Trash Talk Thursday: A Two Buck Sawbuck

A $1.00 folding wooden TV tray + a $1.00 cutting board = one easy 2 buck sawbuck! I combined these cheap thrift store finds to create some extra holiday baking space.
Newer cutting boards are usually constructed of 3 separate wood pieces. Wearing safety goggles, I wedged a flat head screwdriver between the seams & tapped with a hammer to gently separate the board panels, using the 2 end pieces to create storage space below the table.
I drilled holes through the boards into the TV tray legs, then attached the boards with wood screws. Although the wood practically matched, I opted to add 2 coats of flat black paint which I later sanded around the edges for an aged look.
© copyright 2012 redshedvintage.com
~ Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 81 ~

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Trash Talk Thursday: Artful Twigs

Awhile back I ran across a rustic lodge lake plaque made from sticks on Pinterest, and have had it on my to-do-it-myself list ever since. (Thanks to pinterest.com, my to-do list is now long enough to last the rest of my life and then some!) 
This past weekend while I had the pleasure of babysitting my grand-dogter, Noodle ~ we walked along Lake Tarpon in search of suitable twig sticks for writing out the word 'Lake' on an old wooden plaque (found at a thrift shop for 50 cents.)

I sprayed my found tree-twigs with a pest control product before bringing them inside ( because it's  Florida ~ home of tropical bugs galore) and used snippers to cut the ends off twigs as needed. Once I had the word layed out as I liked it, I sprayed the twigs with clear acrylic sealer to bring out the wood hues (and further protect the indoors from that which lives outdoors) and used wood glue to attach the twigs to my plaque, allowing drying time overnight before hanging. © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com 

  

 

Trash Talk Thursday: Plastic Prims!

Home parties were all the rage in the 1960's - 80’s, and during that time companies such as Home Interiors produced some great plastic wall décor which were reproductions of antique cast iron or wood plaques. Sometimes labled Burwood, Dart or Homco, these lightweight treasures are plentiful at thrift stores and are easy to upcycle with a little paint. This large patriotic Eagle was a recent $2.00 score.

After lightly cleaning with a damp cloth, I sprayed a light coat of flat black spray paint.

It looked good enough to hang with just the black paint, but I decided to add some patriotic colors. Using Folk Art acrylic craft paint, I applied red, white, blue, and gold paint on the dimensional areas, as shown. When it dried completely, I wiped Minwax Stain & Sealer with a cotton rag and waited a few hours before hanging. If you'll be hanging your painted plastic prims outdoors, a coat of clear acrylic spray will help protect it from the elements.
Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2011 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 107
© copyright 2011 redshedvintage.com 

Here are some other painted plastic projects of mine, recycled using the same painting method:

 

 

 

Trash Talk Thursday: Not So Fruity Peg Rack

Watermelons and shaker pegs were both popular decorating motifs in the 1980’s, with this $1.00 thrift store score featuring plenty of both.

After sanding the painted melons with medium grit sandpaper, I covered the shelf with 2 coats of flat Federal Blue wall paint. When dry, I lightly sanded around the edges, then brushed off the paint dust. Noticing the carved half circles resembled bunting flags, I decided to cut & glue some paper flags from an old catalog.

Once the wood glue was completely dry, I gently wiped water-based wood stain over the entire surface with a cotton rag, for a time-worn (not so fruity)patriotic look.

Happy Summer!
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

 

 

 

Trash Talk Thursday: Ring of Love Wreath

Wedding season is approaching, so I'll feature some uniquely inexpensive wedding décor and gift ideas in the next few weeks!
(Last week was our big moving day, so I skipped Trash Talk Thursday due to all the extreme activity going on)


I found a couple of large unpainted 1980's wooden heart wreaths at a thrift store last year for $2.00 each ~ what a great score if only for the cost of the chunky wooden hearts! Since it wasn't near Valentines Day at the time, I painted & sold them in my Etsy shop as wedding décor. Each heart wreath was lovingly handcrafted, constructed of layered thick & solid wooden hearts overlapping each other and nailed together to form a ring of love. They measured 21" round x about 2" deep and weighed over 5 lbs. each!

To create your own circle of hearts, simply overlap heart shaped wooden or cardboard cut outs to form a circle (use a round object to make a circle template, if needed) and attach the hearts with glue or nails. I painted mine with red craft paint over black, but you could also paint each heart different colors for a patchwork effect. I also rubbed glossy walnut wood stain sealer over the hearts with a dry cotton rag once the paint had dried, for indoor or outdoor use.
Heart wreaths are great décor for engagement parties, weddings, or year around décor. They can hang on the wall or door, or can be used flat as a table centerpiece or with a floral/candle arrangement. You can also add assorted photos of the bride & groom on each heart for a personalized gift! 
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

 

 

Trash Talk Thursday: Repurposed Desk Organizers

Humans often feel the need to organize their workspace, sometimes by purchasing even more clutter in their efforts to organize the existing clutter ~ as a trip to most thrift stores will attest to. Desk organizers are also great for stashing stuff in most any other room ~ TV remotes in the living room,  garden supplies in the shed, art supplies, tools, kitchen gadgets, recipes, booklets & pamphlets to name a few.
Here's a cast-off Pottery Barn organizer which I found for $1.99 at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, a bit beat up but constructed very well of solid wood...

After a coat of flat green wall paint with lightly sanded/distressed edges and a cloth-rubbed coat of walnut wood stain, it was ready for displaying some photo props by the back door!  Complete directions for how to paint/distress vintage wares can be found on my youtube tutorial by simply clicking here.

Here are photos of some of my other repurposed desk organizer projects...



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copyright 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Trash Talk Tuesdays Tutorial: A Temporary Wall of Burlap

Last Tuesday, I shared a way to temporarily hide wall-to-wall mirrors in an apartment or rental home. Today, I'll show you how I temporarily covered some ugly wallpaper with rustic burlap!

 

Right as you walk in our front door, there's an eyesore of a wall which the previous homeowners had covered with pink & blue wallpaper ~~  reinforced with some sort of industrial-strength yellow adhesive. The same wallpaper which took us several tedious hours to remove from the bathroom, resulting in ruined sheet rock.

We've been sick of looking at that wall of shame, yet haven't quite gotten in the mood to tackle covering it with wood paneling (which we'll eventually get around to) so in the mean time, I decided to cover that yellowed 1980's southwestern paper ~ with rustic burlap!

Years of Pre-K theme planning on a tight budget resulted in discovering cheap & easy methods of temporary wall decor, one of the most popular being the use of fabrics & laundry starch. By simply rolling a coat of Sta-Flo liquid starch ~ you can temporarily adhere lightweight fabric or paper to just about any wall, door, window, or mirror! When ready to remove, simply lift a corner and the fabric peels right off; any remaining starch residue is easily wiped away with a damp rag.

(If renting, you might want to test a small area first, to be 100% certain)

To temporarily cover a wall or mirror, you'll need the following supplies:

Burlap* or other lightweight fabric

Sta-Flo Liquid Starch

Shallow pan & paint roller (or paint brush)

Drop cloth or plastic (to catch drips below)

Fabric scissors

Thumb tacks

Yard stick

Rolling pin or brayer (optional)

 

*I found a great source of burlap on a roll @ our local Ace Hardware Store ~ in the gardening section of all places ~ a huge 3 ft x 24 ft roll of burlap ground cover (Made in USA to boot!) was just $12.00 (see link above, costs slightly more to order & have delivered to your local Ace if not in stock) Burlap is also available in many fabric stores.

Decide ahead of time if you'd prefer to submerge your fabric in the liquid starch & wring it out before smoothing the fabric on the surface, or roll the starch onto the wall & smooth the fabric onto the starched wall. Either works fine, and both can be a little messy! For burlap, I found it easier to roll the starch onto the wall.

Using thumb tacks, I marked where to cut each piece ~ allowing extra room at the top & bottom for shrinkage. I covered the electrical outlets with painter's tape. Then I used a yardstick & fabric scissors to cut the burlap, applying starch on just one section at a time & smoothing the burlap until straight (I used a rolling pin) slightly overlapping the panels. For reinforcement while drying, I put some thumbtacks along the top & bottom of the burlap panels until the starch dried (overnight) and used scissors to trim around the outlet & to remove any crooked/frayed edges once the panels were dry. You'll want to rinse the starch out of the rolling pin or paint brush & supplies, and wipe any spills with a damp rag.

Note: the burlap had a strong but not completely unpleasant smell for a few days, which eventually went away.  

 

 

For a rustic border along the top, I used the same method to attach jute upholstery webbing. I'm very happy with that wall for now ~ it also makes a great photo background!

copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com