Weekend Project

At a garage sale a few weekends ago, Rich and I picked up this beauty. He was pretty excited about it, and hoping that the kids would love playing with the puppets as much as he does.

Unfortunately they didn't.

I had hoped that it wouldn't just sit in our garage taking up space looking like a sad castoff from the 90's. I asked if I could paint it, but he was pretty opposed to the idea. He thought the decorations on it added to its "charm".

I finally convinced him that I could do it, and make it look cute too. So when we decided to get rid of it, I got permission to update it so that we could possibly earn a little bit of money from the sale.

It started out like this.
A little sad right? It was lovingly painted for some family in the 90's, and I totally respect the time and effort that someone put into the detail of the work.
It was solidly made too!
My first attempt at a color match to the fabric for the new curtains was a total fail. Under the fluorescent lights at Home Depot they matched...but once out in natural light it became very clear that I had not done well this time.
I have been using Rustoleum primer lately, and really loving it. It's expensive, but it works really well. After sanding and filling some holes and dings on the surface, I started priming the theatre.
A coat of primer made all the difference in the world!
After I finally found the right color green (Green Apple - Rustoleum) I painted everything except the shelves. I sewed the curtains (to short the first time - my seam ripper is a well used instrument) and it started to come together nicely!
I also used chalkboard paint for the first time. It was...interesting. Mostly because the roller I bought was so cheap that it kept dropping off of the handle onto the tarp, and collecting dirt. I returned it after I was done.
The last few details of spray painting the curtain rod white, and some ric-rac tie-backs helped finish off the project.
I think it came out really well, and am now attempting to sell it. It can be used for so many things! A puppet theatre, a shelf, a lemonade stand, a little store front for the pretend grocery store, even a TV stand if need be!
I love, love, love working with my hands on this kind of stuff! I really hope to do more projects like this!