Vintage Shutters

I love shutters especially the old and worn ones that graced the front of old farm houses.  I had great fortune to receive some last summer from a friend.  She said the were going on the burn pile and thought that she would give me a chance to salvage them.  When I used to sell at our local flea market everyone knew me as the "salvage artist" or the "queen of junque" so they would bring me all their unwanteds and I would take them home and wait for inspiration and make whatever into something new and interesting. So here are they are all painted and grunged.  I thought one white and one aqua would be fun.  The look great just leaning up against a wall, they have such character.  I always prefer to decorate with vintage, how about you? I would love to hear what your favorite look is!

Lucky Dice

I bought a set of country painted blocks at a garage sale this summer and decided they would be very cool painted up to look like dice. I wish I had taken a before picture and certainly will on my next projects so you can see the transformation it really gave the blocks a new life. The country motif was very out dated and I just thought the dice theme was a hit out of the park.  I have another set I bought last year so if these sell I can make another set. Business has slowed down becaue of garage sale season and I am taking advantage of it and getting my booth stocked to the max.  I just have to be working on something I can't seem to stop! Keep watch for more of my handmade pieces I know I will have tons more to show you and even though I didn't do "before and after" pictures this week I promise I will next week.

A Good Week

I had a wonderful week and got so many projects finished and ready to take to the shop.  I even made a doll and I haven't done that in quite a while.  I had this vintage baby dress  and knew it would be so sweet on a doll. I make my own patterns so I made the body to fit the dress.  I had some wings I bought a long time ago and decided that she would look nice with them especially after I grunged them up.  I gave her some antennas too because she is part doll part butterfly....well now you know how my mind works I see things and I admit sometimes they are bizarre but I still like them.  I buy stuff because I see what they can become.

Random Remakes

Just thought I would post some of my projects from the last year, ramdom remakes that I so enjoyed creating.  Monday's are my day to paint the rest of the week I am in a stuffy office keeping the masses happy, no place for a kindred spirit girl like me.  Monday's I am so blessed especially in the summer, I move my projects outside and paint in the open environment of nature's beauty.  I am surrounded by famers plowing their fields, planes jitter bugging around dusting the crops, and Sand Hill Cranes squawking at me because I am crowding their territory.  I could go on and on it is so peaceful under the summer sun slapping on buckets of paint on things that most assuredly would have been taken to the land of the unwanted to rot and disintegrate. 

I surely am thankful that God gave me the ability to paint and to see potential in the things that just need a second chance. I not saying I am the best or accomplished just a willing student.   I am a product of second chances so I guess it just comes natural.

Simple as ABC

Pottery Barn Knock off's seem to be everywhere on the net.  I saw several using the giant type writer key theme and had to try my hand at it.  So I search through my stock pile to find something I could use for my project and found an old table top laying in the corner and a pedestal base without a top and knew they were destined to become as one!  I attached the two together with some screws and some Gorilla Glue which I use as often as I can because the stuff just works, (just wish I wouldn't always have to get some on my hands).  Oh well still worth it!

After the table was ready to paint I base coated it with a flat black and then started on the top.  I mixed up a special color of off white with browns and gold tones and painted the inside section of the top.  I took a tomato soup can and drew out all the circles.  I still don't have that fancy cutting machine so I have to do everything the hard way but I still do it with a smile on my face painting just makes me happy! While the circles were still damp I took a glass and placed it on each circle to lift some paint and give it a slight accent.
After the circles were dry I stenciled thd letters, numbers, and scrollwork.  I painted a dark brown glaze over the whole piece followed by a polycoat.  I used water base MinWax it is great in closed conditions no fumes and dries fast.  I hope to paint a design like this again the look of vintage is one I never get tired of. 

Pink Trike Love

I really am getting into this pink shabby movement that is sweeping the blog world.  I went to one of my favorite hangouts the GW Boutique and found a trike in very rough shape. It wasn't priced so asked the clerk how much it was.  A she took the sweet little trike to the back of the store to tag I thought to myself well there goes that dream!  I was sure my found treasure would come back with a 9.99 tag on it and that is out of my range totally.  To my delight the clerk brought the trike back with a 2.99 tag and I couldn't be happier.  You know they say diamonds are a girls best friend well I beg to differ give me a good piece of rusty junque any day and I am as monkey in a banana tree! ; ) 

 I took my little find home and sprayed it a cotton candy pink.  I found 2 boxes in my "stash" that I mounted in place of the seat and in the front for flowers.  Over all the color in the picture looks a bit brighter than it is. I used a ameretto color glaze over the whole piece to give it soft aged patina.  I think it will go well in my booth at the Peddler's Market and hopefully find a new owner that will love it as much as I do.

Bingo!

I certainly love finding ordinary things that are discarded and giving them a second chance to make someone happy.  I found this table in my basement and knew it had been down there for about 5 years or more. Time to give it a chance to move to the first floor level and let someone else claim it for their own.  Sometimes I like a piece so much that I don't want to paint it and let it go, yes I know my basement looks like an episode you would see on the TV show Hoarders but oh well I haven't seen their van pull into my driveway yet.

This table was made in rough shape and the top was warped so badly that I couldnt' use it.  So I hunted thru my stash (see it is functional) and found a door panel that I thought would be a great re-placement for the damaged table top.  After I affixed it with glue and finish nails I primed the whole piece in flat black and then proceeded to work out the top design.

I love vintage ephemera and the bingo card has always brought sweet memories of my childhood when you played some form of bingo at every bridal or baby shower your mother dragged you to.  (I was a tomboy and despised dresses and patent leather so they were no place for me).  I used several vintage bingo cards as my inspiration and used paint pens to make all the lines of the card and stencils for the numbers and words.  (I hope one day to have one of those new fangled cutting machines still trying to figure them out and which one would be the one for me).  Over all I loved the outcome it was beyond my expectations so that made me very happy.  I went to take it to the market where I have a booth and didn't even get it out of my car and it was sold. Now that is a good day on the planet!