The Dancing Goat Studio

While on vacation in Minnesota, I visited the Dancing Goat Studio in New London, MN. No, it isn't a dance studio. I'm less coordinated than a goat when it comes to that. It's an art studio where Kim W. makes some pretty fantastic trash to treasure stuff.

It's a sweet place to stop if you're in the area. It isn't open every day, though. I just happened to be passing through on a day it was open. You'll find the business hours posted on the Dancing Goat Studio page on Facebook. And, you'll want to stop by Kim's Dancing Goat Studio blog too. Well, I don't really know what you'll want to do, but I suggest you check it out and I suspect you'll agree with that previous sentence after you've been to the blog.

Check out the Facebook page for these and other fantastic photos from the Dancing Goat Studio.

Kim said it all started with her upcycled purses made from books. She has a whole area where customers can choose their book and fabric and Kim will custom make a purse. She does them mail order too!

There are many more pics to see on the Facebook page and the blog so go there. Sorry. That's bossy. Please go there?

Thanks Kim for letting me stop by the studio. I hope to come back again someday!

Some changes coming to the T2T Blog

I'm working on some changes to the blog that might change how the URL looks in your browser, but won't change the content of the blog. I'm hoping to incorporate this blog into my regular website at www.michellerayburn.com. You'll still see this page, and you'll still be able to follow, comment, and connect with Trash to Treasure Decorating as usual. Only, now, the URL www.TrashToTreasureDecorating.com will point to www.blog2.michellerayburn.com.

You'll also notice a change to the tabs at the top of the page, which will soon link to other pages on my website. Thank you for your patience in the transition and hopefully, I'll have a new post up soon. Finally!

A Foot of Snow in May!

We had a foot of snow in Northern Wisconsin today. The problem with that is that it's May 2nd. What's up with that?

Here's how I turned that trash to treasure:

Built a Snowman

 Poor snowgal. She lost an eye before I snapped the picture. It was snowing so hard, I couldn't keep the snowflakes off the lens.

I took artsy photos of the snow.

My poor T2T yard decorations!

I shoveled.

When you see treasure in the flea market trash, you start looking for treasures in the "life" trash too. The good news...it's supposed to get in the 70s in a few days and this will all be gone. For today, it provided a snow day for the kids, some artistic beauty, and some fun in the snow. That's the T2T life!

Lamp Needs a Makeover - What Would You Do?

Normally, I feature What Would You Do with This? questions on Wednesdays. But this time, it's a friend emergency. My friend's thoughtful mother-in-law got her a lamp to replace one that she has been wanting to change out. I really do mean thoughtful, and not sarcastically. Her MIL found it at a thrift sale. I think it has a lot of charm, but it doesn't quite fit my friend's style. So, to honor her sweet MIL, my friend really wants to make this work in her home.

She isn't sure yet what she would change about it, but she wants something changed. I will give you a whole bunch of shots of different angles of this hanging lamp, and maybe you can help me come up with something do with it. She's given me permission to do whatever it takes. 

 So, what would you do? Leaving it white is not an option. And the paint is built up to the point where I think I will have to strip it with a water-based stripper. Where there are chips in the paint, I can see some shiny silver-colored metal. It's pretty heavy, so I'm thinking maybe it's stainless steel?

There is a close-up of the chain below. I think I will need to paint it or something, as the gold isn't very attractive. I could remove the power cord, but only if I have my husband unwire it from the lamp and I pull it out of the chain links.

 

 

 

 

 

There you go. Have at it! I can't wait to hear your ideas. And this isn't some hypothetical thing either. I'm going to be choosing an idea and carrying out the makeover. 

Upcycled Tin Can Snowman that Melts Your Heart

Where I live in Northern Wisconsin, we haven't had a day where the temperatures have climbed to the 50s since sometime last year. Our winters can be long, and I leave snowman stuff out from November to the end of April.

Yep. We get our use out of our winter decorations!

My mom recently made me another snowman for my collection. She's inspired by the plethora of ideas on Pinterest. And, being a school cook she has access to a lot of empty tin cans. So, she created this snowman for me.

His arms are a little long, and they went off my photo, and I might shorten them just a little to make it easier to store him away...granted our snow does stop and summer arrives here up 'nort'.

Here's the scoop on how she made him. She spray painted the cans with white. I suggest a rust-preventing type, especially if you store your decorations in a place where they encounter a little moisture. She glued them together. You can use hot glue, or if you plan to put it outside, try something like Gorilla glue, E-6000,  or Liquid Nails. 

She used buttons and hot glue for decoration and made a scarf and hat from scraps of felt. You could sew a hat, or if you have an aversion to needles flying across fabric too close to your fingers, you can make it from felt. The top of the hat is a circle glued to a tube of felt, with another Frisbee-like piece for the brim. You could also make a stocking hat by using an old wool sock tied at the top with a tassle added. Or, if you're even more into Trash to Treasure, cut off the arm of an old sweater, tie one end for the top of the hat, and you have a knit stocking hat. I didn't make a sample because, my husband wouldn't consent to having a sweater in his closet with only one arm.

If you don't have felt for the scarf, try a scrap of flannel and cut fringes on the ends. 

My dad got into the project by drilling holes for Mom in the sides where she wanted to glue stick arms. If you want to be able to store your snowman away during the summer, you could skip the glue and just "stick" [oh, I'm punny today] the arms into the holes. Then, you can remove them for storage. And if necessary, your snowman can get an arm transplant next winter if these arms don't work out. Now, there's a bonus.

Now, you're probably wondering where you can get a nose. For the snowman, that is. I don't know a thing about human nose suppliers. My mom made the nose from Model Magic clay. You know, the stuff that's really light weight and dries quick? You'll find it usually with the kids craft supplies. She used paint to make the rosy cheeks. 

For someone who doesn't consider herself all that crafty, don't you think Mom did a good job? And, thanks to our snowy weather, I don't feel compelled to put him away for spring yet.

How to Plan for Successful Flea Market Shopping

Flea Market and Garage Sale season is coming. In fact, it has already arrived in many areas. I'm still buried in many inches of snow in the northwoods, and it will be a while before we get into sale season.

No matter when your season begins, it's never too early to plan ahead. House of Harvest has a great post with tips for successful flea market and yard sale shopping. From planning ahead, to what to bring, to how to shop and bargain, this post has it all.

Here's a photo of blog owner Lindsea on her blog. Can you see her in the flea market version of a Where's Waldo photo? Hint: she's that adorable thing right in the middle of the photo.

Now, hop over to House of Harvest and check out Lindsea's great post.

The Repurposed and Upcycled Life

Where have you been Michelle? Why don't you post very much on your blog lately? Are you still around?

I'm about to answer the burning questions. Or the questions you never had. I had my first book come out recently and I've been working like crazy to get my website updated, some blog tours set up, and some marketing work done. The to-do list is so crazy and I'm at the computer all day. My crafty and decorating project ideas sit untapped on my Pinterest page. I do have some new project ideas that I will be sharing here soon. In the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to the object of my time-consumption:

The Repurposed and Upcycled Life: When God Turns Trash to Treasure

Book Trailer

All of my trash to treasure decorating gave me the idea for the book. I'm a speaker for women's events, and I often use objects from everyday life for lessons. It occurred to me that decorating with repurposed objects and flea market finds is more than an art—it also teaches valuable lessons about turning unpleasant life experiences into character-building opportunities. I realized how we value shabby chic decorations—flaws and all—so much more than we value ourselves and our friends despite our imperfections.

There is so much emotional junk surrounding many of the women I meet, and I have a passion for helping them see that some of it just needs some upcyling and repurposing. See what I mean by those terms on my website where I have a guest post available for bloggers on my virtual tour.I've discovered that some of my most frustrating experiences have turned out to be all part of making me a stronger, more empathetic woman.

I'm still looking for a few bloggers to read my book and review it on their blogs and on Amazon. Interested? Send me an email requesting information on how to be part of the tour.

More information about the book and about my speaking is available at michellerayburn.com.