On occasion, I will go for a walk in the snow. I used to skate and I’ve skiied and even snow-shoed but if I am lucky enough to ever live somewhere that doesn’t experience winter, you’ll never hear me say I miss it. It is and always has been something to endure.
So I’m getting better at working on projects that keep me from thinking about how ridiculous it is that our ancestors settled on the frozen part of the tundra. At Christmas I got a whole load of pots of chalk paints and finishes and I decided to play. Derek gave me carte blanche to mess around with a cabinet that I’ve never really liked. It has been kicking around the family for a long time but lost its charm years ago. The drawers were tough to open and the veneer was coming loose. The fancy woodwork around the inside of the glass was hanging on by a thread. The whole thing looked tired and dated so I relegated it to the basement years ago.
First, my carpenter-assistant spent some time making it structurally square and sound. I removed the glass door and its hardware as well as all three drawers. Derek cut out the wood supports for the drawers, making a gap big enough for some nice baskets. The bottom doors came off and were painted and given new handles. The outside received coats of grey and red chalk paint while the inside took tougher, dark grey latex.
Painting was time consuming but not as fussy as putting the doors back on. Derek had a heck of a time because they no longer fit properly once the cabinet was square again. However, he fussed and drilled and put in some new catches and made it all work. I happened upon some cool fabric baskets at Jysk and this is the result.
It will be moved into my studio/craft/art room and used to hold my special paints and tools.
I also used some of the finishing creme from Van Gogh to put a durable and funky new top on an old cedar chest but capturing it has proven difficult. It’s an irredescent, shiny coating and I’m not the world’s best photographer.
So now I’m looking around for the next project. Winter lasts a long time, after all.
You may one day, find yourself in a place where you won’t miss winters, but what you’ll likely miss is the wonder and splendor of nature each spring as it comes alive with its brilliant colours after its winter slumber and the dark rich colours of the fall as it once again prepares for its winter sleep. Nature is a wonderment of balance, give up one thing and what else do you sacrifice.
That is freaking amazing! I honestly thought the top pic was the “finished” and thought…wow, that’s pretty nice…(I tend to be a big fan of yours no matter what). But WOW to the finished product. I admire the vision, perseverance and artistry that went into this. You’re amazing. And look how those fabric baskets fit – like you BUILT the cabinet for THEM! Well done. *clap clap* xo
*bow*