A New Hobby, Recycling, and a New Table for Food Photography

When I saw this post by Kellypea of Sass and Veracity, I knew I had to make one table for food photography too, I also thought...why didn't I think of that earlier? There are so many talented food bloggers who take gorgeous pictures and to name just two, I love sites like Aran's Cannelle et Vanille or Diane and Todd's White on rice couple for their use of rustic tables. I am not a professional by any mean, but taking pictures is something I love and always look forward to more learning, a lot in my case. Having the right tools really helps, so do food props.

I decided to take a break from working for a while, long story...it was too far from my house, the commute was really affecting me (falling asleep at a light for example!). I am now working on my other creative side, the one that has to do with house decor and fabric, which was seriously neglected for a long time. I have many projects in my list that require either a brush and paint or needles and threads, and I am trying to use my time well. I will keep baking though, that it my first passion anyway.

I had an old redwood planter that had lost the bottom, it had literally turned into soil it was so rotten. Since I am crazy about recycling and reusing I kept the useless planter trying to decide how to use it. One idea was to attach metal netting to turn it into a compost sift, but after seeing Kelly's photos I immediately knew what to do with it. I didn't want to spend too much time on this project, and after considering between driving distances to find an environmentally friendly paint, or go to my local paint store which was on my way, I settled on some water based acrylic paint. There were so many whites I could have chosen but I settled for a decorator white. Time and photos will tell whether it was a good choice.

The wood was really dirty but after some sanding it turned nice and smooth. I did just one coat since the paint is really thick and I didn't want to lose the wood details. I didn't use a primer so in few months the paint may peel off, which will add to the piece character I suppose.

Here is a detail of the veins and of a rustic corner. I wish the weather would cooperate, but it is raining and the before and after pictures look really bad. Are you jealous? Now I have to find a place where to store it....And if my neighbor would give me a wonderfully weathered piece of wood I saw in her yard that belonged to a bench, I would either use it as is or stain it with a different color.