Arts 'n Crafts

Over the years Hubby and I have collaborated on several creative endeavors.  If I were pressed to choose, I'd say our greatest project to date would have to be our beloved beer cap table.

I'm not even sure what made us do it.  It began with a small table and chairs that I'd brought from my apartment in college.  Mom and I discovered them at a Salvation Army one afternoon and the price tag was asking something like $50 for the set.  Sounded like a steal to me.  My Mom looked at me with disdain.  Rookie.  "I'll give you twenty for everything" she said, and that was that.  Sometimes I'm really in awe of that woman.

We picked out some pretty fabric and my Dad recovered the chairs.  That table set went on to have quite the life for itself, often changing styles, eventually relocating to NYC.  But its greatest transformation was still yet to come...

Our vision was a tabletop entirely covered in beer caps.  It wouldn't be an easy task, but someone had to do it.  And those someones would be us: Hubbers and I.  (Though technically he wasn't my Hubbers then, just the guy I was livin' in sin with.  Bon Jovi wrote a song about it.  But I digress.)

In the end I can't quite remember how long it took us to collect all those bottle caps.  Days?  Weeks?  Months?  I only know that once I began glueing there was no turning back.  With painstaking care I lovingly glued each tiny beer cap by hand.  The secret was all in the opening; the caps couldn't be bent too much or the surface of the table wouldn't be flat.  This was a science, you see.

The amount of beer we'd imbibed for our project was gargantuan and yet it still looked as if we were going to have to drink more.  A lot more.  Thankfully, people were quick to offer aid, donating their own saved beer caps for our worthy cause.  Support was given from Dad, cousins, bartender friends...

It looked like our little table was going to make it after all. 

Things were really coming along when I began to notice a worrisome trend; some beer caps were more plentiful than others.  Where was the diversity?!  We couldn't have all of the same beer types, a piece such as this begged for variety!  Oh, and we were nearly there, we were so close!

Hubby looked at me with determination.  "Come on, let's go."

That afternoon we visited every quickie mart within a two mile radius.  We purchased beer that came from far away places and local breweries; beers with strange names and eccentric looking caps.  And we drank.  We drank ourselves silly.  We drank for the table.  We drank in the name of art.  Hiccup.

At one point Hubby caught me emptying a beer down the kitchen sink.  "Hey, what are you doing?!"

I looked at him in desperation.  "I CAN'T drink anymore, this table is going to be the death of me!"

Though quite inebriated himself, Hubby took the practical approach.  After all, there was no point in wasting perfectly good beer.  Though he may deny it, I'll tell you - yes.  Yes, he did cover opened beers in Saran Wrap to save in the refrigerator for later.  These were premium ales here. 

Many beers and dollars later our labor of love was nearly complete.  Shining before us was a veritable rainbow of beer caps, and now there was only one crowning step left.  We covered everything with a layer of high gloss goo that looked a lot like glass when it was dry.  It was a messy job, but very much worth the effort.  This was our very own personal commemoration to beer, a tabletop tribute, if you will.  Ah Reader, it was beautiful. 

Everyone complimented us on our fine handiwork.  One time two cops came over to file out a report when one of Hubby's instruments was stolen and even they couldn't help but become enchanted by our innovative creation.  "Did you make this yourself?" one of them asked.  "That's impressive!" the other one gushed.  "How did you do it?"

It is with much regret that I tell you our beer cap table is no longer, having gone to a better place; the great bar room in the sky.  That rainy Thursday when we left New York we were force to leave it propped up against the fence by the alley, along with a good number of other things that wouldn't fit into our U-Haul.  It still pains me to think of some of the stuff we left out in the rain that night.

Although, I like to think the next morning some kind soul walked by and saw, peering out from left behind frames and mirrors, a gorgeous table top covered completely in beer caps.  And just maybe he or she carried it away and gave it a home, perhaps even ate dinner on it that very evening.  One never knows...

By the way, Hubby is at it again.  Not long ago I noticed small piles of beer caps stashed here and there, almost as if someone was saving them.  Great. 

Rest in peace, little table.  We hardly knew ye.

Beer cap table, aerial view.

Beer cap table, close up

Comments

[Donna]

I hope the table found a good home that appreciated all that hard work!

If you do intend to make another one, if you place a quarter on top of the cap and then use the bottle opener, it will keep the cap flat.

[Amy]

Ahh the table! We had many fine take-out meals from Vinny Testas on that. I always found it funny that so many people would order food and not pick it up... they even ordered my favorites! tee hee hee.....

[The Odd Broad]

Thanks Donna! Hubby thanks you, too. I see a new beercap table in our near future...

[The Odd Broad]

Ravioli and tiramisu, if I remember correctly... :)

[wheeler]

I think you had a great time collecting those...