Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Cabinet Re-Do

First, let me thank those of you who checked on me through both emails and phone calls! The tornadoes that swept through the South last night completely passed us by. We did get some winds this morning but nothing that I would consider dangerous.

We know we are blessed and hope you join us in prayers for those who were affected by the storms. The last report I heard was that at least 48 people had been killed and that 24 are from Tennessee.

The last few days here have been really warm for this time of year - it's been over 70 degrees! Many of us took advantage of the weather as we headed out to the polls and included some additional side trips to the malls.

I promised to show you at least one new completed T2T (Trash to Treasure) project and here it is! Remember this cabinet? It really wasn't in bad condition. It was just ugly. Although a very basic construction, someone had taken care in its construction. I thought about giving it a thorough cleaning and keeping it primitive but as I was examining it, it kept begging for a makeover. I love the look of pink and sage together and think that the combination may look fresh but still looks vintage. Thus, these are the colors it now wears. It had one glass knob in rough condition. I decided to put the knob aside for a later project and replace it with wooden pulls that I made from wood rounds (meant to be used as wheels for a toy) and round wooden beads. Well, I didn't like that look and neither did the cabinet; it looked quite uncomfortable. Those pulls were soon replaced with the ones shown in the picture. Something still seemed to be missing, so I consulted with some beads and old jewelry bits and came up with the touch of sparkle hanging from the knobs. You've seen my studio and know that I have an abundance - okay, overabundance - of supplies. This overabundance includes baskets, ribbons, papers, beads, old and/or broken jewelry, fabric - well, you saw the pictures. I had decided to tidy up the mess this morning and got distracted (as usual) by the need to create. Here is the result of that distraction: I made the beaded ornament on the front of the basket several years ago, liked it but didn't know what to do with it. It now has a home! These are easy to make and can be used as collar pins or even to dress up jean hems. You can really use them in a variety of ways, even though I held on to this one for so long. For you beaders and crafters, here are the instructions: You'll need a shanked button, beads, a small piece of felt, glue and a needle and thread. Cut a piece of felt in the shape and size you desire your finished piece to be. Cut the shank off the back of the button and glue it to the felt. It really isn't necessary to position to button in the center, as an off-center position can provide a different but interesting and pretty look.

When the glue is dried and the button is firmly adhered to the felt, thread your needle and simply stitch the beads around the button. If you want to use it as a pin, just add the pin back and you're done.

Tomorrow will include taking a small load of things to the shop in Elizabethton so I need to get back to work and tag items. Thanks again for stopping by!

8 comments:

Vickie said...

Good job on your cabinet! It almost looks happy in its new outfit. I know you'll get lots of good use out of it now! Vickie

misselaineous said...

Your cabinet re-do looks great...like the pink 'n green combo, and the beads add just the right amont of bling..:o) I spent most of January reorganizing my craft room, & now it's so darn organized I can't find what I'm looking for! Had to put tags on drawer fronts and suitcase handles, so i won't forget what's where!! Darn these "senior moments"...Happy Friday! *elaine*

Unknown said...

Hey there, Vickie! Welcome back! The cabinet is one of those things I wish I had room to keep here at home but I don't. I took it to one of the shops yesterday and it immediately drew attention. I think it will find a cozy new home this week!

Unknown said...

Elaine! I'm glad to see you here, too! I haven't heard from you for awhile! I agree about those reorganization adventures! Everything looks great when it's cleaned up but then you have to rely on memory to find things! I've found that, not only is my memory "broken", but I seem to create better surrounded by arts and crafts chaos. Thanks for checking in on me!

Anonymous said...

I can identify witht that broken memory thing. I seem to function better creatively when working in seeming chaos. When things are too tidy, then I tend to try to keep them that way, and lose creative time. Not to mention, I can't seem to keep things tidy permanently.

I too like the cabinet. I like how your mind works.

I am glad the tornadoes didn't get you. I looked at a map to see where things were in relation to you. Anyway, people were checking on us too, and I'm not even in a state where there were tornadoes, although we did have some good wind and blowing snow.

Love, Janet

Unknown said...

Thanks again, Janet! The tornadoes may not have been close to you, but you're in the land of Dorothy and Toto! Tornadoes and Kansas are almost synonyms!

SweetAnnee said...

Wow..you did make it treasure!!
and I love the lil bird too
So glad your safe and cozy!!
lovingly, Deena

Unknown said...

Hi, Deena! Thanks for the compliments and it's extra good to know that YOU are safe and cozy!