My Name Is Becky and I'm a D-I-Yer

I have a disease. It's the "I-can-make-that-myself-for-so-much-cheaper" disease. I have a really hard time paying full price for furnishings for my home when I know with a little bit of elbow grease I can turn trash into treasure. Almost everything in my house is used. It's either hand-me-downs from family members or stuff I find at garage sales or thrift stores. I actually quite like refinishing furniture. It has been a very satisfying hobby for me. Here is my latest project:

It's a coffee table that I bought at D.I. for $40

I look for furniture pieces that have "good bones" and are in good condition structurally.

When refinishing furniture, you must wear your ugliest clothes, don't take a shower or wear make-up, make sure you are way overdue for a hair color and let your 5 year old play with your camera.

I used 5 cans of this for this project.

I love my horses, my sawhorses, that is.

I used a walnut stain to rub into the crevices of the table. I'm usually not a fan of distressed or antiqued furniture, but the design of this table called for it.

The stain really highlights the unique lines of the table.

And here she is in her new home in my basement. This picture says a lot about my taste. When it comes to design, I'm a fan of the mismatched. Just look at my pillows for example. On my green sofa I have 5 pillows, all different, none of which are green. And look at my tables; I have a rattan bombe chest, a black metal end table with bamboo shaped legs, a natural maple plant stand (that my dad made), and behind my sofa I have a dark cherry wood sofa table. Plus my new antique white beauty. Somehow all these different things work together. At least they work for me.