The autumn Bishop show is being held in my area this weekend, and tonight I had the pleasure of meeting my until-now online friend Keli (see her blog iseecerulean).  I met Keli and her nephew at a local pizza place before the show, and she had made a wonderful surprise for me for the haunted Heritage: an old, well-loved Hoosier cabinet.

I just adore it!  There are so many wonderful details to it, from the perfectly crackled green paint that will go so well with the wallpaper to the tiny pink piggy bank inside one of the glass front cabinets.  I think that piggy bank is just the cutest!  She has also included a stack of bowls, a can and some liquor bottles.

She said she was glad I liked it so much since it is hard to make things for others.  That is so true.  But, this is really the sort of thing I had planned to do with the space next to the Roper stove - only with a wall hutch and a butcher block top floor cabinet.  It was as though she read my mind.

She thought I was going more for an old vibe than kitschy and macabre on the interior, and she's exactly right.  I think of an old woman living in the house she's always loved, though it has fallen into disrepair on the outside.  On the inside, it is warm and cozy, just old but well-loved.  I love that she included some liquor bottles in the cabinet.  I said, "Grandma likes her liquor," and we had a laugh.  Grandma doesn't even make an attempt to hide it - it's right there in the glass-door cabinet when she wants it!  :D

The aging she added is superb - the cutting board showing its wear.  It's even fitting that it sticks a bit trying to slide it in and out, just like any antique wood cabinet is bound to do over the years.  She even included some loose pencils she made (the cookbook I already had but thought it looked right at home here).  The ceramic knobs are a fun vintage touch as is the flour sifter.

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It fits perfectly next to the Roper range.  I needed something substantial in the space since the stove is so large.  This cabinet really balances out the visual weight of the stove.

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Keli also gave me a laser cut double gate.  She had bought two and gave me the extra.  I think this will work wonderfully with the new railings I plan to put in.

Thank you, Keli, not only for the cabinet and the gate but for the enjoyable evening out at the show.  Have a safe trip home!

I'll post about the minis I brought home from the show in a later post.  'night!