Liar, liar...Liar's Bench?

The hubs and I went for a little run this past weekend and had a little time to kill before we picked up our son from his Jiu Jitsu class.  So, we stopped in a little antique/ consignment shop. Right inside the front door was this antique liars bench for $60 that would be perfect at the foot of our bed!

What is a Liar's Bench, you might ask? Well, other than being a cute little bench for my bedroom, here is it's original purpose in life:

Liar's Bench:

A Liars' Bench is a place where people -- People, usually "older" -- come together to brag, boast, and lie about their lives - where your too old to get up on the soapbox anymore! 
The original Liar's Bench was located under a shade tree on the corner of Chestnut and Capital, in Corydon, Indiana,  from 1929 to 1986. It was a popular and cool place for the men to congregate. Many generations of stories have been told on this bench, but it was always understood that what is said here...stays here. 

Of course, I can't leave it in it's original condition...so, here goes!

I started with a little light sanding,  The original finish was a little too "honey" colored and worn. I decided to lightly sand it all down.  I like the variation in color and grain, as well as, all the knicks and dings and scratches...Hey, it's old, embrace the character! :)

 Looking better already, right?!?!

Then, my decision to stain it and what color comes next.  I decided on a Black Cherry stain.  I haven't had time to work on it lately, so some time went by and the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I didn't want to stain the whole piece. Instead, I decided that I would paint the legs a Satin Black, then stain the top.

Once I started to apply the stain, I realized that I really liked it...So, no black legs! 

That's how my projects usually work!  :)  

It's all wiped down and just drying for a couple of days before I add the polyurethane finish. *Notice my next project in the background! :)

AND...Here it is, in it's new spot!