Painting An Old Bathroom Vanity and Personal Time Off

Hey Friends! I’ve missed you. To say I’ve been absent here would be an understatement. Dealing with a lack of focus and creativity, plus everyday life stuff, can be draining. But…I’m making a comeback.

This is what’s been happening the past few weeks….

• Visited my family in Arkansas for several days.
• Painted a bathroom vanity.
• Consumed an unmentionable number of bacon and tomato sandwiches made with homegrown Arkansas tomatoes from the Owen Garden. (no lettuce, add mayo, BM&T)
• Spent time with my granddaughters, Tenley and Sofi
• Celebrated my 72nd birthday
• Cleaned out the workshop
• Temporarily painting furniture in the house

Even though I turned 72 the first week of the month, I feel more like 45, but sometimes act like 14. 

This post will be short with lots of photos. My baby sister, Stacey, inherited our parents’ home when Dad passed away last year, and she has been slowly updating it.

When I visited in June, she wanted me to paint the bathroom vanity in the main guest bathroom. My Dad, grandfather, and great-uncle built my parents’ home in 1959. There wasn’t much money, and they built everything they could.

The vanity is made out of plywood. I think the last time it was painted was maybe 40 years ago…..could be longer.

I removed the vanity doors and taped around the vanity. My sister papered one wall earlier in her makeover journey, and I love the pattern, black and white. She also removed the carpet (yes, carpet) and painted the old embossed linoleum floor that was underneath.

The black floor looked awesome, but it is covered up now. She was having laminate flooring installed in the rest of the house and decided to do the bathroom as well. 

When I went to Arkansas for my Dad’s annual birthday celebration in May ( we are continuing the tradition in Dad’s memory), my sister selected a couple of Dixie Belle paint colors for the vanity. 

I laid a moving blanket over the new floors in the living room and set the cabinet doors on canned goods in preparation for painting. And then applied two coats of Dixie Belle Bonding Boss to the doors and drawer fronts. 

The two Dixie Belle Silk paint colors Stacey selected were Mirage and Oasis. She was matching one of the colors in her shower curtain. After one coat of Mirage, we decided the color was too green, so I applied two coats of Oasis next.

I moved the doors and drawers around after painting them so I would have more room to maneuver while painting. The dining room table was covered with dishes and collectibles from a large antique secretary. More on that piece coming up. 

This photo of me and my sister was taken many years ago. We had just returned home with a load of stuff from the Nashville Flea Market.

The bathroom vanity is going to look beautiful! The paint on the doors and drawers is curing and waiting to be put together after the floor is completed.

I painted over the hinges instead of removing them. Most of the time, the paint will wear off when opening and closing the doors. I suggested to Stacey that she apply a very thin layer of Vaseline to the hinges before putting the doors back on. I coat of clear wax would also work.

I could have removed the hinges, but if you have ever painted furniture with cabinet doors, you know that sometimes after the doors are removed and then reattached, they will not line up properly. Doesn’t matter if the same hinges go back in the same places. Just happens. 

Moving on to this antique secretary. My grandfather, Mom’s Dad, was an antique dealer. When he and my grandmother moved back to Arkansas from California, this is one of the pieces that moved with them.

Stacey emptied the secretary so it would be easier to move while the flooring was replaced. That’s why the dining table and most of the countertop were covered in dishes. 

My Mom left the secretary to me. It is terrible that I don’t really want it. Yes, the piece is gorgeous, but it doesn’t fit my style, and I would have to transport it from Arkansas to Tennessee. 

I would like to sell it and put the money into Dad’s “Birthday Celebration Fund”. The sad part is that getting a reasonable price for antiques is almost impossible.

I found this photo on Instagram of the identical secretary with a description. 

Moving on to other stuff…. Stacy and I visited and had lunch with our Aunt Pat, and we went looked through several old family albums. Some of the photos I had never seen before.

This photo shows my Mom with her brothers and sister. Mom is the one in the middle. For those of you who are new to Petticoat Junktion, my Mom had Alzheimer’s and was in the nursing home for 4 years before passing away from COVID in December of 2020. Possibly the saddest era in the history of the United States. 

We also found this photo, which I find absolutely amazing. My Mom is on the right, and the other girl, Yvonne, was one of her good friends.

I miss my Dad, especially when I’m in Arkansas. He was a sweet, dear, smart man. 

He worked two jobs, International Paper and the Owen Farm. Raising tomatoes to sell at the Auction Market was our Spring and Summer job, and it was hard work. My brother and sister still raise a garden on the farm every year. 

Last year the Owen Family went to the beach for a week, and to say the trip was a hit is an understatement. We are making this an annual thing, and it is coming up at the end of the month!

Hope you guys have a great week, Kathy