Repurposing, x2

This little wooden shelvng unit began as a pile of discarded plywood, left over from a previous project. I asked a friend of mine if he could somehow use the pieces to make a "shoebox" for me, a place I could store my shoes as I came in from outside. He came up with this small four-shelf piece, which I then painted with a stylized 1940s floral wallpaper treatment, above. Only thing, as you can see, my shoes didn't really fit all that well, lol. Then I had a "falling out" with said friend, and I grew tired of looking at it in my home. I have enough memories everywhere I look and I don't need to be confronted daily with bad ones …

… so I repainted it with my "trademark" casey/artandcolour technique, and gave it to my good friend, Nikki, to use in her office. It's now a perfectly usable shelving unit holding envelopes and work orders, and has nothing but good memories for her! If you look closely, this is a good example of the way I paint layers on wood and then sand them off in places revealing the wood's grain underneath. I achieve a look as if it's a vintage item that has been polished and cleaned for decades, loved as a family heirloom, worn away in some areas, but still vibrant in others, acknowledging the wood's texture at the same time. Click on images to enlarge.