Pages

▼

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Birdcage Bookcase

I found this cabinet on the side of the road a few houses up one morning after school drop off. I screeched to a halt and tried fitting it into the back of the car but it was too wide so on foot raced home, leaving the car in the middle of the road...and brought back a trolley to haul it home.  I put a new shelf in which was  a major drama and took half a day because of course the cabinet isn't totally square and it was all more difficult than I imagined.
Lara, the lovely woman who runs the Balmain Road Antique Centre, suggested I paint the bird and branches across the back (same as the one I did on the chest of drawers same as Miss Mustard Seed) . It really suits this cabinet because the dowel rods on the side remind me of a birdcage.
There are two holes on the back where TV cables were threaded through. I think these would work very well for placing a little lamp on the shelf.
This is already up in my booth for sale.
 

 
and before:

I love this piece - i am so pleased with how it turned out!
cheers
Fiona 
at

23 comments:

  1. AvaJune 26, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    Fiona, I would never ever in a million years been ready to see the before picture.......amazing what some paint, labour and a little vision can achieve ! Last time I commented on your turquoise chest of drawers...lets see if the same thing happens with your beautiful cabinet!!
    Love the colour of the birds , looks so nice against the white !! xx Ava

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoyceJune 26, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    It looks fab, I cant believe people throw these things out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 26, 2011 at 9:27 PM

    I cannot believe that someone would leave that out on the footpath! You've done an incredible job with it, and the painting is perfect. It's looks lovely :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. StaceyJune 26, 2011 at 11:17 PM

    Totally cool and darling as well! Don't cha love finding others "junk"?? So funny that others don't see it's potential!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJune 27, 2011 at 3:23 AM

    how cute is that. great idea about the bird cage. great find.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tina@WhatWeKeepJune 27, 2011 at 4:54 AM

    This turned out beautifully! Good eye, Fiona.

    Tina

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee)June 27, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    What a cute post! It looks so beautiful! You did a great job...thanks for sharing:)
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. the cape on the cornerJune 28, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    well, your after is FANTASTIC! i would never *see* something like that in this piece, good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJune 28, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    Wow is all I can say!! It is amazing what you did! Love. Love. Love!

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cassie BustamanteJune 29, 2011 at 9:53 AM

    that is adorable! i think it would be great in a nursery... too cute fiona!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Steph @ BirdhouseJune 29, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    So creative, and the final result is so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Korrie@RedHenHomeJune 29, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Really great makeover! You're right; the style just *needed* birds!

    ReplyDelete
  13. susanJune 30, 2011 at 12:56 AM

    Oh wow - I love this!! Your birds are just precious and the "spindles" on the side are so unique and does make it look sort of like a birdcage. I could not believe the before pic. Amazing job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kati @ Housewife_SwaggerJune 30, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    oh wow! this is a great find and excellent re-do!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. MelJune 30, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    Incredibly beautiful. It's a lovely piece already, but looks even better now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. BluBabesCreateJuly 1, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    Gives me that Down Under vibe!

    ReplyDelete
  17. UnknownJuly 1, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    Really nice. Love the bird and branches - good advice! I just flew back from Sydney today - wish I'd known about your stall before my trip. Cheers Kylie

    ReplyDelete
  18. SJ @ Homemaker On A DimeJuly 2, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Hi, it's me again! Just letting you know that I've pinned this in Pinterest and featured it today here. Please feel free to grab the feature button on my sidebar :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Maddie Kertay- The Domestic AnarchistJuly 2, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    really wonderful!... makes me happy just looking at it!!

    Maddie

    ReplyDelete
  20. ShaunnaJuly 2, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    VERY beautiful and I love the bird mural...it's such a great piece! Thanks for linking to All Things Furniture!
    :-)
    shaunna

    ReplyDelete
  21. Deborah MarchJuly 3, 2011 at 9:34 PM

    WOW!! Fabulous re-do. LOVE those dowels...so unique!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Chocolate Drool and KissesJuly 4, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    That is so adorable! Thanks for linking up to the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop.
    Crystal
    www.chocolatedroolandkisses.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. UnknownAugust 15, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    This is incredible! I'm really in love with it and can't wait to poke through the rest of your blog! Found you at West Furniture Revivals!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com