My Salvaged Treasures: February 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Spool Necklaces and a Repurposed Lamp

I've been playing with old thread spools and sheet music again.

This time, I thought I'd create a new display just for them and some of my other necklaces made from sheet music.

This pretty alabaster lamp base has been in my inventory for ages and has finally wore out its welcome at the antique shows. Obviously no one was interested in rewiring it, so I decided to turn it into another jewelry display made from a lamp.

Perfect for holding about 16 - 18 necklaces without being too crowded. To keep the necklaces from getting tangled up when I'm displaying them at a show, each one will hang from an S hook on the lace covered frame.

Notice the new light bulb? A dab of glue holds the doorknob in place.
The lace wrapped frame and blue glass finial were salvaged from two other lamps.

From the heart

I love you, dear,

A-maz-ing Grace

four leaf clo-ver

Life is but a dream

Al-le-lu-ia Al-le-lu-ia

Tra, la,la, la, la, la,la,

like a rose (no closeup)

I can't read the notes, but I love music, I love the graphics, and I sure love jewelry.

I'm joining:

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party Thursdays
The Vintage Farmhouse for Creative Things Thursday
Green Willow Pond for What We Accomplished Wednesday
My Repurposed Life for Catch as Catch Can
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Marriage of a Rake and Chair Leg

I knew this rusty old rake thing I picked up at an antique show a few weeks ago was destined to become a picture holder. The odd shaped, squarish handle wasn't going to fit in a round hole, so I couldn't just drill a hole in a block of wood and glue in the handle like some of the others I've made. A quick look through my pile of miscellaneous junk produced a solution.

I think they'll be very happy together for years to come even though it was a marriage made
in my garage.

The two main ingredients: 1) A rusty old thing I'm calling a rake, but I'm not really sure what it is or how it was originally used. 2) A lone chair leg found at the salvage yard waiting to become part of something once I figured out what to do with it.

I cut a strip from a scrap of embossed wallpaper for extra texture, moistened it, pressed it into place, filled the holes, and painted the entire leg. I sprayed the rake with two coats of matte acrylic sealer, screwed it to the leg through the other hole in the handle, then glued on a salvaged clip on earring.

It's still recognizable as a chair leg from the back.

It also makes a mighty fine earring display.

The thick stereoscope cards are a perfect fit and a fun way to display more earrings.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Heavy Metal Junking Finds

I see a metal theme going on here. As I was rounding up some of my finds from the last couple of weekends, I realized that the majority of them ranged from light weight aluminum to heavy iron. Where's all the bling?

This French aluminum canister set has seen better days, but you can still make out part of the writing. I haven't decided yet if I want to leave them "as is" or put a paper label over the top. I'm kind of liking them just the way they are.

Three heavy industrial style drawers in need of a good cleaning and a makeover. I wonder what type of store or workshop they came from.....balls, plastic parts, corks and wax; an interesting combination.

Another galvanized container waits for a makeover while holding the stash of springs I
just had to buy.

Little clay pots are a perfect fit inside the springs.
I didn't realize the old iron grate they're sitting on got lost in the picture. I'm thinking it needs to be hung horizontally and would be perfect for holding towels or magazines.

I couldn't resist the sweet old metal mini tool box. The other side opens up to reveal
two more sections.

How about a Christmas tree ornament as a mini gazing ball? Those boxes could also be used as shelves, and I'm feeling some inspiration for the rake thingy.

Planting these little pots made me anxious for spring.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Trash to Treasure Chest

I came so close to passing up this ugly duckling three drawer flatware chest at a yard sale a few weeks ago, but I felt sorry for it and knew there was a glimmer of hope.

Kind of scary, huh? The guy I bought it from gave up after attempting to strip it.

There's always hope with a fresh coat of paint and a lot of patience.

I applied two coats of Graphite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, distressed it a little, then used clear and dark wax. A postmark stencil from Royal Design Studio was a perfect fit on top.

The original handles were too far gone, so I filled in the holes and started over. I was going to use three milk glass knobs, but it looked too stark and proper. I switched out two of the milk glass knobs for clear glass and clear glass with some chippy white paint.

When I got it home and put my glasses on for a closer look inside, I realized the pretty blue velvet wasn't pretty at all, and it wasn't coming out without a fight. I had to attack a few sections with a chisel, then sand it down to get rid of the glue and fuzz. No wonder the guy

gave up on it.

Much better now...clean and fuzz free. I used Mod Podge and wrapping paper with images of vintage ads to cover the inside.

Perfect for holding old letters, photographs, and treasures galore.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cottage Junk

I rescued this old cabinet door from the salvage yard a while back along with a couple of others. My original idea was to turn this one into a chalkboard, but I got distracted from that plan and ended up putting all of them on the back burner. Plan B: I always have plenty of junk hanging around, so why not merge the two.