DIY How To Funk Up A Vintage Record Cabinet With Cowhide

This unique mid century looking record cabinet with funky cowhide caught my eye today. I love putting a little funk into a piece of junk. What about you?

I swear I have seen these cabinets many a time in my local thrift stores. Dang, I wish I would have had the foresight. And, truth be told, most the items in my home where acquired at estate sales, garage sales and thrift stores. Shush... don't tell anybody!

"How To Deck Out an Old Record Cabinet

When you find one of these old record cabinets, you absolutely must buy it. After a good cleaning, it's a perfectly charming piece of furniture you can use for a side table, printer stand or even to hold a vintage turntable. Once the wood is cleaned up, sanded, primed and painted, the sides are ready to cover in spotted cowhide. It's a piece of furniture that's practical, as well as chock full of personality. Occasionally, DIY projects don't turn out as well as you imagined, not so with this one, it's a keeper.

Materials

furniture cleaner
sand paper or sanding pad
primer
latex enamel paint
fine steel wool
pieces of spotted cowhide large enough to cover the sides of the cabinet
Old Gold Furniture Polish
contact cement

Tools

small foam paint roller and tray
sharp utility knife
ruler
1 1/2" foam paintbrush
roller or brayer

Instructions
1. Place the cabinet on its back and remove the sliding doors
2. Clean up the outside and inside of the cabinet and legs with furniture cleaner and a cloth
3. Lightly sand the top and sides of the cabinet, wipe off dust with a cloth
4. Prime and paint the top and around the outside edges of the cabinet, let dry, repeat.
5. Use steel wool to clean up the sliding doors and rub them down with Old Gold furniture polish
6. Measure the side of the cabinet to determine how big to cut the cowhide
7. Cut two pieces of spotted cowhide, paint contact cement on the back side and on the cabinet side
8. Carefully adhere the cowhide to the sides of the cabinet. Use a roller or brayer to smooth the hide flat
9. Replace doors

Additional notes:Sometimes you can find pieces of hides at thrift stores. There are online sources for hides but there are also places that sell scraps. Do some investigation so you don't wind up with an entire hide."

View additional photos of this project.

Good luck and happy hunting for the perfect cabinet to transform!

What is the best DIY project you have ever done?

Love and light,

Christina

Article and photos found at Apartment Therapy.

The Best Advice My Mom Ever Shared With Me...

After an amazing week of a family reunion vacation, I find myself reflecting on the power of family. And, how they create who we are. And, well, that goes right on back to Mom and Dad for me. What I remember as a defining moment in my life was when my Mom sat me down when I was about 9 years old and explained what my parents expected from me. She proceeded to say that I was born "cute" and that was a gift. I didn't have to work at it and I didn't earn it. So, from that moment forward I would never hear my parents praise the fact that I was cute. And, the fact my brother was a bit of a genius (top 100 high school students in America, barely studied and got straight A's, graduated college with honors, so basically every siblings nightmare) was never going to be discussed either, because it was a gift to him as well. These gifts were given to us and we had not earned them. But, what would be praised was anything we did with these gifts and any others we created ourselves.

And, they would never compare my grades to my brother's either. What was expected from me was that I give it my best. I remember pleading with my Mom for our I.Q's, which she stubbornly said wasn't important.

And, finally my Mother said it was up to me to develop my inward beauty and that was really what counted in life. What a wise woman she was.

All I can say is I am thankful my parents pushed me to establish myself inwardly and not just rely on my looks to get by. Not that I am or was that cute anyway. But, Lord knows beauty fades.

Going to college was not an option. I figured my I.Q. must have at least been enough to get me through college, otherwise my parents wouldn't have been so darn persistent. Or, I hoped or prayed! I do plan to pass this standard forward to my son. And, thankfully because of a little tough love from my parents, I did push myself to evolve in a few arenas. Not that I am very talented in any of them, but at least I didn't end up looking in the mirror all day and only getting my confidence from what looked back at me. Because the fact that I am now in my mid-forties, I can attest to the fact that outward beauty fades. Whether you like it or not. And, thankfully, I seemed to blossom in a few other abilities; such as athletics, interior design, fashion, sales and writing. The only time I have ever been able to pull off straight A's in school was when it was interior design school. That was a bit of a shocker. I thought my brother could only do that. And, the ability to write has been just as shocking. Both of which my parents are beyond thrilled and incredibly supportive. We all scratch our heads and say "where did that come from?" And, after all these years my Mom has said, "See, you are as smart as your brother!

You just weren't interested in the subject matter."

All I can say is "thanks for making me become ME

from the inside out,

Mom and Dad."

I can only hope that I can do the same for my son.

~~

What advice have you gotten that changed your life

or made a difference?

Or, what advice would you give a child or parent?

Please tell...

Love and light,

Christina

Photo credit: Photobucket

Summertime

"Sun is shining. Weather is sweet.

Make ya want to move your dancing feet".

Bob Marley

"Amazing friends; summer nights;
Chocolate ice cream; mud slide fights;
Half the summer is gone already
So lets spend the rest of it; slow and steady."

Anonymous

"Summer's filled with breaking the rules, standing apart, ignoring your head, and following your heart." Anonymous

What does summer mean to you?

Love and light,

Christina

Photo credit: Photobucket and Quotes from Quotelicious

Lenny Kravitz's Heartfelt "Believe in Me" Song and His Unbelievable Interiors

Lenny Kravitz is known for being an amazing rock musician and for his public love life. But, what you may not know about him is his passion for interior design.

Like many artists, he has a love for many different arenas and is pushing himself to master and learn new talents. After looking at these photos of several of his private homes, I can see he is a Renaissance man.

"I love big monochromatic statements," he said. "Especially black and white," an aesthetic inclination whose racial relevance is not lost on him, "since my mother was black and my father white."

This video is a song about just believing in him.

I believe this man could do anything he put his mind to.

Bravo! What an inspiration.

xo,

Christina

Credits: N. Y. Times Home and Garden

Happy 4th of July with Lenny Kravitz's "American Woman"

"American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don't come hanging around my door
I don't want to see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin' old with you
Now woman, stay away
American woman, listen what I say

American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don't come knocking around my door
I don't want to see your shadow no more
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, get away
American woman, listen what I say

American woman, I said get way
American woman, listen what I say
Don't come hanging around my door
Don't want to see your face no more
I don't need your war machines
I don't need your ghetto scenes
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, get away
American woman, listen what I say
American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mama let me be

I gotta go
I gotta getta away
Babe I gotta go
I wanna fly away
I'm gonna leave you woman
I'm gonna leave you woman
I'm gonna leave you woman
I'm gonna leave you woman
Bye bye, bye bye...
Bye bye, bye bye
American woman.....
And you're no good for me
And I'm no good for you
I look you right straight in the eye
And tell you what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna leave you woman
You know I gotta go
I'm gonna leave you woman
I gotta go
I gotta go

I gotta go
American woman
Yeah"

I think this song by Lenny Kravitz is perfect to party with poolside today to celebrate our American freedom. There is something so empowering about the line "And you're no good for me, And, I'm no good for you." that resonates for me today. I can say there have been a few men that I knew from the start were not good for me. I went along for the ride anyway and didn't listen to my intuition. And, got burned. But, to have the foresight to say "bye, bye" because of that nagging intuition can take every ounce of courage in your being and hurts like heck. But, you hope that in the long run less tears will be shed for all.

Enjoy your 4th of July, dear friends!

Have you ever just had to say "bye, bye" to save yourself from someone that you knew wasn't good for you or from a bad situation? Were you better for it? Or, did you wonder if you really made the right decision later?

Love and light,

Christina

Photo credit: Photobucket and video from youtube.com.

Lenny Kravitz crashes the VOP Choir in New Orleans for "Fly Away" CNN. He rocks.

Lenny Kravitz is one talented man.

If I was a man, I would dress like him. Hey, I'm just saying. The man has style.

I will follow up with his decorating talents next. It is mind blowing.

An artist is an artist. This man is definitely multi-talented.

Enjoy him on the drums and singing on the attached video.

It's really worth the time.

What do you think of Lenny?

Cause, I am thinking he is one cool cat.

Love and light,

Christina