Recycling Vintage Photos

One of the{{many things}}I love to collect is Vintage Photos. I've picked them up at Estate Sales, Antique Shops & Flea Markets for years. Even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them I still couldn't pass them up. My favorite are hand painted/tinted photos.

I've seen tutorials about printing on fabric but wasn't sure if it was simple enough to do with what I had on hand{or if my printer would work- because it's not fancy at all}.

It turned out pretty good except not all the colors came through, I'm guessing because I was low on ink.

I thought it would be perfect for a pillow cover....

How crazy is it that a photo taken in 1937 at a 4 H Picnic is preserved on a Pillow that now sits on my bed.Very cool!!

101 things to do with vintage sheets...

Well, I haven't come up with 101 things to do, but here are at least 10 ideas.
A few summers ago I made this duvet, and since I've been on a sewing kick lately I thought I'd make some envelope pillow covers to match.

♥Summer Bedding♥

There's that time a day when the sun hits our patio that makes a long hot summer day even hotter, so I thought this might be a good idea: a patio sunblocker/shade maker/super-bright-light around 4p.m. detractor! Made by sewing vintage sheets together~ pretty & functional♥

As usual, you can always find the best inspiration on flickr!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
You can seriously get lost for hours browsing around this site~ no joke, I just did and now my butt's asleep so I gotta get up and move :/

Painted Night Stand: Chalk Paint Project

I finally got around to trying out CeCe Caldwell's chalk paint, and I'm really happy with how it turned out!

It's extremely easy to use~ very quick drying, so not a lot of wait time in between coats{if you choose to do two coats, I found that you don't necessarily need two}.

**Color: Santa Fe Turquoise**

I had some paint left over so I painted this old frame{I added a little white to lighten it up a bit}...

then turned it into a Chalkboard.The finish on this frame{after lightly sanding it & sealing it in wax}is SO unbelievably smooth!

Now I'm starting to look at furniture around the house thinking "Hummm, maybe that could use some color". I'm so happy I gave this paint a try♥ I had pretty much given up painting furniture because of all the time consuming steps{not to mention the toxic fumes}, now I'm loving taking something that could use a little TLC and turning it into something wonderful!

Chalk Paint...my new obsession

It's been quite a while since my last post... but I'm still here :) I thought I'd share a project I recently finished. I picked up this night stand/shelf combo{for $25 at the flea market}. I've been impatiently waiting & wanting to try out Chalk Paint on furniture~ so I was thrilled when I found this piece.

Years ago I used to paint furniture that I'd sell at flea markets. I've always enjoyed painting furniture, but loathed the process of sanding, priming and absolutely hated the thought of stripping old paint off a piece of furniture!!!

Holy cow! I can not tell you how much I LOVE using Chalk Paint♥ The fact that you don't have to prime before painting is probably my favorite part. I've heard SO much about Annie Sloan &  CeCe Caldwell's Chalk Paint. After checking out both Companies, I wasn't excited about how expensive it is~ not to mention I'd have to order it on-line{then wait for it to arrive}and I wanted to get started right away. So, I started searching the internet on "How to make Chalk Paint"....

This project was done using a recipe I found here . I bought a paste wax from Home Depot, used brushes I already had and used a soft cloth to rub the wax in & wipe off{although Annie Sloan & Cece Caldwell use a wax brush to apply their wax, I followed the directions of the wax I purchased}. A few things I liked when reading about CeCe Caldwell's paint: the paint has no Volatile Organic Compounds, it's non toxic, has no odor and the fact that you use a wax brush instead of a cloth. 

I decided to purchase a couple sample paints & sample wax{here}. Each 4oz. tub is enough to cover a small piece of furniture. I have the perfect vintage night stand that I can't wait to test these out on! I'll be sure and post the end result.
 

Coming Soon & Salvaged Vintage Scraps

A few of these fun upcycled Jewelry Display Holders will be in my Shop.

I made the mistake of washing this vintage velvet bolster pillow cover in the washing machine. One survived, the other fell apart. I decided to keep the fabric thinking I'd use it for something{probably the rationale of a Hoarder}.

I also had this unfinished embroidered pillow case{a flea market find}. So this is what I came up with....

A comfy pillow. I also added dried lavender inside along with the stuffing.

Cute & smells great!

Red Wall Decor♥

This Photo was the inspiration behind me painting....
{Flickr source}

...this vintage mirror Red.
I love how the mirror in the Inspiration photo stands out against the aqua wall.

We've had almost three days of solid rain. It's been about 5 years since Southern California has seen a lot of rain. I think our lack of sunshine lately has me craving color and brightness.
I'm not sure how people in Seattle do it!???

Upcycling Thrifted Finds

I picked up this tabletop Mannequin last week at a Thrift Store. I knew it would make the perfect Jewelry display/holder with a little dressing up.
Supplies used:
fabric
fabric glue
scissors
lace
velvet ribbon
vintage jewels & buttons
millinery flowers
paint
{all things I already had}

First I painted the base a glossy black.

Then I cut fabric in random shapes and sizes forming it{brushed with glue} to the body until it was completely covered.
I added lace to the bottom, velvet ribbon around the waist, jewels & buttons creating a brooch. I also added a few extra touches: buttons down the back, extra jewels dangling at the waist & topped with millinery flowers.

My Inspiration.
This fabulous vintage tabletop mannequin was in the Summer issue of Where Women Create. Since seeing this article I've been trying to figure out how I can take found vintage objects and turn them into a functional display piece similar to this one. I love the idea of using it to display your photo's~ brilliant!! I'll continue to wrack my brain until I figure it out.

Recycling Project♥

This beautiful Syroco frame was on it's way to the trash can when I decided I needed to try and save it. After an unfortunate accident I was left with this broken mess.
It was originally this amazing framed mirror.
Now it's a decorative Jewelry display holder{with some help from my glue gun}.
Definitely worth saving!

Upcycled Flea Market Finds

This has become a new addiction of mine. In the past when I've found a vintage framed mirror I would automatically turn it into a chalkboard or memo board. Now I love taking ornate mirrors and upcycling them~ turning them into colorful wall decor.

I found a box of these old drawer pulls that I knew would look much better painted....
Way better!!
A few of my favorite Flickr Upcycled Creations:
{Beautiful Reconstructed skirt from vintage fabrics}So pretty!
{Upcycled Vintage Train Case}LOVE this!
{Upcycled Umbrella Dog Raincoat} LOL, how cute is that(love his face)! What a great idea.
{Upcycled Vintage Brooch}Beautiful!

Here are a couple of my latest Flea Market Finds:
{Vintage paper lanterns & pom poms}
{Vintage cat eye glasses}

I have more to share but my camera batteries died, I'm up to my ears in back to school shopping and school registration. 13 days til everyone's back in school, peace and quite for a whole 6 1/2 hours a day, five days a week. woo hoo! I know I'm not the only mom who's excited about this :)