I recently acquired this vintage Sears Roebuck sewing table.  The person I got it from thought I was nuts for wanting it.  At this moment, you are probably questioning my sanity, too.  Even my 5 year old wondered if I had lost my marbles.  But, I had big plans for this cool little piece and my vision finally came to a reality.

Just look at it now…

Ta-dah!  It’s now a beverage serving table/bar/drink cart or whatever you want to call it.  When I first got the piece I stared at the empty hole for a while as I tried to figure out what to do with it.  Maybe it was the influence of the season, but I decided the hole needed to be filled with cold beverages.  To get started the first thing I did was sand, sand and sand again.

Next, I used a lot of wood filler.  Then, sanded again…and again.  No wonder my arms are sore.

Next step was two coats of primer (with yet more sanding between coats).  After the primer was dry I was able to get my husband to do his handiwork.  After all, I needed a shelf of some sort to hold the beverages.  We are by no means engineers (not even close), but we decided to cut plywood down to size and attach it with L-brackets.  I’m sure there was probably a better way to do this, but it worked for us (look how helpful I was by holding the camera).

Finally, it was time for the fun part…Paint!  I first spray painted the top with Rust-Oleum’s Green Apple in Satin.

Once the paint dried for 24 hours I taped off the interior edges, closed the lid and painted the exterior with Krylon’s Meringue in Satin.  Again, I lightly sanded with a 220 grit sanding wedge between each coat.  To seal the piece I waited until the paint was dry then added 3 coats of water-based Polycrylic (and yes, even more sanding between coats).  I didn’t distress the piece because I’m a fan of letting furniture age naturally, especially if it is going to be used outdoors. For the final touch I added these awesome vintage inspired green knobs I found at Hobby Lobby.

To hold the ice I just used a 9″x13″ plastic container that is about 5″ deep, but you could definitely use something larger.  One of those cheap metal graniteware turkey roasting pans would be perfect.

Here are a few before & after comparisons…

This lovely portrait even came with the piece.

I think one of the things I like best about this piece is the versatility of being able to use it either indoors or out.  When not in use the table folds up and makes a perfect accent table.  These sewing tables are also just the right size to use with a chair so it would make a great little laptop desk.  Of course, the table is so cheery you could also leave it under your porch to add a touch of color all year long.

Sometimes I get attached to pieces I refinish and this is definitely one of those pieces.  It will be hard for me to let this one go.  Just looking at this fun table makes me want to have an impromptu backyard BBQ with my friends and neighbors.  Who is with me?