Steps to Loveliness

An old ladder my mother had kicking around

goes from dirty yellow

to something soft and practical.

A couple of throws
and a few vintage books bought at a
thrift store for a couple of dollars each.

So cute!

(pssssttt...... check out that shabby chic Mantle Clock
$1.99 at the thrift store! LOVE IT. )

Simple Chandelier

This charming outdoor chandelier is made

from a wire basket you can pick up cheap

at your local thrift shop.

Dress it up anyway you like. Insert candles. Voila !

As seen in Sunset Magazine.

Tea Light!

I've been intrigued with teacup lamps lately, so I thought I would try my own.I gathered up some odds and ends at a local thrift store. All of these cost less than $4 total.

Instead of buying a lamp kit for the wiring, I bought a $5 lamp at Habitat for Humanity and took it apart using just the insides.

Not bad for a first attempt!
(Tip if you're thinking of doing this yourself - DON'T try to drill though Stoneware! auughhh!!)

This lamp was linked up to

Funky Junk Interirors

Saturday Night Special

Click HERE to go there

and see all the other terrific projects entered

Blue to New

As promised here is my Flea Market chest.
Blue, sad, unloved and I'm sure ridiculed by its peers... here is the new version.

Although not a very clear picture, you can see the blue that I allowed to come through during the aging process. Most old furniture shows layers of paint. I love the way the layers came through on this.

Salvage

I went to a very well known Salvage Shop on the weekend. Apparently many of the home decorators on TV go there. I can see why! This place was filled to the brim with the most astonishing finds I've ever seen. Here are a few of the pictures I managed to take.

If you're ever in the neighbourhood, check out The Door Store
in the Castlefield Design District. So much more than doors. Amazing!

Garden Ladder

I just had to add this picture of an old ladder placed in the garden.

Beautiful!

Quick and Quirky

A fountain might be a great garden accent -- until it cracks or leaks. This one was then turned into a charming planter for creeping plants to spill over the edges and create the look of water.

An old cracked, yet still attractive pot can be topped with a peice of concrete or flagstone to create a lovely garden table

Old drawers can be used for all kinds of planters. This one was attached to an old footboard and placed in the garden for something different.

Don't throw away old garden tools.
Breathe new life into them by using them for climbing plants

Pictures courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Drab to Fab!

Old and drab

Just to show you what a good eye can catch!
Take a look at this old credenza brought to life with a little paint and some nice accessories.

New and Fab!

Picture Courtesy of Style North

A New Type of Window Box

A couple of old brackets and some old wood, or a shutter makes an adorable shelf or window box.

Flea Market Dresser

Here's a little project I am currently working on. My mother and I picked up this old, VERY COLOURFUL dresser at a flea market. It was dirt cheap. I forgot to take a picture of it all put together but you get the idea.

Here, it gets a nice coat of primer...

... and then a nice coat of flat brown.

Stay tuned for the finished product.
I'll post pictures as soon as I get (off my lazy butt) it finished!!

CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR FINISHED PROJECT ! (Woohoo!)

http://www.recapturedcharm.com/2009/06/blue-to-new.html

New Use for an Old Ladder

Old ladders have many uses.

This seems to be the most common. Placed in the corner of any room, this aged handyman's tool makes a handsome bookshelf for perhaps.... some antique books??

Paint it up or leave the chippy paint as is.

What Do You See?

Do you see an old ashtray or a birdbath?

I can't count how many of these I've passed by in my treasure hunting. Every time I see one I think of my father's old ashtray he used for his cigars. But I never really saw a birdbath. This ashtray had an old silver tray with a handle fixed to it and a salt shaker bird perched on top. Paint it up a funky colour and place it in the garden. How pretty!

Antique Knobs for Display

Courtesy of Country Living Magazine. Here is a conversation piece you can put together yourself with no effort or skill required. Go antiquing or thrift store shopping. Keep your eye out for vintage door knobs or hardware. It might take some time to collect, but think of the fun you'll have finding all these gems. Display in a decorative vase or candy dish.

Green Tea

Take a look at some fun wall art.

This is from a site called Ghost Furniture from the UK.

She picks up all kinds of things for dirt cheap then recreates them into works of art and sells them for ... well.... NOT dirt cheap!

Concealed Workspace

This little number is a fantastic idea. This particular one is found at Pottery Barn complete with a hefty price tag. Pick up an old dresser at a flea market or yard sale and create this very same item for a fraction of the cost. It's very simple to remove the top drawer and rig a drop down drawer front. Customize the inside cubbie to your needs. Paint, wallpaper, stencil or add fabric to the outside of an old relic and you'll have this cutie cubicle for yourself.

Thinking Outside the Box

Couresty of Reestore.com, these two items are a hoot! All their items have first names.

Meet Max the Tub and Annie the Shopping Trolly. These can be yours for a price, but considering they come from the UK, something tells me shipping might be more than the price tag!

Ingenious!

This ingenious idea was from House and Home Magazine last year.

Repurposed truck springs for stools.

Brilliant!

Repurposed Tea Cups

My mother had dozens of these dainty teacups. Years ago when she asked if I wanted them, I pursed my lips, crinkled my nose and shook my head side to side. Auugh! I'd love to take that answer back.

I know she still has some and I'll score what few remain when I rummage through her China Cabinet very soon! So many ways to utilize these cute little vessels.

This Chandelier is found at Domestic Construction

 

This is just too cute for words!

Do-it-Yourself Pictures

If you're lucky enough to have a colour printer. Try printing off unique pictures from the web, (or here). Put them in old Antique frames. Better yet, travel with your camera at all times. You never know when a unique photo-op arises.

Vintage Tins

I'm sweet on Vintage Tins. They can be used for all kinds of things, but mostly they're just adorably decorative. Stacked in a kitchen or bathroom, left open to display goodies or kept closed view the complete beauty of the tin. Enjoy them just as they are. No need retouch them.

Remember these??? I'm sure my mother had these.

Birdhouses

I've been fascinated with Birdhouses lately. I really don't know why. Last year the buggers ate every cherry off my cherry tree. But most of the year they're beautiful creatures to watch. I'm going to make it a summer project to construct a birdhouse from some old salvage I've collected. We'll see how it turns out. Meanwhile here are some pictures for inspiration.

This one I'll put near my Cherry Tree !