Restore to adore, $7 project

I found this book for $2 at a flea market.  Love maps, and an idea started to form.

Laid the fold out pages on the floor.  Then framed it.
Can you tell with what?  Got the frame stuff from my new love, 'Restore', a Habitat for Humanity store.

Great place.  Go there, you will find stuff!

Can you tell what these items are yet?  Yes, vinyl slats, which I bought in a bunch for $4.

I spray painted them gold and started framing them around my Wall Chart History of the World.

This baby is over 8 ft by 4 ft!  I have a huge wall, never been able to fill---big proportions and whatever I put up there was dwarfed by the wall.

More piecing, tacking, gluing, taping.

Side view, tape on, drying.

Tape off, from the other side.  I am so liking this.  Of course, I love maps.  It is colorful and informative.

Further back in the room.  You can see how big it is as it hovers over the couch. 





Close up of the first page of this huge fold out map.
This was a fun, fast, satisfying project.  Yeah!!!!
I will be linking up with Donna's Funky Junk Interiors
this weekend.

Medicine bottles

Found these sweet amber bottles at a flea market.  I just love that dark color!  Anyway, thought I would attempt a REAL tutorial.

Here they are again by themselves...paid between $1 and $3 per bottle.

Picked some labels that were particularly enticing.  They had some crazy ingredients back then.  Given what was in them, I don't know how anybody got anything done.


Here they are on the shelf of my newly revamped hutch.  I just cut out the labels and mod podged them to the bottles.  Easy and quick.  My favorite kind of project!

So, I got myself on the internet, looking for some wicked medicine labels, cause I know they are out there!  Oh yeah.  I don't know why these pictures don't come out in the order I command them.  Sheesh!  I will be linking this to Donna's Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special?  Great inspiration!

hutch, my way

Amber bottles, originally purchased blank.  I added the labels later by searching the internet for 'old labels'.  Fun.

Also, found this bronze statute and the old stapler next to it.  Just liked it.

Picked up these old medicine bottles that worked next to my old first aid tin.  And the glass head with the coffee cup with the leaning tower of Pisa.  I know, crazy combination.

Picture of the whole revamped project with flash.  Much better.

The piece started out looking like this.  Pretty, but not my style.  I was looking for darker and austere.  Also, clear glass to see items inside.

So I sanded and painted the interior walls a grey, left over from some other project.




This is before I decided the leaded glass panels wouldn't work.  Couldn't see anything inside.

Again, the final product.  I may eventually decide to put mirror panels in the back for more reflection and it would be nice to have interior lights.  Another day.
Thanks for stopping by!

This project will be linked up with Donna's Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special.

Chair upholster

My daughter bought two chairs for me. Really sad and ugly.So I bought some muslin and material I thought would work.  I am not an upholsterer or even much of a seamstress, but thought I would see what I could come up with since she went through the trouble and got both chairs and two lamps for $25.00.  Unfortunately, I cannot find where I took pictures of the piecing of the material before turning it right side out.Folks, this was not an easy job.  Tedious and guessing as I go as to how to do this.  There is a reason why the pros charge an arm and leg.  A good reason, it's tough.Anyway I added some double fold bias tape and applied that with fabric glue.Then I didn't like the plainness of the back so I glued on some more material from another upholstery project.  Also I thought the bottom panel was a little flouncy so I cinched it up some.I have one more chair to do and then I may never upholster again.

A mirror redo

I am hooking this project up to Funky Junk Interiors Saturday night special.This is my final product.  Unfortunately it broke in half while working on it.  Good grief...couldn't believe it!A closer look at the final product.  Pages from a book about Shakespeare and his 'As You Like It' play.Another close up..Love that pic of Shakespeare.This is after I have sprayed oven cleaner numerous times and scrubbed it.  At least three times.  That silver is tenacious!So start out with a perfectly lovely, beveled mirror, with a nice frame for $10.00.  Try not to drop it.  Then spray oven cleaner on it and let it set for at least 30 minutes to one hour.  Then scrub.  You will know pretty quick if you will be spraying and waiting again.  Then, with mod podge apply what you want.  Bev, of  Flamingotoes.com, used material with a rose pattern.  ( In my mind I saw, paper, the written word. Specifically from an old book I have had for years.)  Mod podge over what you have applied previously.  And there you have it.  Just don't drop it.  Thanks, Bev, for all your encouragement this week!