Unique Upcycling: Gun Cabinet to Bookcase

{This post originally appeared in a previous blog in March 2010.  It has been almost 2 years since this bookcase went into the girls' room and it still looks fantastic.}

Spring is just around the corner and we are in the middle of a warm weather teaser. For some unknown reason that means I am itching to start painting. No, I don't create beautiful pieces of artwork; I paint walls, furniture, and in some cases, floors. I love to paint. It takes a lot of patience to sand, prime, and paint an object; but the result is that in the end there is am old piece of furniture, fresh with new life. Last spring it was the girls' bedroom, which went from a sad, drab purple/pink stripe to a crisp, clean light blue.

This year, I have a laundry list of things to be repainted. The warm weather that moved in last Wednesday was too much to resist and I found myself rummaging through the shed looking for projects to start. That is when Michael pulled his old gun cabinet from a dark corner and set it on the patio. He had decided it was time to get rid of it, but my creative wheels started spinning 90 to nothing. "NO!" I cried out, appalled at the thought of that beautiful piece of solid pine going to a landfill somewhere to die a slow and pitiful death.

So, we removed the door and gun bracket and pulled off the warped, rotting backerboard. Armed with 80 grit sandpaper I stripped it down and sanded the bejesus out of it.

Then with Mike's help I put a new, clean piece of plywood on the back. I primed it and painted it my favorite white: Rice Paper by Color Place (available at Wal-Mart).

Michael cut and installed the shelves, assembled the pieces, and put it in its new home.

 Mikayla, Hallie, and I picked their favorite books and knickknacks to display.  (Like those piggy banks?  $1.75 each on clearance at Target, thank you very much!)  Now, the girls have a beautiful piece of furniture that not only functions perfectly in their room, but also carries family history. The question is: when they leave home, who claims it?