Timeless Treasures: March 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Do you know what this is?

Do you know what this is?

It has a pretty cast iron foot-print.

It can look up !!!

It can look down !!!

It has a lovely reflective face.

... and a pretty black handle so you can carry it around.

... a pretty backside too.

remove the heating coil ...

add a Edison-style light bulb ...

and you have turned a Vintage heat lamp

into a very pretty industrial table lamp.

Thanks for the visit ...

Hope you will let me know you were here.

Your comments make my happy.

Blessings,

Linking to:

Angie at Knick of Time Tuesday

Revisionary Life-Thrifty Life Thursday

That DIY Party Time DIY Show Off

The Sunday Showcase Party By Stephanie Lynn

Monday, March 24, 2014

DIY French Jewely Display Stands

Last year, we added a storage room to our workshop

and as usual, we ended up with scrap lumber ...

a lot of nice clean 2x6 cut-off from the rafters.

We need to put these boards to a good use, so I asked Mr. Z if he would like to make some small benches to sell in our garage sale this Summer ...

He was not very excited about this idea ....

So ... how about making some jewelry stands ?

(can't remember the source)

(source)

I showed him how I wanted them cut into a wedge that would resemble a mannequin bust. Not easy and after cutting one ... that was about all he wanted to do.

We did end up getting three cut.

The one laying down is one 2x6 and it needed more weight so I glued two boards together in the one standing and it was heavy enough to stand with jewelry draped on it.

I painted them with a light jade paint, lightly distressed and waxed.

Karen at Graphic Fairy has some wonderful French Typograpphy where I found graphics for these stand.

Don't know why these look gray ... any way ...

I printed these graphics out on my laser printed using regular copy paper and waxed freezer paper.

To print on freezer paper, attach wax paper (wax side up) to a sheet of card stock paper. I just securely tape the two sheets together at the top and bottom and ran it through our laser printed.

The graphic on the left one was printed on the waxed side of freezer paper. I was happy that the print turned out darker. The right one was on regular copy paper.

I had the wax paper cut to cover the entire board because it not only transferred the print, but also wax and that is good.

The heat from the iron will also darken the paint so good to have any transfer paper cover the entire surface.

The heat will sometimes pull some of the paint off and of course, the sap in the wood comes to the surface and released the paint ... distressing them a little more.

The heavy streak is sap from the wood.

Use a very hot iron and keep ironing until the paper will release on its own. You can take a peek and if the transfer is not complete keep ironing.

If you have a shop or do craft shows, these would make attractive stands for display.

Thanks for visiting ... hope I have inspired you to try something new even if it is not easy.
Blessings,

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style-WOW us Wednesday
Angie at Knick of Time

Revi at Revelation Thrifty Life Thursday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life Inspire Me Tuesday

Ivy and Elephants What's It Wednesday

Monday, March 17, 2014

Wire Trash Basket Cloche Light

This old wire trash basket that is so lightweight it was always getting knocked over and getting bent.

It likely came from the Dollar Store, but I bought it for 25¢.

This blog post has been featured

by:

Thanks Revi Thanks Marty Thanks Maria Elena

now back to the story ....

I was so inspired by the wire basket cloche that

Ellie of The Lavender Tub made, I decided to do this before my little basket got too beat up. I forgot to take a picture with it right-side-up. Hop on over and see Ellie's beautiful cloche.

Ellie used a glass cloche to shape her wire basket, but not having a glass cloche, I just shaped mine by hand.

Took my wire cutters and cut the bottom off.

Then squeezed the little wire triangles together ... just kept working all round and lower until I got the size and shape at the top that I wanted. You can use the help of needle-nose pliers to pull the triangles together if your fingers are not strong enough.
Just thin wire with a coating.

I took this finial off this piece that was part of a lantern ... hope I don't find the bottom part one day and wish I had the finial back.

I fitted the squeezed wire to this finial, about 3½" opening.

then took some fine beading wire and laced it through to secure the shape.

then I placed the finial over the wire ...

and using a flat washer-like piece that fit the opening, locking the wire in the finial; then tied it all together with a piece of lamp cord pipe.

... but I could not stop there ... I decided to light it up and added a light socket.

... it would make a nice "chicken-wire" cloche light ...not really chicken wire ... but let's pretend.
Much easier to work with than chicken wire.

I sprayed the socket gray so it would blend better.

Added electric wiring and

... now I can light up my displays.

Add a chain and hang it as a pendent lamp or install as a fixed ceiling light. This is a vintage-look Edison light bulb and looks great. (Does not show up very well in the photo but it does look good in real life).

Thanks for stopping by ... hope this inspires you to repurpose something you have and make something pretty.

Please let me know you visited.