Thursday, November 28, 2013

Lightning strike, Peonies and a Carved White Cabinet


For a while there, I thought I may never be blogging again :)

Our house was struck by lightning last Friday night and it wiped out all our electronic devices (TV, Tivo, Apple tv, modem router and my computer etc) Luckily we were all okay although it was very scary - such a loud noise, weird feeling and bright light. The neighbours across the road said it looked spectacular!  Great...

Anyway I have dragged out my mum's old computer and bought a new modem and finally am back online. I am pretty sure I've lost about 2 years of photos but have all my documents backed up and photos of the kids as babies. It's possible the more recent photos are in the Apple "cloud" but I'm not sure how to access that until we get a new Apple TV device.I've got a company comping tomorrow morning to assess all the damage for insurance and to try and rescue my photos off the old computer. It's been a trying week, I'm currently recruiting for a Social Media Admin for one of my clients and I've been assessing resumes on my husband's laptop sitting at my bedroom window accessing the internet from the neighbour's wifi across the road. Less than ideal conditions! It's good to back online even on my mum's old computer. I had nearly given her computer away, so glad I didn't get that organised!

Anyway onto some pretty white painted vintage furniture. I recently painted this sweet old cabinet with white chalk paint and love how it freshens it up and makes the carvings pop. 





This cabinet is very similar to the cabinet I inherited from my mother. I would never paint hers so it was nice to try my hand at this one. My cabinet has a lot of worm holes but overall the timber is in better condition than this one was. I think that's my mother and her penchant for oiling furniture regularly. It really pays off to take care of your furniture. Wood needs regular oiling and waxing to feed the timber and ensure it doesn't dry out.




This little cabinet had peeling veneer and the base plinth was loose so I removed the veneer from the base and sanded the timber underneath and used Liquid nails to secure the plinth. I then used two coats of Zinsser BIN to stop any bleed though) as I could tell that would definitely happen with this vintage piece.  I then gave the cabinet three coats of ASCP Pure White, I distressed it to bring out the details and waxed it or durability.





Just like the peonies, it's perfection - even with all it's imperfections. One of the things I like best about vintage furniture is all the little quirks and imperfections. A life fully lived.The other thing I love about painting furniture is recycling, reusing and reducing landfill. It really pains me that we live in such a throw away society. I love that I can contribute to reuse in a very small way. (and how fun is painting furniture anyway!)




This cabinet sold very quickly. Such a good functional piece as well as a spot of fresh beauty. I'm so pleased it's going to someone's home for another life.

Here it is before. 
Needing a lot of love from white paint.


Because the timber inside on the shelves was in a bad way I lined one shelf with wall paper and the other one I painted.


My peonies are fading fast but still beautiful.


Hopefully I can get back to uninterrupted painting soon. 

Hope you are all having a good day.
Fiona xx

20 comments:

  1. hi Fiona, no wonder this sold so quickly, it's gorgeous. I love how you can see the potential in pieces. the before photo is something else! I'm sorry to hear about your device troubles. Glad to see you back here on the blog and I hope you get it all sorted soon, Hannah x

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  2. it' so unique and pretty! and welcome back- scary!

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    1. Thanks Cassie, thought I’d lost the last two years of my photos but they were backup. Phew.
      I’m looking forward to getting a new computer. Probably due for an upgrade anyway!

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  3. Hope you're all ok. Gorgeous cabinet as usual.

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    1. thanks Beth - we are slowly getting back connected! thanks

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  4. Hello Fiona, I truly enjoyed lighting strike peonies and carved share all of these unique views pretty much. For home decoration purpose such furniture's are quite handy and that cabinet is specially gorgeous. Thanks.

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  5. Hi Fiona! Very non-furniture question here, but wondering how you use your Apple TV in Australia (meaning channel availability, how you use it etc)? We're in the US at the moment and got rid of our cable several months ago in favour of the Apple TV and absolutely love it (as does our bank account - woo-hoo!). However I am just curious to get a review from someone in Oz who is using it there, as we more than likely will be using it at home at some point. Glad to hear you are getting back to normal and all safe!

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    1. hi Lizzie - we literally had the Apple TV for 3 days before the lightning strike so we had bought a couple of movies from iTunes but that's it. We have a good friend who recommended it to us and she loves it and we didn't want to pay the money for Foxtel anymore as we don't watch a lot of TV anyway. Good luck with the move home.
      Fiona

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    2. Thanks Fiona - hope that once you get yourselves really sorted out, you'll be able to explore more with it. We are definitely watching less TV but what we are watching is more intentional, rather than mindless surfing. PLus my bank account is enjoying the extra $100/month :)

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    3. absolutely agree Lizzie, I don't even really watch tv much anyway and would happily live without one permanently

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  6. gee willikers....lit up,you say...off all the places to strike huh.....was wondering where you were....as i love yr posts and find myself looking 4ward to the next.....xxx....katerina. keys are sticking,,,,hence no caps etc.....really really glad yr all ok....were the children very upset....what a thing to be discussing at school...they would off had a huge audience...lol..

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    1. thanks Katerina, we are all ok. It was pretty scary but over quickly. My daughter burst into tears but so did half the kids around the neighbourhood. huge strike, we are slowing getting back on top of things
      thanks xx

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  7. I can fully appreciate the struggle you must be having "making do" with all your digital stuff knocked out. Must have been very frightening; I've been through several good earthquakes, but you kinda get used to it growing up. But this! Wow. Time to acknowledge the scare but also find awe of nature I guess?

    I'd missed your posting; little did I know what was keeping you away! Your cab is fab, but truth to be told I find the one in your families possession to be a much more beautiful design, a real heirloom!

    Peonies, eh? here in my part of Canada we are just getting our first baby snowfall. Cats most unimpressed, but we are one of the warmer locations. I would like to come over and be with the peonies for the second time this year, but alas must just hole up and ride it out (I actually prefer earthquakes to snow and ice, but that's just me!)

    Hope things get easier for you every day!

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    1. Hi Gabrielle
      The neighbours said the strike was fantastically spectacular. We live under a huge gumtree that was all lit up with the lightning. I’d have love to have seen it!
      I agree about the cabinet. Mum’s is definitely better made and more detailed. I was so happy to have found that little one though as I’d never paint mums.
      Enjoy the snow. We are about to go do a mud run today and apparently they have fake snow there also. Hilarious!
      Fiona xx

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  8. This is a gorgeous piece! Great job!

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  9. Wow - you've had a rough week then - wondered what had happened to your posts - but very glad you're all o.k. and no-one injured. These house strikes can cause fires etc - not good at all. Prayers remembered for getting all your photos etc back. This weekend will be a better one for you I'm sure - take care :-)

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    1. thanks Petra, yes we are all fine. my photos are fine (happy about that!) thanks so much xx

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