Feeling Crafty - a Radio Cabinet, Turned Bookshelf, Turned Bar

A bunch of us got together one Sunday for a group garage sale. I highly recommend it - it was a blast, and helped us all clear some clutter. At the end, one slightly sad looking bookshelf remained. Though the finish was worn, the lines were great, and my friend's mom said I could have it! Not one to leave a good piece of furniture behind, I started scheming. Here's the full story:

Turns out, my little bookshelf wasn't always a bookshelf! It started life as a radio cabinet, something like this:

By the time I got to it, the front had been removed, and the insides had been cleared out. It had also been well loved. It looked like this:

As you can see, the wood finish has seen better days. You can't see them in this picture, but there are also holes in the back, once used to power the radio, I think. Ready to see what I did?

Ta da!

 Now it's a bar. A bar that gets lots and lots of compliments, and makes me smile. It was pretty easy to make, too! Here were my steps:

• First, I removed the middle shelf - I needed one shelf that was tall enough for the bottles. I chose to make the bottom shelf the bottle shelf, because I figured they'd be heavier than the glassware.

• Then I lightly sanded and painted the whole thing with matte black paint. The matte finish masks and bumps and bruises that the sandpaper didn't get. I went with a spray paint to make things easy on myself.

• To cover the holes and help the bottles and glasses pop, I covered the back of the shelf. I used a piece of grasscloth paper, cut it to size, and stuck the whole thing up with sticky-back velcro. That way, if I ever want to change it out, it's not permanent. 

• Finally, I addressed the top of the bar. It's my favorite part! I measured the top (notched corners and all,) and took my measurements to Tap Plastics. They cut a piece of FDA grade cutting board plastic to size, and even drilled little holes in the corners for me. When I got it home, I sunk brass upholstery tacks into the corners, which keep the cutting board top in place, and look pretty, too. 

What do you think?