How do you like me now?

As I was working on this project I found myself humming "How Do You Like Me Now" by Toby Keith.  Does it look familiar to you?  Well, this is how it looked when I first spotted it at the antique store....

As you can see, it had some issues.  The dealer was asking $40 , but I talked her down to $30.  Even at $30, I was still on the fence about buying it, so I submitted a photo to Junker Newbie's "Would You Buy it Wednesday" linky party to get some input from fellow junkers.  I received comments from one end of the spectrum to the other, but in the end, I just couldn't pass it up and paid the $30!!!

When I got it home, I was pleasantly surprised how sturdy ( and heavy ) it is.  I cleaned it up, ripped off the rotted canvas that was thumbtacked to the top, and carefully removed pieces of trim to replace the broken or missing glass panes.  I  brought a piece of the trim I removed to Lowe's and had the paint color-matched.  The paint color matches the faded finish perfectly and is called pillow mint.  I didn't want it to look new, so I gave it one coat of paint just to even things out and lightly sanded it to bring back the patina.   Since it's going to our youngest daughter's house, I added three wood strips over the glass panels on each side to keep little hands and paws from harm's way.

I also added beadboard to the back and a new wood top to give it a more furniture-like appearance.

I looked high and low for book plates and finally found them in the scrapbooking department at JoAnn Fabrics, but they were a little too shiny for my taste.



So, I aged them with a solution I use to blacken bright silver solder lines on leaded glass windows. 

A local carpenter made me a new wood divider.  Thanks, Dad.

The bottom corner wasn't broken as I originally thought.  All of the corners are pieced in this fashion, so I borrowed a corner from the back and attached it with "L" brackets.

I left this ....decorative painting intact.

And here's the finished piece!

Now, some Pottery Barn inspired accessorizing.

Here it is accessorized with bits and pieces from around our house.

Today we are delivering this piece to its new home.  I know Megan will have fun adding her own vintage treasures to the cubbies.  And someday when shabby, chippy style goes out of vogue, it will still be a utilitarian piece.  It could be used for storing canned goods, boots and shoes, paint cans, any number of things.  Who knows, it may even come full circle if my dream of having my own little space in an antique shop when I retire comes true.

Linked to:

{Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

Miss Mustard Seeds Furniture Feature Friday

The 36th AVENUE

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

The Brambleberry Cottage Time Travel Thursday

Laurieanna's Farmhouse Fridays