Wednesday, August 22, 2012

~RING-A-LING...VINTAGE TELEPHONE CABINET MAKEOVER~

You know what?

Sometimes I just love my
tag sale lovin',
junque store huntin',
wheelin'-and-a- dealin',
(YES I'm PAINTING IT WHITE)
and
I NEVAH know when to stop
everyday
LIFE!

:) :) :)
 So...yesterday morning I had some early errands to do and since my Mr. AGPMan was out of town I decided to get an early start.  Grocery shopping  and a trip to the local Dry Cleaners was on my to-do-list.  Nothing fun I can assure you.  My Miss Mollie (Yorkie) was dropped off at the Groomers and since she ALWAYS freaks out behaves so beautifully while getting a "new-do" I decided to hang out close to the pet salon instead of driving back home (you know...just in case she needed her pet-parent!!!).
On a whim (seriously, I mean I didn't PLAN it at all!!!) I decided to stop in for a visit at two of our neighborhood thrift stores while Mo was getting her cut and shampoo.
 Now...I shop thrift stores like I shop for groceries.  I immediately veer to the right and go all the way around the store in a circle before going up and down the aisles.  I don't always find good junque, but most of the time I do!
Towards the back and sitting by a bunch of other mis-fits I found this amazing 100 year old vintage telephone cabinet (found the exact one on Etsy and you can see it here!) you know, the kind that was once built into the wall of a house!  I just stared at it for a second because even though it was dusty and a bit on the dirty side it was in great condition!
(Wish I knew her story!)
 Now...not sure if any of YOU do this...but generally I search for the price tag verwy, verwy carefully!  I guess I'm hoping by being less than eager to find the price it MIGHT end up being less than I'm expecting it to be!  Doesn't usually happen, but sometimes I SCORE big time!

Anyway~I tilted the cabinet forward (kind of looks Pennsylvania Dutch to me!) to find the price and screamed smiled big while lifting the hefty little thing into my shopping cart.
Home it came.

By the time my Mr. AGPMan returned from his short business trip I had the thing completely dry-brush painted with my favorite antique white paint (not as yellowy as Behr Cottage White) and waxed with Annie Sloan's Wax.

I cleaned it up and lightly sanded off the original finish by hand!  Then I blew it off with my air gun and finished the prep work by using Tack Cloth to remove any remaining dust and dirt!

Dry Brushing is easy!  I use those cheap Chip Brushes from Lowe's or Home Depot (about $1 each) and remove some of the paint onto a paper towel before brushing.  This technique is GREAT when used on old pieces where the original varnish or shellac has crystallized or worn off.  Gentle sanding usually removes any that is left.  The paint adheres directly onto the wood this way making the hand sanding of the edges (distressing) look more appealing!

I also snagged a Ralph Lauren
Pink Rose Shift Dress!  It is brand new and still had the tags attached!  I'll be showing you later this week, tomorrow or Friday, just WHAT I'm going to do with it!  And nope...not going to wear it (too big!).

Today I'm linking up with:
Faded Charm for WHITE WEDNESDAY
Savvy Southern Style for WOW US WEDNESDAY
Handy Man Crafty Woman for WICKED AWESOME WEDNESDAY

I love these amazing blogs and hope you'll check each of them out when you find time!  Sure to be inspiring!

Happy Hump Day!

Love to you...
 

17 comments:

Unknown said...

That is so COOL! I had never seen one before! At least I don't remember seeing one. You find the coolest items!

milena60 said...

Супер...получилось..

Leena Milligan Lanteigne said...

Hi Rebecca! I found your blog through White Wednesdays and love what you did with that darling phone cabinet! I remember you from years ago, when we were all selling on ebay. I remember your beautiful train cases and seeing your gorgeous home in Romantic Homes magazine. How nice it is to find you again! I am now following your blog and looking forward to reading more inspirational posts and admiring more lovely pictures! Feel free to visit me at pinkcherubmoon.blogspot.com Take care, Leena

Theresa said...

Oh how beautiful! SCORE!!!! Have a blessed day dear Rebecca, HUGS!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

What a gorgeous and interesting piece, Rebecca! Like Teresa, I've never seen one of these before either. It's funny, I do the same thing when I'm in a thrift store ~ head to the right and then make a circuit of the home area, then check out the stuff in the middle.

http://thankfullga447 said...

You found a winner with that cabinet. Can't wait to see the dress.

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

SO pretty! Thank you for posting on Handyman, Crafty Woman's Wicked Awesome Wednesday!

romance-of-roses said...

Oh how I love coming to your blog and seeing all the lovely things you buy and redo, only wish I had more time to work like this. I admire everything you do and hope your booth is doing well. Have never seen a telephone cabinet like this before but love it, great find. Hugs...Lu

Anonymous said...

I love it....and yes, I do know what you mean about slowly looking to see the price! It's that moment of anticipation that gets me everytime...and I love it when I'm pleasantly surprised!


great find!
thanks for sharing your WWPost.



ciao bella
Creative Carmelina

NanaDiana said...

Oh- I love that piece. I actually remember when home used to have them. That one does look PA Dutchy to me. What a lovely job you did on it- xo Diana

farmhouse-story said...

what a great find!--white is my fav color, too:)

Shabby chic Sandy said...

What a fun piece--now we just need to see a picture of the new do :)

chateau chic said...

What a great piece. I love it especially after you worked your magic.
Mary Alice

EllenaElizabeth said...

Some good finds once again. The best I can ever hope to find in Australia is a decent doiley and they are few and far between. I often wonder if the staff in those charity thrift stores get the good stuff 1st, because I rarely see anything decent. I would so love to hit the thrift shops in the USA!!! I always look forward to reading your posts Rebecca. You've become one of my top 3 blogs. Always interesting and you love the LORD!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rebecca! Oh, now isn't that a cute phone cubby! I think they are so cute and I know you're going to make it gorgeous. Are your going to paint some of your roses on it?
Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

EllenaElizabeth said...

Hey Rebecca thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. I have added some photos you may like to look at. My mum and I wore the same wedding dress and i have posted a pic of that. Thanks, EE

Trisha said...

Oh I love it! It was meant to be picked up by you and made into something beautiful!

~Trisha

Blog Archive