Most hardcore knitters knit everyday. It's true that I feel a bit strange on days when my needles go untouched. I suppose it's like exercising everyday or always starting your day off with a mug of tea... You miss a day of your routine and you feel it. Lately I've been fixing up furniture. I generally stay off of Craigslist until there's something I'm looking for, which is fairly rare. Craiglist is worse than Facebook, Twitter and Ravelry combined as far as being a time suck goes. I'm looking for a certain type of book shelf for Callum's room and came across this cabinet instead.
I've always had a thing for birds. I think they're amazing little creatures and one of my favorite pets of all time was our cockatiel, Ralph. We got Ralph when he was 3 years old from a neighbor who couldn't stand the chirping. Ralph passed away last year (at the ripe old age of 27) and he took a little piece of my heart with him. I adored that bird. This cabinet made me think of him and I decided I needed to take it off the hands of the woman on Craigslist who needed to get rid of it before she moved across the country.
It was pretty cool to begin with, but a bit boring. I'm not a fan of white furniture and really think it needed color in addition to a good sanding to get rid of the raw wood and chance of splinters...
On a rainy day a couple of weeks ago, I left the house with an idea in my head and made my way to Home Depot. Heading to the paint section (look at all the pretty colors!) I chose a coral color that was more red than orange. I got some heavy-duty sandpaper, was disappointed in the hardware section, got some paintbrushes and a metallic bronze paint. The hinges were weird and I couldn't find any the same size to replace them with.
After coming home and laying out all my Home Depot loot, I sanded that sucker within an inch of its life and cracked open my paint. A few days and a few coats later, I had my desired color, leaving a bit of the distressed look peeking through. I painted the weird crosshatching on top, the birds and the mesh a metallic bronze, found some fancy knobs online and voila!
Our home is full of color and this bright pop of coral in our living room makes me smile every time I see it. Bright, a subtly sparkly top, birds, fancy knobs... I'm really happy with how it came out. I know a few people with zero color in their homes, no artwork and zero warmth. Your home is where you live! You spend time there so why not make it a reflection of your taste and personality?
Next up... Revamping my ancient night stand!