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2/03/2015

Vintag Redo


       60 years ago I was five years old.  My Grandmother had been newly widowed and moved into a   very small house.  Her Kitchen had 4 cupboards so virtually no storage.  My aunt took her shopping for this china cabinet and I got to go along.

 
Grandma told me at the store. "Some day this might be yours." My parents inherited this when my Grandma died some 45 years ago. It took up residency in our dining room until two years ago  when my Mom downsized and Grandma's hutch came to live in my art studio.  It has broken and missing handles. And the wood was pretty beat up.

 After THREE trips to Lowe's I realized that they only have one standard size for door handles/pulls and they were an inch to short for the holes in these drawers.  So I rummaged through my junk. wonderful collection and pulled out this tarnished silverware.  I drilled holes in the ends and used the holes in the serving parts.  I took alcohol ink and sponged it all over the spoons and sprayed them with matte finish varnish.

 
 I then looked through my old broken rhinestone jewelry and pulled out these large pins and went back to Lowe's for small screws to attach them to the wood.


I like the character they add to the cabinet and they are PINK my favorite color. And they are one of a kind.
 
 Ambling through Hobby Lobby, I did find this rhinestone drawer pull and it matched my old jewelry perfectly.  I used a longer teaspoon for this and added a string of beads and more old jewelry.


 
I bought some Annie Sloan chalk paint a year or more ago and so pulled that out and applied it over a wood primer.  I can't say I really love the chalk paint.  When I added the wax and started to buff it, the paint lifts off with firm pressure.  I do love the look and how it turned out.  I will probably not use the chalk paint for other furniture pieces I want to redo but that is just a personal preference.
 
What are you working on this week?

22 comments:

Sylvia said...

Your cabinet turned out nice and I love the pulls you added. Great idea!

Marrianna said...

The cabinet redo is fantastic. I love your creative use of old serving pieces. The Hobby Lobby treasure for the cabinet door is lovely. I like the new color you used, also. I have a can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in an antique white but haven't used it yet. I'm keeping it inside the house so it won't go bad outside in the garage.

Keep up the great artwork. It all looks wonderful. Your collections in and on the cabinet are delightful, also.

Stephanie said...

Oh my dear, your cabinet looks delightful! I love how you were able to keep the beautiful china hutch and the sweet memories that came with it, but also make it your own :) Lovely job!

Hugs to you

Shirley said...

Good Morning CatieAn, I have enjoyed catching up with you this morning. I really love your drawer pulls that you made. An awesome job. Old furniture can be made to look beautiful with a little imagination. Have a great day. Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Thanks for popping by my blog and leaving a nice comment.
You created some fun drawer and cupboard hardware.
I love Hobby Lobby when we visit the States, it's on my list for shopping.

~JarieLyn~ said...

wow, you did a fantastic job. That cabinet looks great. I sure wish I had the creative imagination that you do.

Valerie-Jael said...

Wow, what a treasure you have made of this, just fantastic. Wonderful idea for the handles and pulls to use spoons! Hugs, Valerie

Patty Antle said...

A lovely piece for sure. I like what you did with it. It holds you treasures but also great memories.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

The new handles are fabulous! How wonderful that the cabinet did end up with you as grandma had said!
hugs,
Jann

Laurie said...

How creative! I bet your grandma would be so proud.

kath001 said...

That turned out so GREAT!

Beca said...

It's a lovely piece of furniture and I like the way you personalized it to your liking. I'm sure it will be with you for many more years.
xx Beca

Eugenia Maru http://lulurulitos.blogspot.com said...

The cabinet has been like beautiful. The handles are very original. Sure your grandmother is happy with what you've done.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
regards
Maru

Veronica Roth said...

That's brilliant Catie. Love the bespoke handles. Very creative. And a fabulous way to keep a treasured, but well used, piece of furniture and give it new life.

I usually pop into Annie's flagship store in Oxford here and there (When I'm in England, not Van) and admire the projects on display, and I usually buy something like old French grain sacks, have a chat with Annie, and then usually go on around the corner to the Oxford printer's guild and do some printing on their huge presses. But I don't really feel tempted to buy the paint and paint something. Well, actually, sometimes I want to just change everything to that paint-it-out-white shabby chic style that some people do. You know what I mean? (Robert calls it my PMS rhinestone sweatshirt feeling) Actually, I have some of those kinds of blogs bookmarked in a file called "White decorators". It's all so ubiquitous. But I get over it and never do that because it sort of feels like it lacks imagination...you know what I mean? Besides, I love living with the wood grain of my antiques, and, I suspect, Robert would kill me if I did that...lol.

Sarah Huizenga said...

I love how this piece turned out and fabulous ingenuity for the drawer hardware.

My Painted Garden said...

Hi CatieAn - you cabinet is so charming and your beautiful draw pulls are so creative and fun. I love how it turned out.
Have a wonderful day.
Blessings, Erin

The Junque Seeker said...

I love your cabinet re-do and your creative hardware! Isn't it nice to have something from family, and fun to make it your own? Thanks for stopping by my blog!

My Garden Diaries said...

Such a beautiful story about this piece friend! Loved hearing how it ended up in your home! And where you have taken this is just exquisite!!! The color and pulls are gorgeous! So happy to have stopped by your space today!!! Happy weekend! Nicole xo

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

This turned out to be a gorgeous piece. I'm not big on painting wood, but in this case, it actually improved the final piece. Of course, those silverware handles were the crowning glory to this piece.

I've never used chalk paint, but the store that sells it where I live wants a FORTUNE for a pint. I found some at my local swap and shop Household Hazardous Waste store, where everything is free. I've yet to use it. I'm glad you warned me about using the wax.

Beautiful piece, regardless.

Linda Kunsman said...

visiting from Krisha's blog. How precious it is to have that cabinet. I love vintage things and have lots of grandmother's and great grandmother's things which I cherish! Love those decorative and sparkly pink spoons-very clever!

sandy said...

Love how the cabinet turned out! Great job! Nice having a piece that has such personal meaning. I have a Buffet/hutch I'm going to paint so I appreciate your opinion about chalk paint. I've never used it and have been happy with just regular paint and then using sand paper for an antique effect. I'll have to think about this one!

liniecat said...

gosh I adore the hutch transformation and the handles are a superb idea!