Imagine that this is a picture of a beautiful console table. A table that has been carefully crafted. Every nail and screw put in its proper place to ensure that it would stand the test of time.
A few months ago I bought, cut, measured and spent a lot of time building a beautiful console table.
I was excited for my first real build!! My heart was pounding with every cut of the saw. I knew that when I got done with this piece everyone would marvel at my amazing work and they might even ask me
“Where did you get that great table?”
I would non scholantly say
“Oh, that? I made it….”
As if I only had to snap a couple of fingers to get it built, instead of the entire 3 long day epic event it actually took.
You see the truth of the matter is I did build that console table. But, it never actually made it into the house.
Have you ever heard a builder tell you to measure twice cut once….. after a few miss cuts and a bunch of other issues I sort of gave up on my console table..
It was build…. sort of… it was wobbly… it was uneven…. and pretty pathetic.
It sat out by the side of the house for months….. I could not bare to look at it…
I could not bare to take it apart either because of all the time, energy and effort that I had put into this piece of crap table…. hahah
so it just sat and sat….
Through the fall and winter and even through the spring. We had a bad flood that came though last year….. the table survived.
As I was getting ready to do some cleaning outside the other day I walked around the corner of the house and came face to face with my table. We had not seen each other for quite some time. I sort of looked down and away as if I had just run into someone for the first time after having had a really bad embarrasing moment.
You know the one.
You trip and fall in front of everyone at a big church function. Everyone stops what they are doing to look over in your direction. The room is completely quite. You get up and quickly walk/ run out of there in hopes no one saw. Knowing fully that EVERYONE did. Then a couple days later you bump into someone who was there. They ask…
“Hey that looked really bad are you ok?”
That is pretty much what kind of moment I had with my table……
I walked right into the shop, grabbed my sledge hammer and broke that table back down into its individual pieces. I guess it wasn’t built to last……
The funny thing is…
Once the boards were again in their individual pieces my mind started to race. All sorts of new and amainzing projects started to come to mind…..
The first but not last is this simple distressed chalkboard.
I guess you could say I got a little bit carried away with the sledge hammer…. I will be the first to admit that it doesnt exactly look naturally distressed but I am happy with the results.
To get this distressed look I hit it with the sledge hammer. I drilled holes in the wood with my drill. I scraped it across the ground. I just tried to beat up on it.
After the pieces were to my liking I grabbed a piece of 2 ft x 4 ft 1/4 inch mdf. I used rustoleum chalk board paint to paint the entire surface. I measured each board to length and used wood screws and glue to secure the boards to the chalk aboard. I like the look of the black screws. I think that is adds to the distressed/rustic feel.
So I guess my point is…..
Even though my console table didn’t go as planned…. not even close. I am enjoying this amazing ride and hopefully learning all that I can. Plus, I got a new amazing chalk board out of it…. and if you know me then you positively cannot have enough of them!!
Have you ever made something and had it not turn out?? What did you do? Were you able to make something else out of it??
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Hawthorne & Main is all about finding your style for your space! It should be a reflection of you! 
Hi Shonee…loved this story. We have had a few projects that didn't turn out exactly as planned, so we can definitely relate. Your chalkboard turned out beautifully so definitely a happy ending! Cheers to a great day!
Vicki and Jennifer
2 Bees in a Pod
I love that you turned a failed project into something gorgeous. I also have a crooked eye when it comes to building. No matter how careful I try to be things end up uneven!
Loved this story, Shonee! 😉 I'm glad you made a chalkboard out of it… it's perfect! My husband made us one a couple months ago… love it for doing graphics or writing our menu on it! Thanks for sharing at Your Turn To Shine… featuring you this Thurs. xo
Kendra @ http://www.joyinourhome.com
Great tutorial! Your home is beautiful and your pup is adorable!!
Thanks Sarah! The house has come a long way from where it began. We really have put our blood sweat and tears into it, haha! We really enjoy it now though! Thanks for stopping by today!
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