Trash to Treasure Inspiration from Upscale Decorator

Feature article by Leslie Young on The Commercial Appeal: 

Thrifty Decorator Furnishes House with Found Objects

Kaye McWhorter is not afraid to look like a crazy woman — when it comes to a good bargain, that is.

"I saw a bench on the side of the road in my neighborhood in Dallas, and it couldn't fit in my car. I stuffed it in the back seat and couldn't even close the door. I'm sure people were thinking, 'What in the world is that crazy woman doing?'" said McWhorter, 67, of East Memphis.

hat bench, spray-painted a different color and good as new, now sits in her upstairs guest bedroom alongside twin beds with old garden gates as headboards, a spray-painted wicker chair and several other wayside discoveries to complete a look straight out of the Hamptons.

Photo linked from The Commercial Appeal site

"It's fun," McWhorter said. "It's that trash-to-treasure thing."

The retired schoolteacher has filled her five-bedroom, 3½-bath Pidgeon Estates home with found treasures — sometimes repainted, sometimes reupholstered, sometimes repurposed, and all indistinguishable from her more legitimate purchases.

"I feel like God has really helped me to look beyond things as they are and see what they can become, not just with things, but also with people," said McWhorter, the wife of an ordained minister.

When she drove by a bench disassembled on the side of the road, she saw front-porch potential.

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Steampunk: Trash to Treasure Becomes a Family Addiction

The trash to treasure addiction has begun to spread to the rest of the family! My son who is a high school student has an interest in welding. So earlier this year, he created this steampunk sculpture for a welding competition. He got to go all the way to the national Skills USA competition in Kansas City this past summer.

His sculpture involves different types of metal, thus different types of welds. I know nothing about welding, so he has me trumped in this department. I do however have a high appreciation for his skills. 

I know the green doily just doesn't jive with the sculpture. It's just that it was scratching the antique table, so I had to put something under it. Any ideas for something more appropriate to use to protect the table that would fit with the steam punk piece?

 

I'm back!

I had to take a break from the blog for a while and I'm glad to be back! I felt as if I couldn't keep up with an overwhelming to-do list and something had to go. I was working on a book (which will be coming out very soon), and I had a bunch of speaking commitments. 

Since family comes first, they couldn't be the "something" that went. In the past, I let sleep go, but for the sake of my health, I knew I couldn't let that go either. I'd have let eating go, but, that doesn't take all that much time. I'd have let exercise go, but frankly, I'd already pretty much let it go.

So, I decided to take a break from the blog.

I'll be re-launching the Trash to Treasure Decorating with a new look and some updates, so if it looks a little odd when you stop by today, I'm working on re-sizing the page and simplifying the layout. 

Thanks for being faithful readers! You guys are great.

Michelle