Easy Vintage Thrift Store Upcycles

Last week I made a deal with myself I wouldn't go to the thrift store until I had finished a couple of other DIYs I had planned. Does anyone else do that? I was being very good until my friend Martha rang and asked me to go with her. Such a bad influence! I said no at first but by the end of the conversation, it changed to yes, but I was only going to buy some books. Famous last words! I started off well, but it didn't take long before I spotted some great timber pieces to upcycle. I was arguing with  myself that they were a real bargain and they would look great after a redo!  So again... I gave in. I know, I know! I also said I would spend my time finishing these projects before I started on anything else! We'll see how it goes.

The great thing about these projects is that they take very little time to do. So for me that's a win! If you are unable to spend any money but would love to update your decor, vintage thrift store finds are the way to go and you can decorate them in your own taste.   

Firstly this timber framed vintage pears print. I've always loved these and I loved the timber frame but I wanted a lighter fresher look. I knew I could give it a new lease of life so into my stash it went.

Wood framed Pears print (before)

Here is the "after". I decided to give it a more distressed look. I did this with dry brushing. I start with a dry brush and only a tiny bit of paint on the end of the brush. If you feel there is too much paint just wipe the brush on a paper towel until you have the desired amount. 

After

I gave it two coats but even so it was a quick makeover.


The next vintage item is a jewellery box. It was a bit bland but I knew I could jazz it up with some paint and paper

I decided to paint it a soft pink colour with a distressed finish. Again I used my homemade chalk paint which is simply acrylic paint, or latex in the USA, and Plaster of Paris mixed together. I mixed about 2 tablespoons of POP into a small amount of water and added this to half a cup of paint. Stir well. Chalk paint is rather expensive and I didn't want to spend money on my vintage thrift store finds plus it is so easy to use

Next to give it some extra character I painted a stencil on the lid.

I had some wrapping paper I'd already used so decided to line inside the top and the drawer on the bottom. I used mod podge, again homemade, to glue it in place. The last step was to spray inside and out with a sealer and I was finished.

If you would like to make your own Mod Podge it's simply mixing a cup of craft glue with a cup of water and storing it in a recycled glass jar.  

Before

After

DIY beach decor

Beach decor mail and key holder

Mail and key holder (before)

Well I'm finally back after a busy christmas with my friends and family. It was extra special this year, my daughter and 2 grandchildren who live in Rome came to Australia for Christmas. Lots of food, sun and laughter! I'm missing them a lot and planning their next visit! Despite another daughter (I have 4) and myself both being in hospital we weren't going to let it get us down. She was found to have two brain aneurysms and just had the second operation. If she hadn't slipped on the bathroom tiles and banged her head she may not be here with us today. They gave her a CAT scan to be on the safe side and that's how they found them. After the first operation they said she was a very lucky girl because it was ready to burst. Frightening but it was another lesson in life to remind me to always tell those close to you that you love them. Please never take each other for granted. I feel grateful for so many things especially my 4 amazing daughters and precious grandchildren.


  Now I can breathe again! I know all mothers will relate to this, when our children are suffering so are we! I ended up in hospital because I have a hiatus hernia and an ulcer which bled. I did not want to go to but I have very bossy children and they say they have a very stubborn mother! I thought about others who may be in a similar situation, ill in hospital away from loved ones. The positive is  our problems could be fixed for which we are both very grateful but so many others can't because their illness is terminal. I thought of mothers and fathers who had to watch their child die and my heart goes out to them.

 We're all well now and enjoying our beautiful Queensland summer and feeling very grateful to be alive.  It's been a hot one, perfect for the beach and water sports, but not so great for those working outside.

Anyway while I was second hand shopping (again) I found a few little treasures that I knew would make perfect DIY beachy decorations. One was a 70s style letter and key holder and the other was a keepsake box with the cutest little sailboat on the front. Rust and all! Loving the beach and DIY I grabbed them both.

I started with the letter holder and painted it a beautiful shade of blue (of course). The beach is where I feel peace so looking at blue/green colours calms me. It's my favourite colour and this is a pale teal with white panels.I used chalk paint,

Dark blue beachy mail and key holder

a mixture of white and blue and gave it a distressed finish. I couldn't decide between a deeper or lighter blue, so I'm going to show you both. I would love to know which colour you preferred. I'm leaning towards the lighter.

This is the lighter blue, it still has some of the dark blue showing through to give it more depth.

Light blue beach mail and key holder 

Ok what do you think? Let me know in the comments section, I would really love some feedback.

Next I painted/distressed the beach keepsake box in the same dark blue. I have some of my shells in it but you could use it for anything you like. I was going to say love letters but that's really showing my age! Does anyone still write these or is it all electronic? Kind of sad, it's just not the same is it? Or am I alone in saying this?

Dark blue beachy keepsake box

I know many love old rusty pieces, in fact the rustier the better! I'm not sure if I'm one of them. I do love the little sailboat on the front, it adds some character and some beachiness! Thoughts?

Again I painted this in the lighter blue and the rusty bits a white wash.

Light blue beachy keepsake box

I have in my stash some more wooden decor items to show you next time. One of my favourites is a timber 3 tier candle holder, very 70's style. Please give me your feedback in the comments section, I would love to hear from you. Have a wonderful weekend and keep safe

Michael Jackson - Heal The World

Decorating with beach colours

http://centsationalgirl.com/2013/07/decorating-with-coral/utm_source=feedburner

http://www.colourlovers.com/palette/1692463/navy_and_coral

http://www.bhg.com/rooms/bedroom/color-scheme/real-life-colorful-bedrooms/#page=4

The beach is my favourite place, my relaxation, my unwinding space, simply being in and with nature. I guess that's why the colours of the beach are my favourite as well. Here in Australia it is Autumn but in Queensland where I live it's still warm and sunny. I know on the other side of the world it's Spring, (you lucky people) which means for many  getting outside more and enjoying the warmth of the sun. Some will be changing their decor, I know I do when spring comes, so thought I'd show some beautiful summery blues, greens, and splashes of yellow and orange.

http://nauticalcottageblog.com/2012/01/color-palette-of-the-week-sea-of-blues/paint-palette-sea-of-blues/

http://www.design-seeds.com/blog/

http://www.laura-ashley.com.au/

www.houseofturquoise.com

www.bhg.com

http://www.2modern.com/products/comback-rocking-chair?

utm_campaign=Pinterest%20Buy%20Button&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=

http://ithinkimbigmich.tumblr.com/post/26228130308

http://www.design-seeds.com/blog

http://www.deborahwhitlawllewellyn.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0&a=0&at=0

http://www.deborahwhitlawllewellyn.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0&a=0&at=0

http://www.grandinroad.com/outdoor-living/

Hope you enjoyed the fun colours and it's given you some inspiration for your own decor, till next time.

centsationalgirl.com/2013/07decorating-with-coral/

Easy Mosaic Projects

I just came inside after feeding the birds, native birds that are common here in Queensland. They are called Butcher Birds which are meat eaters (insects mainly) and because they are losing their habitat and also because of floods or dry spells they don't always have enough food. I feed the parents and when they have babies I feed them too. If they are at my window chirping for food and I don't feed them straight away my little dog Mindy starts to cry, so I have birds and a dog crying in unison! Anyway it started me thinking about doing a mosaic, I have seen a number of mosaics of birds and I thought it would be nice to create my own. I started to look through pinterest (where else?) and found a number of really good tutorials of easy mosaic projects for you if you would like to know more about it. One of the reasons I started was because I seem to break so many plates, glasses and vases and as I like to recycle and upcycle I thought mosaics would be a great way to do that and as well make something nice to look at (hopefully)

The first tutorial I found really helpful. It goes through all the stages of making a mosaic and is easy to follow

From Hub Pages

This is also an easy to understand and well laid out tutorial

Youtube

hubpages (garden art)

wikiHow tutorial

    

Minerva Mosaics

         

Elizabeth Veglia Mosaics 

inspirationgreen.com

themosaicstore.com.au

puabellasoaps.blogspot

cereusart

smashingchinamosaics.co.uk

inspirationgreen.com

mosaicsbymarie.com

Phoenician Arts, flickr

debbiedickinson.com

flickr

I hope you enjoyed the eye candy and I really hope that you'll give mosaics a go. You don't have to be precise, just have fun with it. I have to admit I love the part of smashing it up. You never know what you're going to produce, like a lucky dip. I would love to see your work, it gives me inspiration too. Have a great day whatever part of the world you're in, after all we are all a part of the same race, the human race. Cheers for now

Mixed Media Art

I've always loved art and fossicking in thrift stores for art that I love at budget prices and recently I discovered mixed media art on pinterest and have fallen in love with it.

We all have different tastes but mixed media is something we can all do and there are a ton of youtube video tutorials to inspire and help with this process.

One of my favourite artists is Crystal Neubauer. Crystal uses things such as old photos, tickets etc. that people throw away and turns them into something beautiful. I'm always drawn to anything that we can recycle and repurpose and she does it so well. She believes that every piece is a part of someone's life and uses this to tell a story. In the words of the artist Edward Hopper "great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist". 

Now I want to share with you some serious eye candy, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

What did you think ?  I found them really helpful and they gave me inspiration to try different things and I have to admit some were pretty awful! I was determined to not let it get to me, after all we have to start somewhere and we can only improve...right?? Anyway I had lots of fun and even roped in a few friends to have an "art morning". There was a lot of laughter and even though they weren't masterpieces we came up with new techniques and ideas and decided to do it on a regular basis!! A good excuse to have fun, I say!! And we did! I might get up the courage to post a few at a later date hopefully after I've improved dramatically!

I'm going to share with you some quotes that inspire me in my day to day life and I hope they do the same for you

Well, I hope you have gained some inspiration and ideas, I know I need them, so until next time enjoy each and every day and have fun!