Flea Market Find

The before: cute & distressed - but sloppy!

A couple of weekends ago I was at a Flea Market in Courtice, Ontario.  There were 3 large barns on the property, each filled with a variety of things.  I moved through the barns pretty quickly.   Novelty belt buckles and Coca Cola memorabilia aren't that interesting to me.  Outside one of the barns there was a bunch of furniture, priced low.  It was raining but I stayed outside long enough to find a little table for $5!

The after: much more polished :)

I was tempted to leave the table as-is.  It already had a cute, shabby-chic distressed look.  BUT, the crafter in me decided I needed a project.  So I painted it!  I'm glad I did.  The maker of the table had left gaps between the joins and there were random screws and staples throughout (I guess holding it together?)  Either way, it looks less likely to fall apart now AND I got to have fun with my project.  The paint is all Martha Stewart.   Two coats of everything, plus a coat of clear gloss for the table top only.

Which do you prefer?  The distressed look?  Or the painted & polished look?