jones soda table

[weezerina82.livejournal.com]

I found this little table for $1 (!!!) at a garage sale last summer. I used Mod Podge to cover the top of it with labels from Jones Soda bottles. Then I put about 8 million coats of Mod Podge on top. (ok, realistically I think it was about 10.)
The plan after that was to sand the top of the table and then put some kind of clear lacquer or sealant on the top.

The thing ended up sitting in my garage all winter. When I decided to start sanding it yesterday, I saw that the edges of the table had indentations in it from whatever it was leaning against (think about what your nails look like if you paint them and then go to sleep when they aren't quite dry, and you wake up with marks from the sheets.) The top had little bits of leaves and such stuck on it. It looks like the Mod Podge melted when it got hot outside, and whatever was near/on the tabletop got stuck.

I tried to sand the indentations on the side, but the heat from sanding caused the Mod Podge to get all dirty and gummy instead of smooth. The top of it is not too bad, it's just not smooth and you can see the brush marks from the Mod Podge. It's sort of usable, but I'm afraid that if I ever put a cup of coffee on it, the Mod Podge will melt. Is there anything I can coat it with that won't ruin it? Any other advice to help me salvage this thing? Do you know how many bottles of Jones Soda I had to drink to make this table?!?