Liqueur Cabinet Fit for the Abbey

 

When I saw this Frenchy cabinet with all of it's frilly flourish, over the top detail I knew it just had to come home with me!  I could hardly wait to paint it and get into all of those amazing intricate carvings with some ASCP Dark Wax!

 

 

Though very well made, this is not an old piece of furniture.  I am guessing it is probably from the 80's or 90's based on it's construction.  No one at the store where I purchased it had any idea what it's original purpose was and I had to do some serious Googling to find similar pieces to compare it with.  Originally I figured it was some type of a media cabinet as there is a hole in the back panel that appears to be for cords and wiring, and I still believe that is probably what it was used for at one time.  However, the pieces I came across online were old and authentic and they were actually Liqueur Cabinets.  So there you have it, I am still not entirely certain what this lovely cabinet was originally intended for but I can think of a dozen ways it could be used now! 

 

 

The doors both lock with this beautiful key, another reason why this was probably a Liqueur Cabinet of sorts!

 

 

The body of the cabinet was made over with Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan in Old Ochre while the details were highlighted with Old White.  Both clear and dark wax were applied to finish the look.

 

 

Although there is nothing wrong with painting furniture to make it look fresh and new, I have a tendency to want to create something that looks time-worn, with history and depth and a story to tell.

 

 

In it's original oak finish, it was a dated, cast-off media cabinet. Now it's a stately French Liqueur cabinet that once graced the parlor of a fantastic castle and held expensive bottles of sherry and brandy served by a serious butler to elegant Lords and Ladies.

 

 

I like to dream up stories about furniture pieces as I paint them, don't you?  I also find myself influenced by the movies or TV shows I am watching when I paint.  My mom commented that this cabinet had a real Downton Abbey flair to it.  I liked the sound of that!

 

Thank you so much for you for your sweet visit!

 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

 

Sharing this post with these fun link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed

Trunk Love

 

Happy Valentine's Day!  Nothing says love like an old beat up trunk, right?

 

 

I have painted many metal trunks and in all shapes and sizes, but never one quite this large!  This one intimidated me and I can't tell you how many times I tried to donate it or pass it off on someone else!  My husband, the one who complains about all of my "junk" in the garage was the one who kept encouraging me not to give up on it! 

 

 

It was in rough shape, and honestly it still is!  But rather than worry about restoring it (I wouldn't know where to start!), I decided to embrace it's rustic charm and focus on bringing out all of the lovely details.

 

 

I painted the entire piece with two coats of Chalk Paint Decorative Paint® by Annie Sloan in Paris Grey and accented the wood slats with Old Ochre and metal hardware in Old White.

 

 

I also did a little random dry brushing with Old Ochre here and there to add to the rough patina.

 

 

Perhaps the most hindering part of the makeover was the trunk's interior.  I should have gotten a before photo.  At some point someone had lined the inside with a 1950's looking golf themed contact paper!  It wasn't attractive, it wasn't removable and it had a bad odor!  I applied a heavy coat of Kilz primer to remove the smell.  After allowing it to dry completely and air out a bit, I grabbed a stack of book pages and a bottle of Modge Podge and went to work!

 

 

If you look closely, you will see that these pages all came from various Jane Austen novels!  Perfectly romantic for a Valentine's Day post, right?

 

Well, technically it was a Text book, and I aged the pages with coffee...so there's no need to call the Jane Austen Novel Preservation Society on me!

 

 

I borrowed my scrapbook paper heart garland from the fireplace mantel for photos this morning.  I have been enjoying it so much that i think it might have to stay out a while longer.

 

 

It's still an old, beat up trunk but with a new look and without the bad smell!  I hope someone falls in love and gives it a good home.  It's headed to my shop space this week.

 

I am looking forward to a fun Valentine's Day party at school with my 1st grader this afternoon and then a nice quiet evening at home with my honey!

 

I hope your day is filled with love!  Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

 

Sharing this post with these fun link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed

 

 

 

Romantic Notions and Scandinavian Pink

Don't you love it when odds and ends that have sat in your garage for literally years finally find their purpose?  Let's face it, when you frequent garage sales and thrift stores as often as I do, you are bound to come home with things now and then that sit around until you can't remember what drew you to them in the first place.  I try to periodically sift through my "stash" in the garage and donate the things that have been sitting untouched the longest.  And by donate, I mean sending them back to the thrift store that they originally came from!  It doesn't make sense, I know...but if you're a treasure hunter/repurposer/creative type, I am sure you understand.  Here are a couple of things that have been sitting in our garage for a very very long time that I am glad I didn't send back to the thrift store.

 

A metal candle holder and the base of an old broken lamp recently received a couple coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® and then were waxed.  I added the pretty white plates with epoxy and topped them off with glass domes.  In search for something pretty to display in them, I recently found a couple of special teacup sets that were just perfect.  The paint color I used was a combination of Old White and Scandinavian Pink. 

I used the same paint color combo here on this desktop organizer turned notions display.

 

I added scrapbook paper to the little drawers just for fun.

 

 

I rarely pass up these wooden desktop organizers.  They can be a little tedious to paint and wax by hand but there are so many uses for them that I think the effort is worth it.  I had fun finding things to display in this one.

 

As much as I love Annie Sloan's Antoinette, I think I am equally smitten with this Scandinavian Pink/Old White mix.  To give you an idea of how little Scandinavian Pink you need to add to Old White to create this soft, pretty ballet slipper tone, here is a look back at a couple of other pieces I have painted with just one small sample pot of Scandinavian Pink.  And I still have a good amount of paint left in that sample pot!

 

 

Emmy's Vanity

 

 

Vintage Breadbox

 

Before I sign off today, I want to show you my new lamp!  I am always on the hunt for cute lamps, but for some reason or another I rarely ever find ones that float my boat and fit into my budget.  So, I was thrilled when I came across this one last week!

 

 

It's just perfect on my desk in my little studio space!  Can you guess what sold me?  The bow, of course!  It's just the kind of romantic detail that I can't resist!

 

Speaking of romance, are you ready for Valentine's Day?  I am looking forward to some craft time with my little boys this weekend.  We have big plans for some special Valentine projects for the fun school parties next week!

 

Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!

 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing this post with these fun link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home