Monday, January 16, 2012

A Little Sunday Afternoon Project


     My china cabinet is a very old piece that we bought from a family friend of my parents, many years ago. I don't love it, but it works in the spot where I need it for right now. I would love to paint it, but my husband has a real issue with painting wood furniture and even more so when he remembers how hard he workded to strip it to the natural oak. After reading this post on Tatertots and Jello, I decided to try my hand at a dreaded "craft project" which we all know, I don't do very well.


     I forgot to take a picture of the cabinet full and with the light reflection, it is almost impossible to get a good photo. Let's just say that my love for crystal and cut glass had turned this cabinet into more of a storage piece than a display piece. I had it way too full, so I removed and washed everything and put my Fostoria  stemware which took up the entire first shelf and part of the second in the mini-kitchen in the basement.


     I removed the shelves and got to work. Jen used wrapping paper for her project, but I couldn't find any locally that didn't look like wrapping paper. I bought a roll of wallpaper at Menards and got to work. I did find that my cabinet is very difficult to work with. It is a wide piece with a narrow opening, so I almost had to crawl inside of it to put up the paper. I also found that the double-stick tape didn't want to stick to wood that had been oiled many times over the years. I finally combined foam double-stick tape and double stick scotch tape to make it hold.




     I do think it lightened up the cabinet a bit and it certainly looks better with less in it. I think painting the back would have been easier for a non-crafty person like me...but, I do like the subtle pattern of the paper.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday!

11 comments:

nannykim said...

Ahhhh-Looks beautiful!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

It really did lighten it up and looks good!
I would not have been able to do that - could not get down that low and put it in the bottom 2 shelves.:-D

NanaDiana said...

OH- It looks wonderful and is a good compromise between you and your hubby. MyHero does NOT like me painting wood pieces either. I think most men are like that about painting wood.

Your pieces are really showcased now. Great job-xo Diana

dee dee said...

Now Sue,
You did a fantastic job on your "craft project"! The wallpaper adds the right amount of bright and texture to your piece!
Now you will have another space to rotate your excellent decor!
Dee Dee

Entertaining Women said...

You've created a lovely backdrop for your beautiful collection. Thank you for sharing your project. Cherry Kay

J Rodney said...

It really brightened it up Sue, great job!

Ricki Treleaven said...

SO, so pretty. You can really see every item now....and they shine!

Rettabug said...

This turned out very nice, Sue! It really lightened it up inside beautifully. Wish I had one like it!

I cringe when I see these young gals painting all these beautiful wood pieces. ~~shudder~~ Don't they watch Antique Roadshow???

I enjoyed seeing your FL Christmas photos. Brings back fond memories. Never been to Winter Garden but I loved seeing the planned community of Celebration!


Hugs,
Rett

Patrice said...

Love all that glass in that beautiful cabinet!

Angie said...

That looks great, Sue - wonderful improvements! I'm trying to make myself a better crafter too (I need to work on building my patience!).

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

I like the paper and it does make everything show up better! Love the cabinet itself! Nice piece!