Curbside Treasures: Clean-Up

 The best things in life are old, loved, and rescued.

Author unknown

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We had a beautiful Easter weekend, so I decided to take some time to clean up the garden items I found on the curb last week.

First up: The iron bird bath/bird feeder. As you can see, it had a pretty thick coating of rust. 

I may end up having it sandblasted but for now, I thought I'd try a home remedy I found online: Cream of tartar mixed with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste.

This is one home remedy that actually WORKS! As I scrubbed, the rust literally rolled off the surface. I went through two containers of cream of tartar before running out. By that point, I could see a design on the feeder which wasn't visible before.

 Since I was out of cream of tartar (and time), I decided to stop and come back to this project at a later date -- and with a stockpile of cream of tartar. So I rinsed it thoroughly and let it dry in the sun.

 

 Now this little piece looks really sweet in the front garden area! For now, I have filled it with bird seed but that may change to water.

 Next I tackled the baker's rack. I used a wire brush to scrub off the loose paint. I hosed it down and let it dry in the sun.

Then I took it out in the yard and applied a few coats of black spray paint.

 I painted the little finials silver. I think it turned out really nicely and will be cute with a few shade plants in this little corner by the garage.

 

Next up: This short trellis. First I brushed it to remove all the loose paint and rust. The previous owner had left some fishing line tied to it so perhaps it was once a support for clematis or another climbing vine. It's a very sturdy little piece.

I initially painted it a bronze color to (sort of) match the original shade, but it was too bright. Since I decided to stand it up against our house, I opted for black to match our other metal accents. I like the way it turned out!

 

This taller trellis was in serious need of clean-up. The paint had faded to a sort of pink color, and it was covered with rust. 

 But with a few coats of black paint, it looks good as new!

  I really like the way it looks behind my grandma's tiger lilies. The motif on this trellis is a fleur-de-lis, which is perfect for me since I love all things French.

 I'm excited to have a few "new to me" ornaments in the garden...each one with its own story! 

Thanks for stopping by!
jp

More Painting Fun

 Lately I've been on a mission to finish up a few projects that have been on my list for a very long time. These projects were all so quick and easy that I'm not sure why I didn't finish them long ago!

I bought this metal Eiffel tower at Target a few years back for around $40. I don't have a "before" picture but it started out bronze and had lost some of its paint from being out in the garden. I decided to spray paint it black.

 

After two or three coats, it looked better than new. Later I saw the same Eiffel tower at Hobby Lobby in a black finish for $69! That made me feel even better about this quick little project!

 

 These brown wooden birds were next on my list. They belonged to my parents and are two of many items given to them by a neighbor who enjoyed woodworking. The birds were painted brown to match their house, but I found that brown birds didn't show up very well in my garden.

 

 So I bought some green outdoor paint at Hobby Lobby and brightened them up. Since they are wooden, I found that using a foam brush worked much better than spray painting them.

 

I spray painted the metal rods black to freshen them up. Now the birds are much more cheerful...

 

...and they show up very nicely in the garden!

 

Last on this short list was this black metal butterfly given to me by my mom many years ago. I always liked the shape but a black butterfly tends to get lost in a garden or patio pot. I've hesitated to paint it since Mom gave it to me, but I finally decided to go for it.

 

 I spray painted the butterfly lime green. (Can you tell I like that color? I was also trying to use spray paint I already had on hand!) I taped off the antennae and the metal rod so that I could re-paint them black.

 

 Now the butterfly looks very cute in a patio pot -- and you can actually see it!

I'm glad to finish up these easy projects. Doesn't it feel great to check things off your to-do list? :)

jp

Spray Painting Fun: Pots, Mug Tree & Garden Cart

I've been doing quite a bit of spray painting lately. Watch out: If it's not moving, I might just spray paint it! :) I had a few old pots in the garage that needed freshening up, so I hit them with spray paint. I think they'll look great filled with herbs. We'll see how the paint holds up over the summer!

I also finally got around to spray painting my mom's old mug tree which was already green but had a few nicks. A fresh coat of the same color made it look like new! One of these days I'll get it set up with her white Syracuse china mugs.

 

My current project is this old grill cart which belonged to Spouse's parents. It had been sitting in their basement unused for many years when my mother-in-law suggested that it could be a nice garden cart for our patio. I found several "grill to garden cart" projects for inspiration on Pinterest and got to work.

 

I'll repaint the cart itself with black spray paint.

Spouse removed all the slats and sanded them to get rid of the loose paint. This was no small task!

 I decided to repaint the slats in a creamy white. In retrospect, brush painting them would have been much easier than spray painting, but I didn't realize that until I was deep into my first can of spray paint. The wood slats  absorb a lot of paint and because they have to be painted on both sides, it will take several passes to finish them.

I was getting somewhat discouraged until the slats FINALLY started to cover well!

Stay tuned for my progress on this "grill cart turned garden cart". It's going to take awhile but I think it will be worth the effort in the end!

jp

Old Made New: Taper to Pillar Candlesticks

Last fall, I posted about spray painting my shiny brass candlesticks. Remember those "home decor parties" people used to have? That's how long I've had these candlesticks! I've always liked them but the shiny brass didn't fit our decor so I spray painted them oil-rubbed bronze.

I was very happy with how they turned out, but spray paint alone did not solve the problem. I also wanted to change the candlesticks to work with pillar instead of taper candles. I quickly found out, however, that this was no easy fix. I couldn't find a product that would easily pop into the tops of the candlesticks to give them a wider platform. It seems to me that something like that should exist but if it does, I sure haven't found it!

So I've been pondering how I could convert these candlesticks to something more usable. I envisioned a flat piece of metal that I could glue to the tops of the candlesticks, similar to a coaster. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, but I WAS sure I would know it when I saw it!

Last week, I was checking out the treasures at my local thrift shop and happened upon three metal candle "plates", just a little bit larger than a coaster -- and for 99 cents each! They were PERFECT for my three candlesticks! I brought them home, removed the pads on the bottoms, and gave them a coat of spray paint to match the candlesticks.

You can see how nicely the plate fits the candlestick! I was practically jumping up and down with excitement!

Spouse took an interest in my project (yay!) and offered to do the gluing. He applied a very strong industrial-type glue to the top of the candlesticks and set the plates in place. After letting them dry overnight, he gave the completed candlesticks another coat of spray paint. 

The "new" candlesticks look amazing! Now I'm off to buy pillar candles so I can put them to use! :)
jp

Curbside Treasures

I'm sorry to say it, but people are wasteful. 
TERRIBLY WASTEFUL. 

This fact is painfully obvious at our community's annual "Clean-Up Day". Over the course of a few days, people put unwanted items -- furniture, grills, lawn decor, etc. --  out on the curb to be collected with the regular trash service. On those days, you can see all kinds of vehicles driving through the neighborhood collecting treasures before the trash guys arrive.

One of those vehicles would be mine. :) Much to Spouse's dismay, I love checking out the items on the curb. 

One year, I found a fabulous birdbath in perfect condition. It took all of my strength to lift it into my SUV. Another year, I snagged a great wire shelving unit for a closet.

Spouse reminds me that I am supposed to be getting rid of stuff, not bringing more stuff home, but I cannot help myself. First of all, I'm hopelessly sentimental. It breaks my heart to see once-loved items carelessly tossed aside. In addition, the creative side of me sees potential in just about everything. Beyond that, I'm just plain appalled by the amount of perfectly useful stuff we send to the landfill from our neighborhood alone. I really makes me sick.

This year, I could have collected so much more, but I knew if I pushed my luck, the next thing out on the curb would be me! :)

Why would anyone throw out this nearly new watering can? I'm sorry, but this is just plain wasteful. I brought it home for Bailey to use on her balcony. After washing off the mud and checking it for leaks, it is as good as new. Better than new, in my opinion, because it didn't end up in the landfill.

I'm mainly on the lookout for vintage-type items, and I scored big time with this cool old metal watering can which I found in a huge pile of garden decor. The owner had used it as a flower pot. Once I get this old can cleaned up, it will be a fun addition my patio plantings. And I guarantee I could sell it in my case at the antique mall. But I won't. :)

This year I ran across a lot of Christmas decorations. Sadly, it rained during the days when stuff had been left out on the curb, and a few items I would have rescued and delivered to my favorite thrift store (notably an adorable stuffed reindeer and gingerbread family) were soaked. I did snag this pink table-top Christmas tree, which still had the tag on it. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU NOT DONATE THIS TREE? The last thing I need is more Christmas decor, but this was just too ridiculous to pass up. Plus, I had a vision for it.

As soon as I saw it, I knew that I could spray paint it and turn it into a perfect tree to display some of my antique ornaments. Unfortunately, Spouse and Daughter have been slow to warm up to this idea. :)

I've never spray painted fake greenery, but it works just fine. It does take several sessions to cover up all of the old color but I'm getting there.

I have just a few more touch-ups and this awesome tree will be done. Imagine THIS:

 OR THIS:

 

This tree is going to look amazing tucked in a corner at Christmastime. 

 Who cares if it came from the curb? If I can give something new life or save one item from the landfill, what's wrong with that? 

Look out, because on Clean-Up Day, I'm unstoppable! :)

jp

Cart Project Finished

 Last fall, I shared that I was getting ready to start re-habbing this cart which I brought home from my dad's garage. He used it for his tools and, as you can see, it was in very rough shape. It has taken awhile, but this project is finally finished!

After trying a few different grades of sandpaper, it was apparent that no amount of sanding was going to fix all of this cart's issues. So we asked a friend to sandblast it and he generously did so...using my dad's sandblaster which his neighbor had purchased at my auction. So in a sad but nice sort of way, my dad participated in this little project.

After the sandblasting was done, Spouse took on the job of spray painting, so all of the credit for this project goes to him. I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

The only disappointing part of the project was that I fell short of my initial "vision" for it, shown below in this Pinterest photo. I had planned to paint the shelves in three colors to match my craft room but as you can see, the inspiration cart has handles whereas my cart has "legs" on the corners. Because the legs look like they're almost part of the shelves (instead of being completely separate as in the inspiration photo), it was hard to determine a color scheme that worked. So I opted for a galvanized silver color for the entire cart which makes it more versatile. But I will always love this three-color cart! *sigh*

Anyway...moving on! :) I bought new screws and Spouse put the cart back together. I really do love the simplicity of the re-habbed silver cart!

Even sandblasting did not remove all the imperfections in the cart. It had had just had too many layers of paint and too much hard use to erase all of that. "It's character," Spouse reminded me. Very true.

The new screws were only available in brass. At first I thought I'd spray paint them to match the cart, but then we opted to leave them as is. After all, the silver and brass combination is popular right now.

I have a couple of spots where I could put the cart in my craft room but I'm not sure yet exactly where it will go. Of course, my dad used to roll the cart wherever he needed it and I can, too. That's the nice thing about a cart!

I also haven't decided exactly how to use the shelves, but another good thing about a cart is that it gives you more horizontal storage/display space that can be changed as needed.

So now I have a few items from my dad's shop cleaned up and put to use in our house. I know that he and my mom would have gotten a big kick out of that.

jp

New Bar Cart Project

 Stand back...I am on a teeny tiny roll! HA! 

I finally got up the gumption to tackle a new bar cart project! But first, do you remember THIS bar cart?

 I'd like to say I use it mainly as a lovely tea cart or coffee station, but that would not be completely accurate! Most of the time (at least on the weekends), it functions as a bar cart. I'll share more pictures in a future post, as we've now outfitted it with quite a bit of fun bar ware. Now, gentle readers, I do not want to give the wrong impression here: We use it only for an occasional drink now and then on the weekends. But if we ever had a party, we'd be set! :)

The rehabbed bar cart came from my dad's shop, where he used it as a tool cart. Prior to that, my grandma used it as a dessert cart for Sunday dinners. So the cart is now having it's THIRD life! I love the fact that it was used so much by people I hold dear in my heart.

So now this is my next project:

 This cart also came from my dad's shop. You can see in the above picture that I strung a zip-tie around the leg and labeled it with my name so that it would not accidentally be sold at the auction. :( I've had this cart in the garage for two years now, waiting until I felt emotionally ready to tackle it.

This is what I want to do with the cart, in colors to match my craft room. I cannot express how much I love this inspiration photo!

This past week, I tried sanding the bar cart with a couple of grades of sand paper. UGH! I sanded enough to learn that the cart was originally painted red. But several coats of brown paint have left the surface very rough. What to do? I COULD use contact paper on the shelves like I did on the other bar cart, but that's not really the look that I'm envisioning for this one. 

The process of sanding made me think of my dad. If he were here, he would sand blast it for me. (Well, if my dad were here, I wouldn't have the cart in the first place, I guess...) *sigh*

So Spouse and I took apart the cart and after closer inspection, we decided it would be worth spending a bit of money to have a friend sand blast it, which will provide a nice, smooth surface to spray paint. Hopefully I'll get it back soon and can get started on this project!
jp