Thrift Store Makeover: Wood Console

I bought this table months ago at a thrift store for either $5 or $10, I can't remember. It was exactly what I needed for behind our couch to separate the living room and breakfast table, not quite the colors I like though. I wanted it to be a deep espresso color like the one from Pottery Barn I'd been lusting over...the hunter green & honey stained top are a little too country for my decor...
I started by sanding the stain off the top & green paint off the bottom. This was my first time sanding & staining a piece of furniture. In the end it was totally worth it but let me tell you, this was a LOT more work than I thought it would be. (It took me three naptimes total project) I used my black & decker sander that I picked up at Lowe's for projects like this, it did the job pretty well and was quiet enough to use on the back deck during naptime. Oh, and before anyone sends me a worried email yes, I wore a dusk mask AND my sander has a little plastic filter attachment that catches the dust. Chum Chum was not inhaling thrift store paint flecks.

Here's what it looked like all stripped down & naked...The stain I used was MinWax Wood Finish in Ebony, it was pretty easy to use...brush on, let it soak in & then wipe off. It took me two coats to get the deepness I wanted. If I was a patient woman I probably would've given it a third. At first I really thought this project was going to get scrapped, the stain looked awful. Splotchy in some spots, darker in others...no good...But then somehow, the magical stain fairies must have come by my house overnight because when I woke up it looked great! Here it is all dressed up...Tomorrow I'll show you how I made the flower box on top, I am SOOO in love with the finished look! (swoon!) I'll definitely be up for making over thrift store furniture again.