In all my trips to the beach, I’ve never found a piece of sea glass.
But I have searched and I will continue to do so..
…because I love the idea of beach glass. I love that something once considered trash, like an old jar or bottle, can transform into something beautiful.
I love that something so fragile can survive the constant churning of the ocean’s waves, the harshness of the salt water and the turning of the tides In fact, it seems the more treacherous the journey, the more beautiful and interesting the resulting sea glass.
It could be a metaphor for life.
Or at the very least, a metaphor for the life of an old, unwanted piece of furniture.
Like this seen-better-days yard sale side table. Scratched, wobbly and stained an uninspiring dark brown, I still saw potential in those turned legs and that curvy shape.
After tightening up the legs and cleaning the table, I covered it with a basecoat of DecoArt Americana Chalky Finish Paint in Escape. (Here’s my affiliate link.)
Escape is such a bright and beachy color — it reminds me of a trip to the beach. It was the perfect color for this table since I was trying to mimic the gorgeous blues and aquas often found in sea glass.
I followed up with a thin, watered-down, streaky coat of white (Everlasting by DecoArt Americana Chalky Finish Paint). My goal was not full coverage; instead, I wanted the blue to show through.
To further that effect, I sanded lightly with a sanding block, revealing more of the blue. Next, I sealed the table with clear creme wax, then brushed on a light coat of dark creme wax, which I quickly wiped away and buffed.
I love the effect, especially all the different colors you see.
If I had a sea glass collection (and not just some pieces I bought at Pottery Barn!), my favorite part would be finding different colors and imagining what they’d been before the ocean transformed them.
I hope people who buy my furniture ponder similar things and imagine the journey the piece took before winding up in their home. I know I do when I bring antique and vintage furniture into my home.
If you like the little sea glass table, you might be interested in how I transformed an almost identical pair of side tables last fall. As always, there’s a story to that makeover.
Cydnee/Tampa Cake Girl
Love this sea glass table makeover. Love the colors, my home is decorated in that color. Thank you very much for joining in the celebration of #purebloglove, we enjoy having you each week. I hope to see you on Thursday at 8PM, EST through Sunday night. ~Cydnee
Meredith @ The Palette Muse
See, this is why I love upcycling! It really is a metaphor for life! Love the table and the colors you used. So pretty!
Atta Girl Amy
So true! Thank you so much.
Debi @ Surroundings by Debi
I love this color! You made this piece look great and what an update. Thanks so much for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!
Tania
This is such a cute makeover! I just picked up a little table just like yours (wobbly and all) that I’ll be redoing soon!
Tania
Atta Girl Amy
How neat! The wobble must have come with all those tables! Would love to see what you do with yours.
Wendi @ H2OBungalow
This is beautiful and I love the colors you choose! My grandparents used to collect sea glass by the jar fulls. I don’t see it on the beaches anymore either. Pining and sharing this sweet table.. and visiting from DIY Sunday Showcase 🙂
Ashley @ 3 Little Greenwoods
I really love the colors in the table. I truly does look like sea glass. Well done!
Pinning!
~ Ashley
chris aka monkey
gorgeous color, i would wear my bikini around it haha xx
laura@top this top that
that color is so pretty and serene.