Repurposed, Upcycled, Made Over!

Today I am linking up with Vintage Inspiration Party where this week the lovely ladies are featuring a Best of 2015 Vintage Inspiration Party where we link up the projects we are most proud of.

I just happen to have a post for that......

I have been gathering vintage milking stools and glassware, teacups and platters from garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets all summer. I have also been gathering paints and stencils and ideas for some things I wanted to upcycle, re-do, makeover and just make for the fun of it and for gifts.

Some are vintage items that got makeovers. Some have before pictures, most don't! Some are repurposed items I saw and loved and so I made them from DIY tutorials.

I found this fabulous wood board painted aqua and I had to have it. It has a rustic, chippy finish on it from hanging around the garage of an estate sale for years!

I did not know what I was going to do with it. I bought it for the color. It sat in my back room most of the summer until the day I found a bunch of these rusty metal thingys all tied to together with a tie-wrap. I had to get them, again with no idea what I would use them for. They were $1.

 

When the idea came to me to put them together with the aqua board, I was able to create the vision in my head in about a half hour. I just glued the metal thingys onto the board in the shape of a Christmas tree.  I had bought some vintage thread spools and a rusty, sparkly star a year ago for a tree project that I could never get excited about doing so it never happened. This one has a little different spin on that and I couldn't wait to put it together.

 

 

I wanted a little more something something on it so I added little pearl seed beads here and there in the open holes. I love how it came out and look forward to hanging it for the holidays. I originally intended to sell it but I am not ready to part with it yet!

 

 

This was the summer for finding stools.....old milking stools and barn stools. Most of them were found plain brown. I have been trying out chalk paint and stencils on different things but these stools are my first total makeovers.

 

The first stool started out brown so I just painted it with Folk Art Chalk Paint in Cascade, which is a pretty aqua. I distressed it a little, finished it with MinWax Paste Finishing Wax and listed it in my shop. It sold pretty quickly!

 

 

I like using the Folk Art Home Décor brand of chalk paint and it is inexpensive with my 40% off coupons! I have been adding colors to my collection and finally gave in to trying the dark Antique Wax too.

 

 

Wanting to do more with that pretty color Cascade, I pulled this stool out of my shop that I had listed in it's original state.

 



 

 

Looks so much better with a couple coats of Cascade, distressing, and some finishing wax!

 

It is available



 



I needed three birthday gifts for upcoming get togethers this summer so I decided to try making a hanging teacup bird feeder and a garden art dish flower following Tuula's directions over at her blog Thrifty Rebel Vintage.



I think they came out pretty cute. I made three teacups and one flower so far. Two teacups have been given as gifts already.

The hanger is a vintage necklace

 

 

 

I went a little outside the box for the flower, using a gold platter with handles and a printed plate.

There are six different elements on this flower....the gold platter, a ceramic dish with a butterfly on it, a large clear cut glass bowl, a smaller bubble design yellow bowl, a small glass ridged cup and the top of a ring in faux turquoise.

From the side you can see the butterfly and the dimension of all the dishes.

When attached to copper tubing with a bent over spoon on the back, then put in the ground, it looks fabulous!

The secret of putting it all together is Marine Goop glue which was fairly easy to work with. I had to get mine online but you may find it at any hardware store.

My last two makeovers are stools again and they are my favorites of all. One was easy to do, the other had me panicking throughout the process.

This stool was listed in my shop but with such a limited amount of buyers who may want it, I decided to make it over.

I bought the Folk Art chalk paint called Imperial and gave it a couple coats. I wanted to use one of my number stencils and chose number 7 because it is the number of completeness and perfection in the bible. It is also one of my favorite numbers because so many family members, including myself, have it in their birth date.

I stenciled it on in Warm White and then sanded over it. I decided to try the Antique Wax on this piece which worked well to tone the red down. I didn't distress this because some of the worn spots still showed through after painting. I love how it turned out!

My favorite makeover of them all is this Barn Sweet Barn stool. The stool was plain brown so I painted it in Sheepskin chalk paint. I knew I wanted to use the antique wax on it but decided I had better distress it and stencil it first. I chose basic black for the words. When I first put the wax on I panicked. It was so dark! I tried rubbing it off and it didn't budge from the white. A soft, damp cloth helped spread the wax around and give the stool an aged look.

 

 

 

 

I have other projects in the back room waiting for my attention, from vintage items I picked up this summer. An old letter organizer I want to paint and embellish, a wood wall mailbox from the 50's I will paint and distress and an old metal lampshade form that I want to dress up with strips of fabric or maybe doilies.....haven't decided yet!

 

That's after I paint my front hall floor and stairs and my linen closet area near the bathroom.

 

That's if my body holds out after putting the garden to rest for the winter!

 

So much to do, so little time. Anyone else feeling the same?!

 

 

AnnMarie xoxo

  I am linking up to these great blog parties:

Share Your Cup Thursday
Vintage Inspiration
Vintage Bliss Tuesdays
What's It Wednesday
Before & After Wednesday
Home and Garden Thursday
Vintage Charm
Freedom Friday with All My Bloggy Friends
Anything Blue Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
A Bouquet of Talent
Flea Market Fridays Link Up Party
Amaze Me Monday
Show and Share
Make It Pretty Monday
Best of 2015 Vintage Inspiration Party