“I’m your favorite kid, right mom?”

I smile in amusement.

“Come on, admit it. You know I’m your favorite.”

The question my youngest daughter used to love to pressure me to answer . . . and maybe . . . even as an adult . . . still does from time-to-time.

Don’t we all want to be someone’s favorite?  I know I do!

Only a mom can understand how there can be more than one favorite . . . or God.

Today I’m sharing the Drop Leaf Table Turned Potting Bench that I painted a couple of summers ago but never got around to sharing here with you.  Of all of the furniture pieces I’ve painted I’d have to say that this shabby little potting bench is one of my favorites!

No, I don’t have a full “before” picture (my bad) but you all know what a drop leaf table looks like anyway, right?  This was a fairly large one so I knew it would have plenty of work space as a potting bench.  But enough talk already, let’s get started with the tutorial.  If you want to skip the tutorial you can scroll right to the end for all the pretty pictures of my sweet potting bench!

I began by unscrewing the hinges from one of the leaves while leaving the other side of the hinge connected to the table.  Then I used my saw to remove the brace that would no longer be needed to hold the leaf in the “up” position.

Next I reattached the hinges to the TOP of the table so the leaf would stand in a vertical position.  This is front of the table . . .

. . . and this is the back (where the hinges used to be attached).

With a piece of scrap wood and some store bought legs I added a little shelf to my table, attaching it with screws.

Next was the addition of this old enamelware piece that I thought would make a great dry sink for potting.

After tracing the hole size I would need I drilled a few big holes to get my jigsaw started and went to work cutting.  For any of you fine crafters of wood, you will notice that I am NOT!  I like the construction part to be done quickly so I can get on with the painting.  So the hole looks a bit ugly here but it will be okay once I put the dry sink in!

I worked on this project out on my deck overlooking the lake (this is the house where we used to live in Washington State) and found inspiration from the many colors of summer.  I began with my base color . . .

. . . layered on a second color . . .

. . . and then a third!

. . . all to begin the process of sanding it back so the layers of color and bare wood would show through!  

That’s Cozy lounging while I’m hard at work.

On to the stripes which I painted from samples of these lovely lakeside colors!

Taping, painting, drying, taping, painting, drying, . . . etc.

More sanding to distress my piece heavily and I was ready for the addition of lettering.  A tutorial for transferring typography can be found right HERE.

Once all the painting was complete I chose to deepen my colors using an Early American colored wood stain . . .

. . . and after the recommended drying time I applied three coats of spar varnish so my potting bench would stand up to Pacific Northwest weather.

As you can see I added tool hangers using faucet valves.  These were around $3-4 each from the hardware store but I’ve since found some antique valves which I have stashed for the next potting bench.

 

When I look at pictures of this little potting bench it makes me feel happy as it brings back fond memories of summer on the lake.  I took this potting bench to the Queen Bee French Flea market where I ended up selling it to one of my very dearest friends!

By the way, the Queen Bee French Flea is coming up again this August.

Mark your calendars if you live in the area because IT. Is. Going. To. Be. Fantastic!

I hope my potting bench brought a smile to your face and reminded those of you still feelin’ the cold that Spring is right around the corner!  Love you guys and I hope you know that you are ALL my favorites!

Blessings,