Coca-Cola Summer Drink Station (Repurposed from a Sewing Machine Cabinet)

When my sweet great aunt passed away, the family members got together and divied up her treasures.  The things I brought home I adore and use daily.  They remind me of her and the things we had in common:  reading, cooking and entertaining.  By the time I came along, she didn't sew much, so I was surprised to find a couple of sewing machines when we cleaned out her house.  One was an older model, still in its cabinet, stashed in the utility room under a lot of stuff.  In fact, in all my visits to her house I never even knew that was a sewing machine cabinet under there.  So I was surprised when I received a text from my cousin that said, "Do you want Gran Gran's sewing machine cabinet?"  Honestly I didn't.  No one really did.  I already have a modern sewing machine and a sewing table.  That's why it was still in her house sitting in the laundry room.  But like the rest of the family, I couldn't stand for it to be discarded so I said, "Yes."  And I stuck it in the garage and forgot about it until I saw some ideas for repurposing old sewing cabinets on Pinterest, and I immediately set to work.  With a little help from my Dad, we turned an old cabinet into a fun station for serving drinks and entertaining.  I really enjoyed working on this with my Dad, and I'm super happy with the results.  My best friend loved it so much that she wants me to help her with one this summer.  She has her mother's old sewing machine cabinet.  She doesn't sew and it's just sitting in the garage.  I think she'll get more use out of it on her patio, just like me.  And I think Gran Gran would have approved.  She would have loved that I drug the old thing out of the utility room and gave it a purpose for entertaining.  Don't be afraid to get some dusty old heirloom out of the attic, garage or barn and give it some love.  Some people might not approve of altering the sewing cabinet but it would have never been used and enjoyed otherwise.  I hope this inspires you to take something old and breathe some new life into it.  Get creative and Get busy!   

I knew right away I would paint it red,
because that's my favorite color and also
the predominant color on our patio and deck. 
I've had that old Coca-Cola bottle opener for years. 
I bought it in an antique store and it hung in our first home.
I dug that thing and out settled on a Coca-Cola theme for my cabinet.  I used exterior paint so it would hold up well sitting on the patio.  With my Dad's help, it got several coats of paint.

Here's the old cabinet in Gran Gran's utility room.
(Sorry for the blurry picture.  It was the one I received
via text asking if I wanted the cabinet.  I'm so glad
 I said yes!)

The knobs on the drawers were
just wooden knobs that were glued on. 
We sawed those off and added
adorable knobs that look like
Coca-Cola bottle caps.

The Coca-Cola bucket was a
Christmas gift from my brother. 
It took a little sawing to get it to fit,
but it worked out perfectly. 
The best part about using the sewing cabinet
is the mechanism that raises
and lowers the sewing machine.
It allows the bucket to lower for storage.

With the cabinet folded out,
it creates the perfect surface for
drink service and folds for easy storage. 
The drawers are perfect for holding napkins,
straws, corkscrews and other barware.
The Cokes and Diet Cokes in glass bottles are just the cutest.  And
there's a little extra space for some
Mimosas too!

I'm just so pleased with how this turned out.
The day I wanted to use it for the first time
was pouring rain so I moved it into my
breakfast room.  I actually really like it there and
haven't moved it back to the patio.  It's light and small
enough that I can move it easily indoors or out.
(I purchased a small grill cover to keep
it clean outdoors when it's not in use.)