A Fresh New Season: Paint, Perspective & a Little Sparkle

This weekend I painted our coffee table, the one I bought 3 years ago off of Craigs List. It needed a fresh coat of paint then and I added another layer of black to match its then current color, but this time was different.

I had this little black coffee table in South Carolina, Tennessee and, now, North Carolina and it has served me well. 

We have eaten countless meals off of it. I've kicked my feet up on it to paint my toenails or relax while watching tv. I sat at it for I don't know how many hours in grad school doing homework, grading my students' papers, writing my own. 

Through all of its use, it has always held a candle at one of its corners. I light them to relax whether I am enjoying a glass of wine, journaling, reading my Bible, etc. 

It has served us well and - even still - it has good bones. It may have been a little dirty, flaking paint and its shine had been dulled from all of its use, but, it has remained sturdy and reliable. 

I felt a lot like that table from making the same moves between 3 different states, surviving grad school while working 2 jobs and planning a wedding followed by figuring out marriage, then moving to NC to endure Scott's schooling and career change, plus, both of our intense jobs hunts with tons of rejections and temp positions. 

I feel a little beat up and like I've lost some of my shine. 

But, this weekend I sanded off the flaking paint and smoothed out the rough spots. 

There were about 4 layers of paint

Then I replaced the black, scratched and dulled paint with a fresh new coat in a tranquil, pretty blue. It now looks so lovely, so polished. It is ready for its next season. Hopefully it will be a more gentle one, but either way, after 2 coats of paint and time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, it is ready. 

It looks very different in the daylight vs. at night

I love crafting because it is fun, creative, therapeutic, and it provides my mind time to wander. But I also love the sense of accomplishment from seeing the before and after and that fresh feeling of excitement and hope for its next season of use. 

After this weekend, I feel a lot like this table, ready for my next season. 

Adding Some Sparkle 

I didn't stop with the table though. We needed a new chest and this weekend we bought this one from Craigs List. 

This was the ad on Craigs List

It was pretty but I thought it could use some sparkle. 

I decided to try an antique mirror finish for the glass doors. Here's how it turned out: 

The sparkle is pretty but also practical because now you

won't see all the stuff inside the chest

Because it reflected, it was hard to get a picture, but 

I did a mercury finish on the knobs & windows

I'm ready for a fresh start and to add some sparkle to my life. Because sparkle helps to spread light and even though this has been a tough transition to NC, there's always room for light. I love seeing the twinkle of stars in the sky and I'm often reminded of this quote:

 "Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars." 

One way I want to add some sparkle to my life is through blogging. I've let it go in the time and transitions that I've had with this coffee table but I love to write so I decided to give my blog a fresh new look as well. It has a new template and colors, hopefully ready to usher in a new season where I update it more than once a year! 

This weekend brought lots of new paint, perspective and a little sparkle.

The candle I currently have on my coffee table says "Let the light shine." And that is exactly what I intend to do. 

Here's to a fresh, new season.