Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A needlessly slow process.......

blue 005

About 12 years ago, back when we still had an space in a local antiques mall, I bought this baby.  I found it at a yard sale......all painted white with lines and hardware that made me believe it was something out of the 1970s.

blue 007Shortly after I brought it home, hubby went to work and stripped the white paint.......well, most of it.....being something of a perfectionist he was discouraged by the amount of paint left in crevices and grooves and the grain of the wood.

By then, we realized it was not a 1970s piece but much earlier.....on the bottom of one of the drawers, we found the name of the furniture maker, JJ Cady, and the date May 1919.  On top of which, the doors held beautiful old, old wavy glass full of bubbles.

In spite of her virtues, she sat in our garage partially disassembled, partly stripped and gathering dust.  The discouraged owners not sure how they wanted to proceed.

Then our granddaughter, and her husband, thought they would like to have a china cabinet/secretary (note: the fold out shelf) and they would finish it........well, five years later.....it was back in our garage, same sad state with more dust.

Then one day I sent a photo to a dealer friend, sure! she would like to buy it!  Ooops, then second thoughts began to set in.

Did I REALLY want to sell it?  Come to think of it, there really wasn't that much left to do to finish it and where would I find another china cupboard for that price. 

So, with my newly found motivation I went to work.  I scrubbed off the grime, applied finishing wax and painted the inside.........here she is in all her glory!

china cabinet 004I still need to go to the glass shop and order a couple shelves....but what quality and character, even with a few specks of white paint still in place.  It is a perfect rustic piece for our house. 

I will decorate the shelves and, then, I'll share the finished product...soon...well sooner than 12 years, I'm pretty sure.  Geez, I may be the QUEEN of Procrastination!!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I have so much for which to be thankful....a wonderful family, our health and a our fun and busy retirement.  Blessings from our house to yours.

I know it's a stretch but, if you look close, there was some red paint under the white paint originally and it shows in the first photo....so, I'm taken my cabinet to show it off at Sue's Rednesday.  Also, found two new and really fun Linky Parties at Restore Interiors "Restore It Wednesday" and Primative & Proper's "Piece of Work Wednesday".

15 comments:

Karen said...

What a gorgeous cabinet; love the natural wood that was hiding under the paint. I am so glad you finished it for your own house. Twelve years isn't that long, really...(yes, I am a procrastinator too!)

Fresh Linen said...

Beautiful! Happy Thanksgiving to you Jan and Ron. Hugs Carol and Craig

LV said...

It took you awhile, but your cabinet really turned out to be worth the wait. It looks very nice and sturdy.

Donna said...

Beautiful job! What a difference. It will look so great when completely finished.
D

Staci said...

It turned out AMAZING!!! Definitely a great peice and it looks great there. All your hard work paid off.

Quiltemarerittet said...

We have same taste you and I! Beautiful cabinet. I have to cupboards standing here, without no paint. Time will come. Happy Thanksgiving!

Angela said...

Well Queen of Procrastination, I'm the Diva,LOL..oh my goodness, I so relate to taking forever to get projects done,,lol. What an amazing job though. Just BEAUTIFUL

Anonymous said...

Twelve years??? I understand. I have underwear older than that, lol.

The cabinet is magnificent. Love love love it. What finishing wax did you apply because it looks wonderful?

Carey said...

Wow you did a great job. I wish I had the patience to do this kind of redo. I have a garagee full of furniture that could be beautiful if they were redone. Happy Thanksgiving.
Best Wishes
Carey

NanE said...

Wow, that is a gorgeous cabinet and very unique looking. Aren't you glad you didn't part with it?! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Nan

Maison Douce said...

Glad I played a part in the process, lol!!!!! It looks great Jan, I'm glad you kept it!!! Now, are there any other unfinished projects in your garage I can get my hands on..?!!!!
Isabel

★Carol★ said...

I'm so glad you kept that cabinet, because it's a real beauty! So much hard work went into it, and now I can't wait to see it all decorated!
Happy REDnesday and Happy Thanksgiving!
Carol

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

What a beautiful cabinet! It turned out beautifully. Sometimes time and patience turn out just right! Happy Thanksgiving!

Cassie Bustamante said...

that is beautiful! what a fabulous antique piece, with so much character. i am so glad you refinished it- it looks great!

Megan Gunyan said...

Wow, 12 years! You guys have staying power! I would have definitely gotten rid of it. I'm glad you kept it though, because it is really beautiful!
I would love for you to share this at my link party and to join my giveaway going on now! alittleknickknack.blogspot.com. Have a wonderful weekend!