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

 

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

 

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 ~ 

 

  

 

 

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

 

 

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 ~

Before

 

  

 

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: Industrial Prim

When looking for primitive shelving options for storage or display, don’t overlook industrial metal racks! I found this sturdy old GE Motors auto store display for just $4.00 at a thrift store.

 After removing the back board & rubber mats, I wiped it clean and spray painted the entire metal unit a uniform shade of Fire Red (from Walmart, about $1.50) then painted the backboard flat exterior Black (also from Walmart, cheap 'oops' reduced price paint!)

 The extra sturdy construction is great for stacking boxes and drawers for storage of heavier household or hobby supplies, and the flat black backboard now doubles as a chalkboard!
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com


 

Trash Talk Thursday: Shake It Don't Bake It Prim

 

With a can of flat black spray paint and a plastic bag of ground spices, almost anything can be made prim. Even plastic perfume decanters such as these baby shoes, a .25 yard sale find.

After wiping clean with a damp rag, I waited until the shoes were dry before spraying a light even coat of Walmart’s $1.00 flat black spray paint. When dry, I placed one shoe at a time into a Ziploc bag half full of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice (all purchased at Dollar Tree) sealing the top before shaking & rubbing the spices over the painted finish, as if breading a chicken leg with Shake & Bake for oven-fried cooking. When the surface was well coated, I shook the excess spice mixture over the bag. The bag of spices can be used over & over again! This process also works well for transforming other surfaces which will be used for display only, including wax, metal, wood, plaster, glass, ceramic, clay, plastic, fabric, and even paper. Just think of all the recyclable junk you can shake prim!
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

 

 

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: Repurposed Planter Dough Box

While antique dough boxes are great for displaying wooden bowls, a modern day planter can be a much cheaper alternative for those of us on a tight decorating budget! This newer wooden plant tote box was a $2.00 thrift store find, just the right size for my collection of farmhouse dough bowls.
While the sides of this wooden box were already embellished with embossed metal panels, a carved wooden applique/onlay can be glued to any planter box for an artistic touch, available at most home improvement, hardware, or craft supply stores.

Using a $1.00 can of 'oops' mistinted flat blue wall paint sample from Home Depot, I brush painted 2 coats over the entire surface, allowing 1 hour drying time between coats.

The next day, I very lightly sanded the edges with a piece of fine grit sandpaper to add an aged primitive look, dusting the excess powder with a dry rag. As a final finish, I dipped a clean cotton rag in Ace Hardware's oil-based Walnut wood stain, rubbing an even coat over the entire surface & allowing a couple of days drying time before using.
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

 

 

Trash Talk Thursday: Wedding Love Notes

Wedding season is approaching, so I'll feature some uniquely inexpensive wedding décor and gift ideas in the next few weeks!
A great wedding décor or bridal shower gift idea is a simple mailbox for holding cards and/or gift cards on that special day. 
You can place the 1st card inside to demonstrate, so guests will follow.

While thrift stores are a great source for cheap vintage mail boxes, you can still find them new & Made in U.S.A. at local hardware stores such as Ace Hardware.
I found this slightly rusted & dented vintage metal mailbox for $1.00 at a thrift store, and gave it a good soap and water cleaning before covering with 2 coats of flat red wall paint (To Die For Red, Better Homes & Gardens paint from Walmart)  which I later sealed with a hand-rubbed coat of Walnut wood stain. copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

 

 

Patriotic Colors

Here are some vintage items I painted in patriotic colors and sold in the past!

copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com 

 

Red paint is my favorite!

 

Before ~ plain 1960's spice cupboard

 

Before ~ Styrofoam/plastic mirror

After ~ painted red, white, blue, and gold