TABLE=7 points

I am a crafter. If I'm not working on a project then I'm planning my next creative endeavor. Usually I see something that someone else has made and think, "I could totally do that". And that proved to be the case with a set of resin poured Scrabble tile coasters that I'd found on etsy. I made scrabble coasters and even a few button coasters for Christmas gifts but somehow that didn't seem like enough. I don't know when I got the idea to cover a whole table top with Scrabble tiles and resin but it sort of turned into an obsession sometime between Christmas and April. I did a ton of research about pouring resin table tops online and spoke to my Mother about it quite frequently. The project always seemed a little bit like a fantasy until it switched to reality when M&D gave me this table for Easter.
Excitement does not seem to quite put into words how I felt about the coming project. It's not everyday that your dreams come true.
I worked with a power sander to take off this weird crusty stuff off the top of the table. Holy, talk about some hard work for your hands. By the time I was satisfied with the smoothness of the table top my hands were bright red and mostly numb from constant vibration.
The next step was to spray paint the table top black. I do not think I would make a very stealthy graffiti artist. I went to work that day with black paint all over my fingers. When my coworkers asked what I was doing to get paint on my hands I told them that I was spray painting a table. They all thought I said "spray painting people". We had a good laugh about that.
With a moustache and a little bit of mischief, Joshua helped me spread the tiles out on the sanded and painted table top. There are almost six games worth of Scrabble tiles on the table. That's about 600 tiles for those of you that don't play. I should probably count the exact number. Maybe I will sometime when I'm real bored.Once the tiles were where I wanted they had to be glued down. Each tile had a tiny bit of wood glue spread on the back with a q-tip and was then pressed onto the table. Yes, it did take forever.About two weeks later, I finally found the courage to pour the resin on my already expensive table. As much as I've worked with resin before, it is still fairly unpredictable. A layer of masking tape and clear packing tape went around the table to create an edge to catch the resin. Talk about one stressful morning.After an emergency run to Michael's for another kit of resin, it all got poured and looked pretty good. I spent almost an hour blowing out and burning air bubbles with a butane lighter. I've probably got three different kinds of lung cancer from all of the fumes that I inhaled but it was worth it. Two days later I peeled off the tape to reveal the hardened resin edge. It was beautiful. I don't think you can understand the relief that I felt when I saw that all my hard work had actually produced something of which I could be proud. Also, if you look really close you can see the tail end of poison oak on my right eye. Don't get poison oak on your face, it's not fun.The last finishing touch was to sand off the sharp edge from where the resin and tape met. I got out the power sander again and buffed away that sharp top. My name and "fun" are the only two words that were intentionally spelled out on the table. Everything else is completely random. It took weeks of work but here she is, all finished and beautiful. My biggest and most expensive craft project ever and I am in love. I cannot wait to have this table forever.