Old to New

 A few months ago my parents wagged this ugly old cedar trunk all the way from Louisiana.  At that time I did not have a coffee table so my mind was spinning with the thoughts of HMMM. You may look at it and think "YUK" but when I look at it I see potential. 

 Luckily, I had all of the needed items on hand to "reinvent" this old piece to make it look new again. 
I had an extra can of stripper (we used from another project) and my handy dandy Black and Decker Sander/Polisher. 

Some of the small pieces of wood on the front were missing so I removed the remaining. After I let the stripper work for a bit, I scrapped off the old varnish and proceeded to sand the trunk.  After which, I primed it with, my always on hand, Kilz primer.

 

Here you can see the trunk stripped, 

and primed.

In my stash, I found this non-labeled quart can of paint.  Honestly, I could not tell you what brand it is or why I even have it but, I really liked the color.  After a couple of coats of paint, and hear comes the exciting part, I glazed it with my awesome Ralph Lauren glaze. This particular one used is called Tea Stained.

 And, Voila!  The finished product turned out great.  I'm happy.  And yes, there is a duck on the trunk.  The Hubs is an avid hunter and I have to let him have a 'little' bit of say in the decor!

You can see where I distressed the edges.

One woman's junk is another woman's treasure.

My inspiration came from almost stalking

Mandie@ Altar'd Designs. I purchased her Ebook awhile back.

Check out her many talents here. Or check her out on Facebook here. She "reinvents" such beautiful pieces. I am in such amazement every time I visit her blog.

Be sure to read her testimony. Not only is her work an inspiration, but SHE is an inspiration. Here is what she says about her business name.

 We chose the name “Altar’d” because it reminds us that God has given us “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). We cannot compare what we do to as great a gift as that. But, what we do is take the old forgotten furniture and give it new beauty.

We take the forgotten, and make it Unforgettable

I'll leave you with that for today and hope that you feel inspired in someway.


Have a Blessed Day!!!
Vici

Creativity and Repurposing

Creativity is truly a gift. Through my journey of blogland, I have stumbled across so many talented and creative people.  Some of these people I hope to become friends with and learn from.  However, I am fortunate to have a friend of such right here in Missouri.

Since I have a couple of months off during the summer I have been helping this talented and creative friend, MJ, by working at her and her daughter's awesome store.  Now, those of you locally know it as the Byrd's Nest.  Famously, known for their infant/toddler clothing and accessories. What some are not aware of is the additional items that make this place so unique.

I want to share with you some awesome finds, in this quaint little store, that demonstrate not only creativity but also a talent for repurposing old, used, vintage (whatever you want to call it) into fascinating pieces of art. So sit back and be inspired!

Don't you just love this little vignette?

Wreath with old gloves, buttons, jewels and more

I just love the pearls and old door knob on this one!

Old tin made into a mirror with a touch of whimsy with wire and crystal jewels

This gorgeous chandelier is hanging in the bathroom. Notice the wall in the background.  It is wallpapered with print from an old book.  The title is Gone With the Wind. Anyone familiar with that one?

Old jewelry repurposed into wire wrapped rings!  Awesome.

Concert tags and bandana repurposed into a one of a kind necklace. Donated by our very own local boy and recording artist, Trent Tomlinson.

What are these?  I knew you would ask.  These are clothes donated  by our very own local girl and recording artist, Sheryl Crow.  All proceeds from her collection are donated to our Delta Children's Home.

I love this.  I'm thinking this might be an awesome piece for the future turquoise bedroom

See the hat?  Do you know where that needs to go? You are so right!! In the turquoise room!!

Children's items

Jewelry display on old candlestick

 I hope you enjoyed our little venture of creativity and a big thank you to MJ at the Byrd's Nest.  I am leaving you with one of my repurposed treasures I made for my mother (who happens to be an owl fanatic!)

Repurposed men's ties to make new HOOTies.  Embellish your scarves or purses with these cute little items! Aren't they a HOOT!!!

 
Have a blessed day, all!!

Busy Girl!! Teaching, Tonsils, T-Ball, Tattoos and Twirling

I am a busy girl taking care of a busy girl!!  Just a few reasons I have neglected to blog over the last few days months!!

TEACHing my fabulous Kindergarten class .  Can't wait to check out this book. 

 




Getting those nasty TONSILS removed!

 T-Ball and
a Dora Tattoo.

(I have no idea who taught her to pose that way)

And Twirling Camp!

 So there you have it!  My precious excuse for procrastination.  How lucky am I?

But I have been busy creating and more of those pics coming soon.  However, I will leave you with a project I did for our school fundraiser.

With a little elbow grease, removal of four layers of paint, a little sanding and priming, painting and glazing this little desk went from

 that.... to this!

Have a blessed day!