Shabby Chic Cabinet Refresh

So I don't really have a "before" version of this and I don't have a reason for not having it. If you need a before pic to believe I actually did anything, take a look below and play a little "Where's Waldo" for the cabinet (back left).

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

We rocked an estate sale a few months back and amidst the mothball fog, shag carpet and cat pottery there were a few decent pieces in need of some creativity and TLC. We found this cabinet (with a matching mirror I haven't done anything with yet) and pulled a veteran move, refusing to pay Saturday prices and opting for a Sunday afternoon swoop-in. If you're not familiar, estate sales consist of three phases: overpriced Saturday, bargain Sunday and liquidation Monday. Never buy on Saturday. You may lose out on the item you have your eye on, but you won't end up kicking yourself for paying $200 for something you could've gotten for $30. From what you can('t) see in the above photo, the cabinet was old and dingy, featuring a color I like to call "baby poo green."

The thing that made gave me the urge to re-do piece was the raised detail on the doors. Here it is after two coats of primer and 2 coats of a dark green we got at Lowe's. But, to make it really stand out, I decided to go back to kindergarten. We picked a complementary ("you look like you're losing weight!") color two shades lighter from the same paint card and I used a small watercolor brush to hit the top of each raised detail. Here's how the doors looked after that hour of my life I want back. All things considered, it could've been a lot worse.

Knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't have bought the piece, because I quickly found out it wasn't made of natural wood, but composite. Trust me when I tell you composite is tough to paint and even tougher to distress. But, I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I did it anyway and here is the final result. Still green, but much less baby poo green. And Court finally got the piece she was looking for to go under that window.

A full shot of the little nook, and the space challenges it presented.