So there is a funny back story to how this cabinet came to be. If you know me then you know I like to online shop in the middle of the night. I sometimes wake up in the middleof th night and have trouble going back to sleep so I shop and daydream until I get drowsy again. Weeeeeell, here’s the thing. I sometimes buy things and completely forget about my commitment to pick them up or that I even bought it in the first place. Yeah, I know, weird huh?
That is exactly what happened here, with this cabinet. I saw this beautiful cabinet on Facebook Marketplace, which my drowsy midnight mom brain thought was a huge hanging cabinet for china, and thought to myself, wow what a steal for $30! Without hesitation or concern for the dimensions I immediately agreed to purchase it. It wasn’t until I met the seller to pick it up that I realized my mistake. It was tiny! Nothing at all what I had pictured in my head! Out of guilt I bought it anyway and spent the rest of my afternoon bummed that I had just wasted $30 on this tiny little thing that really wasn’t all that remarkable.
That’s when my brain went into overdrive. I was not about to let $30 just go out the window with this one. I decided it would make a perfect little cabinet for an advent countdown. I had seen several adorable DIY calenders on Pinterest but never a cabinet. So that is where our DIY begins.
I started with prepping the peice for paint. Taking the handles off the front, removing the shelves and taping off the windows with painters tape was all the prep I did for this step. I do recommentd at least lightly sanding yolur surface for better paint adhesion. That didn’t occur to me until I was well into the painting step. Either way it turned out fine.
After completing the prep work, I began painting with a satin Valspar paint sample from Lowe’s in Alabaster and a round brush. This particular brush works great for furniture pieces or pieces with detailing. It really reaches into the creases and lines of the wood.
It took two coats, with time to dry in between, to fully cover this cabinet.
Once I got her painted I of course had to distress it for a more antiqued look. I used a very course sandpaper which is actually intended for a circular saw and gave her some character.
Once the outside of the cabinet was complete, I began to make the actual countdown portion of the project.
Using tiny little seed bags from Amazon, I stamped the numbers 1–24. I had a standard ink pad and silicone numbers on hand from previous projects.
I mean how stinkin cute are these? I just adore the industrial, rough look of this font!
In the end, I like to think of this as one of those “happy little accidents” This was not AT ALL what I had envisioned when I bought this cabinet! The moral of the story here…there is hope! Even for the biggest cases of buyer’s remorse, you can still come out with a fantastic project! The extra special part about it is my husband has always wanted a Christmas countdown advent calendar for our family. It was a tradition he very much enjoyed as a kid and I never had one growing up. We are so excited to share this with our boys over the years and create a fun new tradition with our little family! Who knows, maybe it will be a heirloom one day…
Made with Love, Kaycee
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Kaycee, this is the cutest! I’ve been thinking about making an advent calendar for my grandchildren. Now I’m more inspired! Yours is beautiful!
I really enjoy your creativity. Beautiful job. I have been in your shoes.…oh no what have I bought. I said God help me with this one. Help me make it something good. He does.
That’s EXACTLY how I felt with this one. I was sweatin it for sure ?
That’s awesome! They would love to have one I’m sure! It’s a special memory!
I absolutely love this. I too am a midnight online shopper! I love finding gems like this. What you did is so creative. You could put a little trinket or a piece of candy in each bag for your kiddos to help you count down too. Thanks for sharing! Love everything Roost & Restore!!!
I couldn’t ask for a better compliment! I love the idea of a little tiny gift as a token for the countdown! You are awesome!
Absolutely adorable as an advent calendar!
You are so creative♥️Enjoy your works and crafting, it makes me happy seeing the beautiful out comes, what you creat!