Radio Chest Revamp

Who wouldn't fall in love with this adorable little neglected (and gutted) radio chest?

 

Well, I couldn't resist.  I had, in my defense, been looking for something to go in front of that window for a couple of plants (also, some much-needed storage).   So I paid $20 to the nice lady at the secondhand and loaded it up into my car; again, with some help from the nice lady.

And then I tore it apart...

First I took off the rail along the back and sides of the top.  They dated and limited the piece, and so they hit the trash.  I then filled all the holes from that trim and any other nicks with hardening wood filler.  Then I sanded it down to give me a silky smooth top.

 

I took off the front "moulding" which happened to be made of the great 20th century discovery...plastic.  Easy peasy to remove.  And I proceeded to replace the fabric on the panels.

Using my good friend hot glue, I replaced the brown fabric with a cute daisy print. 

And then I painted...
Note:  When I spray paint, I wear chemical-resistant gloves and a paint respirator with particle filter inserts.  I would highly recommend that, if you do not have a good outside area to paint, you invest in one of these babies.  Spray paint fumes can be very carcinogenic, and cancer is no one's friend.   And you look like a cool alien, so who wouldn't love that?

First, I primed with white.  Spray primer for the quick and dirty job.

 

 I wanted to use the technique that I saw here at CentsationalGirl. It's a way to get that painted french country look, quick and easy.  I wanted the chest to be white, with blue showing through on the edges.  So here's how I did that.

First, I spray painted all edges blue and let that dry.

 

Next, with a rag in hand, I spray painted the chest white one area at a time.  While it was still wet, I wiped along the edges with the rag, wiping off the white and revealing the blue underneath.

I put it all back together, replacing the hardware with a couple of new pulls from Ace Hardware, which I painted blue with a spritz of metallic blue spray, the same combo I used here.

The reveal:

 

There it is!  Along with a carafe of wildflowers I swiped from a weed patch by the railroad tracks...

Also note the lamp that used to be brass n' glass, but I painted the brass white, with some of that metallic I'm addicted to.   Yes, my friends, you can paint brass.  So keep your eyes open.  A few spritzes can give you beautiful things...

And in case you noticed, the shade on that lamp needs a small shift in color...I already did it but it's not quite done...that's coming...sometime.

**A big "Thank You" to Lindsay at Better After for featuring this post!  See it here and check out her other fantastic "Before & After" features!

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 This post was Featured on Salt and Pepper Makers!