Friday, November 05, 2010

Favourite Things Friday

It's FTF time , so grab a picture of your favourite thing, bang up a post and link up down the bottom so we can all come and gawk in wonder and amazement at your Favourite Thing. If you haven't joined in before, you should. It's fun - I promise.

As I mentioned yesterday the big post I've been expecting to write about for the last two weeks remains unwritten. Not because I'm lazy but because it's hard to write about something that hasn't happened. And I know you're all visual dudes so I want to include pictures. I think I can finally confidently say possibly, maybe, probably next week...

So basically you've had second skimmings for the last two weeks, which doesn't mean that the things I'm show casing aren't favourite things but they just aren't the favourite things I thought I'd be sharing...make sense?


This weeks FTF has been shown before in various stages of undress. Do you recall when I started this remodel way back in July?  Just to put it in context, July was in winter, which is officially a whole season ago since we are now well into Spring and almost head butting Summer.

This old meat safe used to be in our dining room. The original plan was to sell it when we did the kitchen reno. One day I was sitting out the back and had an epiphany that this would look fabulous in the computer room filled with quilty goodness.  

I ripped off the doors, pulled the thing apart , and took all the old fly wire off.  So it went from that up there



To ugly primer stage . I was second guessing my sanity here and thinking "It's going to take 15 coats of primer to get the "wood" out of that thing".  It took 4. I slapped three top coats on the carcass and it sat there FOREVER waiting to be finished while the kitchen reno took precedence.


Eventually I attacked it with some chicken wire and  a staple gun.  


Then I started looking for suitably gorgeous handles that matched the vision of handles I'd had in my head for about for 6 weeks. I found them. Eventually. On the internet. Is there anything the internet can't provide? Internet,  I love you so.


Pink Handles? Not my usual style.  But they look perfect on this cabinet.

I bought some meranti to replace the strips I'd ripped off to get to the fly wire. And I nagged Mr. P into painting the door frames and the  strips. Then  we painted some more. And once more again after that for good luck.


Then we waited for the paint to harden up. You know the saying "it was as boring as watching paint dry " ?  There is nothing more boring than watching paint dry...trust me. I've been watching paint dry for month. I'm an expert.

And one night this week I got home from work and there she was ...a vision. Finished.



Thank goodness furniture re-do's  are not a timed sport because I still haven't started that French provincial dresser or the dining table.  At least this one is finished. I'm deliriously happy.  Have a great FTF. I can't wait to see your favourite things for this week!


P.S. Can we all spare a thought for absent Michelle today who is internet -less and driving half way across the country to her new life in Kansas. With a pissed off cat in the car. We salute you Michelle! This week's FTF is in your honour because I suspect travelling with Charley at this point is your least favourite thing.

22 comments:

Sarcastic Quilter said...

I understand internet-less and driving across country but the cat I can only imagine. Michelle, you have my sympathies.

Mrs. P, I want you to come and stay for a while. PLease come, please redo all the mismatched wood pieces I have to one matching color. PLEASE?

I love it.

Lisa said...

AAUUUGGGHHHH!!! I love it. It was worth every second. Awesome.

Kate said...

I love the pink handle! It looks great.

Baa-Me Kniits said...

WOW!! I love it and it is perfect for your quilts. The pink handles are the finishing touch Well done!! :-)

Mistea said...

That sure is gorgeous place to keep those pretty quilts.She looks wonderful after her make over.
Happy Weekend

Jennifer said...

Michelle definitely has my sympathies! Love the new old cupboard, it is very pretty. If you ever decide you don't want it any more I could give it a good home......

Lorraine said...

I have a meat safe very similar to yours (it hasn't got the drawer in the middle) in my garage.....too good to get rid of....now i know what to do with it...I just need to find someone to do it...LOLOL

Deb said...

That my dear is absolutely flippin gorgeous, I love it. Well done you, stunning

lw said...

I love what you did with that cabinet, it's beautiful!!!

Mrs A said...

Thats very nice way to show the beautiful fabric, you are clever, the pink handles are lovely, have a great creative weekend, and we will all be thinking of Michelle,

Marg said...

I love it, your quilty goodness and the chenille looks perfect in it. Now you can sit and stare at your stash without having to open the doors or take it off the shelf. Love the pink handles, very pretty, they were well worth the wait.
Now can I please just send a couple of my pieces down to you for the Casa PJ's touch. They won't take long!!!! Really!!!
I've been thinking of Michelle all week, she should be there by now (I hope). I do hope Charley hasn't meowed all the way to Kansas.

seabreezequilts said...

Love the meat safe, I have wanted one of those for the longest time. Either that or one of those kitchen cabinets with the ledlight but I have no where to put it so that aint happening anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

It's beautiful! I want one, but would have no clue where to find one.

No FTF post this week for me. Been trying to finish up a quilty project (with fear and trembling that it won't turn out) and spending extra hours at work.

I should have time to do one next week!

Kirsten's Cooking said...

Oh, aren't you clever! At first when you said you came home and it was finished, I was picturing Mr. P folding all of your fabric just so. Wouldn't that have been funny? :)

It is truly perfect - and, like, you, I wouldn't have thought of the pink accent [until I saw it] but it's stunning all together.

thanks for bringing a little prettiness into a dreary, cloudy, chilly day.

Larri said...

Love, love, love the cabinet! It was definitely worth the wait. I'm going to start looking for one during my weekend thrifting excursions. :o)

Michelle and I were chatting last week before her big move. She's moving to a town that is about 30 minutes North of where I was raised! What a small world? Who'da thunk a blogger from Australia would've hooked up two gals in the States, only to find a very common thread tying them together? :o)
PS...I've got my Aunt Karen, who stitches up some wonderful quilts, making me a list of all the fabulous fabric shops for Michelle to go check out once she's settled.

Happy Friday almost Saturday! :o)

Elizabeth said...

Oh, I hope Michelle is there by now! I've been thinking of her all week.

So, the Meat Safe! Wow! That is about 15 kinds of awesome! I'll say up front that those pink handles are to die for! Please tell me that those weren't the last three available because I'm seriously thinking of finding something to refinish just so I can put pretty pink handles on it. Also, I LOVE the whiteness of it. Love!

Also, I think it is amazingly cool and manly of Mr. P to refinish furniture with you.

And one question that I should have asked like back in July, but didn't because I didn't want to be a a dumb American. What, precisely, is the function of a Meat Safe? It is probably staring me right in the face. Obviously a safe is something where you store things and keep them safe. And the word 'meat' in the title would indicate that the thing this particular safe keeps is meat. But I generally keep meat safe by refrigerating it. The Meat Safe appears to be open-air with no refrigeration parts which makes it look like anything but a safe place to keep meat.

The Meat Safe Renovated, I totally get. I love all those pretty quilts in there. That was really brilliant of you and I'll bet your so glad to have it finished!

xo -El

Anonymous said...

Oh WOW - LOVE your meat safe/quilt cupboard - it's fantastic and looks wonderful full of quietly goodness.

Shevvy said...

I've been thinking about Michelle as well, and moving to a house she hasn't seen yet!

I love the look of this all finished and fully stocked. Great to see everything neatly on display.

Paulette said...

I'm hoping Michelle has arrived in Kansas safe and sound, and with all her wits still intact!

Oh, the meat safe is DIVINE!! I absolutely love, love, love it! You did such a wonderful job on it, and those pink glass knobs are perfect!

A Plain Path said...

Beautiful transformation! Amazing!

Janice said...

I love your remade cabinet. I am new here, but thought that Favorite Thing Fridays would be a great way for me to find more things in my life to smile about. I have so much and am thankful for all God has given me. I look forward to joining your group.

Michelle said...

Oh Mrs. P your revamped meat safe is fabulous! And like how could it not be filled with all that quilty goodness?

Thanks for the kind thoughts about our travels. Boy you nailed it right about a pissed off puddy tat. Definitely one of my least favorite things.