Things Repurposed

I am a collector by nature. I'm always on the lookout for some funky piece that I haven't seen anywhere else. The problem is, you can only collect so much before it starts to take over your home. So I had to make a decision--quit collecting (which I knew I wouldn't do!!) or find interesting things that I could​ actually use. It's made me a much more discriminating buyer because I not only have to love the piece, I have to have a purpose for it. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

I found this old hand cart in a junk shop. It has wooden handles and it's made of metal strapping that is now rusted and red. Too good to pass up. When I brought it home, I had a piece of plexiglass cut for the top and it became the table for our deck. I love it!​

I found this old metal nesting box at a new favorite junk shop. I have chickens, which is probably what attracted me to it in the first place. The problem is, my chickens nest in their coop which is right where I want them to stay. So what else could I use this for? It became the perfect shampoo, soap and towel caddy for my outdoor shower. ​Again, I love it!

I inherited this old scale from my brother, so it is a sentimental favorite. It sits on my kitchen counter with any fresh produce I have that doesn't need refrigeration. Practical and charming!​

This old bird cage was a gift from my parents. Why a bird cage? I just love them. It sat in my sunporch for years just being itself, when one night while giving a party I realized what a great candle holder it made. It's had that job ever since.​

Of course not everything in my home has a dual purpose, but now I love the challenge of trying to give things new function. Some things are obvious, others take a little more imagination. I know this for sure--it has made my treasure hunting a whole lot more fun and rewarding. Try it! If you like it you really can't go wrong. 

Lynn​

Office ReDo

We have an office in our master bedroom. The problem was we didn't use it because it was dark and cluttered.

See what I mean? 

I decided it was time to do something about it, so I called my contractor to get an estimate. His bid came back at over $5,000!!! Did I mention that the room measures 9'x7'? I'm not cheap, but that seems like a lot of money for a little room that only Hubby and I use. So now I've got a challenge. What can I do and how much can I save? Here's what I came up with: 

 

First, I cleared out all our junk, then my contractor removed the upper cabinets, changed the ceiling fan, and moved some electrical boxes around. I don't do electrical. The next problem was deciding what to do with the walls. The demo left some really uneven surfaces. I decided to use burlap because it would hide the flaws while leaving an interesting texture.

 

Bad texture.               Good texture.             Cute edge. 

How did I hang the burlap? I used wallpaper paste that I had left over from another project. I applied it to the wall, adhered the burlap, then applied more paste over the top. Don't worry, I tried it on a test swatch before I put it on the walls. In this case, the paste didn't change the color of the fabric at all. I also left the raw edges of the fabric rather than cutting them off because I liked the way it looked. 

 

Now for the shelving. I really love the look of salvaged wood and pipe fittings, so that's what I made. 

 

Now for the desk. I painted it my favorite dark neutral (Benjamin Moore Dragon Breath) and decided what I wanted for the work surface. I'm a fan of metal countertops, so I called my sheet metal guy with the measurements and he fabricated my galvanized aluminum desktop. All I had to do was pick it up and install it.

 

Almost done. Now to bring back all the junk and have some fun with accessories! 

 

I love it! Now I'm happy to open the double doors every morning and actually do some work in there. Best of all was the cost. I saved over $3,500 by doing it myself! 

Do what you love and you'll love what you do! 

Lynn