Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Recycled Salad Bowl Sets


Vintage wooden salad bowl sets make great holiday gift baskets, and there's no shortage of them at yard sales and thrift shops.
Here's a vintage salad bowl set which I recently cleaned, painted, sanded, and stained ~ ready to use as individual holiday gift baskets. I use them to hold gifts of various themes, such as guest soaps & rolled wash cloths, kitchen spices & spoons, or hot cocoa & tea packets with candies, etc. I use cellophane gift basket bags from Dollar Tree & tie with jute twine for fast and easy gifts.


Did you know you can remove grease & grime from vintage wooden wares with baking soda? (Not for use on valuable antiques, of course!) I mix baking soda
& warm tap water to form a thick paste & rub it over greasy wood surfaces, allowing it to dry. After rubbing the paste off with a dish towel dipped in hot water, I put them in a sunny spot to dry. You might want to test a small area before completely covering your wooden wares in baking soda, sometimes this causes the wood to crack. 


For this particular set, I painted the outsides only ~ using various colors of latex flat interior paint, sanded the edges for an aged look, then rubbed oil-based wood stain with sealer over the entire surface including the natural wood interiors.


 redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014

 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Covering Country Clutter with Chalkboards



I love using chalkboard paint to cover 1980's country motifs for a simpler look! Not only does it cut down on the visual clutter, it also creates an ever-changeable message board. The flat black color goes with anything ~ even if the chalkboard is left blank it'll look good.
I picked this little kitchen shelf up at a thrift store. Using a small screwdriver, I lifted the plastic sign out from the center and sanded off most of the engraved country motif. After washing & drying it, I sprayed 2 light coats of Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint onto the surface & set it aside to dry.
I painted the shelf using 1 red coat of Plaid's new DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint  (Romance) which has great adhesion coverage! Since it dries so quickly, I was able to sand/distress the same day, just around the edges to add an aged look. After dusting the sanded edges with a clean paint brush, I rubbed an even coat of oil-based Walnut furniture stain over the surface & allowed a couple of days drying time. Using wood glue, I reattached the plastic chalkboard  in it's spot ~ and now have a cute garden room shelf with drawers to hold my seeds.  



redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014
 
 
 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Sew~So To Star~Spangled Apothecary



After several years of painting/distressing/antiquing vintage finds for others, it's nice to have some time to recycle some junque finds for myself lately! This week I scored this cute little sewing notions apothecary at a local thrift shop.

After removing the notions & motifs adorning the drawers with fine grit sandpaper, I applied a thin even basecoat of Vintage color Americana Décor Chalky Finish paint (available at Home Depot and Michael's).

Then I mixed equal parts Cobalt & Admiral Blue acrylic craft paint (.50 cents per bottle, Walmart) for a second coat, followed by a final dry-brush coat of Admiral to darken the color up a bit.
The next day, I used fine grit sandpaper to distress & age just around the edges, followed by wiping a light even coat of oil-based wood stain (Walnut) over the painted surface with a dry cotton rag, allowing a couple of days drying time.



I'm going to use the updated little cabinet to stash the patriotic & military odds & ends I've picked up through the years. 
Have a great week!
~Donna at Red Shed Vintage 

redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014 

Friday, March 21, 2014

Piercingly Simple Punched Tin Panels

* This trash to treasure project of mine was featured in the  Winter 2012 edition of A Primitive Place Magazine! *
~ Piercingly Simple Chandelier ~
Instead of replacing our 1970’s builder grade dining room chandelier in our previous home, I decided to give it an upgrade with a piercingly simple punched tin Paul Revere lantern style makeover.
The outdated Lucite plastic panels were easily removed by bending back the lamp frame prongs. I happened to have some old aluminum kick panels from screen doors handy to replace the plastic covers, but thin sheet panels of various metals are available at most home improvement stores. I also gathered hammers, nails of various sizes, screwdrivers and awls to use as metal punch tools; and used an antique pie safe as a drawing model for my lamp template.
Wearing protective eye goggles & gloves, I used one of the plastic panels as a tracing template & cut the aluminum panels with heavy duty scissors. I taped the paper template to the back of each panel and placed them on a wooden board, using a hammer, screwdriver, and nails to create the tin punch designs. Gently bending the panels back into shape after removing the tape and template, I secured the pierced metal panels with the lamp frame prongs.

Here's a little homemade youtube video that I made, for those who learn from seeing instead of reading! ~ Click here to view video ~

redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014 

 
 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Portable Pot of Cooking Herbs



I love snipping fresh herbs from the garden for cooking, but now that we've made the move to town home living ~ I needed to plant a patio version of my herb garden this Spring. What better vessel than an old cooking pot!
I placed a layer of garden rocks in the bottom of the pot for drainage, then added potting soil. I carefully removed the plants from their plastic nursery pots by turning them upside down, then placed each plant in around the big soup pot.

Our local Ace Hardware carries small herb plants, the perfect size for creating a sampler of 6 plants. Some grocery stores also carry herb plants in their produce section, or you can find some at home improvement stores which carry garden plants.
I added some soil around the plants, just enough to cover evenly, then sprinkled some water over the pot of plants & placed in a partly sunny section of our patio. Since I'm always misplacing scissors, I tied a pair onto the handle with some twine ~ for snipping clippings!
As a final touch, I gathered some old mismatched spoons & dipped the ends in craft-store chalkboard paint ~ to use as changeable plant markers. Chalk ink markers come in different colors & provide longer lasting writing, but plain ol' chalk works too. I found my chalk markers at Michael's Arts & Crafts, and also have a few which came with chalkboard coffee mugs from Starbucks.  redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014


 












Monday, February 3, 2014

Faux Pewter Chocolate Molds

This makeover of mine was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine!

Sometimes the package is better than the gift, as was the case with these discarded clear plastic treat containers shaped like chocolate bunnies. These looked so much like antique chocolate molds, I decided to hang on to them and go with the faux. Faux Pewter, that is.
Using inexpensive flat black spray paint, I covered the exterior of these clear plastic candy holders. When dry, I added two coats of Dark Patina by DecoArt Dazzling Metallics (available at Michael’s Arts and Crafts) and allowed drying time. To add a darker patina look, I brushed on some Old English Scratch Cover, wiped the excess with a rag, and sealed with a liberal coat of clear acrylic gloss sealer spray. This same process also works great on discarded plastic egg containers, resulting in a new and improved way to recycle plastics and make holiday decorations on the cheap.
redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014




Thursday, January 30, 2014

Trash Talk Thursday: Media Apothecary

This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine!


This unfinished Pine media storage chest was a $5.00 Goodwill find, with handy removable drawers for storing various media discs.
I like to think of unpainted wood as the primitive décor lover’s canvas; it’s ready to be stained or painted to fit in with your own personal style. I chose a two-toned finish, with red drawers in a black chest.
Using interior flat wall paint, I applied two coats of flat black to the chest and drawer fronts. When dry, I added one coat of flat Candy Apple to the drawer fronts. I used my electric palm sander with fine grit sandpaper to gently distress just the edges & knobs, then rubbed water based wood stain over the entire surface with a cotton rag.
Media storage racks are also great for stashing craft supplies, garden seeds, photographs, fragile ornaments, or small toys in kid’s rooms. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014






 























Monday, January 20, 2014

Putting Up A Faux Front

Apothecary cabinets provide lots of little drawers for stashing stuff, but here's another way to utilize the space behind a 'cabinet' ~ go faux! Woodcrafters and unfinished wooden furniture stores often carry faux-front appliance covers of various sizes ~ made to look like an apothecary cabinet in the front but open from the back ~ for placing over toaster ovens or other small countertop appliances.
I picked a used one up @ a thrift shop, and decided to give it a more primitive finish.

First, I removed the fake button drawer pulls. Then I sprayed a light base-coat primer of generic flat Black spray paint across the front & sides. Next, I applied a coat of flat latex To Die For Red (Better Homes & Gardens wall paint, Walmart) and allowed proper drying time before lightly sanding the edges with extra fine sandpaper, for a distressed aged look. Last, I rubbed an even coat of Walnut wood stain across the surface with a clean cotton rag. 
After 24 hours drying time, I  drilled larger knob holes to insert the more realistic looking peg pulls (from the unpainted wood crafts section @ Hobby Lobby) adding a dab of wood glue in each hole before twisting the knobs in.
Faux-front cabinets are also great for hiding bathroom supplies, counter clutter, cookbooks, and of course ~ handy kitchen appliances & gadgets you'd rather not leave hanging out. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014
 
 

 

 


Thursday, November 7, 2013

Trash Talk Thursday: Repurposed Pu-Pu Platter Pineapples

Festive 1960's Luau parties called for festive Hawaiian serving platters, so nearly every home ended up with at least 1 wooden monkey pod pineapple. Often sold as pu-pu platter serving sets, pineapple shaped serving pieces included bowls, trays, mugs, tidbit servers, condiment cups.
Since the Pineapple has long been the symbol of hospitality, why not repurpose some vintage pineapple shaped wares during the holidays?
After adding a coat of green acrylic paint to the bottoms of some pineapple bowls, I added a coat of crackle medium to just the body part of the bowl. (I've heard that plain white school glue has the same effect, but I haven't tried that myself.) When dry, I covered the crackle medium with mustard yellow acrylic craft paint, resulting in a more primitive pineapple-like finish with the green peeking through. Brown would also be a great base coat, if you'd rather. When the paint was completely dry, I used a cotton rag to rub a coat of oil-based walnut wood stain over the entire surface. Happy with the upgrade, I ventured on to try the same colors on some pineapple shaped mugs & tidbit trees.
I added some pineapple scented wax shapes in some to give as hostess gifts (made from store-bought wax melts and pineapple chocolate molds ~ rubbed in ground ginger) and tied some of the smaller bowls onto holiday wreaths. These also can be used for organizing or displaying so much more than just serving up pu-pu party finger foods!  © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com


 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Autumn Bowl!

 
Serving up salads with flair created a need for artful vessels back in the 1960's ~ 80's. Salad bowl sets in a variety of shapes and themes became a staple in kitchen serving ware, including  wooden bowls in the shape of different fruits to coincide with salad ingredients and/or pu-pu platter spreads. Apples, pears, pineapples, even acorns were popular salad serving themes.
I added even more flair to these thrift-store apple shaped wooden bowls, by painting/sanding/staining them different shades of orange ~ perfect for Autumn décor !  I used the largest bowl for trick~or~treat candies, the smaller bowls for Fall potpourri mix, pumpkin flavored coffee creamers, guest soaps in the bathroom, and displaying pumpkin scented wax shapes. Next week I'll share how I updated some pineapple shaped pu-pu platter bowls! © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com
~ Have a safe & happy Halloween ~ 
 
  
 

 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Trash Talk Thursday: Papier Mâché Candy Cups

Love the look of vintage Halloween party décor? Here's a cheap & easy way to create your own vintage-inspired papier mâché party accessories, without paying the premium price of vintage...
Purchase some inexpensive plastic party favors ~ I found 8-packs of small jack-o-lantern candy cups @ an after-Halloween clearance last year for .50 cents a package!  
Rip some newspapers into small strips, and mix all purpose glue with water (4 parts glue x 1 part water) in a shallow bowl or pan. Drag the newspaper strips through the glue mixture, then slide between your thumb and index finger to remove the excess. Apply the wet newspaper strips randomly to cover the plastic cups, smoothing the paper down with your fingers as you go. When the cups are completely covered with newspaper strips, hang them to dry a few hours. Then paint with craft paints as desired, to create your own unique vintage-style candy cups! These also make cute window luminaries, just add a battery operated LED tealight candle.  © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com



 
 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Trash Talk Thursday: Carvable Dollar Tree Prim Pumpkins

Although I'm not usually one to sing the praises of cheap Made in China merchandise, I do occasionally find myself drawn to Dollar Tree's seasonal supplies. At least they sell their stuff at about what it's really worth @ $1 or less, right?
I was excited to find $1.00 carvable styrofoam pumpkins at our local Dollar Tree recently! I've seen them in arts & crafts supply stores (costing a great deal more than 1 buck & being a little too large in size) and have been wanting to try them out to make a couple of permanent prim pumpkins.
I purchased only 2, as we're trying to downsize for the golden years (hah!) and decided to use one as an Autumn vase/vessel, the other as a whimsical jack-o-lantern. I painted the vase one with acrylic craft paint (1 coat, dark orange) and let it dry overnight. The next day, I dipped a cotton rag in oil-based walnut wood stain with sealer, and rubbed it evenly over both pumpkins ~ wiping the excess in a downward motion (be sure to use rubber gloves, unless you like having the dirty fingernail look for several weeks!)

After allowing the stain to dry for at least 24 hours, I gathered up a sharpie pen and some tools & gadgets to carve the jack-o-lantern.
I pressed a vintage pastry wheel tool to indent 2 wacky looking eyes, drawing over it with a permanent ink pen ~ then added a nose & mouth. I used a basic serrated table knife to carefully carve the face & a hole at the top, for adding a battery operated LED tea light candle. Since the styrofoam inside the nose & mouth was white, I added some color by rubbing an orange marker along the exposed insides. Pretty daggon' easy, and cheap to boot!  © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com
Tune in next Thursday when I'll show you how I turned some plastic treat cups into paper maché  party cups... 



                        
 
 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Trash Talk Thursday: Not So Heavy Metal


When looking for fast & festive table décor which isn't too heavy on the budget, don't overlook simple metal vessels. This pair of 1960's hammered brass tavern pitchers were a .50 cent yard sale find. After a quick coat of red acrylic craft paint was dry, I added some pine sprigs from the yard & pip berries in one and wooden spoons in the other ~ quickly turning ordinary into extraordinary! This can also be done with simple grocery cans of different sizes. Try adding twigs, battery operated lights, mini trees, and other seasonal décor that you've already got on hand.
© copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

 
 


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Trash Talk Thursday: No Fret Firkin Stack

Check it out ~ all of my firkin bucket makeovers pictured below were published in the Spring 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, pages 82 ~ 85!
© copyright 2012 redshedvintage.com
 
The popularity of vintage mid-century wooden buckets has driven the price out of the ballpark for most collectors, but with a little creative searching and thinking outside the firkin box one can still find affordable methods for growing a stack of these pantry buckets.

Often stacked by graduated sizes, rustic wooden buckets still offer practical storage for seasonal items or household supplies. Most of the wooden buckets circulating nowadays were reproductions of colonial cooper’s buckets, mass produced in the 1950’s – 60’s at the tail end of the colonial revival era. Warehouse décor stores such as Basketville in Putney Vermont were once stocked to the rafters with the inexpensive wooden buckets of various sizes. I've recently put together this big stack of painted firkins for under $50.00, and chances are you can do the same.

Knowing their past uses can be the key to finding affordable vintage buckets through thrift store and online searches. Since many folks have no clue what a firkin is, firkin buckets often go unsold on internet websites or online auctions, or sell for a fraction of what collectors would pay. I’ve found inexpensive firkins online which were listed for sale as popcorn pails, pretzel containers, cheese boxes, planters, magazine racks, Basketville baskets, purses, salt boxes, kitchen canisters, ice cream barrels, piggin’ pails, churns, even beach or toy buckets. The next time you are searching for firkins or buckets to buy online, try entering some different key words and you too might just find some hidden bargains.

Likewise, you can start looking for firkins in all the odd places while browsing through thrift stores and flea market booths. I’ve found firkins mixed in with the vases complete with dusty plastic plants, in the tool department holding greasy nuts & bolts, in the toy department filled with Lego blocks, in the shoe department as a shoe shine kit, in the salt & pepper shakers section, even in the purse department. Below are the makeover stories for most of the wooden buckets pictured in the above stack...
 
A Pretzel Pail
I found this firkin listed as a Handpainted Wood Pretzel Container for just $9.00 (plus $6.00 shipping) on etsy.com. With wooden finger bands and lid intact, this 'pail' was practically a steal.

After sanding the entire surface to remove all paint & varnish, I dusted the bare wood and applied 2 coats of Federal Blue Old Fashioned Milk Paint. When the paint dried, I distressed the finish by hand sanding with fine grit sandpaper, then dusted the paint powder with a dry rag and sprayed a light coat of clear acrylic spray sealer. Milk paint adheres better to unpainted or stripped bare surfaces and can be a bit tricky to work with, but darkens over time to look authentically older than most latex paints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sweet Deal Cookie Jar
 
 
Similar in size to the pretzel container but with metal bands, I found this firkin listed simply as a Vintage Cookie Jar on ebay for only $8.50 including shipping. After lightly sanding off the cookie motif, I used a base coat of flat black, followed by a coat of Moss Green interior flat latex paint. When completely dry, I distressed the paint by sanding with an electric palm sander, then applied Minwax Wood Sheen Rubbing Stain & Finish with a dry rag.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back On The Wagon Ice Barrel
 
This larger firkin was found towering over a shelf of shot glasses and barware at a church thrift store, which could be a story in itself but with a price tag labeled BAR ICE BARREL $2.00 it quickly became the next trash to treasure makeover story.

Sometimes vintage buckets come with extras such as metal or plastic embellishments, removable legs with brackets on the bottom, even electrical lamp kits added through the center. As a matter of preference, I like to remove all that and fill in any holes left behind with wood filler, which is what I did with the plastic Eagle on this firkin. Don’t let the spare parts deter you from buying a thrift store bargain bucket, they truly are easy to remove with just a common screwdriver.

The metal bands on this bucket were not in the best of shape and I like the more rustic look of wooden finger bands, so I decided to ‘make’ my own. Metal bucket bands can easily be covered with wooden bands from basket repair splints or scrap baskets, Chinese bamboo steamers, or even strips of rubber carpet cove molding. I used a .99 thrift store bamboo sectional steamer for this particular bucket, by soaking 2 of the sections in warm water for 20 minutes. I removed the steamer’s widest strips, towel dried them, then wrapped them around the metal bands while still damp, nailing the strips directly into the bucket with 7/16" copper tacks (available at Home Depot) and overlapped at the tapered ends. The wide splints from old baskets also work great, simply soak the basket in warm water for 10 minutes, cut and remove some splints to wrap& nail or staple around the bucket. The ends can be tapered by cutting with scissors to resemble finger bands. After applying a flat black base coat, I painted this bucket with Mustard Yellow interior semi-gloss latex, then sanded with an electric finishing sander & rubbed watered down brown acrylic craft paint over the surface for an antiqued look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Spicy Stack Topper
 

While browsing through the Salvation Army thrift store one day, I was stunned & amazed to find this set of .59 baby firkins amongst the vintage salt & pepper shakers! Complete with swinging pegged handles and made in USA, I knew these would be the icing on the cake for topping firkin stacks. I discovered they are plentiful on eBay and Etsy, usually listed as salt & pepper or S & P buckets or churns. By simply filling in the shaker holes with wood filler, these tiny 1940’s firkin replicas become unique top of stack buckets. After filling in the spice shaker holes, I painted these little buckets assorted colors and distressed by using a cardboard fingernail file, then sprayed with a light coat of clear acrylic sealer. These also make great ornaments for hanging on a Spring themed tree or wreath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magazine Racks Hold Up The Stack

 


The largest of firkin buckets often had dividers added inside for use as magazine racks or knitting/sewing project holders. Checking out the books and sewing areas of your favorite thrift stores can result in great firkin finds.

I found this huge firkin filled with hunting magazines in the corner of the book section at the local Hospice thrift store, and almost fainted upon peeking at the $4.00 price tag. The volunteer clerk pointed out that there was a similar magazine rack which had been converted into a sewing box that I might be interested in for $3.00, but since it was half-price day on craft supplies I’d be able to buy it for $1.50. Needless to say, I gladly took both of those off her hands and now make a point to check out books & crafts at all thrift stores.

Neither of these large buckets had their original lids, but don’t the lack of lid deter you from buying bargain buckets. A round wooden plate can take the place of missing lids, and work especially well when stacking buckets. I keep a drawer full of thrift store wooden dishes of assorted sizes on hand, they usually only cost pennies, are easy to store, and come in handy for make-do firkin lids. I painted the larger bucket with Colorplace To Die For Red flat interior paint, and the smaller one White semi-gloss interior. Both painted buckets and make-do wooden plate lids were distressed using a palm sander, then rubbed with watered down brown acrylic craft paint on a rag for an antiqued look.