Before, Pain, and After

In March I bought this cabinet at the museum's garage sale.  Marjean and Leslie were docents at the museum that morning and I'd like to blame them for this purchase slash nightmare.  But I can only blame myself.    That said, Marjean and Leslie did influence me a tad.  And we did influence Marjean to purchase a fringed and beaded leather jacket, so you can imagine that there was some peer pressure going on that Thursday morning.  Leslie bought a sweet pink cream and sugar set, which has since broken.

 I had walked past the cabinet many times without opening it.  Once I opened it and saw the radio and the phonograph I was pretty smitten.  This is where I always get carried away and imagine the AFTER and do not give one thought to the DURING of the project.

 I got it home, unloaded it and started sanding.  I plugged it in and the turn table started turning.  Jackpot!

Chris K.!  Don't read this next bit!  Not kidding!

I thought I'd use Annie Sloan Paint.  I went to buy a quart and wax but it was almost three times the price of the cabinet!  I just couldn't do it.  I went on Pinterest and found a recipe for homemade chalk paint.  I mixed up a batch, happily painted my cabinet while daydreaming about all the records Hubby and I would play while dancing the nights away.

 There was no dancing or swaying or singing along after the paint dried.  

The stain bled through.

I painted a coat of just regular paint.  I hadn't used the whole quart to mix up Pinterest chalk paint.

It bled.

I painted a coat of KILZ.

It bled.

I painted a coat of super duper primer blocker paint.

It covered.  Good thing because I was ready to toss everything on the burn pile.

Then I had a ski accident and every project came to a halt.

This week, finally...

I painted one more coat of the original paint from the original quart of paint.

It's covered.

I replaced the speaker fabric, not with the fabric I had chosen in my dreams because apparently it is only available in my dreams.  Hubby screwed everything back together.  We need a new needle and then we'll spin some tunes.

 I bought some vinyl, Hawaiian Paradise.

 It looks fine.  It's not my best project.  It started out fun and then just spiraled down hill fast.

The paint issues, the insides which are great but prevented me from being able to paint or replace the hardware, the disagreements that Hubby and I had over this piece, the fact that I haven't distressed it like I planned, the fabric that is only in my mind so I settled and all the time it took... 

it kind of just makes me cringe.

Possibly once we get the records spinning, a cocktail mixed and sway to the music it will redeem itself.

Until then... it is what it is.