Before heading into Boston today to view the Tall Ships via Hestia Cruises (an early birthday gift from our kids : ), I was excited to give Mr. Whale the coffee table a new look. As soon as I saw him at the yard sale this past weekend, I knew he just needed a fresh face to return him to his former maritime glory! Since our back porch is red, white and blue, it only seemed appropriate to make him the patriotic focal point. Mr. Whale before: 
During the transformation process: the whale wash 
Sanding off the old shiny varnish 
Painting the base (Coach did this while I was at work- one less thing for me!) 
Designing the pattern (best not to do this after a long work day and a couple of wine coolers-makes for many mis-measures) 
Taping off the design
first coat of red stripes (remember 7red, 6white…7red, 6white) taping makes for perfectly straight rows and sharp, clean edges
Addition of the stars on the blue background 
these little stickers were perfect as a stencil- stick on, spray over, peel off when dry! 
Couldn’t fit 50 stars, so decided to go with a random, funky look instead. My apologies to Robert G. Heft, the schoolboy who designed our current 50 star American flag for a school project…for which he received a B-!!!
Unfortunately, today is a damp, rainy one. Not great for Tall Ships viewing, and certainly not great for painting and glazing whales out on our makeshift workshop on the porch. Sooooo, here is Mr. Whale- patiently awaiting his glaze finish. Moby Dick never looked this good : )
Left to do (once the air dries and the sun comes out):
1. Sand one last time for a truly rustic, aged appearance
2. Antique glazing to add a touch of shine and protect Mr. Whale from the elements
3. Enjoy our new coffee table!!!
Have a whale of a Fourth everyone!! Susan
Country Design Home 
May I ask where you got this table? My family had this exact same table growing up and I believe they got rid of it when we were living in a town north of Boston. Wondering if it’s the same one! I’d love to find one for my own place as an homage to my childhood 🙂
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Hi Marissa- that whale table was purchased at a yard sale in Wilmington, MA. The house was very old and literally falling down. Apparently an elderly man had been living there alone for quite awhile and once he passed, the children held yard sales to clear everything out. Wouldn’t that be amazing if it were the same table?!?
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That’s fantastic! What a good find. I have never seen a table like that. I, too, love yard sales for that very reason: there are so many things to find and upcycle! I’ve started using a great site (http://www.yardsalesearch.com) to locate and map out local yard sales. It saves me so much time! Just wanted to pass that along 🙂
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OMG. That’s beautiful! What vision and talent!
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Thank you!! When you find your new home I can make you one too!
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Love it! Mr. Whale looks awesome!
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I won’t laugh at your yard sale buys again. Love the whale.
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Fantastic! So fun!
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Auntie Sue, this is so cool!! I absolutely love this!! You are so talented!
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Thanks Lindsey! I know someone who could make one for you-lol! Maybe we could go into the “whaling” business…
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