Friday, June 28, 2013

Potting Table/ WashStand or display. DIY

This started out to be a potting table ... but ... 
let's see what happened.



 In April we added a storage room to our workshop and I needed to burn or use a bunch of stuff ... Soooo ... I had a plan ...

I had this old screen I salvaged from an 1920's Art Deco house that was demolished ... just sitting behind the work shop for months, but still in sound condition. Needed to be stripped.
 

and four very weathered porch bannister pieces that were almost rotten ... 
well, in places, they were.  
Ace Vinyl Spackling saved them and we were able to make some tall legs by putting two together and adding a base. I just rubbed spackling in all the cracks and weathered places and it filled like magic.



We used our Kreg pocket hole jig to construct everything. (This was my Christmas present) ...


Papa John's Pizza just opened and we reclaimed the lumber they used to crate their signs and made the shelves and counter top, again, using the Kreg pocket hole jig. (love it!!!). 
Had to remove thousands of staples.



The stretchers between the legs were made from old window screen frame boards I saved when we replaced the window screens on our rental house that was built in 1940. Beautiful hardwood with minor rot and had been stored outside for years. 




We used these chair or rocker spindles/legs for extra support under one shelf. They had to be shortened and filled. 


Most of the assembly work was done on the work table with it flat on it's back. An old aluminium screen door guard, brackets, screen door handle and screen hook were used, along with a number 5 cut from old wood. Used my Cutting Edge Stencil for the first time. So easy !





 I did not use outdoor paint and have a wax finish on it, so it may not be suitable for outside. To make painting it easier; I painted each peice before I assembled it, but in the end, decided to use dark wax on it ... what a job!!


Would make a nice washstand or a display shelf in the bathroom, garden room, covered porch or maybe just anywhere. The bottom shelf is slatted, but the others are solid.

 
Top selves are 12" wide so they needed extra support. It is 32" wide, 22" deep and 82" tall.
Big and heavy. 

Everything used was recycled, reclaimed or re-purposed. The only thing new were the screws.


Would be awesome to display white ironstone, 
but no room in my house for it. 

So ... is it a potting table or not ??? 
What would you use it for?

Thanks for stopping by. 

Hope you are inspired to build something, maybe not as hard as this was, but let it challenge you. 

Linking to:
 

blitzed on pinterest
FFF


One Room Three WaysDear Lillie

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Demijohns and wine bottles for Summer mantel.Question

I have not posted in so long, I just about forgot how to. 

I have a real good excuse for my absence that will be posted later. 

I know you all missed me ... well, maybe two of you did ... 
and maybe not.

Anyway, I am taking time to do a quick post because I need some advise ... and what better place to get it than from bloggers. 
Right !!!

I was inspired by and her part two of One Room, Three Ways, and her beautiful Demijohn bottle collection on her mantel.

 
I only have a few green wine bottles, maybe two or three, but not real big, beautiful, fat Demijohns.


Some have wicker and two are painted. 
 
 I knew I needed more bottles for my collection to display for a fresh Summer mantel ... so I went to the Thrift and bought the one I had been looking at for two weeks.  
 
This is the one ... big, fat, old and green or blue-green. 

 
Now here is where I need help ... It is encased in it's original wicker basket and I want to remove it to display the bottle ... but will I ruin the value of it by doing so?  Do I care about the value or do I want to see and enjoy that beautiful green bottle? 



Wicker is in good condition ... only dry and bottle is dirty.
 
If it was Fall, wicker would be nice ... but for Summer, a pretty green bottle would be fresh. 

 
 
What would you do  ... 

display it as is 

or 

remove the wicker and enjoy a beautiful bottle?




Thanks or your visit ...

I appreciate your comment and suggestions.

Blessings,
Audrey Z. 


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