Hoosier

Hoosier (from Wikipedia):   A Hoosier cabinet (also known as a "Hoosier") is a type of cupboard popular in the first decades of the 20th century. Named after the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Indiana, they were also made by several other companies, most also located in Indiana.

Mark has recently discovered a love of sanding.  This is a passion to which I cannot relate but far be it from me to interefere!  

We found this Hoosier cabinet in a flea market in Prairie Grove a couple of weeks ago.  Because it was, most unfortunately, covered in a sheath of horrid, forest green, textured, faux-stone paint, it was priced incredibly reasonably at a mere $95.  No one wanted to sand off all that texture.  No one... except Mark!

In fact, he was so excited about the sanding that he picked the cabinet up from the store, brought it home, and got most of it sanded while I was at work -- hence the absence of a true "before" photo.  Let me assure you, it wasn't pretty!  But here are a few "in-process" photos to give you an idea.  Actually, the "in-process" photos look BETTER than the before.



Here, if you look closely at the edge, you can see the paint layer history of the piece:  from wood through sage green, white, yellow, "institution green", off-white, and, finally, horrid faux-stone forest green. 

 Its new paint job is, officially, its SEVENTH color and its FOURTH shade of green.

Isn't it pretty?



I LOVE the cool Art Deco style of the hinges!

It was bought, transported, sanded, painted, and ready for sale in a mere 48 hours.  Mark loves those quick turn-arounds.  (I think he also knows that, once distracted, it can take me MONTHS to get back to something -- that ADD thing, you know!). 

I am happy to report that after the initial $104 ($95 plus tax) investment, we painted it with FREE paint, added a $1.99 basket (painted with FREE white spray paint) where the drawer was missing, and sold it for $275.  I'm kinda liking the quick $167.01 profit.

I loved it and it looked quite smashing taking up space in my front hallway, but I am delighted it's gone to it's very delighted new owner.

Here's MY Hoosier cabinet that is a beloved part of my kitchen and the only reason that I didn't keep the green Hoosier:

I kinda love it. 

A Color Called "Faith"

I sure wish I was good at remembering to take those side-of-the-road "before" pictures!  Instead, you get the blurry oops-we-almost-forgot-to-take-a-before-picture-but-snapped-one-almost-too-late photo.  Oh well!  If you can't make it out, picture worn dark brown paint, mouse bedding and droppings in the drawers, a missing drawer knob, and a mirror harp that came in four pieces.  Blessedly, the mirror was intact!

I gathered up about 20 cans of free paint on the kitchen table and then pulled out about six that seemed the most willing to lend themselves to "robin's egg blue".  Two partial quarts of white, two partial quarts of different blues, and a sample-size jar of brown.  Then I tried not to second-guess it too much and just dumped them all in together.  Thus, we call this shade "Faith" because I just had to trust that it would turn out to be the right color!  I kinda prefer to have God choose my colors for me.  Left up to my own devices and indecision, I can take MONTHS to choose one of those microscopic little paint chips.  New method: dump, stir, and paint!  No thinking allowed!  It turned out to be the color it's "supposed" to be!

We DID break down and spent $16.31 on reproduction glass knobs because "Faith" just HAD to have the right knobs!  But everything else was free.

Here's the after photo of "Faith" in my flea market booth (price tag: $130):

Ok, I'm going to use my birthday money to get a new camera TODAY!  I promise.