Trash to Treasure Decorating

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Fall Trash to Treasure Decorations

Before the snow flurries arrived in northern Wisconsin, which was ridiculously early this year, I decorated with some repurposed finds.

I made some pumpkins from old books, and painted a pie tin with chalkboard paint.

It's hard to see, but that Sedum is growing out of an old oil can. I filled an old milk delivery cooler with fall blossoms from a bush that needed pruning.

The rusty wheelbarrow holds mums in an enamelware bathtub.

An aluminum teapot filled with the remaining summer flowers.

I filled an enamelware pot with fall blossoms. The pumpkin books are easy to make when you tear the binding off an old book, and round the corners of the pages. I fluffed and ruffled them to get the dimension, and to make it stand better.

I love the candle holder that fits in a wine bottle, or in this case an olive oil bottle. It's a great way to repurpose an old bottle.

Have a happy repurposed and upcycled fall!

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Scouting for Junk in Princeton, Wisconsin - What Fun!

I attended a family reunion this summer near Princeton, Wisconsin. The town hosts a flea market every Saturday all summer, and crowds flock from miles around to the town square for the weekly festivities.

Venders sell their crafts and fresh produce while shoppers wander the jagged aisles looking for treasure. But Princeton visitors don't need to wait for Saturdays to come around to find some fantastic treasures.

I stopped in at two neighboring shops on the main thoroughfare through town and found a heap of fun stuff I would have bought if I had unlimited funds. If you're ever in Priceton, Wisconsin, I highly recommend you check out these two shops.

The first one is Needful Things. Check out Debi's Needful Things on Facebook to see more pictures of the wonderful projects in progress at the shop.

I love the whimsical style of the inventory of this shop. The hand-painting is one-of-a-kind.

When I stopped in, this piece was in progress, and now it's finished:

I want it!

The other shop I checked out was one I stopped at several years ago when I was in the area. Huser Daddy Antiques has made some great improvements at the shop. I loved it before, but now there were some cool brightly painted items and the pile of treasures outside has been organized and arranged. Love the changes! Find out more about the shop at the Facebook page for Huser Daddy Antiques and have fun looking through the photos.

If only I had unlimited funds....

What fun it is to stop in local resale shops. The next time you're exploring Wisconsin, be sure to check out Princeton...any day of the week. But especially on flea market Saturdays.

Thanks to the shop owners for letting me scout around. I'll be back again, for sure!

Tips for Decorating with Yard Sale Finds

I recently wrote a piece for Queen of the Castle Magazine titled "Upscale Junk: Tips for Decorating with Yard Sale Finds." I thought I would share with my T2T readers.

Flip over to page 54 to read my article, but be sure to check out the rest of the magazine too. It has a lot of fun content.

Cheerful Quilt Puts the Finishing Touches on Bedroom Re-do

When I redid the paneling in my bedroom, I knew that I wanted to replace the quilt, but my new one was only half-finished.

So, my 'after' pictures looked like this...with a quilt that was outdated and need some repair. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Yeah, that was from back in my mauve and sage days.

It's finally done! I love how cheerful the new quilt is. This was made from all of the leftover fabric I had around from some other projects, like tote bags and purses.

Tie and Belt Rack from Old Piano Parts

Here's a quick project from old piano parts. My dad used the pegs from inside the piano to make these tie and belt racks that can hang in the closet. It could also be used for jewelry or other decorative items. He drilled holes for the pegs in some of the scrap wood from the piano.

Repurposed Piano Parts - A Beautiful Sofa Table

I grew up playing piano on a huge upright grand. If you've been following my recent posts, you've seen some of the projects my dad made from that piano when it was time to retire it from use.

The top of the piano was a long board with a hinge so that the piano could be tuned. My dad used that board, with the attached hinge and created this sofa table. He purchased the repurposed legs from a local salvage shop. Then, he stained them and a few other repurposed pieces to match the piano color.

Another Table from a Repurposed Piano

In another segment of my repurposed piano series, here is the end table my dad made for me. The legs are from original parts of the piano, and he used some other salvaged wood for part of the shadow box to contain the piano keys. You'll notice it looks different from the one he made for my sister, since each uses different parts of the piano.

I learned to play piano on these keys. I remember the broken ivory on that one A key.

The old piano looked a lot like this one I found on the internet, except it was more ornate.

The table legs are made from the front let, and also from the half-leg that was there for decoration on the body. My dad cut the back legs for my table from the body of the piano.

Isn't it cool how the keys were all numbered? To get them to fit right in the table, they couldn't be reassembled in perfect order.

Watch for more piano projects coming this week!

More Uses for Piano Parts

Recently, I featured a table my dad made from the parts of an old piano. This week, I'd like to show you a few other projects he created. The part of the piano where music would usually rest is a beautiful piece of wood with ornate trim. He turned it into a wall feature to be used as a photo ledge.

I spent many hours with music spread on that easel. It's nice to keep it all in one piece in its retirement days.

What to Do With an Old Piano - Upcycled Project

I am so excited to show this project! My dad has gotten on the trash to treasure bandwagon and started creating his own projects. After trying to get rid of their big upright grand piano, my parents decided the only thing they could do was disassemble it and use the wood for projects.

I felt terrible about it, because it was the piano I grew up playing and it was still in working condition. But I had no place to put the beast! And neither did anyone else. So, imagine my happiness when my dad came up with this!

He made it for my sister out of the wood from the piano, and he recessed the keys in sort of a shadow box. This photo doesn't include the glass, but he had a piece of heavy duty safety glass cut for the top that fit perfectly in the inset groove.

Since the above table is for my sister, he's working on a second one for me. Yay! Notice how he reused even the foot pedals.

Guest Room Makeover with White Pickle Glazed Furniture

When we moved out of our room and turned our son's former room into a master bedroom, we gained a guest room. I turned our old tiny bedroom into a guest room. When we lived in it, we could barely walk around the queen-sized bed with our two dressers in the room. Now, with a smaller bed I was able to create a pleasing and inviting arrangement.

The metal bed was a freebie a neighbor was tossing out.

I had before and after photos of this dresser. But I seem to have misplaced them. Or deleted them. Oops. I painted them white, glazed with antique brown, and sealed with paste wax.

I hauled my sewing cabinet into the guest room from another room since it matched the other furniture and it's a great place to do a quick mend on something in there.

Proof that even an odd arrangement can work if the furniture is monochromatic.

The chair is part of a set that I purchased at a yard sale. I love white wicker and it's inviting in the guest room as a place to set a tote bag, a place to sit to put on shoes, or a place to read a book.

Just in case you're worried about where we booted my son to in order to gain a guest room...He seldom comes home from college, so he moved to a smaller den we have on the lower level, leaving an extra room on the main level. I haven't had a guest room since giving birth 21 years ago. A strange new phase of life, this empty nesting.

Creative Kitchen Sink Splash Guard

Have you ever considered how to prevent some of the water splashing around the kitchen sink. Outside of just skipping washing dishes, that is.

When I repainted the kitchen, I had to repair some water damage above the sink, and I hate the puddle that forms when water runs to the side. So I came up with a pretty solution.

This ceramic plate fits behind the faucet, and within the stainless steel groove of the sink. Now, when I get carried away with the soap and water, it runs back into the sink. It's functional and pretty. There was a rectangle one at the store that I really wanted but it was three times the price. This one will do just fine. Yes, indeed.

Piano Bench Made into Upholstered Footstool

Once upon a time, I bought this piano bench at a yard sale for $1. I quickly stapled some fabric over the existing seat and used it for a while at the piano. But, then I upgraded to a nicer bench and put this one in storage. Until recently. See how lumpy it looks? I fixed that.

I wanted a footstool for when I sit in my bedroom in the wicker chair, but it had to be very small. Skinny enough to fit between the bed and the chair. So, I chopped about 6 inches off each leg on the bench, took took it apart, and took it outside to give it some spray paint.

I painted a black base color and sprayed a crackle finish over the top.

Then, using some foam from an old couch cushion (the couch was tossed long ago, but I saved the foam), I added new padding. I also used a scrap of decorator fabric from my stash. Anyone who sews always ends up with a stash of pieces.

After I stapled the fabric around the seat, I drilled two holes in the board and poked a long needle up through, snagged a button, and poked back down through the hole. Disclaimer: it was easier said than done.