G'day blogging buddies.  Thanks for all the questions, interesting theme is the 350, errrm I'll be talking about that tomorrow (I'm thinking you may be thinking my butt is a lot better than it truly is here Down Under, ahem).

As I said yesterday we have had a move around and a furniture de-clutter…pre-empting my Beach Cottage Sale of the Century (which is coming soon) where I will be selling off some of the pieces that are making it hard for my kiddos to move around in this tiny old place.  

So I decided this weekend to lose a few things down to the garage, First thing to go was the modern table in the breakfast room, another move towards less modern more old, being replaced with the old blue table and now working for its keep as a breakfast room 'island' and I am lurvin' it.  Next was the pie safe, not working in the Sitting Room, so now sadly relegated to downstairs and eagerly awaiting a new cottage to go live in.

 And after that I moved a new old table/desk in for the Family Room, to start a new life as the Beach Cottage homework table.  Ask me why both of my big kids have desks in their bedrooms and I will tell you I just don't know.  Neither of them use them.  Ever.  

Miss Beach Cottage is usually found sprawled over the Dining Room table and Mr Teenage BC is usually scrunched up and hunched over the Family Room computer (which, may I just interject, and Mr BC hope you are reading this, is about to be replaced by a WHITE MAC).  With his very long arms and legs that reach my neck I think now, I decided it unfair to any longer let him cramp up on a vintage chair tucked under a tiny but lovely old desk.

So it was time for the old sewing table/desk that I had zapped with a coat of Beach White to move on and in it's place a slightly bigger table was needed.  One that would comfortably fit the paraphernalia of these studious young things. 

I came across this table recently whilst out on a treasure hunting jaunt and thought it might be just what I was after, I wanted something with square lines, plain, simple, to sit with the leather…and if I could possibly wangle it, a hint of school desk in the background. 

You want school desk, I'll give you school desk said the Treasure Hunting Godmother and I happened upon this table…

…not in the best of shapes and truly seeking a new home and a freshen up with a tad of DIY (go see Kimba for more) and all things white.  Someone had already tried to re-invent it, but made a true hash up of it, I am no professional, but, how you can paint something in a white that says 'dirty white' instead of clean, simple pure and fresh is quite beyond me. 

But looking past the dodgy paint job, I liked the slightly industrial air of this one…the metal brackets on show on the legs, screws and nails randomly placed, hinting of a past life, working for a living.  And you already know I just love that.

 On further inspection, once getting it home and cleaning up I realised that the top was actually in pretty poor condition and was coming loose on one corner…it seems though that there were layers to this top (you can see what I mean on the side profile pics) and so I kind of peeled this top layer off…this is the only before shot I took (yep you would think I would have thought of that being the owner of a makevoer blog)…this was after the mammoth sanding and cleaning and about to start to on the legs

 …underneath was a layer of thin wood, which it seemed had been painted but was a bit worse for wear but I liked the crackling and the bubbling and it seemed such a shame to paint over this, we all know it's only time, not money that gives true crackles and splits. 

 But it was fairly dirty and I wondered then whether it was actually suitable for my precious born lovelies.  The way I work though doesn't bear much time for wondering and on the spur of the moment t thought I would just attack it with the sandpaper and see how it looked…

so I sanded heavily to get rid of the yuck (I am recommending this for the arms) for a very distressed, rustic feel…

Every time I pick up a paintbrush or see a piece of furniture I am mysteriously drawn to those underneath colour layer effects.  I have been musing this for a while and wanted to try it with a sorta sea-green, but I wanted it to be very muted, just a kinda faded hint popping through…this doesn't really show in the photos but actually is quite effective in reality…not as you walk past, more as you get up close there is a nice muted mossy sea green floating around…

Let's not muck around here, this is nothing more than a found thrifted table, it is hardly a furniture feature mooching up there in the heady heights of the design world, but for me, those kiddos and this tatty old cottage it's hitting the mark for now.

{ Of course, teenagers, especially boy ones, love little pink flowers in white cups…even more they love cottage blogs on the screen, layering of frames and starfish *wink…but one thing's for sure, with a price tag like this one there sure is no harm in teenage clumsy table bashing. }

..which of course is the whole point of this lovely journey I find myself on…

and in fact…adds to the character I do believe.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my de-cluttered old place today????

…well let me know cos comment on here & you get a chance to win the 

ANTHROPOLOGIE & MAG Giveaway 

See you 'round beach chicks, xx

p.s. magazine is Real Living

sofa cushions : Rough Linen   sofa : Freedom    starfish frame : Gail McCormack

candle  cup/vase : IKEA   curtains : IKEA    oars : garage sale    lamp : Target