So I have something super special to share with you today. I posted before that I am a special education teacher at a nearby high school. I approached the Construction Trades teacher, “Mr. J.” one day about having his students build a piece of furniture for me. In fact, I really wanted this side table that Liz Marie’s husband made for her.
I printed out the instructions for it that you can find HERE and took them to him. It took about a month and a half for the student to build the piece of furniture for me and the only charge to me was the cost of the wood.
Y’all, it probably comes as no surprise that students with disabilities have a special spot in my heart. I walked in the wood shop when Mr. J. said it was finished and was amazed. It was so pretty in it’s natural state, not perfect, but super pretty.
I had bought a gift card for the student who made it for me, and asked Mr. J. who made this fine piece of furniture for me. I almost cried when one of my special education students came forward with a huge proud smile on his face. This young man has had SUCH a hard time in high school but has the dearest heart. I almost cried, but I held it together, after all I was standing in the high school wood shop. I gave him a big hug and told him this side table was going to live in my house for many years to come and how proud I will be to tell people, even years from now, about the great kid that built it for me. He almost seemed giddy at that thought. I plan on printing the first photo of it for him so he can keep a picture of it as it sits in my home. It truly is a “special” piece of furniture for me. You just can’t buy that in a new piece of furniture. So without further delay, here are some great shots of my favorite new furniture piece.
I painted the side table with Annie Sloan Old White on the bottom and stained it with Minwax Walnut on the top. I am thrilled with how it turned out. I don’t have a fireplace mantle in this house so it is going to fulfill that need for me. I have kept it sort of bare for Thanksgiving because the big meal is going to be at my house and I plan to set up an appetizer buffet on it for earlier in the day. I think it is going to be so useful in so many ways.
Nancy
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What a treasure, it’s beautiful!
Thanks Coco!
This is so beautiful! What a great story and memory you have with this side table!
Thanks Meredith. He’s an awesome kid and I am so happy I have a piece in my house to remind me of that for years to come. Thanks for stopping by!
Awwomen and such a smart idea to proposition the shop teacher!
He’s such a sweet guy, even though he would have you believe he is super tough. They have been busy with projects since doing my table. It gives them something to really work at rather than just making stuff that will be torn apart later for the lumber.