Tag Archives: trash to treasure

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the green guy

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I’ve been on a kick lately with small chests and night stands. I’ll admit that they’re easy to maneuver and transport without any help and that’s probably why I’m going for them. I love the simple shape of this one with its curved base and original brass pulls. A little TLC and here’s how he looks now…

lucketts green milk paint chest (2 of 30)

A far cry from its chewed up before state.

chest before

But with this piece being solid wood, it had potential.  I sanded the top down to prepare for an ebony stain – my typical stain color of choice.  And filled in any gouges.

chest during

lucketts green milk paint chest (8 of 30)

For the base I used a very light coat of boxwood milk paint which added depth under the second coat of lucketts green milk paint.

lucketts green milk paint chest (18 of 30)

I didn’t use any bonding agent (primer) in my milk paint solution since the wood was very dry to begin with plus got a light sanding.  Therefore the milk paint primarily acted as a stain on this piece.

lucketts green milk paint chest (15 of 30)

I used a top coat of Miss Mustard Seed’s furniture wax and some antiquing wax to add to the aged look.

lucketts green milk paint chest (1 of 30)

I love the original brass pulls that came with this chest however one was incomplete so I had to improvise.  I chose to add 2 aqua & brass Anthropologie knobs on the top drawer.  This gives the otherwise antique style piece a hint of modern.

lucketts green milk paint chest (5 of 30)

Plus I’m a fan of aqua (in case you didn’t know!) and the knobs paired nicely with the vintage globe!

vintage bert doll, mid-century lamp & replogle globe

And Bert he’s just so darn cute, isn’t he?

vintage bert doll & replogle globe

We have a pair of these funky wooden mid-century lamps.  Ryan and I really want to keep them but don’t have a spot for them.  I don’t even hate the original lampshades as I normally do.  Surprisingly no one bought them at Brooklyn Flea Philly last weekend although many considered them.  Maybe it’s a sign.

vintage mid-century lamp

The ship ink & watercolor, Bert and the Replogle (Made in Chicago) globe have all found new homes though.  Like fostering puppies I tell ya…

lucketts green milk paint chest (20 of 30)

I’m pretty happy with the color choices on this chest.  So what do you think, has it inspired you to paint?

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed

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vinyl + chrome = love

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We’re just barely back from our honeymoon.  Still organizing life and most importantly all of our Brimfield finds!  However I couldn’t leave you hanging without a little dose of Circa Dee.

I’ve got a before & after for you from the archives.  I can’t hardly believe that I’ve never properly shared this project with you.  It is definitely one of my favorites around here.  In fact, there has been a debate on whether or not we should keep it for ourselves.  We don’t actually need this adorable retro dinette table & chairs however it fits in perfectly at the beach.  And we happen to have an open space for it.  Hmmm…

updated retro dinette (2 of 23)

Of course I didn’t take a proper before shot. More like an in progress shot after we started taking the chairs apart.  As you can see they were covered in the original vinyl which was in bad shape.  And then there was newer vinyl (not pictured) haphazardly tacked on over the original.

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Off it all came!  The chairs got updated with my modern spin on the original vinyl – bright aqua marine grade vinyl.  So fun!

updated retro dinette (18 of 23)

Don’t you just want to sit down?

updated retro dinette (10 of 23)

Now for the table… I love the original table.  Nice and solid.  What you can’t really see are all of the dings, filth and general wear & tear.  So ultimately we stripped it with the intent to stain the original wood with a more modern dark color.

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But at the end of the day we settled on a couple of coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in graphite.  I think it adds another modern punch that coordinates with the bright chairs very well.  I topped it off with a couple of cots of furniture wax.  It has a nice smooth finish.

updated retro dinette (12 of 23)

And check out all of those legs!  We cleaned and shined up all of that chrome which really gives off the retro vibe.  All of that gorgeous chrome is the feature that is saving the table from staying in our home.  We have all brass accents so the chrome has to go!  Too bad for us but maybe good for you?

updated retro dinette (8 of 23)

Wouldn’t you like to have a glass of wine at this table?

updated retro dinette (20 of 23)

Linking to:  Miss Mustard Seed

treasure

upcycled decor popularity contest

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Want to know what the most popular upcycled elements in my Philly Home Show room last month were?

You might be shocked.  They’re so simple…

First, the belt shelf.

Belt Shelf

Yup 2 belts and a shelf.  In this case, a very cool scalloped shelf.  People were floored by this concept.  You probably already have these items lying around.

Second, the industrial drapes, as I called them.

Indsutrial Pulley Drapes & Upholstered Headboard

That’s just 3 pulleys and a window scarf looped through them.  It made a big impact framing the bed.

Third, the minnow trap light.

Home Show - minnow bucket light

You can seriously turn anything into a light!  The minnow trap looks just like a lampshade, right?

These are all super simple and you can certainly DIY them in your own home if you are into the styles.  That is exactly why these three projects were so popular…the complicated factor is low, low, low.

And I suppose it is no surprise that they sold at the end of the show.  I do have more of the minnow trap lights though!

So my friends, look at things for what they can be.  And not necessarily just for what they are.  That is the upcycling wisdom that I’d like to impart on you today.

What have you repurposed lately?

Stop back on Wednesday.  I will be recapping my return to the convention center with a trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show last week.  I was delightfully surprised to see lots of upcycled ideas being used in the garden too!  Can’t wait to share them.

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where’d we leave off

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Oh right about here.  The beach and the lobster.

Lobster Collage

We harvested this great big weathered board from the beach.  It is almost the same size as me!  Not so much width, but height-wise.

weathered DIY Lobster sign

Once sun bleached and dried out, I chalked on Lobster lettering and a shadow.  Then I filled in with red and white paint.  The red was a custom mix I had left over from the fall sunflower seed sign.  The white is Old White chalk paint by Annie Sloan.

weathered DIY Lobster sign

There were gray paint remnants from its former life which played perfectly into creating the distressed look I was going for.

vintage demijohn

Once the paint dried, I took a palm sander over the lettering to complete the aging process.  I finished up with some clear wax and a bit of ebony stain in some places all in the name of creating an authentically aged look.

The funny thing is that I am constantly trying reverse the aging process on my face yet I continue to force the aging process in my work.  Just an observation.  Hmm.

vintage coastal lantern and minnow bait bucket

Anywho, I wrapped up with a little coastal mantelscaping to coordinate with the new-old Lobster sign.  Everything pictured here is for sale at West End Garage.  A bit summery, isn’t it?  Oh well.  I think I’m ready for sunny, warm days.

weathered DIY Lobster sign and vintage coastal mantel

I also put together a vintage inspired Eggs sign for one’s kitchen.  This is miniscule compared to the mammoth Lobster.  Ryan likes to read “My our Fresh Eggs” but I hope you see otherwise.  “Try our Fresh Eggs”.

eggs sign painted on old cutting board

I used a little old cutting board for the canvas.  I love how the side of the board is trimmed in faded red paint.  After the paint dried, I also clear waxed and wiped on quite a bit of ebony stain particularly near the edges and also to highlight the old cuts in the board.

eggs sign painted on old cutting board

I’m having a moment with cutting boards.  I think I’d like to start a collection.  (Yes another collection.)  Primarily old bread boards in that sweet paddle shape.  Yeah, I need some of those in my life.

What projects are you working on these days?

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our merry winter mantel

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Our mantel is redone for the season. I really love the symmetry and scale of it this time.  Let’s take a look in the living room shall we!
living room winter mantel

Don’t be distracted by the king’s chair!  Here is a close up of the mantel.

rocking horse mantel

I decided to skip pine roping this year in my decor.  I purchased a couple of plain jane spruces from the hardware store and dropped them in a pair of galvanized buckets.

galvanized planter spruce tree & vintage grain scoops

This way we can plant these along with our ball & burlap Christmas tree in the yard.  See the theme this year?

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Things evolved from there.  I have a growing collection of vintage grain scoops that I knew I wanted to work into the mantelscape this season.

vintage grain scoops

They seem to make the perfect candle holder and are interesting to look at even when they’re not lit up.

vintage holiday/winter mantel

And as for the focal point – that horse!  It is a piece of folk art history that may have been part of a child’s rocking horse or vintage advertising.  I don’t really know for sure.  This is that state I found him in.

folk horse

As soon as I saw him, I knew he was going on the mantel.  Plus he is a perfect match with the rocking horse ornament collection that we displayed on our tree this year.

folk horse

The chippy aqua door is a fun, non-traditional holiday backdrop.  I had a set of 3 of these doors.  The set had once been used for an outdoor cellar entryway.  I sold the other 2 and this is the remaining one.

chippy aqua blue door

And here’s what we’re normally seeing – the glow of the evening fire and mantelscape!  I love it.  I also love the fact that this scene is not specifically Christmas so I won’t feel the need to undo it on January 2nd.  It just might stay up for a few weeks beyond the holidays. IMG_8761

So what do you think the horse’s original use was?

folk horse

Linking to Ten June, Funky Junk Interiors

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the king’s chair

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So much to share today! Let’s get to it.

I have a chair before and after that I am just smitten with. Here is the finished vintage club chair.

vintage club chair reupholstered in linen

Here is how we found it…destined for the dump and long forgotten.  We sat on it for awhile waiting for the right inspiration to strike.  Get it? Sat on it? Ha!  I wouldn’t literally sit on that thing in the before state.

club chair before

It was pretty bad! We called it the king’s chair in it’s horrendous, torn velvet upholstery.

club chair before

The entire chair needed to be stripped inside and out but I knew it had potential.  The cushion was rebuilt and the chair reinforced.

vintage club chair refinished in linen

I love the big, bulky shape.

vintage club chair reupholstered in linen

And all of the details.  I painted the wood with ASCP Paris Grey and lightly distressed.  Then went over it with Egyptian Gold gilding wax to highlight the details.

vintage club chair wood carving details

I love how the gold glistens in the sunlight showing off the details of the ornate wood carvings.

vintage club chair wood carving details

Did you catch that upholstery?  It is a nice, nubby linen fabric made from hemp.  The perfect natural and neutral fabric to cozy up by the fireplace or for a casual beach house!  My upholsterer did a stellar job on this one – actually he does on every one.

And that pillow…super cool.  It is made from recycled tents!

recycled tent pillow on vintage club chair

I love how the king’s chair morphed into a sophisticated club chair fit for a queen.  The only problem is that I should have never moved it into my house for a photoshoot.  Because now I really want to keep it and that wasn’t the plan.  Somebody please take it off of my hands!

vintage club chair refinished in linen

By the way, sneak peek of our holiday mantel in the photo above – more on that next week. Let’s just say that it is my favorite mantelscape yet!

And since we’re talking chairs today, I never did share a proper photo of the French settee from a little while back.  It is so regal yet can be toned down and playful with the right color scheme.

reupholstered French settee

And here is the before.  The fabric was never quite sturdy enough for a chair.  It was thin like cotton bed sheets so of course it tore.

French settee before

I chose a durable fabric by Waverly in a striped pattern that reminded me of antique ticking fabric. Love the double welting and French details.

French settee makeover

Baby got back!  The curves go all the way around.  This settee is a masterpiece from all angles!  It would be fabulous in an entryway or playful in a boy’s room.  Stately in a dressing room too.  I can go on…

French settee

The settee is for sale in my space at West End Garage in Cape May, NJ.

Speaking of West End, I just moved into a larger space last night. If you’re looking for me, I’m on the reverse side of where I was before. Double the space equals double the amount of Circa Dee treasures you can expect to find! The garage is open everyday now for the holidays.

And now for the public service announcement portion of this post…

Find Circa Dee at Union Stock – a popup next weekend in Manayunk featuring a collection of locally handmade goods and wares.  I’m very excited to be in the mix with this group of local artisans.  Click on the photo for the complete lineup.  I’ll be there for the Friday evening reception.  Hope to see you!

Union Stock

As for our very own Brick & Mortar, we are open for the next 3 weekends!  Come find some unique vintage and repurposed gifts and a little something for your home too.

circa dee holiday hours

And don’t forget to RSVP if you plan to come to Miss Mustard Seed’s book signing by emailing me, commenting or on the facebook event page.

And speaking of the book ‘Inspired You’, we have a winner…drumroll…Sharon K.!

Happy weekend!