Tales of my Tables

O.k. Here's what I have been up to lately. Our current table was given to us by my brother and his wife which was given to them by an elderly couple that they took care of. It's a fun vintage table and chairs but it's lived it's life and I am afraid that I will be like Goldy Locks one day when I sit down to eat my porridge and end up on my rear end. So...I found this table at D.I. and thought it was pretty unique and very sturdy with it's iron bars underneath. I don't have a true "before" picture because I didn't think to take one until I had already tackled the thing with a belt sander. Boy was that fun. Anyway, after trying unsuccessfully with stripper I sanded it down, then used a antique furniture refinisher on the legs. I then painted the black band around the edge and drew three identical designs on the dividing line of the table and leaves, so that no matter how many leaves are in, the designs come together. One, with no leaves, two with one leaf, and three with two leaves. I got the idea for the design from an Arabic tile carving which I changed a bit and simplified a lot. James created a template for me in Illustrator which I then used to transfer the design by carbon paper on to the table. I will then paint the design in an earthy reddish-brown. Then I will stain the table top with a dark walnut which, if all goes well, will mute the designs while still allowing them to be visible. Then I will try to darken the legs a bit with the walnut stain. Hope that goes well. Who knows. Wish me luck!