Wednesday, March 24, 2010

glorious re-purposed goodies!


here's my latest side-of-the road scavenge rescue


ain't she a beauty?
I can't say I'm usually drawn to wrought iron pieces...
but she spoke to me...
because she was FREE!!!

So, I stuffed her into my tiny car and dragged her away kicking and screaming.

I hosed her down and brushed away any loose paint or rust.
(I probably could have done a rust removal treatment... but she was free.. and who has time for that anyway)
then I recruited my little brother to muscle a crooked leg back into place.
(sorry no pictures of me trying to do it before I gave in and asked him)

Thanks baby bro!!
(and thanks for posing for a picture without hemming and hawing too much...
It's for the blog PEOPLE!!!)


Then came the thinking part.
No, I don't have the gift that some of you have; 
I rarely have a "vision" right away for how I want my treasure to turn out.

so... (cue jeopardy music) what to do with this table?





thinking....
thinking...

  thinking...













ok ok, sorry there was no AHA! moment...
nope, this was a "let's just dive in and see what happens" kind of thought process.


I gave her a good coating of RustOleum.
I don't have pictures of the first coat, but I actually painted it brown...
then hated it.
that's what I get for not having a complete plan in my head!
so I slapped some white on her.
bada bing bada boom
we're in business.

now, I know what you're thinking:
"Um, HELLO? Does she know there's not a top to that table?"

Good news...Yes! I DID see that the glass top was missing!
I'm guessing that's why she was kicked to the curb... poor little lady.

Solution?
I thought you'd never ask!
A few weeks ago I found a great piece of artwork at Goodwill.
 It was one solid piece of finished wood with a nice print...
but I didn't buy it to hang on my wall. I actually bought it for another project
(coming soon, once I find a different piece of wood!).
anywho, lady saw this piece in my arms at the Goodwill and commented on the "beautiful print"
gag me.
I thought it was hideous and couldn't wait to paint over it.
I thought for sure all Goodwillers shared my passion for re-purposing....

negative.
words cannot describe the ice dagger stare she gave me when I told her my plans for it.
sheesh!

anyway, here it is:


ok, I guess it is kinda nice... 
but has some scratches and I'm no art restoration expert so I'm stickin' with the plan!


I gave her a good coating of plain 'ol white paint.
Once that dried, I taped off the edges with painter's tape.
I didn't have an exact image in my head of the look I was going for, 
but I knew I wanted the white to poke through in certain areas... like the border.


I started taping off sections here and there... no pattern in mind, just random stripes.

Rummaging through my stash of acrylic paints, I chose two of my favs:
GREEN and YELLOW
then just went to town, painting as I pleased.
Happy Spring to ME!!


the neighbors were curious.

this part makes me nervous. will it be a clean line?
I think my painters tape was kinda old... and may have lost some of its sticky talent...
oh well, not too bad!



TADA!!!
I love how crisp and clean it looks!


woops, don't look too closely at the edges!
I was so excited to show you I forgot to touch 'em up!
anyway...
I can't wait to give her a nice protective coat so she can stay outside and hold some of my potted plants!

 thank you neighbor down the road for this trash...
which is now treasure.
nanna nanna boo boo!!

i'm just sayin'
and
i'm just linkin' up...
with





5 comments:

  1. I love these photos and your blog!
    And thank you for your comments on my SITS FB Day, an the follow!
    I am now following you back!
    Betty x

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  2. That's a great idea! You're very crafty and "fun" to read.

    Liz
    http://www.bellebeanchicagodog.com

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  3. I LOVE it! What a cute idea!
    The colors are so fun and springy!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, and for your input on the shower curtain. I'm leaning towards the big ruffle at the bottom... but I like to change my mind... so we'll see. HA!
    Shelley

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  4. Great post! And what a good find and solution!

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  5. This is GORGEOUS! So happy to have found your blog - you are cracking me up!

    ReplyDelete