Aunt Jewel's Kitchen Table

I'm certain that when my Aunt Jewel and Uncle "Bootsie" bought this 1930s (?) table they never imagined it would end up in Nova Scotia. I remember as a child visiting them and Aunt Jewel was making a fresh coconut cake.  My job was to sit at this table and grate the coconut with a box grater.  I didn't particularly enjoy that, but oh I did enjoy her cake.

I don't think the table was a table at which they ate, but more of a utility table.  She would roll out her dough when making pie crusts and bread on the table.  In her later years the table was relegated to the garage where it was dusty, but otherwise in good condition.  Having no children her brother, my uncle, inherited all of her things.  He asked me if I wanted anything, and I was so happy to get this table.  I really had no use for it back home in Raleigh, but once we brought it up to our summer place in Nova Scotia it fit particularly in the small kitchen where we do sometimes have breakfast there.  Most of our meals are eaten in the large dining room table in the sunroom.  But the small table provides a good work table in the kitchen too.  And it reminds me of Aunt Jewel, one of my favorite aunts.

Table before and after.

Our Newly Painted Kitchen Stools

This summer we brought with us four new wooden stools to use with the little kitchen table.  We prefer stools in the small kitchen because they require less room than chairs,  and they can be easily pushed all the way under the table.  The table that we are using  is a 1930s table that I inherited from my Aunt Jewel in Statesville, NC.  I painted the stools white, but I thought they needed a little color to brighten up the setting.

Painted white.

At first I thought of having friend Frances paint pictures on the seats of the chairs, but then Dan said he would be reluctant to sit on anyone's art work.  And Frances' paintings would have been very nice.

When friend Mary from Raleigh was here, we stopped by Lee Valley Tools and Mary saw these ceramic cabinet knobs that had a checkered design, and she suggested a design like that would be nice for the stools.

 I thought this would be something I could actually do with the help of Dan.  Dan and Frances helped design the templates and I taped off the tops of the stools and painted the checkered design in a pretty blue that complements the blues in the kitchen.

Taped off to paint the first lines.

Painting the first lines.

Tape removed, first lines painted.

Taped off to paint the second lines perpendicular to the first ones.

Finished top with checkered design.

Kitchen table with four newly painted stools.

We are quite pleased with our newly painted kitchen stools.