If Writing Didn't Pan Out...

I'd make a job of bouncing from yard sale to yard sale, scouring antique stores and flea markets. I'd watch for poor-looking and sickly items I could pick up dirt cheap and refinish to make amazing.

Last Friday my mom, my daughters and I stopped at a garage sale. (Garage-saling is one of THE best things about spring...) A large coffee table caught my eye, and I thought on its potential a bit. With its battering from over the years, it had seen better days. But the piece was sturdy, and my mind saw what it could be. It was marked $30; I paid $25.

Here, as it was before. The two square inlays had a wicker look. It was chipping and ucky, and not something I was too keen on. You'll see how I took care of that in a bit...

I sanded the table down (the easiest sanding I've ever done!). I sponge-brushed a base of cornflower blue (two layers), then covered with black, also with the sponge-brush, which covered unevenly. A metallic-silver finish (one I watered down) was wiped over the surface, completing my sought-after distressed look. Then I covered the inlays with fabric and filled with some antique items I had; most have some meaning or symbolism. (Sorry that picture's dark; by that point I'd moved indoors, and the flash doesn't work on the camera I was using.) The table came with the beveled glass insert, which finished it off. It came out so much better than I'd envisioned!

What about you? Do you have other passions or hobbies? What do you do besides write?

ETA: I just realized my last question assumes you're a writer. How unfair of me. If you're not a writer, tell me what you do - and then give us the lowdown as to your hobbies. :)