French Country Wedding Table

I made this table from an old door that I had.  I loved that little door and had it displayed in my house for several years.  I decided I had to downsize and thus my favorite door became a table.

 

I had a stash of very old fence posts that I acquired from an old farm. I decided that they would make perfect legs from my door table.  I painted it with special care and sure enough someone came along that fell in love with my new creation.  In fact the new owner was soon to be a bride and she bought it to use in her upcoming wedding.  I miss my little door but I delight in the fact that it brought joy to someone starting out in their new life as husband and wife!

 

Salvaged Finds-They make me Happy!

This little cupboard is one I have had for several years and never knew what to do with it because of the heart cut-outs on the sides.  Heart cut-outs on furniture were popular in the 70's, 80's and the 90's but you don't see much with hearts anymore.  I however say what was once desirable will be again.  I decided to paint the cupboard with a patriotic theme, because our Patriotism is the heart of this county and BA-zing there it is hearts rule!

 This is a plaid tote bag I found and just had to have. I pictured it filled with flowers and used it that way to decorate at Christmas time.  I know Christmas is past but I always like to promote the use of vintage to decorate with. I plan on filling this bag with some faux geraniums for summer and some flags so stay tuned I will be hanging on to this piece and reusing it again soon.

 This is a child size rocker found in the discard pile. The seat is pressed-wood and bubbling up a bit from water exposure.  The rest of the rocker is all wood so I figured I could paint it and distress it and make it work.  After I painted it I noticed the seat was still a problem the bumps were more noticeable than ever so I sanded it down the best I could and Modge Podged a piece of scrap book paper on to the seat to cover up my problem.  It turned out nice and the bumps are gone and no one will ever know they existed unless of course they read my blog.....lol....

 These are some bottles (sorry for the terrible pictures) I dolled up....lol...literally.  Below you can see the doll head bottle in the beginning stages.  The head I glued onto a cork and painted. I think it had fire damage because there were scorch marks on it. 

The silver pitcher type bottle I sprayed with the glass spray pain and it gave it a nice mirror finish, not exactly mercury  glass yet vintage enough. The blue Milk of Magnesia bottle I attached a nice Eiffel Tower picture to and the small metal container a copy of an old photo with a wooden bingo token on the top.  All fun all the time.

This is a toilet paper holder I found cheap might I add but you already knew that.  It was painted a hideous bright blue so I spray painted it white. The white wouldn't completely cover the horrid blue up so I gave it a top coat of my favorite Brilliant Silver.  This also would double as a yarn holder for when you are knitting or winding yarn.

Numbered Book Shelf

This is just a little book shelf I found and decided to paint.  I painted it first with bonding primer and stood back to observe my work.  I decided to keep it simple with this piece.

 Here's what I came up with for design just a simple display of numbers on the top that's it, plain and simple!

 I sanded the numbers just a little to make it look worn, other than that I think it will look adorable filled with books, magazines, or what ever!

Flags

The owner of the shop where I sell my goods came up to me one day and said, "Catherine I am always thinking of you, could you use this old cut up bed post?"

I think I should have let more time pass before I blurted out, "OF COURSE!"  I took it home and paired it up with an old cutting board I had on hand and some vintage flags. 

I painted the bottom black and the pole off white and gave it a dark brown glaze.  Doesn't look like a free cut up old bed post anymore!...lol....

I love free stuff!!!!!!!

DIY Signs

 I made some signs out of some things I had sitting around my work area.  I was almost at the point of getting rid of both items, then I had a vision.

I sure wish I did a "before" picture of these two signs.  They started out so totally opposite of signs. I found this picture on the Net to show you what I started out with.

                                                 As you can see below this is the finished sign.


      Keep calm and carry on, my favorite advise, I always think of this saying when I get into a pickle.

This is a little bird I found at Jo Ann Fabrics for 1.99 and painted it blue to fit the color scheme.

 This sign was actually a TV tray set.  The sign board is the top of the TV tray and the bottom was the display stand that held the 4 trays.  It was not usable as it was so it became a sign too.

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They both look awesome in my booth at the Peddler's Market.  I don't know if someone will actually buy them but they add a touch of eye candy to my display.

Vintage Purse

I love this little vintage purse.  It was one I have had for such a long time and decided to Modge Podge a vintage photo image to. It would be cute as a centerpiece or hanging on the front door.

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.

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!

Love my Wellies

I finally found a pair of "Wellies" in my size and just had to buy them.  I had to wrestle them away from my husband, he wanted to turn them into cement boots!!! The very idea.  I originally wanted a pair to wear when I walked the high grass, I have a phobia of snakes and thought the wellies would give me the confidence I needed.  After I got them home I started to think about all the boots I had seen on the net that people decorated so I thought why not, it won't make any difference to the snakes if there is lace on my boots or not.  Then I needed a new centerpiece for Spring at work so I decided to use the boots in a floral arrangement.  I will be changing the flowers again this week so I will get my boots back soon and be able to venture out in the weeds for a walk after supper.  I love the lace and black ribbon they just "Girlie-up" the boots so nicely. 

Paris Hotel Wash Stand

Well this stand is pretty self explanitory.  I had an old wash stand collecting dust in my store room and thought it was time to give a chace to be loved.  I added an old door and there your have it a catch all for more than just dust. I always say you can never have enough old doors laying around waiting to be stenciled and attached to something old. 

Christmas is Coming

It won't be long and Christmas will be here again! I can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving, along with the holiday I turn another year older and well we won't go into that....

I always wanted an advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas and just never found the right one and then one day it came to me! I was rummaging through my things and even considering getting rid of some that I just couldn't seem to salvage.  I saw a broken old sled leaning on the back of the house and knew my husband was probably really sick of seeing it there. I had it for over a year and didn't touch it so it was time to make a decision keep it safe in my clutter or toss it out. Then it hit me I can do this I can make this sled into something I don't have to waste a perfectly good primitive. The sled was all busted up, the slats on the top were toast and needed some love. So I did what every self respecting junker does and went to my stash to hunt for some parts. I found a narrow door and knew that it would fit perfectly into the space on the top and I loved the latch that was on the door it would certainly add character to the sled. I really had to work at it I had to drill out some fasteners and re-drill the door, it took me quite a while but I just knew it would be worth it.
I painted the whole thing olde white and glazed it with an antique brown.  Next I mixed up some black chalk paint and painted the 2 panels so that I could write on them with chalk.  Count down to Christmas I just may enjoy you this year!

Call Me!

I noticed today that I haven't posted anything any 2 years, 2 years! And the thing is that I really wanted to so why didn't I? Who knows so today I eagerly posted some of my projects and linked them to some blog parties that I have admired for a long time. I am so excited to finally get into the swing of things again and share the things that I love to make with kindred spirits.

I really love the words "I was getting rid of this and thought of you!" I got a message on Face book from and acquaintance that she had a sewing machine cabinet that had seen better days and I could have it for FREE (angels singing in the backround). Anyone that knows me knows the more tattered the piece the better I like it and free is good. No worries about will it diminish the collectible value.

I remember once I bought an old treadle sewing machine cabinet. It was beyond repair or collectible value. I gave it a nice primitive finish and painted a nice landscape on the top the kind that would make Warren Kimble proud (at least I like to think so). I delivered the piece to the store I consign at and a person I know (one that you hope your don't run into very often) happened to be there. She looked at me and said with disgust "I can't believe that someone painted this and ruined the value." I am not the type to stand idly by and replied "I am sorry you don't like what I have done with this cabinet but rest assured that there was little value before I rescued it. The woman said "oh, I didn't know it was yours, but really you shouldn't have altered it." What she didn't realize was the poor thing had sat out in a damp barn for years and the top was all pealed and marred. Oh well it sold shortly after and I had the last laugh all the way to the bank.

Back to the present, I glady accepted the sewing cabinet and planned what I wanted to do with it. I had found another piece at a tag sale and decided the 2 must meet and become friends. I go to the sales where most people just see junk and but I see stuff with raw potential. I learned that if you see it buy it you will need it later I promise. I never met a piece of junk that I didn't like, if nothing else it can double as a door stop or kindling wood.

I really like the motif of early telephones, it got my husband and I talking about the good old days of party lines and being a one phone family. Our kids wouldn't believe us if we told them that a phone was a stationary item was not kept in your pocket back in the day. The little black chair additon goes back to my addiction to small chairs. At the time I thought it was a compatible size for the table but discovered later on that it was a bit too short. Oh well I was happy with the paint job and thought it wasn't worth the worry.

The drawer on the phone desk that used to hold sewing goods now is for chalk and an eraser.

Phone books tuck nicely on the bottom shelf. I painted the back board of the top with chalkboard paint so you could record your messages and reminders. The lid on the slanted part lifts to a compartment that will hold notebooks and pens so this a very versatile piece that was once a labeled a cast off. I love the fact that the younger generation has seen the merit in re-purposing and there are blogs all over the net with their work. I have been a member of the upcycle movement since I was a kid so even it isn't a new concept to me it is comforting to know that others share my passion.

Take a Number Please!

Oh how I love summer, the flea markets, the garage sales, the freebies on the side of the road....it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! Many people spend countless hours in the office of a therapist trying to find peace and contentment. I say give me a bargain and all is well in my corner of the world. I know I seem simple, but I grew up when you made-do, re-used, or did without so this is my true comfort zone.

On one of my therapy sessions I came across this cupboard that was in need of a do-over. Do overs are my expertise and so I knew we would hit it off right away. First I gave it a coat of satin black and sanded the edges. It looked alright but only okay and I usually don't settle for just okay. I thought what about a nice shade of taupe with black numbers that would do, yes that is the look I am going for. So out came the brushes and paint. It was a new day for my 80's cupboard it could fit into about any decor shabby, prim, or retro.