Tuesday, March 2, 2010

My favorite teacup and the big reveal of my china cabinet

Hi everyone! I just came back to this post to link it to Traci's first 'linky' party. Traci has a blog called 'Beneath My Heart'. I know many of you already know her and follow her blog. For those of you that have not met her yet, you have just got to go on over there and introduce yourself. I love Traci's blog and she is such a sweetheart, I know that you will love her too. I had originally done this post for another linky party at the beginning of March. You can just go through the teacup part 'til you get to my DIY project for March. My white china cabinet. Now that was a project! Hope you like it!

belle-blanc.blogspot.com



Hello everyone! Hope all of you are having a grrrreat day! Today I decided to join in at Mira's at "Belle Blanc"...she is hosting an "Action Give Away" on her blog. You are suppose to 'show your favorite teacup'.




I have so many teacups because I have collected them for years and I also sell china for a living! LOL




I chose this one because it's so pretty and also one that I use...not just sit on the shelf like it's doing in this picture. The real reason I decided to show this one is because of how special it is to me. My little boy Garrett bought it for me a few years ago. He was only 4 or 5 years old and we were shopping in an antique store one day and he spotted it and he wanted me to have it. He didn't have any money but he was sure that it was meant for me.







I remember lookin' down into his sweet big eyes and he had such a precious look on his face...he ask me if he could 'borrow' the money to buy it for me and he would pay me back later. I just smiled at him and decided to look at the price tag...the whole time I was hoping it didn't cost an arm and a leg! I smiled whenever I saw the price...$10.00 for the teacup and saucer set. (Thank goodness) Anyway, I told him yes and you should have seen the look on his face! I gave him the money and I let him carry it up to the counter all by himself. It was so sweet hearing him tell the lady at the counter that he was buying it for his momma. She looked over his head and smiled at me. She asked him if he would like it gift wrapped and he said "How much money will that cost me? I only have 1 ten and 1 one dollar bill." She told him that she would gladly do it for free.










When we got home that afternoon, Garrett went to his room and brought the money that he had been saving in his bank and paid me back. He also brought the gift wrapped present that he had bought just for me and handed it to me and gave me a huge hug. He said "Thank You, Momma." I will never forget that. He has such a loving heart. Later that night I replaced the money back into his bank and he never knew. I get a warm feeling inside every time I think about it.





Okay...remember this old china cabinet that I posted about a while back? Well...I finally finished it and even though it took me forever, it looks so pretty now. I primed it twice to cover up all of that yucky brown and then I painted it with the prettiest shade of white. I'm not exactly sure of the paint color because I started out with one color and after I had the whole out side of it painted...I changed my mind on the color! Have y'all ever done that before? Oh well, that just meant more work for me. Fortunately, I love to paint.






I found an old can of white paint that had a pearly look to it out in the shed. It didn't have the color or formula written on it anymore because it was so old and the label was faded. I just tried it and I loved it. The light makes it have a sparkle to the color. You might not can see it too much in the picture. I painted the inside a soft pink color just like my walls. That paint is called "Touch of White".







I put my pretty 'Lenox' china in it and I just love how pretty it became! This china is called 'Accoutrements" and it took me a while to collect. We don't sell it anymore at our store so I'm always on the lookout for it at stores like T.J.Maxx and Marshall's.








Didn't it turn out pretty? Paint does wonders!









Just overlook that little bit of paint that I got on the floor. (ooops!) I got it off later. I still haven't gotten my floor molding down either but I'm workin' on that soon!










I'm glad to have this project behind me! Let me know what y'all think. Just click on the pictures and they will get larger and you can see all of the detail. It was tough getting in all of those little cracks! LOL












I know this post was a long one...thanks for taking the time to listen to me ramble!




Love Y'all,





29 comments:

Caroline said...

Oh it looks so pretty. I painted one last summer and its one of my favorite pieces in my home now!

Melanie@TheOldWhiteCottage said...

That looks great! I know firsthand how much work that must have been. Enjoy!

My Cottage Charm said...

Hey there!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your cabinet now that it's all painted and pretty! Paint is just amazing...I call it my miracle in a can! :) By the way, I have the same exact outlet covers in one of my rooms as you do beside your cabinet! LOL :)
Your story about the cup and saucer was so sweet. I love it when my kids do things like that! There's certain things they do that you know you will ALWAYS remember. :) Hope you have a blessed day!! Just love that cabinet! (guess I already said that! lol) Love the china too! hee hee hee

Kelly @ Much To Do With Nothing said...

Oh my! That is gorgeous. Very unique! You wouldn't have thought all of the carving on the bottom would have looked so pretty painted white. I love the dishes! Isn't it a good feeling to have accomplished something like this?
Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

It looks beautiful! you did a great job.
what a sweet story about garrett!
thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment about my headboard bench. My giveaway starts tomorrow. I'm really excited.
gail

Rebecca Nelson said...

Oh my goodness! Beautiful Miss Lee! Love it! Love that gorgeous Tea Cup of yours as well!!!!!

Isn't it amazing what white paint can do? Who knew????

Love to you~Rebecca

Tanza said...

Hi Sweetie, First of all, the cup and saucer story ... PRECIOUS !! How sweet is that !! you will hold that cup and saucer to your heart forever !! Darling .. I can just imagine how proud he was to gift you something he knew you would love forever !! He is a doll !!

Now for that cabinet .. BEAUTIFUL !! It is amazing what some paint can do !! It really brightened everything up !! your dishes look gorgeous in there !! I'm so happy you shared the reveal !! I still just love white furniture !! Anything goes with it so well !!

Happy day to you my friend ~
hugs ~tea~xo

xinex said...

Great transformation! The white paint really did some wonder. Your china set displayed inside is beautiful. Your litle boy is so sweet and precious., Good story on the gorgeous teacup set...Christine

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Oh, it turned out so well--truly beautiful. IF you want to shabby it up a little, and only if (because it looks great as is), the carving areas are perfect for a little light sanding. The teacup is so pretty--my mom has my grandmother's teacup collection--I love looking a them.
Hugs,
Becky
PS--Love the new blog design too!

BeautifulDees said...

Simply elegant is the word I come up with,nice display of beauty.
Love,Debbie

Tara said...

Your baby boy must have been so proud to buy his Mom such a beautiful gift! He certainly sounds like a very special young man.
Your cabinet turned out beautifully! I knew it would! It is so amazing how white paint can freshen up something and make it appear new. The details really stand out too. It looks terrific, I bet it was lots of work, but it paid off!

Donna said...

What a great story about your little tea cup. Thanks for sharing with us.

I can't believe the difference. It looks like a totally different piece. Great job!!!

D

Joyfulsister said...

Beautiful Teacup and saucer set/ I also collect teacups, I have all different ones from friends and they all have a special story. Your China cabinet turned out so beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Hugz Lorie

Cindy said...

Wow, it looks so beautiful! What a difference paint makes! I bet you are so happy with it! It's worth all the effort in the end.

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

Lee Laurie! This is beautiful!! What a transformation!! And with your china in it it is just stunning!!

LOVE IT!!!

Lou Cinda :)

BELLE BLANC said...

Thank you so much for participating! Your cup and the story are both so lovely. Now I have to decide and this is going to be very hard....
Your cabinet is so beautiful in white... I love white, it's really the essence of living. Your cabinet had a real life-boost :)
hugs, Mira!

Cheryl ~ ZanyMayd said...

Your China Cabinet Make over is Beautiful ~ what a Treasure, both the Cabinet & the China.... Beautiful!

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a sweet post. I really love your cabinet. It was worth the effort it took to transform it. I hope you are having a wonderful day.t

Jenny said...

That teacup would be my favorite, too. It is lovely. And, wow, your china cabinet redo is crazy good. It looks amazing.

Miss Gracie's House said...

Aw, so so sweet...a treasure forever! The hutch turned out beautifully!
Rene'

My Cottage Charm said...

hey girl! I'm having my first ever treasure trove thursday...link up a url to a page of something you love! :) Come join my party!! :)

Tallulah's Antique Closet said...

The is a great piece, you did a wonderful job. And your collection look good in that cabinet. Thanks for shareing.

June said...

Reading this just gave me goosebumps. That is the sweetest story attached to a teacup that I've read yet in Mira's challenge. This one would definitely win the prize. Garret must be one special boy and you...one special mommy.
What a gorgeous result on that cabinet. i am always amazed at what a can of paint will do to a piece of furniture. I'll bet you smile everytime you walk by this beautiful thing.
hugs

The Muse said...

i can hardly believe it!
truly a remarkable makeover!!!

well for that lovely little cup and saucer..you simply had to give her a fabulous shelter, didn't you :)

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

That was such a sweet story about your teacup! It's beautiful and what a treasure!

LOVE the china cabinet!!! Isn't paint amazing. It looks so pretty and like something out of "Romantic Homes" magazine. Painting furniture especially big pieces like this is a lot of work, but so worth it. It really looks amazing!

Manuela

Lady Katherine said...

I love th make over of the china cabinet and the lovely china! Now the tea cup story is just so, so sweet! Come join on Tuesday for Tea Time Tuesday! Love to have you share your wonderful Tea Cup and story!

Victoria said...

Oh wow, your china cabinet looks amazing! I love it! You would never in a million years guess what it had looked like before.

Anonymous said...

Oh what a beautiful cabinet! You did such a great job ~ but boy that must have been quite some job!
Your teacup is lovely. Somehow tea always tastes better in a pretty cup.
Hugs))

Michele Helms said...

I love it! How beautiful it turned out!!!