My Father's Daughter

I was unpacking some bits and pieces I brought back from cleaning out stuff in my mom's house. She died in May, and if anyone has had to go through their parent's belongings, you know how emotionally hard it can be. I found clock parts and gears and all sorts of old gorgeous junk from the turn of the century in the garage. It is a wonderful  inheritance and the discovery made me realize how much I am my father's daughter! For years and years my dad had all kinds of old parts and sundry pieces packed away. How perfect a gift for a shabby-vintage-loving daughter? Of course, the china and the silver tea service are also right up my emotional alley. The older we get, the more we become just like our parents?  The photo above was taken of my refurbished tea cart with the randomly placed gifts. I was sorting and unwrapping objects and placing them here and there before deciding what to do with each gem. I love the photo, it's randomly lovely and particularly poignant for me. Thank you, mom and dad.

Painting a Vintage Tea Cart

Here is another Good Will furniture purchase ($20.00). This cart was in good shape, but lacked personality. All furniture from my childhood seemed to be finished exactly the same way, and with it's early American style and dark stain, this tea cart was quite the thing in the 50s and 60s. Ethan Allen sold a tea cart very much like this one (I've seen several listed on Ebay) and they were not cheap. The before photo is of a different cart, but very similar to mine. I often jump into the task without taking my before photograph. I'm trying not to do that any more...we'll see how I do.

When I spied this funky little cart, I knew it could be adorable. And I've always wanted a tea cart like the ones in the historical romance novels....you know? The butler arrives with the tea cart and then the hushed, plot-twisting conversation begins.......one lump or two?

I admit, the photo stinks, so you can't see the depth of the color or the satin finish. I promise myself I'll retake the photo and update...anyway...the cart has drop sides, a lower shelf and a drawer for all the accoutrements of an afternoon tea. (Butler is extra.)

The base color is pale blue with crackle added here and there and topcoated with light green. I used my Silhouette SD to cut out the bird motif in black card stock then added silver, gold and black paint to give a worn appearance. I hope it appears to be something painted several times over the years with old and new paint visible.

Total cost of my project: $35.00 for the cart and paint.