately, we all are very supportive and following along with the vision of the creator. They can see the whole picture in their head, and who are we to change that?

This piece was an exception.  I may have even been rude enough to say something to Jade along the lines of: "Leave her alone! Don't even think of touching her again! I don't care what your vision was!"

 

That night, we had a cheers over her with our beer, and it was final ... she was coming home with me! I love it! Thanks Jade!