Chicken Wire Hutch

Life is hectic.  I mean H-E-C-T-I-C.  As you all know, I am a teacher in my normal life and a DIY furniture upcycler in my fantasy life.  I started school 5 weeks ago and it has been the hardest start in my teaching career.  I decided to loop with my class this year which ended up being a really good decision.  However, learning a new curriculum and adjusting to all the newness that this year has brought has been difficult.  Now my weekends are spent lesson planning, grading papers, emailing parents, (the list goes on and on...) - and NOT restoring furniture.  I hope all of that is about to change.  Mr. Dump and I are off to buy a new sprayer and I am ready to make time for my second passion.  Since it has been 2 months since my last post (please forgive me...), I'm bringing you a project that is large and in charge!  Take a look at this beauty...

Seriously... Can you say 1970s???  This piece was outdated, boring, and needed a makeover in the worst possible way.

We took all of the hardware off and removed the terrible glass. 

It was a rainy day so we put blankets down in the kitchen (Sorry, Mom! That's what happens when you move out!) and painted away.  It was a tight space, so Mr. Dump and I were constantly fighting over paint brushes, Cool-Whip containers of paint, and room!

This is what it looked like before I started playing with stain.

Take a look at the cabinet doors below...  The one on the top has a layer of stain and the one on the bottom doesn't.  Luckily, I liked the texture that the stain provided, so I decided to stain the entire piece.  We used stain that had polycrylic mixed in, and it provided a really nice protective coat.  Finally, I added cute red knobs, chicken wire, and put the piece back together!

Here is what the top looks like...

And this is the final transformation!

Random question...  If I start a weekly linky party, would any of you link up your projects?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

As always...

Happy Junkin'!

Sarah