Yes, Those Are Feathers

So I did this thing.

And then I told a few people about this thing that I did.

And they looked at me like I had seventeen heads.

But this thing? It’s my new favorite thing. Feathers stenciled onto my dining room table. Even Michael loves it. Score one for me!

This table technically belongs to our lovely landlord. And I did not check with our lovely landlord before I did this. However, it is totally un-doable if necessary and, I would argue, very likable.

Our living room is also our dining room, so the table is tucked behind one of the two couches, pushed against the wall. It’s not my favorite situation, as it’s nearly impossible to fit people actually around the table, but it seems to be the best way to use the space.

But that’s also the reason you’re only getting photos of the top of the table. The photos of the table squished in behind the couch make me grumpy. If we pretend the table lives in a spacious dining room, I am a much happier camper.

In fairness, the table needed to be sanded down – the finish had gotten a little gummy over time – so the table itself is much, much happier now. I borrowed my mother-in-law’s rotary sander and spent about an hour sanding the top of the table out in the back garden on a sunny Sunday. I only sanded the top because the rest of the table would have taken me an eternity to finish. That’s just too long in my book.

But the top of the table is vastly improved.

Once the table was sanded, I cut out stencils in four different feather shapes and taped them to the sanded table. I gave each feather about three coats of white paint. I could have sanded in between each coat, but I didn’t bother. Once the feathers were all dry, I gave the table about three coats of varnish.

Every time we sit down to dinner, it makes me happy. When I get sick of it (or when our landlord sees this post), I can sand it off and start over or leave it plain. So yes, those are feathers on my dining room table. And don’t you look at me like I have seventeen heads!