Cheers!

OK... so I was so excited to get started on this project that, yes...I forgot a before picture.

This all happened within 24 hours! My neighbor Michelle told me she was looking for a cabinet to use as bar one evening.  The very next day, we picked up this cute cabinet in ole Bessie and I immediately thought it would be perfect as a bar.  I showed Michelle, we picked a color and I bought the paint.   It was a whirlwind  romance  ~  truly it was.

We were originally told that this cabinet was a bar that they used as a media cabinet.  After working on it for a week, I realized it was just the opposite!  The placement of some of the holes, the flip top and just the wear of the stain, made me think differently. I believe it housed a record player from the get-go.

I have to say, this piece was in really good shape and very sturdy. It didn't need a lot of prep work. I fell in love with the detail and couldn't wait to antique it. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® does not make a true black chalk paint so I used a flat paint with primer from Behr.  It was pretty nice to work with.

Without further a-do..... here she is--in all her glory!!

 Looks awesome in her new home, right?

This is a picture of the detail on the sides and front of the doors up close without antiquing it. 

Here is a picture after with sanding it just a little to emphasize the rope detail. Just used a simple sanding block and sanded away! Super easy and a great effect.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what type of hardware. I hemmed and hawed over what to get. I almost ordered brushed nickel; however, after I antiqued it and the golden/coppery color came through,  I knew hardware with a copper/bronze color would look great. So, I found these super pretty 'birdcage' pulls.

Now, you probably saw the above picture and wondered.....what in the world is that messy looking paper on the shelves?  Well... I got inspired!  Since this was going to be a bar, I thought it would be fun to line the shelves with drink recipes.  So that is what I did.  I found a copy of the 1935 The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book reprint on Amazon. We tea stained the pages to make them look old. (A fairly simple project that my daughter and her friend helped with.)  We just made a few cups of tea and painted the crumpled up pages with the actual tea bags.  After two coats of mod podge and poly each, I think it turned out quite unique. 

I have to say, I keep looking for another cabinet like this one because I just know that I could find a place for one just like it in my house:)