Out with the old-- make it new

I was a child bride. My husband and I were still both in college when we got married, I was 19, my groom was 20. We were young! We both moved straight from our respective fraternity and sorority houses into a new off campus apartment. With some of our wedding money we bought a new living room set. We were trying hard to make our little college apartment a home. We got these two end tables as wedding presents straight off our Target gift registry and nearly 12 years later, they were in need of an update. I mean really, we still have furniture from college. No, it isn't a futon or a papazan chair, but I needed something different to feel like I wasn't living in married student housing! So, a gallon of paint, some sanding and a few hours of work and I feel like our house is just a little less ghetto.


This is the table that came with our living room set. The sofa set was replaced by a new couch and chair, but we kept the table. My hubby likes to fold laundry on it (can't fault him for that!), so he won't let me get rid of it.
And here they are with three coats of antique white dutch boy paint. My amazing groom spent several hours sanding them down for me (anyone else like me and can't stand sand paper or the sound it makes?! It's like nails on a chalkboard.) and I spent several days doing three coats of paint and then resanding them to distress them a bit. My youngest kiddo couldn't believe that we were taking the paint off after we just put it on. And to be honest, it was hard for me to do after I just put all that work into meticulously painting every square inch.

And that, my friends, is what I have been up to. Here they are in the room. They match the fireplace and the existing armoire that I have the TV in. And what do you think of my free couch that I got at a garage sale a few years ago?