Restoring The Addie!

3 Replies

Restoring The Addie! Can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to unveil The Addie. Let me give a little history.

I have so many wonderful memories of this cabinet. It was my Great Aunt Addie Cazee’s and she was given it when she got married and set up housekeeping in the early 1900’s. If I recall, and I could be corrected, I think it was given to her as a hand-me-down as well, so it wasn’t new to her at the time. Trying to put a timeline on the piece has been difficult but we know it is at least 120 years old, possibly dating back to the 1880’s. I had never seen another like it but yesterday, imagine my surprise when I was perusing Pinterest and eBay and came across one that was identical! I contacted the owner who didn’t have much information on that piece since it wasn’t from their family. They did say that they understood it to be 1880’s so I am hanging around that mark.

I have tried to research the period and some will call this a cupboard or hutch but we have always christened it a pie safe because of the screened holes in the side. Years and years ago, ladies would put their baked goods in a pie safe to cool them and also to protect them from critters and little ones.

Aunt Addie gave this piece to my grandmother, Mamaw Cammie, many years ago. She had it as long as I can remember and it was filled with the Franciscan Apple dishes, all in perfect condition to this day in my mother’s china cabinet. You are probably familiar with these beautiful pieces!

Franciscan apple dishes

It is not clear, among the siblings, how I ended up with the pie safe. My sister will inherit the dishes, priceless pieces. My brothers received several things of my grandfathers when he passed away. But I hold to the reasoning that I was given the cabinet because I was the only one married at the time and the first one to leave home! (smile) However it worked out, I have had it for over 20 years in my home and used it in its original condition. (Here it is in my garage after its move to Tennessee and right before it was painted.)

img_1897

This treasured piece still had the original wavy glass in the doors and original screens! The knobs are the only thing that have obviously been replaced at some time and both sets of doors had a key lock of some sort with a hook on the inside to hold the other door. (Note that we had already begun sanding a bit before I took these pictures…I wasn’t thinking of a post!)

pie safe

Restoring The Addie

Restoring The Addie

Restoring The Addie

Restoring The Addie

Since the priceless treasure (to me!) is always going to be in my family, I decided I wanted to do a Pinterest makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! I had read countless articles and watched so many Youtube tutorials that I felt I was an expert before I began.

Not.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is not chalky at all but there are so many benefits to using it on a piece like this. The one that sold me was that I didn’t have to do one blessed thing to it if I didn’t want to. No sanding, no preparation whatsoever! Yet, I did sand the inside a little just because the shelves were so rough and there were a few areas, especially on the doors, that needed smoothing out. But with Annie Sloan paints, there is no need to remove the stain or varnish or even old paint!

I wanted the cabinet to be a darker gray, so after consulting with the stockists at C’est Moi in Brentwood, Tennessee, and looking at some pieces they had painted there, I decided to mix the colors Graphite and Old White together.

Restoring The Addie Restoring The Addie

Restoring The AddieEasy peasy! Annie Sloan paints are so smooth they are easy to mix together for just the right shade. There are several grays in her line, but the Paris Grey seemed too light and had a touch of blue. The French Linen had a little too much taupe, or it seemed to me, so I opted to create my own.

So easy to apply, and one coat was all it took to cover The Addie! I applied Old White to the inside back wall, don’t you love the plank boards on the back?!

Restoring The Addie

We decided, for now, to leave the doors off. I have always had the doors on and usually opened but wanted to try something different. I did go ahead and paint and finish the doors in case I ever want to put them back on. You know it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind!

Now, I knew this needed a finish and I had read countless opinions about what to use. Annie Sloan suggests her wax for finishing unless it is a “high traffic” piece, then most furniture restorers preferred a polyacrylic coat of some sort to help protect against scratches. This would be especially important on something such as a table top. Since my cabinet was going to house my every day dishes and that would mean quite a bit of “in and out” use, I decided to apply a polyacrylic coat. I chose Modern Masters Dead Flat Varnish, purchased on Amazon. It was easy to apply, and even though it goes on milky, it dries perfectly clear. I gave it two coats for good measure.

Restoring The Addie

But even after all of that, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the result. It needed something and I was sure that Annie Sloan White Wax was the answer….and it was!

Restoring The Addie

Using the round wax brush, you basically can brush it on any old way, in small sections, then wipe it back off with a lint free cloth. The idea is for the white wax to get into the crevices and details of the furniture. It lightened up the piece a bit and gave it a weathered, slightly distressed look, which seemed appropriate for something so old! Tutorials and experts say “Wax is always last” and The Addie now has plenty of protection against daily use.

What do you think?

Restoring The Addie

Restoring The Addie

The Sweetheart still has to install the new screens. We didn’t want to just leave open holes and wanted it to be as authentic as possible. The old screens probably could have been cleaned up and reused but one of them was just about to rot completely away.

The hardware was discovered at Hobby Lobby. If you ever need knobs or draw pulls, good grief, they have a fabulous selection. It took several trips and returns before I found the one that I thought fit the cabinet and the period pretty well. I see I didn’t take any pictures inside the bottom part of the cabinet, but rest assured, it is beautifully painted and all cleaned up as well!

Restoring The Addie

You can see the hints of the white wax in the details, I simply love the light distressing.

Restoring The Addie

The Addie

One more time, here is the cabinet/hutch/cupboard/pie safe before and after with just a few Pioneer Woman Vintage Bloom dinnerware pieces to give some color…can’t wait to finish decorating!

 

Restoring The Addie

 

 Family fun Friday, Nap time creations

But, Lord, the steps are just too big!

2 Replies

In our mission travels overseas, time and time again, we would find ourselves in “Old Town” Europe, standing in front of a tower, cathedral or castle just begging to be climbed. Being a claustrophobic from birth, I just couldn’t bring myself to start up the winding stone staircases that, in some cases, were more than a thousand years old. I couldn’t see the top, couldn’t see out and because of the height of the steps themselves I could hardly get from one step to the next. Compound that with the people behind you in a bigger hurry or, God forbid, the people coming down that wanted to pass you in a space not big enough for one, never mind two!

So, I became the keeper-of-the-stuff as others, especially The Sweetheart, began their ascent. Oh, the pictures they would bring back! The view, the breathtaking views, of the city and beyond was just amazing. Many times I would hear them say, “If you had only gone a little further there were windows” or, “It got much easier just a little ways up” but it was too late. I had missed it.

But Lord, the steps are just too big!

I’ve felt this way so many times in my spiritual walk. Thinking it’s just too difficult, the steps are too big, it’s too crowded, too smothering and just too HARD. But God, rich in mercy, reminds me of His unfailing love, how He pursues and never gives up on us.

Are you facing a mountain that seems impossible to climb and yet, you know if you give up that you will miss out on what God has for you?

You were not meant to face the mountain alone; God wants to be your guide, protector and lifter of your head!

No matter what the situation, whether you need physical strength, wisdom for yourself or another, a financial breakthrough, healing in your home, etc., God is able to give the answer, according to His will, and bring peace to any problem.

Isaiah 63:11-14. I simply loved the reminder of the God who, as one version says, “linked arms with Moses”.

Then he remembered the days of old,
    of Moses and his people.
Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
    his Holy Spirit,
who caused his glorious arm
    to go at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
    to make for himself an everlasting name,
who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
    they did not stumble.
Like livestock that go down into the valley,
    the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

He will do the same for you today! Link arms with Jesus and let Him be the Waymaker. He has all the experience necessary to bring you to the top of the mountain where the view will take your breath away.

Remembering 9.11…where were you?

2 Replies

Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.

Remembering 9.11…where were you?

It’s an anniversary where the word “celebrate” is not appropriate but “remember” seems more fitting. Fifteen years ago today, radical Islamic terrorists hijacked four airliners and crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York City. Another was aimed at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and the fourth plane hit the ground around Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Every year, when the anniversary rolls around, I hear so many saying they remember exactly what they were doing and where they were at when they heard of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. I would love to hear your stories as well as we remember the fallen today, those that gave their own lives for others and those that had to go on living. 

I remember. I am sure we all remember. We had just made a major move to another state, another city and The Sweetheart was still working as an Air Traffic Controller in Indianapolis. We were hours away from each other. The two younger of My Three Sons had just started in their new schools, clear across a city that I could barely navigate through by myself.

Kyle, my oldest, was still at home that morning when we heard the news on the radio of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center. The Sweetheart had just left the Indianapolis Center and was on his way home. I called his cell phone in a panic just as the second plane hit. By then I was ready to get in the car and go get both of my boys at school. The same thought went through my mind that probably went through yours: When would it end?

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed as we calmed down and began to pray. Praying for peace, for help, for direction, for the President, firefighters, first responders, police officers and anyone affected by the horrific tragedies that were still unfolding.

Prayer was all we could do but it was definitely the most powerful tool that those of us on the sidelines possessed at the time.

remembering-the-day-the-world-changed

The world changed that day. 2,996 people lost their lives and thousands more were injured. We are more vigilant, more cautious and more aware of what is going on around us, especially at large gatherings. The world is still a dangerous place because of people who have no regard for human life and yet we do not stop living! We don’t cower in fear, we get up every day and LIVE. For those that believe in an Almighty God, we trust Him that no matter what comes our way, we know we have HOPE and, ultimately, it is not in this life.

Today, at churches and homes all across America, we will remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice: their life for another. We salute them, and hundreds of thousands like them that continue to serve today. They walk out the door every day not knowing if they will return and their families say “goodbye” day after day, wondering if it will be their last.

Thank you for giving, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for committing to a field of work that most definitely will not make you a wealthy millionaire. Thank you for going the extra mile.

For the Kingdom