Recycled License Plate Border

Looking for a fun border for a boy's room or a "man cave"?

My 15-year old son has always been into cars and motorcycles. So, when we were looking for something unique to decorate his room, I had only to look as far as his closet! He likes to collect license plates, and now we have a way of displaying them. He has paneling on the walls (something I know I'll be changing in the distant future) but this can be done on a drywalled wall too.

I attached them all the way around the room just below the ceiling, in the same place you'd put a wallpaper border. I used tiny finishing nails to attach them so that he can swap them out and change them around any time he'd like. Each has two holes in the top that are standard, so it's easy to change them around. He's trying to collect all 50 states, so as he gets new ones, he takes down duplicates.

 (got a little carried away with Picnik on the photo :-) thus, the B&W area)

If you don't want to attach your license plates this way, you could affix something like a plate rail molding (as some craftsman and Victorian homes have) all the way around and then set the license plates in the plate groove. You'd have to check your building supply store for possible molding that would work.

When we came to a corner, we used smaller license plates from motorcycles, but you can easily bend a metal plate in half to hang in a corner. 

Where can you find license plates? We shopped at garage sales, asked relatives to check their garages, and talked with others who collect plates that might have ones to give away. It took around 50 license plates to go around his 11x15 foot room. If you If you don't have enough to go all the way around, consider doing just one wall. 

Wouldn't this be cool in a den, or the office of an auto repair shop too?

Other things to do with license plates.

There are other ideas out there on the web for decorating with recycled license plates. HGTV has some ideas for making a message board, a photo album, and storage binders here. 

And interior designer Julie Thigpen on her BelleMaison blog shows this mirror on her site:

I know there are many more ideas out there, but I'll save some for another time. I'd love to hear your ideas for how you've used vintage plates.
 
I'm linking up this week to:

 Reinvented's Trash To Treasure Tuesday

New Feature- What Would You Do With This?

I'm really excited because I've come up with a new feature for the Trash to Treasure site!

Today is my first What Would You Do With This Wednesday!  

(WWYD Wednesday)

 Here's how it works. I'll post a picture of something on a Wednesday, and then you have a week to tell me what you would do with it to turn it from trash to treasure. Using MckLinky, you'll be able to post your idea and then I'll be able to rank your ideas and announce my top favorite ideas. After a week, I'll close the list and announce a winner. You'll be able to continue to comment on the post, even though the MckLinky list will close.

If it's possible, I'll try your idea and post my results sometime later. And if it fits my budget, once in a while I'll offer a prize for my favorite idea. Otherwise, I'll tweet the name of the winner along with a link to your blog and send you some free traffic.

So are you ready for a challenge? Here's my first What Would You Do picture. A friend of mine has a piano that has been deemed unfixable. Yeah, I know it's sad. So we're wondering, what can we do with it so that we don't have to dump it in a landfill? Is there some way that we can use the wood for something? Maybe make something from the keys or the hammers? I don't know. But I'm hoping you have a great idea!

The piano looks exactly like this one:

Thank you for all of the great ideas! The entries are all below, and our first What Would You Do With This winner is Heather. Keep the ideas coming next week.

From Junk to Art: Cabin Style

My husband works at a Bible camp and when it came time to give the rustic dining hall a facelift, I started hunting yard sales and thrift shops for something to hang on the walls. We painted the worn pressed-wood walls a neutral shade of beige and then the fun began!

I love turning junk into art, so shopping for everything was like a treasure hunt. A lot of the stuff I found right at camp too! The “office” sign was out in the shed in a pile of stuff. So was the green screen. I found the oars and wicker creel at a yard sale for $2. Yes, it’s an antique fishing creel, the kind that can sell for up to $75. I found an antique popcorn maker (the kind for over a fire) at another yard sale as well as the fruit crate, welcome sign, and paddle. The pictures were old aerial views of the camp that I found in storage and framed.

I found more old signs in the shed and layered them with old fishing tackle.  We had a stack of retro T-shirts that a former camper had donated. Some were from back when the camp opened in the 1970’s. So, I thought it would make a great conversation piece in the hall where people come in to the office. I found a picture frame for a couple dollars at a yard sale that was kind of like a shadow box. I used foam board and carefully pinned the T-shirts onto the board, hiding the pins as much as possible.  I found this wall hanging at a yard sale. It’s a fake fishing pole with frames hanging from it, but this could easily be made from a real fishing pole with picture frames hanging from it. Something I’ll have to try in the future… 
One of these days, I’ll take pictures of more of the decorations and share. When it comes to decorating cabin style, trash to treasure makes it really easy!

I'm linking up this week to:

The Inspired Room- What Inspired You Link Party 

Reinvented's Trash to Treasure Tuesday

2nd Time Around Tuesday at A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

 

Share Your Ideas, Be Inspired

Friday Blog Hop #6

I must apologize to my readers for not posting a new idea this week! I ended up with a little bug and spent 2 days doing pretty much nothing but napping, so my creative pursuits took a back seat in favor of catching up on other domestic responsibilities. Sigh. If only domestic responsibilities were as much fun as blogging...

Thank you so much for your reader input on my survey this week. I'm encouraged by your responses and I agree, the stuff on the web is overwhelming! I pick and choose which link parties and blog hops to participate in when I have a busy week too. Thanks to your positive encouragement, I'll keep on having those Friday opportunities to link up. And I'll leave them open until Monday or Tuesday for those who have busy weekends. 

 I love this accidental bedroom makeover from The Little Green Bean  that Missy linked up on the blog hop last week. Missy has some fantastic ideas for using old doors and windows, two things I LOVE to use for trash to treasure decorating. Here are a few of her pics.

 

Check it out because she's used at least 2 doors and 2 windows in this room!

Now it's your turn. What would you like to share this week? Have you rennovated an interesting piece? Did you find a great thrift store bargain? Figured out a craft project with recycled junk? Inspire us with your ideas. The blog hop will be open until Tuesday. 

Blog Hop guidelines:

1-Add a permalink to your specific post not the home page of your blog. Be sure to check that the link works after you post.

2-Add a short title for your post. This could be your name or blog name if you'd like.

3- Link back to this post from your blog, or send a link to your tweeps on Twitter (mention @trash2treas).

4-Check out the links and leave some comments on the sites you enjoy.

That's all there is to it! I can't wait to see your links and ideas. Never used MckLinky? It's super easy. You don't need an account or any software. Just click on "you are next" below and type a title for the post (or your name) and add a link to the location on the web. It's that simple!

Reader Poll: What Would You Do?

Reader Poll

So, I'm looking for reader advice. Your advice. Should I keep hosting a Friday MckLinky Blog Hop with just one or two entries each week, or should I scrap the idea and let people hop and link party on some of the more popular blogs? Are there just too many MckLinky parties out there?

Your opinion matters, so leave your comments below.

Show Off What You Made- Blog Hop #5

 Friday Blog Hop (Link Party)

It's my 5th Blog Hop MckLinky Party and this week, I'm widening the guidelines to include any thrifty craft or project in addition to your trash to treasure makeovers and yard sale finds.


This week, my theme has been recycling wallpaper and I featured these 2 projects:

I can't wait to see what you made and what you found!

Blog Hop guidelines:

1-Add a permalink to your specific post not the home page of your blog. Be sure to check that the link works after you post.

2-Add a short title for your post. This could be your name or blog name if you'd like.

3- Link back to this post from your blog, or send a link to your tweeps on Twitter (mention @trash2treas).

4-Check out the links and leave some comments on the sites you enjoy.

That's all there is to it! I can't wait to see your links and ideas. Never used MckLinky? It's super easy. You don't need an account or any software. Just click on "you are next" below and type a title for the post (or your name) and add a link to the location on the web. It's that simple!

Metal Cabinet Makeover With Wallpaper

I decided to continue with the theme of projects that use up leftover wallpaper from Tuesday.

My friend who also did the fabulous faux finish of her floor let me take pictures of this cabinet that she made over. It's an antique metal cabinet and I'm not sure if it was a laundry cabinet, medicine cabinet, or something else originally (please let me know if you know what to call it!). It has a towel bar on the bottom, so it naturally lent itself to a bathroom piece. Sorry, I don't have a before picture, since I discovered this in her bathroom while visiting and it was already done.

She painted the metal to prevent it from rusting and then she applied wallpaper to the cabinet front and sides. Her wallpaper had little vignettes all over so it was easy to choose and cut a picture from it. I like how she framed it out with contrasting paint.

  

The sides were the perfect width for leftover pieces of border.

If you have a similar piece and you're looking for a reasonably priced makeover, why not look for wallpaper scraps? Or you could try using decoupage and wrapping paper or other printed paper. Just remember, if it's in a high-moisture area like the bathroom with a shower, give it some coats of decoupage for a clear coat or some Polycrylic finish. 

Be sure to stop by on Friday and leave a link to whatever you've created this week for the Follow Friday Blog Hop. 

I'm linking up this post to:

The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party 

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage