A New Life for An Old China Cabinet

My Mom loved collecting china, crystal and so do I.   In fact,  over the past two decades, I probably gave my Mom a gift of crystal or silver for almost every birthday and special occasion.  Of course, when you collect china and crystal you want to have a beautiful china cabinet in which to display it.  So when Mom decided in the 90s that she wanted to replace her last dining room set with a new one (pictured at right), I was thrilled to be in a financial position to go halfsies on it. That was a long time ago.


After Mom's health began to decline and it was clear that it was in both of our best interests to move and downsize, we agreed that a lot of that china and crystal had to go.  We had planned to move into a much smaller house or an apartment and most of the furniture would have to go too.   As I began making decisions about which items to let go and which to keep, I decided that anything that we were going to keep would have to be multifunctional.  We both really loved the dining room set but what do you do with a huge china closet when you're planning to dispose of most of your china?  The drawer space at the bottom of the unit was great for storing table cloths and other linens so I knew that it could also be used for clothing if need be.  However, what to do with the top display unit?  After thinking about this question for a long time i decided that I was going to try my hand at converting the top display unit into an indoor greenhouse.   It just made sense since both Mom and I also loved gardening and keeping house plants. 

As events would unfold, we never moved,  Mom would pass away and I never did get the chance to convert the china cabinet the way that I have envisioned.  And now that I will be relocating on my own, I definitely don't need a large formal dining room set.  So for the past few months I've been trying to sell the set.  While the dining table and chairs are still in very good condition, over the past year the china closet has been badly damaged and much of the interior glass and the glass in the doors has shattered.  So I've been offering to sell the table and chairs and just give the china cabinet and buffet/server to anyone willing to pick them up and with an interest in refurbishing them.  Almost no one was interested. Those who were interested in the entire set,  couldn't pick it up. And, I can not ship it.  I've had several people come to take a look at the set and tell me that either "no one is buying china cabinets anymore" or that the "set wasn't worth buying because the china cabinet was damaged".  Every time that I heard one of those latter responses my heart would break a little because they just couldn't see the potential in something for which I once had so many plans.

So today, in preparation for tomorrow's indoor yard sale,  I decided to demonstrate what I once had in mind for giving the china cabinet a new life as a place to start seedlings, over-winter patio plants and hold house plants. 

It was actually a fairly easy process.  First I removed the frames which held the glass panels in the doors of the display area.  This leaves the front of the display area open which would allow air to circulate.  Next, I completely removed the damaged middle horizontal glass shelf.  This slid out easily through the open area in the side doors.   Since the glass in the back wall of the china cabinet was damaged and could not easily be removed, I decided that it needed to be covered.  If I had more time, I would have either covered those panes with contact paper or a very light weight self adhesive tile.   However, since I'm only doing this as a demonstration, I covered the back glass with some leftover Christmas wrapping paper.  I intentionally chose the silver and gold pattern because of its reflective quality.  Also, if I had a little more time, I would run out to my local hardware store and replace the current light bulbs with plant grow lights,  line the bottom of the display unit with a lightweight self adhesive tile, and put in a  drip pan to catch water.  There you have it.  A china cabinet converted into an indoor greenhouse.

This is a traditional indoor plant display which can cost nearly a thousand dollars:
 

This is my refurbished china cabinet: 

If you are in the Philadelphia, PA / South Jersey area and would like to have this china cabinet, I am still giving it away for free with the purchase of my gardening starter kit.  You only have to be willing to pick it up and give it a little time and tender loving care

.For more information visit my Facebook page

What Does It Mean to Be Crucified With Christ?

As most of my Facebook friends and Twitter followers know,  I try to start every day with reading the Bible and time in meditation and reflection.  No, that doesn’t mean that I’m  “super spiritual” or that I spend hours in prayer every morning,  I have simply learned that I need more than just a cup of coffee to start my day.

Today I awoke to a house that is in utter chaos. One quick glance around was enough to make me want to crawl back in bed and stay there for a month.  But I don't have a month. I don't even have a week.  I have to be out of my house in less than a week.  So I have to get on with the process of packing, trying to hold a pseudo garage sale and trying to launch a business.  More than ever, this morning I really needed a word of encouragement to carry me through the day.   So I pull up one of my morning bible readings on my phone and this is the message for today.

 
"Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve [apostles], went off to the chief priests in order to betray and hand Him over to them. And when they heard it, they rejoiced and were delighted, and they promised to give him money. And he [busying himself continually] sought an opportunity to betray Him." -- Mark 14:10-11

Oh wow.  I know that it's Holy Week and Christians around the world are remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but for me, this message, on this day, has a whole new meaning. I know how it feels to be betrayed.

One of the harsh realities of life is that if we live long enough we will all feel the hurt of betrayal by a person, or persons, close to us. If you are a visionary or a dreamer you will probably feel that hurt more frequently and with greater intensity. Often, as in the case of Judas, your betrayer will be someone who believes that their actions are in your best interest. There are many theologians who believe that when Judas approached the chief priests he was actually seeking that they grant Jesus an interview and an opportunity to explain his teachings, make his case so to speak. Judas was a practical man and when Jesus spoke of "a kingdom", Judas' vision was limited to an earthly government. The reality was that for all of the time that Judas walked with Jesus as a disciple, he never truly understood Jesus' mission or that His kingdom was one of the spirit.  A Kingdom of Heaven.

So if today you find yourself in a position where you feel betrayed by someone close to you or by some form of leadership, do not be discouraged. Everyone, including those closest to you, will never share your vision, encourage you in your mission or lend a helping hand in time of need.  If you have chosen to follow the path of Jesus, more times than not, just the opposite will occur.  People who do not know you will question your motives and/or your integrity.  There will be friends who will not really "hear" what you're saying when you speak.  And people who you thought would be there for you, will abandon you.  When these things happen you are simply sharing in the sufferings of Christ and experiencing your own form of crucifixion.   Just know that if your dream is from God, He will bring it to pass. Not in man's way, but in His.


"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off  to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could  be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.  I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.  My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. " Galatians 2:18-20 (in Context) Galatians 2 (Whole Chapter)