Recycled Wall Art Tutorial

Yesterday, I showed you my tired, outdated mirror that I have had for years and the new updated look. Now, I'd like to show you what a little bit of odds and ends from around the house and home improvement store turned this into a easy fun project...as promised....this is how I did it.

I started with this mirror. It is well made, strong wood and I am sure when it was purchased new, cost a pretty penny. But since I don't buy new...this cost originally about 12 years ago around $15.00 at an estate sale. Believe me, I have loved it and got my $15.00 out of it.

First thing I did was remove the metal and wood roosters. Using a flat head screwdriver, they just preyed right off. Then, I lightly sanded the piece with a medium grit sandpaper.

I covered the mirror with paper and gave it a light coat of primer, then 3 coats of black paint. I just concentrated on the edges of the mirror as the inside would be covered up later. I let the paint dry and set for a couple of days.

Now, I am sure right away you  know at first glance what I used for the mirror after seeing this pile of scrap pieces of paper. A trip to the local home improvement store to search for color paint chips was loads of fun. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually did pick up a couple that I am considering the colors for painting one of my rooms......but the rest were just screaming to come  home with us....and yes, they were free.

I trimmed the paint name off the chips and cut them to size. I used my rotary cutter and ruler for more accurate cuts.

Now it was time to adhere the paint chips to the mirror. I know many tutorials I read online always tell you how it is done, and never ever tell you what went wrong with the project. I try to avoid that, because for me...something always goes wrong.....most of the time!!

I decided to try and just Mod Podge the paint chips to the mirror. After all, I'd be using it anyway, so I thought that would work......not so much. For me, the paint chips were too heavy to adhere to the wood with just Mod Podge. Please, if you do this project, save yourself the headache and use spray adhesive for this step. Just spray the spray adhesive onto the wood, and place the paint chips in place and press to adhere. Let dry well.

Next, using Matt Finish Mod Podge, apply 3-4 coats to the mirror covering the paint chips well. Let dry in between coats really well.

It looks pretty good like this, but it just sorta lacked a little depth and texture. I used a antiquing glaze I had on hand that was left over from some other projects I have done in the past.

Using a soft cloth, I rubbed the antiquing glaze over the paint chips covering well. If it was too dark in some areas, just wipe off and work with it until it has the look you like.

And here is the new updated mirror. This project cost absolutely nothing. All the paint, glaze, Mod Podge and adhesive was what I had on hand. The paint chips were complements of the home improvement store. This is an easy project that could be done with so many re-purpose  projects. I can see this technique used on frames, shelves, table tops.......or maybe......

 Photo from web

A wall mural.......

 Photo from web

Or wall art using these paint chips as backgrounds for the changing seasons......Love this one.....

 Photo from web

 Or how about a backdrop for a bedroom......that is amazing.......And all created using paint chips.

It really is an easy and pain free project. And for me, those are the best kind.....and it is always an added bonus to say you did it yourself!!!

REMINDER: My Giveaway ends on Thursday....click HERE to enter if you have not already!

Recycled Wall Art

One afternoon, I was watching television, and a commercial came on advertising lighting. I was not paying too close attention until the very end of the commercial and the image below flashed on the screen. Good thing we have a DVR so I could pause, rewind and go grab my camera.

This is a photo right from my television screen. I was not really thinking about the lamp, more about the wall mirror. I thought that was a cute mirror for maybe my daughters apartment. So the plan was to figure out how to make it happen.

I have had this mirror for years.....and have loved it.....for years. But after careful consideration...THIS.....

quickly turned into THIS...........

And it cost absolutely nothing.....FREE......I'll show you tomorrow how to do this. The process could be applied to almost anything.......what do you think?

~As always, clicking on the pictures makes them larger and easier to see. Check back tomorrow for the "how-to"

From Goodwill to Good Deal - End Table Transformation

In April of this year, I found this end table at our local Goodwill. It was sturdy and I could see potential for this to be turned into something better. The price was right too...a real bargain at $5.00. So I brought it home and stored it in the garage.

When my daughter made the decision to move to Austin, I knew she was going to need furniture, so I remembered this end table and knew it was going to have a new home. This is the picture of it after I started sanding on it...I FORGOT to take a before photo as I was excited to get to work on it. The top is wood and in our hast to sand all the old finish off the top, well we sanded a bit too much......more on that later.

Once the piece was sanded and wiped free of the dust, I primed this with two coats of primer.

Then 3 coats of paint. On this project, I used spray paint and it worked just fine. Now remember I told you we sanded a bit too much on the top, well...I thought once we painted it the imperfections would go away. That was not the case and I could not stand how the top looked. I almost decided to trash this project due to the way the top of the table looked, but I was having a hard time with that.

How did I fix this problem? Well, I will tell you. I sent my daughter to the scrap book store and she selected 4 sheets of scrapbook paper for the top. I had some Mod Podge Hard Coat that works well on furniture and we used that. We adhered the paper to the top of the table and gave it 4 or 5 coats of Mod Podge. Let me tell you, this stuff dries hard and works great on furniture, you just have to buy the right product for the project youa re working on.

Here is the details of the paper. This turned out perfectly and hid all the imperfections that we caused when over sanding the top. And I might add, this was a cheap fix for the problem too. I think the paper cost under $1.50 and I already had the Mod Podge. In using the Mod Podge Hard Coat that is for furniture, it dries hard and will hold up well for the table.

And here is the table in my daughters apartment. Notice the top, it almost looks like a slate tile top but it is not. I love how this turned out and I have to say, not bad for about $7.00. The other supplies I already had on hand so this indeed was a thrifty project that turned out great....except for the little mishap we had, but with a little imagination, that was a easy fix.

A Vintage Theme Shower : Foyer Decor & Details

Unfortunately, I have been told lately that I tend to go overboard when planning events. However, I don't see it that way. If someone has a problem with my "over the top" ideas than I am sorry. If I am going to plan an event, it is going to be executed with every detail in mind and nothing overlooked if I can help it. Cutting corners when planning an event, in my opinion is just poor taste. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.......that is what my dad used to always say. That one saying has really become a motto on how I do things....I am sure when he used to say this over and over when I complained about sweeping out the garage that he never really thought it would stick. It stuck to my very being....like glue.

The place we had the shower has a foyer separate from the main room. Tables were set up and this space was used to greet guest arriving for the shower.

Here each guest filled out a name tag, signed the shower book and deposited their recipe in the bowls. Candles, vintage planters, vintage quilt and pillow mints in a milk glass dish set the stage for what was to come.

I always like to use all the space provided for events......details....it is all in the details.

That little planter was a cute find. It is a sweet little girl holding a watering can. We filled it with fresh roses and flowers from our flower gardens. The glass dome stand has a vintage miniature tea set under the glass with a cute little vintage plate on display underneath the stand.

Right before the shower, I went to an estate sale. The lady has this little tea set and she told me it belonged to her Great Aunt. She said her great aunt used to host bridge parties and always had little tea sets to give little girls if they came to the parties. I guess this one survived and I could not pass it up......it is just too sweet, and looked adorable surrounded in tulle under the glass dome. When I purchased this, I knew exactly what I'd be doing with it......details.

Here is the little plate that sat on the table.....I have had this a good while, another estate sale find.....I love it!

This is the shower book designed and made for the bride to be. This is the invitation that went out to all the guest, it was used to decorate the cover.

Here is the page for the guest to sign. Included in this little book was information about the shower, menu served, a note about the favors, advice cards and a place to store the recipe cards the guest provided. It was a huge hit.

Here are the shower favors all finished. These plants are called Hens and Chickens. My 80 something year old sweet neighbor furnished me with most of these plants. She gave me several of these plants over the years. She told me these plants are all decedents from the original cutting she received from her friend in the 1950's......so in keeping with the vintage theme, these were perfect.

I printed a little tag and attached it to each cup.

Here is the table, displayed with the favors.....everyone could pick one before they left....they were a huge hit. Everyone loved them.

The restroom was just off of the foyer, and we dressed it up a bit with a cute wicker table, vintage linens, vintage candlestick and fresh flowers. Again......it is the details that make things a little more special. And how can I apologize for being over the top about details when it makes all the difference in the world? Sorry.....I simply can't do it!

A Vintage Theme Shower : The Games

Everyone expects to play some type of games at bridal showers. I myself, am not too fond of them. I especially do not like the games that place the bride at the center of attention with the possibility of severe embarrassment. While some may think that is fun to do, I just don't care for it. So, when I give a shower, we play games, but they just do not place any unwanted attention to the bride......and believe it or not, these games are always enjoyed at showers.

Here is a look at the games. My wonderful son helped me with the computer work. I don't know what I would have done without his help. I am still learning how to operate my new computer and honestly, before he stepped in to help me, I wanted to pull my hair out, I was so frustrated!

See these recipe cards? Do you remember them from this post? I took one of the vintage cards to the copy shop and had copies made, and included them in the invitation. Each guest was instructed to bring their recipe card to the shower. I provided the cute little vintage bowl to hold the recipes as they came in the door.

Here is the card each person had at the shower. We took 12 recipes, and chose 4 ingredients from each of the recipes and called them out. Each guest was to try and figure out the name of the recipe by only the 4 ingredients names. We chose some easy ones and a few hard ones. This is really fun and it is a lot harder than it might seem.

I love to play Bingo at showers. Each person is given a card and asked to fill in the squares with what THEY THINK the bride will receive as a gift as the shower. I tell them not to share their answers. Then, as the bride opens her gifts, the bingo game is going on. You really can not imagine how much fun this is to do while the gifts are being opened. It gives the guest something to do while the gifts are being opened....when sometimes that is a little boring for some. Everyone enjoyed this game. We provided 10 prizes for Bingo and kept playing until all the prizes were given out.

These cards were originally Place cards that I found at a thrift shop. I thought they sorta had a vintage feel to them. I cut them in half to make name tags. Using a hole punch, I punched two holes and added a ribbon and a ring to each name tag. Once everyone had arrived I told them the name tag game was about to start. From that point on, when someone caught anyone saying the word wedding, bride, or honeymoon they would be able to take the ring from their name tag. The person at the end of the shower who had collected the most rings, won a prize.

That is my take on shower games. The bride, bless her heart, was so grateful that she was not the center of attention for any game playing. She thanked me over and over for helping her feel so comfortable and not put in an embarrassing situation.

Another vintage bowl to hold the name tags.......some of my vintage dishes really came in handy.....tomorrow, I'll show you just how handy they were for this shower.

A Vintage Theme Shower : The Planning Stage

For the past several weeks, I have been very busy planning, organizing, and executing a plan for a vintage themed bridal shower. My friend's daughter who is getting married in June, and I knew right away what type of shower she would love.

I will have a series of post during this next week that highlights the details and the before and after pictures of the end results. The final post will be on Thursday...VTT! Perfect day to end my series about this shower that was so very much fun to plan.

First, I purchased a whole bunch of vintage earrings from Donna at Red Apple Junction. This is just a small portion of what I received in the box......I originally had a plan for these, but as things sometimes happen, in midstream, I changed my mind and went another direction.....more on that later this week.

These are a bunch of vintage white hankies and napkins that came in a huge lot of vintage napkins I purchased off of Ebay. At first, I thought I'd not be able to use them, but I came up with a plan for these little gems.

Here is one of the three vintage white hankie garlands made from something I thought I could not use......not bad.

Now this garland is one of three too that I made. I received this great tablecloth as a gift, and it had lots of discoloration to it due to its age. So guess what I did??? I soaked it in my cleaning solution to remove the staining. It came out just fine, white as snow now....but, when I went to hang this on the line to dry, I ripped it right down the middle....I was sick!!! The damage was caused from years and years of being folded the same way, the fabric where the seams were just gave out when I tugged on them.......but......the fabric was much too pretty to not use....so I turned this wonderful vintage fabric into a garland. I love it. What about you???

Now this one is one of two I made. Last year my neighbor had a garage sale and she sold a lot of vintage fabric which I purchased. In one of the piles of fabric was a piece of a vintage tablecloth. It looked like she had used the middle of the tablecloth for something and just saved the edges. At the time, I had no idea what I'd ever do with it, but I finally found a great use for it!

It took me weeks to collect enough vintage cups and saucers for my next project. I had cups and saucers everywhere! I used epoxy to attach the cup to the saucer and let that sit.

The week before the shower, the cups turned into little planters. They were simply adorable.....and everyone was so happy with them. Again.....more details on this to come~!

I love to plan something fun like this. It is all about the details that make events like this so special. I look forward to sharing with you this next week. I hope you will stop back by for a look!