Feeling blue.

I’m not actually feeling blue. I hardly feel that way. My boyfriend and I always joke that my head is filled with butterfly, quokkas and baby foxes that play on a meadow in Spring. Unless my blood sugar drops. Then I get really hangry! Worst case. Luckely it can be cured with a cookie or some chocolate or an apple. Unfortuantely there’re not always around. After we took this photos in the botanical garden, we walked on and suddenly it happened. From one moment to the other I became grumpy. Really bad. My boyfriend took me straight to the car and the cookies. That’s how bad it was. Just so you know. I’m not joking. Do you get hangry as well?

Sorry, back to the topic of this post: What I do feel is the colour blue. I like it. Very much. I’m still waiting on the trend to go this way and then I’m all like “I told you so! Blue is the new black!”

I’m now waiting for this to happen since – let me think – 2 years. While there’s life, there’s hope. Or something like that.

Well back to what I wanted to show you. This whole complicated introduction only to tell you that two years ago I painted a sideboard blue and I finished it now. Do you have sometimes projects that you start and never finish until one day when you just do it and then you’re like: “That was easy. This looks great. Now. Let’s move on.” Well maybe that’s just me.

And 2 years ago – although that was so long before this blog, before I even thought about having this blog – I took pictures of the process. Which got lost. I thought I still have them somewhere. Anywhere. But nope.

In the end I can tell you what I did and show you pictures of the result. But it’s not the same. It’s always nicer with pictures. I’m a visual person when it comes to crafting.

I got the little sideboard from the mother of my boyfriend. She had it when she was young and I like that. It’s actually nothing special: made out of chipboard and lacquered.

However it’s quite tricky to paint lacquered furniture. I had to do some heavy research online and read a few instructions before I had a go.

First of all you have to rub the wood with (at least) 220 sandpaper until the surface appears dull. Then coat the whole thing with primer. Let it dry completely and then paint it with the colour you like.

I bought mine at a hardware store and luckily I asked a shop assistant for help. Apparently there are different colours for lacquered wood, for untouched wood, for outdoor and indoor – makes sense if you think about it but it is quite overwhelming when you stand in front of the shelf.

The legs of the sideboard are quite nice, so I left them as they were. I really like the distressed look.

I also bought some nice fabric from the Stoffsalon and sewed it with blue yarn. You can’t really see it but I like the details.

What was missing until recently was the handle for the door. I just couldn’t think of an option that I really liked. The other night I inspiration hit me. I just folded a piece of leather that I had still left from my leather bracelet folded it 3 times and nailed to the door. As easy as it is genious. You know, I’m humble like that.

Now look at what I made out of this old and shabby (but not chic) sideboard:

Now. Carry on!