Gifted furniture takes over the house. What can a girl do?

You may have seen this picture that I snuck in on the spring centerpiece post.  See that dining set?  That was my parents when my sister and I were small.

I distinctly remember dusting this table.  It has engraved sides and legs, and the chairs do too.  It was such a pain to dust this thing. I wonder if my sister remembers that?

Anyway, my parents are doing some renovations to their home, and after storing this thing for years, they decided they would like to get rid of it.  It was on it's way to the donation center until my mom asked if I was at all interested in having it.

Well, I have a problem.  If you offer me a free something, I need it.  Even if I have one already, it can replace it.  I have a perfectly good dining set! Secondly - I spent (what seemed to a small child) HOURS cleaning this table.  I was INVESTED in it.  I used my young life to polish this thing.  I wanted it in my house, if only to make my poor children dust it one day (I jest - I doubt my children have EVER seen me dust - they wouldn't know how).  Actually, maybe this table is WHY I don't ever dust?  Hmm..

Anyway, everyone was worried it was too big - it's a little big, but it fits the dining area well.  There's 2 leaves that can extend it, that will in no universe let this table fit in this room. But if I'm cooking dinner for that many people, that's the least of my worries.  

I need to make some slipcovers for these chairs, maybe sand and repoly parts of them and the table, but I'm happy.  It fits in really well with our stuff, and it has sentimental value.  My kids like the shorter table too - we had a pub height table with only 4 chairs before.

I found a couple of slipcover ideas scouring Pinterest (follow me here) the other day - this is my favorite. What do you think?

Nouveau Stitch

My mom says the chair back pads detach, so if I do slipcovers, I guess I should either make matching pads or take them off entirely.  I can see loving the first chair and hating completing the subsequent 5.  Ugh...big projects have such big payoff, but are such a mental hurdle for me.

I've been thinking about hosting a link up soon - Favorite Thrifted Finds?  What do you guys think?

Have a great one!