Tuesday, August 14, 2012

This is the box that my Papa built...

My Papa (my mom's dad) was an amazing, kind, caring, soft spoken, and supremely talented man. I have so many memories of him, and a lot of them involved some kind of project. See, he was an expert woodworker. He could build absolutely anything, and he was such a perfectionist that you knew it would be, well, perfect. We built a lot of bird houses together. By together, I of course mean that he cut out all of the wood and put the whole thing together while I watched wide-eyed. Then he would have me paint and decorate our creation. Trust me when I say, these were some very interesting "pieces". I was not very good with the paint... Anyway, I think my mom still has our "Eat at Sarah's" diner-inspired birdfeeder in her yard! Oh how I wish I had some pictures!
When I got a bit older, my Papa would build things for my sister and me, and we'd usually receive them as gifts. One year for Christmas, I got this box:
It's gorgeous. He didn't paint it any particular color, leaving it blank for me to one day create something hopefully nicer than any of the bird houses/feeders I created. I think he gave this to me about 10 years ago, and here it still sits, untouched in my entranceway. It houses many odds and ends, but mostly winter accessories, hats, mittens, scarves. Every single time I look at it I think of my Papa. It's been about 6.5 years since he passed away, and this is one tangible object I have to remember him by.

Finally, my husband and I spruced up the box a bit. We went back and forth on what color to paint it. Did I want a neutral that would go with anything? Did I want a bright bold color to brighten up our otherwise dull entranceway? I think the choice was pretty obvious. My Papa was a very bright spot in the lives of everyone he ever met, I had to go bright.
Our main floor has a lot of aqua blues, and lime greens. In the basement we have ton of reds and yellows, and other bright colors. Since this box resides on the main floor, I grabbed a few paint chips in various blues, greens, and yellows. I set them all out on top of the box, and stood back and imagined. It was a highly technical process which ended in me picking this one: Behr 490B-4 (Sea Life).
I'm actually planning on completing this project this weekend so I can post about it on Monday! Stay tuned to see how it turned out!!

8 comments:

Bevin Lewis said...

Can't wait to see the finished product!

The Preppy Student said...

that really is some beautiful wood-work. your papa was a very talented man. I love that blue you choose! Have a happy Tuesday and be sure to check out my giveaway ending very soon. BTW I am your newest follower and cannot wait to read more of your posts and hope that maybe you can return the favor and follow The Preppy Student. I always comment for every comment left on my page and hope to start a friendly relationship with your wonderful blog!

Britni Alexis said...

Hey girl! I'm stopping by from the blog hop. I'm one of the co-hosts! Thanks for linking up!

I hope you're having an awesome day! :)

-Alexis
www.livingthewifestyle.com

Cassandra said...

What sweet memories! That's great that you can think about him when you use that box. Can't wait to see what you do with it!

Kim said...

Beautiful box, and I love the colors you selected. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Erika said...

Love your blog design!!...and name!Following you from the blog hop too!Please stop by my blog some time!Have a lovely week!

Kristin said...

Wow that is a really beautiful box. I am sure you will make it look great!

Tiffany said...

What a great piece to always have handmade by someone special. Can't wait to see the final product!

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