Recently my neighbor’s parents (a.k.a. my adopted family) were cleaning out a storage area and came across a couple of items that they thought I might like to revamp.

The first is this little cupboard.

They were guessing that it was some sort of shoe shine cabinet because it seemed to come with that brass foot plate thingie.

And it also originally had a hinged lid, which would have made it easier to access the contents of the box.

However, that being said, I couldn’t find any holes on that lid where the brass shoe plate would have been attached.  I also didn’t see any signs of shoe polish inside the cupboard.  I’ve revamped a couple of shoe shine boxes in the past, and they always have remnants of shoe polish on them (check out this one, and this one).

So I’m betting this little cabinet was used for something else.  Maybe to hold knitting supplies?  Or sewing stuff?  Any guesses?

Whatever it was, I decided to give it a new look with some paint and another of the new I.O.D. transfers called Fairytale Florals.

I started with the decision to glue the once-hinged top section on (so the top is no longer hinged).  Then I scuff sanded and gave it a good cleaning.

I then painted the interior of the cabinet in Dixie Belle’s Silk All-in-One paint in a color called Serenity.  This color has that French blue sort of vibe.

I chose to use the Silk paint because it has a built in top coat, so I would only have to slap on two coats of paint and that’s it.  It was a bit tricky getting a brush inside that cupboard.

Next I added two coats of DB’s Drop Cloth to the outside of the cabinet.  Once dry, I sanded the edges to distress the piece.

Next it was ready for transfers.

I added this pretty blue floral to the top.

Then I added a row of florals above and below the door on the front, along with that wreath-like detail on the door itself.

That wreath came with a sweet little crown that sat above it, but it didn’t fit on my door with the wreath so I cut it off.  Hopefully I’ll find something else to use it on down the road.

I finished the cabinet off with some of Dixie Belle’s clear wax to protect the Chalk Mineral paint on the exterior, as well as the transfers.

I was curious about the word ‘lille’, so I googled it and found the mark for Lille porcelain.

According to worthpoint.com, porcelain was produced in the 1700’s in Lille which was then in Flanders, but now is part of France.  Certainly that mark was the inspiration for the transfer design.

My little French fairytale cabinet turned out pretty sweet I think.

What do you think?  And what would you keep inside this little cupboard?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Now, as for that 2nd item I received …

That one is going to take a bit more work!

In the meantime, if any of my local readers are in need of a French fairytale cupboard, be sure to check my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing their products used in this makeover.