Make Do or Do Without

I was repairing an old farm chair the other day. It had a big crack in the middle of the seat.  As I was working on it I accidentally broke off one of the legs. I could see that this piece was never going to be strong enough to sit in and use as a regular chair even if I glued it up.  So I set it aside and started to work on my next project.  Then it hit me.............I had this old metal milk crate that no one seemed to want and it was just sitting there waiting for some love and I had this rickety broken chair needing legs.It was so obvious at that point my hands were shaking with delight.   I strapped the chair onto the milk crate and there you have it! I am totally in love with the out come, the unconventional is aways my favorite!

I really don't intend for someone to sit in this chair but it would be wonderful with flowers or an accent in the crate area.

Painted and Primitive

 These are two old slates that I bought and painted.  I had about 30 of these roofing slates and finally got down to my last two that you see here.

This is a piece I bought and painted up like the sign I did last week. I love patriocti prim.

Just a round table that I painted .

Just a little stithery I did and popped it into a "Warren Kinble" frame.

 I did a stool like this one last winter and it was a big hit so I decided to do another one.  This stool was originally stained a dark brown and not very appealing.  I painted it off white and stained to look aged.

Love Much

Old School

I went to a sale last year and picked up 2 wonderful old school desks for 5.00, that is 5.00 for the both of them. I usually pass up desks like this but I really couldn't resist the 2 for 5 deal. I saw some painted on Pinterest a while back and decided it was time to dig one of the desks out of my stash and give it a go.  I primed it first with bonding primer and then painted the desk with a maroon paint. The color was so terrible that I had to decided to go back to my old faithful friend barn red.  Next I painted the flag and stars and then stained over the whole thing and gave it a poly finish coat.

Vintage Skates

I remember spending a lot of time in the summer roller skating down the sidewalks in Grand Rapids.  I wore my skate key around my neck on an old shoe string, those were the days!  We didn't have fancy things to play with but what we did have was awesome !!!!!  So I took some old skates that I just couldn't seem to sell and decided to give them some "Bling"!  I painted them pink and then took some Modge Podge and glitter and Girlied them up!   Sparkle makes everything better don't you agree?

Garden Chair and Birdhouse

This is a birdhouse I made from a post I bought at the flea market.  The spire top I attached to give it more dimension.

 This is a chair that I painted white then attached some great junk to make it more interesting.  The pan used to be a rusty nasty old white so I painted it blue to contrast with my white chair.

 I like the little butterfly, his wings really do flutter in the breeze!

Signs

Here are two signs that I made last week.  Isn't the top sign a hoot, that one is a special order for one of my dear friends.  He is going to hang it in his shop to entertain his customers.

This sign I first saw on Pinterest and just had to make one. I happen to have a table top that was just perfect for this project! Lucky ME!

Graceful Garden Tables

 What do you get when you take two old cupboard doors, two shutter door, two sets of table legs, and two sewing drawers?  Two prim garden tables of course!!!!   I just love to take stuff that is sitting around my store room and create decorative pieces.   I also took rusty barn stars and attached them to the front for just a little more pizzaz.  Check out the table on the left, the vine cage I bought on clearance for 2.00 and put it on a metal stand I found for cheap, too cool. I am working on a real cool chair for next week and I can't wait to post it to see what you think!

Modge Podge Makes Me Happy

I found a really nice set of vintage metal coasters.  The light bulb in my head went off immediately and I knew I had to have them and at 2.00 they were a delightful find.  I found some vintage photographs on Pinterest and printed them out.  I cut some printed paper for the back round and then fit the photos over that.  I used water-proof Modge Podge to attach them to the coaster in case someone really does use them for what they were originally intended for instead of art! LOL

 I bought these picture holders at an after Christmas sale.  The were a real nasty green so I spray painted them pink.  I used some pink glitter and Modge Podge to "glam" them up.  I intend to sell them at the shop so for some extra eye candy I printed out a picture for each one on card stock.

 This vase was a clear glass vase I pulled out of  a free box.  In an earlier blog posting I posted a blue one with a bird on it.  This one I painted a peachy pink on the outside and an antique gold on the inside.  I had this metal candle holder and decided to glue the vase to it as a base.  I love anything cheap and gaudy and I think this fits that bill.

A Suitable Match

I have been buying every suitcase I find lately.  I found this round one and thought why not, I will buy anything once and give it a go. I had a stool already that had its top replaced with particle board which isn't the best looking so I thought perfect!  I painted the bottom white and the top blue.  I the case to the stool with some screws and glue.  The last one of these I made I used the tradition type suitcase and it sold the first day I put it in my booth, we'll see if this one gets the same reception!

This is a better shot of my dear companion Fred.  I bought him at a flea market too. He was a bargain, he was for sale for 25.00 but because I bought his sister to I got a "two-fer" that is two-fer 40.00! lol I told you I love a bargain!

Patriotic Pieces

 This trunk was given to me for free.  It was covered in really old fabric. I think I must have pulled out a hundred tacks or more to strip it down so I could paint it.  It has already sold so I guess it was worth it.  I put some wheels on the bottom so it could be rolled to its new destination.  Red, white, and blue I love you!

This piece was a real find for me it was also free.  It had a porcelain top on it and was missing the two doors.  I replace the top because it just didn't look right, this was the bottom of a small Hoosier cabinet and I made it into a usable piece by adding the doors and a top that was originally an old table with broken legs.  I am sorry that there aren't any before pictures. I get so excited when I am working I forget to bring my camera and then before you know it the piece is finished. I will try harder but I have to say the next few posts won't have any "befores" either because I have the attention span of a Goldfish (20 seconds).  Anyways hope you enjoy looking and feel free to pin anything you see on my blog. 

Here are two pillows I made out of ticking.