Before and After: My Dream Bread Bowl

Earlier this summer, while in New York City, I visited ABC Home and found the most amazing wood bowls.  I dreamily imagined one of these beautiful wood bowls full of big beautiful slices of bread in the center of a table full of gorgeous food surrounded by wonderful friends.At $75 for the small bowls, I had a hard time justifying the price for something I would use so infrequently.

Even after I decided not to get one of these bowls, I still thought about them and at times regretted my decision. A couple of weeks later I was in my local thrift store and found a bowl, that for only $2.99 had all the makings of becoming the bread bowl of my dreams. My goal was to give the bowl a more organic, natural, worn look.

 before inside view

before outside view

The first step was to remove the aged protective coating that was peeling off the wood. I used a very fine grain sandpaper and sanded off the protective coating from the inside and outside of the bowl. It was a rather dusty operation.

I also sanded down the edges of the lip of the bowl so they were more rounded and worn looking. It took several short sanding and wiping off sessions to make sure I had all the coating off the wood. Then I dusted it off and wiped it down with a damp rag.

Here's what the raw wood looked like. I love the color and the shape of the bowl. I love how old the wood looks. It has such a beautiful aged patina. I'm thinking I might want to go in and soften up the edges a little bit more.

Next I added a quick coat of my favorite Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish. It conditioned the wood a bit and completed my project. The beeswax really brought out the grain in the wood. I hope you can see the subtle changes in these photos. I love how rich, grainy and beautiful the wood looks. 

Can't wait to enjoy my new bowl. It will go well with my fixed up thrift store bamboo tray. Don't hesitate to see a vision in something that looks a little dreary in the thrift store. Sometimes a little TLC is all it takes to take it from blah to beautiful!

I'm already looking forward to Monday.  I can't wait to share with you that darling, little organic sweater I found thrift shopping a few weeks ago. It's beige with rich dark brown buttons and big belt loops at the waist. I've upstyled it with some fun new belts and a new button to replace the missing one. Now she's a real charmer and in a perfect neutral camel color, just in time for the fall sweater season. Have a great weekend. I'll see you next week!