Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Hanging Lampshade Make-over



During my travels last summer, I happened across this beautiful repurposed hanging lamp. I fell in love with it but not with the $$$ price tag! I thought maybe I could rig up something of my own.
(Sorry, once again, I forgot to take pictures of the process...)  




Well, it's been a year since I considered this project  so I thought it was time to give it a go.  I took an old ripped shade thats supposed to go on a table lamp and ripped off all the material. I recovered the 22" metal frame with a tight t-shirt, removed the sleeves and handsewed it onto the frame.



I sewed some ruffles and glued them on along with some rosettes and "dingle-berries" (that's what we call ball fringe in my family). I tea-dyed and cut-up an old lace curtain and sewed it to the inside so it casts a pretty shadow when lit.



I bought a hanging lamp kit at Lowe's and voila. It was done. The hardest part was deciding where to put the frills. At first I draped the ruffles but it made it look too much like a wedding cake! I'm happier with the "victorian corset" look. It has a pretty hour-glass shape that shows-off the lace.  I still want to add a white chain or scrunchy over the cord.

Hope you try this project! It was fun!
rosie

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Easy Jewelry box Make-Over

I've been seeing these make-overs everywhere! They looked so cute I thought I'd give it a try!


 
I grabbed these jewelry boxes from my shop (the thrift store that I manage) because they have been there FOREVER!  They were your average, run-of-the-mill wood box with drawers.


 I spray painted two of them white and left the smallest one in its natural wood.



Then I added snips of scrapbook paper with a decoupage medium to the sides and drawer fronts.


The largest one looks great with a faux wood paper.


And the little birdie paper matches nicely!


This one was the easiest. I used a multi-patterned paper that was easy to mix up.


It was all one 12"x12" paper but had lots of prints that I could cut up for the drawers.


Not much cutting. I just used my square punch and popped out all those little squares.




This little one was fun. I didn't paint it white, but after putting all the paper on its surfaces, I wiped it down with a dark brown paint to sort of "antique" it. Then I brushed a gold paint along all the edges, wiping some of it away for a worn look. I just love the little fawns and owls on the topside.


One last thing to do... I will spray a light coat of  polyurethane all over to protect it.
 I had so much fun trying this! You can do this! It's so easy!
love
rosie


Friday, July 13, 2012

Friday Thrifting Treasures

NO BAD LUCK for me today! It turned out to be a banner day for sales on Friday the 13th. Good thing since I got up at the crack of dawn, sacrificing all that sleep!


Got two beautiful trays by Ole Larsen to hang in the guest bedroom. They will go perfectly in there with all my other dog portraits. Also got a large lace tablecloth to replace the one I accidently sold at my last sale. Argh.


This old child's rocker was definitely my best score today! I've got some vintage fabric that I will make a cushion with to get it ready for the next Re-inVintage Fair. Also picked up a silver pitcher for flowers and a very ratty but vintage metal basketweave handbag that will look cute with some inpatiens growing out of it. And, of course, a little Christmas bling that I can NEVER pass up!


Got this adorable child's rug made in Belgium, like new, colors bright and cheery! $2!



The TIKI bag is old and the perfect size for file folders! But I'm still "smarting" from the $4 price I paid. You know me, if  it's not a quarter it better darn well be something I LOVE!



This Gingham Dog and Calico Kitty are a sugar and creamer I think, but the doggy only has a tiny hole on the top of his head. Maybe you just shake the sugar out? But the price was right so I brought them home. Also a cast aluminum magazine rack.


CHECK OUT THIS ENID COLLINS BAG!!! This is a previous thrift store find but I just had to share it today! It has never been used, it is pristine inside and out except for a few missing smallest rhinestones. Everything else is perfect! I believe she will be going on Ebay. I don't usually tell my buying price when I list there but I can't help myself.  She was only $6.



Here is a Child of Prague that I have been looking a long time for. I love catholic icons. He was only a couple of dollars because he is missing his very important fingers for giving the 2-fingered blessing (not to be confused with the 1-finger wave.) But you wouldn't believe how handy I am with sculpey. I'll be getting that blessing in no time.


I got this rosey carnival glass pitcher at the same Salvation Army that I got the Enid Collins purse. Also in perfect condition. It was something crazy like 3$! Cheap!


Sweet "gloved hand" clip holder. Don't know what it's supposed to hold, maybe notes? But its so cute.


This yarn daisy afghan came into my shop (I run the thrift store that supports the local food pantry) and I claimed it  before the donor even set it down! It's in great condition and looks so pretty over the back of my white sofa.

Hope you're coming up with some great finds too!
rosie

Friday, June 29, 2012

Turkey Barn Sale

When the temperature gets this hot all you wanna do is sleep!



Or at least try to find a cool spot to rest!



It's almost too hot for garage sale-ing! But no sweltering heat can keep me away from the Turkey Barn!




My bestest friend Bobbi Jo always alerts me when it's time for her pal, Elva, to open up her turkey barn!


Every summer for one weekend Elva, along with her daughters and grandkids, swings wide the doors to a junkers paradise.



I'm not sure how long the old building is, but Elva tells how it was the longest turkey barn of its kind when her husband built it over 50 years ago.



Three loooong aisles of treasures!


One of her granddaughters has already called dibs on the place for her wedding reception...and she isn't even going steady yet! :)




But when the sun heats up the cool morning hours, its time to take home the treasures and rest up for the next outing.


Hope you're finding lots of goodies this summer.
rosie

Thursday, May 17, 2012

My Ridiculously Simple Seashell Project



I got these really cute curved glass portraits of children praying at the Thrift Store for a buck apiece. I had been looking for some shells to frame them with but couldn't find the right size. 

On my last visit to San Diego, I went to see Debi Beard who owns "Out of the Blue." It is a fantastic shop in Solana Beach (but come to think of it, she has recently changed the name of her shop but I can't remember what it is!) She has a talent for making gorgeous embellishments with seashells. Anyway, I just knew she would have what I needed. 


Debi had the perfect sized shells for me. I used some vintage crepe paper and seam binding too. The block letters I'd recently gotten at a g'sale.
Thanks for helping me out, Debi! 

You can see Debi's latest creation, her blingy starfish chandelier and learn how to make your own with her how-to videos!
Enjoy!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Garage Sale Season is in Full Swing!

   
Although I don't get out sale-ing as often as I'd like, I did hit some great sales recently. 



I've been on this AQUA kick lately. If I see anything that color, I buy it. (Within reason...) Don't ask me why. Check out this cool little dish: pressed glass scene of the last supper! The blue disk bracelet was a score this morning and the  blown glass paperweight is from Salvation Army.


Two vintage brooches, a bronze seahorse and lefton angel/devil figurine all for mere coinage.


This Brownie camera is similar to the one my mom used to take pictures of us as kids. I also bought some craft supplies: pink sugared bells,;a pack of tinsle stars; and mini alphabet blocks.



Here's a better look at the stars. They are in a nice jam server that is in the shape of a basket. It matches my existing tea set nicely!


The mercury glass bowl was just a quarter! How could I pass that up? The little piano is a jewelry box with nice detail on the "engraving."



You won't believe me when I tell you its actually made of plastic!
I love the detail of the little birds. I'm a sucker for birdies!
It was a gorgeous day for sales here in Missouri. I hope you are experiencing the same in your neighborhood! Good luck and happy Sale-ing!

Rosie

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Warhol Pet Painting (kind of a "how-to")

This is my daughter's dog, Pee Wee. Pee Wee was an older dog who was left for months at the kennel because her owner died. My daughter cared for Pee Wee and got to know her while she worked at the kennel. My daughter fell in love with her and took her home. Pee Wee was a great dog with a kissable nose! Sadly, she passed away about a year ago.


This year for Christmas, I painted a Warhol-style picture of Pee Wee for my daughter.

I used the photo above as my starting point. I'm sorry I didn't take pics of the process, otherwise this would have been a very nice "how-to" entry. But in a nutshell:

I enlarged and printed the photo in black and white on the xerox machine in high contrast. Then I traced over the dog's outline from the xeroxed enlargement onto a plain sheet of paper. (I always tape my tracings to the window and the daylight works just like a light box!) On the back side of that paper, I covered each pencil line (back to the window!) with lead by swiping the broadside of the pencil lead over it. A bit of artists charcoal would also work.

Placing the image rightside up on your canvas, trace, again over the lines. This is how I transferred the exact image onto each square of the canvas. I wanted to use carbon paper but who has that anymore?
Then it was just a matter of filling in the spaces with paint, like paint-by-number! It was a very LOW tech project.



Let me know if you try it!!!
rosie