The Gatlins Go Green: Blessings...

So I’m writing this blog post by firelight…just like Abraham Lincoln. Okay, maybe it’s really a candle, and Abraham Lincoln didn’t have a computer, so it's not really like him. However, I really am like him in that there is no electricity right now. None. There is a half-baked Stouffer’s lasagna in the oven and some really tasty, probably-going-to-be-ruined-by-morning-if-the-electricity-doesn’t-come-back-on cheesy Texas toast in the freezer. Sigh. First world problems, eh?!

That said, I am not unaware of the destruction wrought in North Texas yesterday or in Tennessee a couple of days ago. Nor am I blind to the many REAL struggles happening around the world. A little ruined lasagna and cheesy Texas toast isn’t really something to get worked up about. Neither is the Molasses-in-January pace with which our house is being “fixed up” (or the very spotty posting on this blog, for that matter). I’ve been trying to be more aware of my blessings the past year or so because there are many. Yes, there have been and will continue to be struggles, but when I sit and think about it, blessings of all shapes and sizes really outweigh those.

One of those blessings was being able to take a cabinet we found at the flea market in Warrenton one year and turn it into something great for our kitchen. When we acquired the cabinet, it was pink…not a pretty pink, though, almost a salmon-y pink. Here are some pictures I snapped of it pre-workover.

Front, pre-workover...

Inside, pre-workover...

I had an epiphany as I worked with my open shelving cabinets, and decided to use the technique I used for the back of the shelving for this cabinet. I painted it with Waverly’s Lagoon chalk paint (sorry, folks, Annie Sloan is outside the budget!), and then took to the shelves with my awesome contact paper...yeah, you know the stuff:-)

Contact paper and foam board...project essentials...

Before I go any further, I must give a MAJOR shout-out to my industrious husband for his part in making this cabinet sturdier (more sturdy? OH MY GOODNESS, sometimes the former English teacher in me is impossible to find!) than it was. He took out ALL the shelves, the top and the bottom of the cabinet, cut new ones that are thicker, and put it all back together.

SO back to the contact paper…I covered the top of each shelf and the top of the cabinet with contact paper since it so wonderfully matches the Lagoon color I used to paint. I then used foam board and contact paper to make inserts for each of the panels on the door. The top one is covered with chalkboard vinyl (BEST stuff since sliced bread! I used my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby and purchased it.) so that I can write a Bible verse or a quote on it, and that bottom two are covered with the same contact paper I used on my cabinets. I also created an insert for the top panel on the INside of the door from foam board and chalkboard contact paper. This is where I can keep a running list of what I need to purchase from the grocery store. I am pleased with how the project turned out, and it is serving us well as additional pantry space.