By EverydayJill
The Story:
Once upon a time, a lovely lady named Jenny, admired the lovely dishes that her lovely sister-in-law had.
Love Story: Part One
This lovely lady began collecting these dishes, receiving dishes and glassware and accessory pieces, as gifts. Her collection began to grow. We call it a collection, because Jenny rarely used these beauties. Why do we hesitate to use the gifts we have been given?
This collection needed a home, so Jenny’s loving husband purchased an unfinished corner cupboard to display these dishes. He lovingly stained the cupboard, and how lovely it looked in their kitchen!
Love Story: Part Two
A few decades passed, the couple grew older and it was time to move to assisted living. An estate sale was in order. You cannot keep everything, but special things can be kept. The dishes stayed with the couple. Their oldest grandchild loved the cupboard, so it went to her. It traveled 600 miles to VA, to a home full of love and many children. The cupboard displayed different treasures.
The couple passed away. The dishes now became the daughter’s. She loved the dishes, but they were not her “style”. The dishes stayed packed in a box, in her basement, for a few years. The daughter realized she was doing what her mother had done, loving the dishes, but not using the gift she had been given! She looked for a china cabinet and found a lovely 30’s depression era cabinet that she named Berlin Betty (doesn’t everyone name their furniture?). Mom’s dishes were displayed once again AND used!
Love Story: Part Three
The granddaughter’s family was growing larger, and her house was growing smaller. She had loved the corner cupboard, but there was just no room… she asked the daughter if she would like the cupboard. But the daughter had Berlin Betty! The daughter’s wise husband told her to take the cupboard. So out of tremendous love, he drove her 600 miles to get it (and visit the grandchildren 😊). The cupboard was a little longer than his vehicle, he knew this, but he drove the 600 miles home anyway. In the rain. With the back tailgate slightly open (secured). With 600 miles of road noise. Six hundred miles.
Once home, the cupboard was cleaned and painted a lovely green. The dishes and the cupboard were now back together again…. and they love it!
The Process
The cupboard was in amazing condition, considering the travels it experienced! There were no repairs to be made, no scratches, no broken glass. She just needed a good cleaning and a facelift. The cupboard was hand painted using the color “Envy”, an all-in-one paint, so no sanding was required. Peel and stick wallpaper was added, to brighten the inside. It was easy to work with. I purchased new knobs for the cupboard doors, but they did not look like they belonged, so the original knobs were put back on. Now she was just right.
The cupboard was named “Jenny”, after the author’s mom, the lovely lady at the beginning of the story. The piece ‘chose’ the color for me, as they often do. It was at this point that I recalled that my mother’s favorite color was green. Coincidence? I think not. I love having Jenny in my kitchen, a lovely reminder of my mother and her treasured dishes. As for Berlin Betty…well, she found another spot in my home, no worries.
Contact Information:
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