Vintage Pie Safe Inspired Shelf Restyle

My kitchen is getting a "makeover" but unlike the TV show...I'm on a very limited budget! This being the case imaging my excitement when I was at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show this past January and was given some amazing supplies to create with at the Fave Crafts/Prime Publishing Blogger Event and they "just so happened" to be perfect for this project.

Twenty years ago, my husband made me this wood shelf for my canned goods. It has served us well, never complaining as we double stacked soup, or fit more on the shelf by turning cans on their side so they would fit. It's time though had passed and it's new home was the basement. It was stained, and a back piece was loose, the side was even splitting a bit and needed repair. The shelf was good enough for the basement cause no one looked there.

But then inspiration hit! I wondered if I could spruce it up with some paint, and add doors, maybe with some tin panel and make a pie safe? After cleaning it up, repairing some parts, and using some 1"x 2" pieces to create a frame I started to think this just might work!  I collect red and white enamelware and thought it would be fun to have a RED cabinet as a focal point in the kitchen.

I talked to my friends from Plaid Crafts and asked about their Folk Art Home Decor Chalk Ultra Matte Paint. I had worked with this at the show and loved the finish it gave, they were good enough to send me some to use. This paint has a nice creamy texture and is super easy to work with. I started with a base coat of Cottage White, and then allowed that to cure and topped with Imperial Red. I then sanded the top coat, to reveal some of the white underneath. I used the Folk Art Home Decor Clear Wax to seal the surface.

Then it was time to add "metal to the doors." Most pie safes have tin punched metal covering the front, this allowed for the pies to cool, while keeping bugs and other creatures away from the baked goods. I didn't want another heavy closed piece of furniture so decided chicken wire was the way to go! My friends over at MD Hobby and Craft had some chicken wire designed for crafting. It came in smaller more manageable pieces. After grabbing my electric staple gun and suiting up with metal working gloves, I attached a double layer of chicken wire to the door frames, I offset the second layer from the first to give me a "3-D" look with the honeycombs of the wire.

All that was left was to install the hinges and handles. These I easily picked up at a local hardware store.

I LOVED the look of the finished piece and it looks even more adorable FILLED

 

Fave Crafts, challenged Bloggers at their event to come up with a craft from the goodie box items we were sent. These crafts could then be submitted to their "Fave Crafts, Best Blogger Craft Contest." I am entered, and would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,  your vote! But there are lots of amazing entries! The top prize is $1000 cash!!!  

 

My entry is called "Restyled Red Shelf " by Betsy Burnett.

To vote in the contest and find further instructions....please visit -----> http://www.favecrafts.com/contest/Blogger-Contest