Go Big Blue

Yes, I live in Kentucky, but no, this post is not about basketball.
I just delivered (rather, my incredibly awesome parents delivered for me) the biggest piece I've done, to date.

This piece found me.  She yelled right at me from the parking lot at my favorite local non-profit thrift store.

No one else was even looking at her.

But I knew the minute I laid eyes on her, that she was coming home with me (saggy cardboard, spiders and all...)

She's no lightweight.

She boasted great storage, and with those detailed cabinet fronts, was just screaming (as Nicole, the heroine of HGTV's Rehab Addict puts it), "Make me pretty!"

My Dad helped me haul her into the house and reinforce her structure a little.

Dad, you rock, as usual.

Then she was all mine.

I put her on Facebook, and immediately got snatched up by a friend with bold taste, who was willing to take a risk and have me do this for her long distance.  She never saw it in person until it was delivered to her front door.  Is that a leap of faith, or what?!

This piece got two coats of primer, about 3 coats of paint (some places needed more touch-up, as getting paint in ALL those little curves, nooks, and crannies, took some time and patience) and Polycrylic to keep her looking great for years to come.

Here's what I love most about this piece:

I never would have chosen the colors the owner chose.  Just would not have happened.  The color - bold, bright, beautiful - made this dumpy relic into a Grande Dame.

She looks regal in her blue-purple*.  The owner also wanted paper lining the inside, and she chose sheets of peacock feathers.  Amazing.

There was a lesson for me at the end of the process.  I couldn't have been more pleased with how the piece turned out.  And it is what it is now, because the owner did something out of the ordinary.  She took a chance - and made me take a chance.  A major step out of my comfort zone.  And it resulted in a broader horizon for me.  So, thank you, Liz!  I envision many wonderful cocktail parties, and dinners with friends going on with this piece in the room.  And I hope it makes you smile each time you look at it.  I know I did.

Here's the materials I used:

Primer - Zinsser Bulls Eye Water-Base Primer & Sealer

*Paint - Crushed Velvet in flat finish by Olympic at Lowe's (this color is reading as way more purple in these pics. It is more blue in person.)

Top coat - Polycrylic Satin finish by Minwax

Hardware - sprayed with flat black then finished with Valspar silver spray paint, also at Lowe's (also coated with Polycrylic for durability)

Paper - Recollections scrapbook paper, called Peacock Feathers, sold by the sheet at Michael's


So the next time you're out thrifting or yard saling, and a big old honkin' piece yells at you, LISTEN!  And try something bold and different.

Thanks for reading!
XO,
Anne

Linking up here:

But I NEED a cute place to store my rags!

Friends, let me just say that I'm fully aware of my upper middle class life and all the blessings that go with it. There are so many people all over the world who have real, serious challenges they face. This is not one of them. But. I really needed a nice way to store rags under my kitchen sink, and the crumpled up wad of clean rags that I had shoved into a plastic grocery bag just wasn't cuttin' it anymore. SO yes, I did spend my Saturday night making a pretty box... for my rags. Here goes: I had an empty box from Costco that their kitchen trash bags come in. It's heavy duty cardboard, and has a really generously sized opening in the front. Just the right size, to say, shove rags into and pull them out of... Serendipity, right?!

I also had the remnants of a roll of the most awesome wrapping paper ever, thank you to Martha Stewart and Wally world.

I got scissors and tape, and it's pretty much as simple as this... I wrapped up the Costco box like a present. (Stay with me here)

I cut a hole where the box opening was in the front. I carefully cut it larger until it was just about the right size and shape of the actual opening. Then I folded the wrapping paper over the edge of the opening, and taped that stuff down so that Hurricane Andrew couldn't blow it off (because I will be shoving rags into this thing, like, all the time, and that's my favorite wrapping paper, darn it, and I don't want to have that piece wasted!)

 Once that was taped down, I got out my black Sharpie. I got out my "typewriter" font set of stencils, thank you Martha Stewart, and Michael's.

Then, upon my pretty trash bag box, I stenciled, (still with me?) "RagS" I sat the box under my sink. I shoved it full of rags and rejoiced at my cleverness.

(ugh - btw, this wrapping paper looks yellow in some of these pics. It's not.  It's blue and white. )

So there you have it.  World peace? Um... no.
A peaceful sigh when I open up the cabinet under my sink to clean up the umpteenth spill of the week?  YES!

And PS - while I was at it, I made a little label and put my dishwasher detergent gel pacs in a thrifted glass jar.  Super smile!

Go in peace. Somebody probably spilled something while you were reading this.

 XO,
Anne

Linkin' up here cause it's awesome:
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous