FINALLY MY NEW CABINET…YIPEE!

Finally, after more than two months my cabinet is finished! He started doing it on the last week of February after he finished doing my daughter’s lavender cabinet but as I already stated in a previous blog, he decided to change its specifications because he was fearful that we may not be able to bring it up the stairs (since we have such a narrow flight of stairs). Then, he was undecided on whether to use painting or dark wood laminate that we bought at ACE, until he lastly decided to just paint it black, like what I originally wanted! And finally, after two months of waiting, my cabinet is finished!

So, today he brought the cabinet up to the room (with a nephew’s help, of course) and I was finally able to start using it! I know it’s far from perfect because, there were some areas that weren’t very smooth and so the paint tended to chip in these areas that constantly bumped each other. But I am no perfectionist and I am just so happy that it’s finally done! One thing though, since this new cabinet is a tad smaller than the old one, I am having a difficult time making everything that used to fit inside the old cabinet into the new one. But then again the hubby promised to make me another wardrobe type closet like the one he made for the kids. So I guess I’ll have to wait a wee bit longer before I can have everything in its proper place.

And so as part of my efforts to redecorate the room (to blend with the new cabinet and also to lessen some of the frames I intend to display on top of my cabinet) I decided to hang my kids’ baby pictures. So that when I am in bed, I can always look up and see them as small babies - all cute and cuddly faces lit up with a smile, without a care in the world! I miss those babies not that I want to have new babies---definitely not! I just miss those times when they were still so cute and cuddly. Anyway, we could always adopt and borrow little nieces and nephews whenever we want to. Meantime, I will just have my own piece of heaven right here, on this wall.

MY CABINET UPDATE

This time around, I think he was a bit slow in making my cabinet, I guess because he had to change the specifications of the thing just so he can ensure that it would not be difficult in taking it up the stairs. He started it when my daughter’s cabinet was finished by the end of February. And he continued doing it during weekends that we were at home in March. But he was not satisfied with it. In fact, he even had my nephew sand it endlessly until it was so smooth. At first, he didn’t want to paint it, in fact, we already bought laminates at Ace Hardware at SM Fairview but midstream he changed his mind again and decided to paint it black, the color I liked. Here are some pics of the cabinet after about one and a half months of tinkering with it, maybe he’ll be finished with it soon.

MY CABINET’S TURN!

Here are just some recent updates on the new cabinet that the hubby has been doing for me (at last!) Actually, he wanted a full wardrobe type that would be similar in size to the old cabinet from my mother but it would be difficult to bring the entire thing upstairs to our bedroom. So he opted to make one that would be placed one on top of the other but I disagreed since it might fall down on us when an earthquake happens. Instead, he just made it into a small one that had a top where some picture frames and a small lamp could be placed. It’s pretty much the same size as the TV rack downstairs but instead of open shelves, mine would have closed doors for my things and folded clothes.

He actually started doing my cabinet on February 21 (pic on the left) on the day he finished painting my daughter’s cabinet. But due to the changes in design, he took a bit longer in getting it done since he had to reduce the cabinet’s height and cut the wood he has already nailed into place. (see the difference in height on the second pic taken on March 8?) Then, this weekend he was able to do the cabinet shelves and doors (third pic). Pretty soon, I hope my cabinet will be done…

MY DAUGHTER'S CABINET UPDATES

At long last after one month, my daughter’s cabinet is finished! Well, of course he is only able to do the cabinet during weekends and sometimes at night he does his sanding and ‘masilya’. He started the cabinet on January 20, it was a three-day weekend then and by the time we went back to work he was finished sanding the wood and had already assembled the cabinet. The next weekend (January 28-29) was BP time so there was not much work done. Then, the following weekend was our time to stay at home (February 4-5) and he was able to finish painting it with primer paint. (pics on the left and right)






Then, the next weekend (February 11-12) was our BP time again though before we left we already bought paint in the color that my daughter wanted – lilac. So it was only on the next weekend (February 18-19) that the hubby was able to start the paint job and when we got back from our weekend sleepover at Sofitel - surprise! surprise! The cabinet’s finished! What’s even more surprising is that he has started doing my cabinet too! Thank God for giving me such a handyman like my husband!

NEW CABINET PROJECT FOR MY DAUGHTER

At long last, after my endless prodding for him to do it, he finally did – my daughter’s cabinet what else??? Well, I guess he got tired with all his furniture projects last year – the kitchen cabinet and two TV racks in a span of less than two months. So I guess he truly deserve the break but for this year, his daughter had long been hankering for him to make her a cabinet and now, he finally went out and bought some wood to add to the remaining few pieces he has left from previous projects. On the first day, Saturday, he did nothing but sand and smoothen the wood sometimes with a grinder, other times with just sandpaper. I know it’s a tiring and tedious process but I guess he wanted it perfect for his little girl – no rough edges that may harm or hurt her. And then, the next day Sunday, he set about assembling the cabinet. There was still no work/classes on Monday and so he plodded on with his project and by the end of the day he was finished doing the cabinet doors, imagine that? Just three days and he was able to assemble the entire thing already??? All that’s needed now is some paint, rollers and brushes and it’s good to go! I will update you and post more pictures as soon as it is through.

TV RACK UPDATE

Just a quickie - an update of the TV rack he started doing last week. After we bought some black paint at Ace, he was finally able to paint the TV rack in the color we wanted. All that’s lacking now are the glass doors but he still doesn’t know where to buy them and how to place them. He has definitely improved since this one was completed in just one week! Here’s how the new TV rack looks now…




We decided to start using the TV rack, even sans the glass panel so we could give the old one to Ditse when we go home to the province - very pretty indeed!

NEW CABINET PROJECT

Today, I was surprised when the hubby arrived after buying some wood and begin another cabinet project for the kitchen. Last year, he started to make a cabinet for my son (I think it was around July) but when he had a huge gash on his right hand that required more than ten stitches (while he was playing with the cutter), I guess the hubby had a bit of a trauma and had refused to do anything at all that was related to carpentry. Well, that’s just what I thought we never really talked about it though. He just stopped making anything wooden after that.

Well, that was until last week when I mentioned to him that the kitchen needed some redecorating, for instance, we need a new cabinet so that I would be able to fix some of the things that are just stocked underneath the sink – like the turbo broiler, the rice cooker, the blender and some pots and pans that are longing to be displayed. I wanted some new cabinets for under the sink too but I don’t think we already have the money to commission someone to do that for us. So I guess I’ll just have to wait until we have more money to spend. Meantime, I am thankful that the hubby has returned to carpentry once again and this has kept him busy puttering about in the garage with his tools and his paints. He keeps me awake in the afternoons with his banging and his electric grinder but I’m happy I would have a new cabinet soon.

Here’s a picture of the cabinet he made for my son last year. And the cabinet he has been doing for the last 2 days … I will post more pics once the kitchen cabinet is completed!