Monthly Archives: April 2014

Vintage China Cabinet

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Last fall, in a moment of pure adrenaline, I snagged a china cabinet from our local ReStore. I had great expectations and quickly removed all the hardware, then let the poor thing sit idle in a corner of our dining room until last week. With our big, multi-family garage sale coming up this week, I knew I needed to give this beautiful beast a makeover and find her another home.

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Luckily, the bones on this girl were solid, and I didn’t have any major issues during her transformation.

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White on the exterior (and inside the lower cabinet) and Duck Egg inside the upper cabinet and inside the single drawer. She has some great lines and I love the lattice-work overlay on the glass doors. The medallion drawer pulls were in perfect condition and only needed a little CLR to remove some rust and shine them up.

She’s now listed on craigslist (for a mere $250) and will be on display this weekend. Fingers crossed she finds her “soul-home”!!!

Here are a few more pics showcasing her details and road to stardom:

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UPDATE: (May 11, 2014)

I sold the cabinet!!! Yay! So glad she found a home and will be proudly displaying a Raleigh woman’s 1950’s-era bone china set in her dining room. It’s a little like letting go of a child. While I didn’t have a personal connection to the piece per se, it did take some blood, sweat and tears to get her into a valuable state, so it’s a bittersweet day. Now…what do do next???!!!

Awakening

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Is it spring or what?! A thick, yellow dust covered our little world last week, and while I hate the pollen and the allergies it produces, it’s a sure sign of budding flowers, warmer weather and my innate desire to spring clean! So bring it on!!

The sum or parts of my family are on the tail end of several weeks on the road (mostly weekend trips), and I’m happy to say things are now slowing down so we can enjoy our home, reconnect with friends and enjoy an awesome springtime. Our travels took us to Florida, Texas, the Dominican Republic, Las Vegas, Bald Head Island (NC) and Beaufort (SC). Needless to say, March and April were a blur…living out of suitcases and using too many travel toiletries to count. I’m ready to make a significant investment in fresh fruits and veggies at our local grocery store.

Spring is inspiring in so many ways. Besides the obvious thaw from winter, it is flush with awakening…nature is coming to, inviting us to come out and play. Five years ago at this time, I was 6 months pregnant, filled with a need to prepare my home and life for our little girl and our transition from a couple into a true family.

This year, my nesting phase is back with vengeance. I’ve been cleaning out closets and organizing the house, preparing to purge our unnecessary “things” in an upcoming neighborhood yard sale (Saturday, May 3, if anyone’s inclined to buy our outgoing treasures). I’m hoping to put a few of my painted furniture pieces into the sale, as well. Here’s a sneak peek at my latest project, an Annie Sloan chalk-painted china cabinet…more to come as I complete this fabulous piece.

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Our house recently underwent a much-needed maintenance update: fixed nail pops, re-stained front door, filled and touched-up nail holes, and resealed moldings and baseboards throughout. I’ve gotta say it looks pretty spiffy; the house appears brand new…and I’m glad we’re here to enjoy it.

The flower beds are prepped and ready for their spring mulch. My to-do list includes “buy/plant flowers”…which will likely happen later this week after “return library books” and “get groceries!!!” are accomplished. Aside from that, I finally remembered to schedule someone to remove a dead tree from our back yard…sadly, it has been gone for a few summers now but it sits just out of view from our back windows so I kept forgetting about it.

It sure is nice to get some of these things checked off the to-do list. Maybe once the garage sale is over I will reinstate a weekly meal plan, get back to painting and sewing, and keep this blog better updated…fingers crossed!