Red Shed Vintage

Recycled Salad Bowl Sets

2014-11-11T11:23:00.004-08:00

Vintage wooden salad bowl sets make great holiday gift baskets, and there's no shortage of them at yard sales and thrift shops.
Here's a vintage salad bowl set which I recently cleaned, painted, sanded, and stained ~ ready to use as individual holiday gift baskets. I use them to hold gifts of various themes, such as guest soaps & rolled wash cloths, kitchen spices & spoons, or hot cocoa & tea packets with candies, etc. I use cellophane gift basket bags from Dollar Tree & tie with jute twine for fast and easy gifts.

Did you know you can remove grease & grime from vintage wooden wares with baking soda? (Not for use on valuable antiques, of course!) I mix baking soda
& warm tap water to form a thick paste & rub it over greasy wood surfaces, allowing it to dry. After rubbing the paste off with a dish towel dipped in hot water, I put them in a sunny spot to dry. You might want to test a small area before completely covering your wooden wares in baking soda, sometimes this causes the wood to crack.

For this particular set, I painted the outsides only ~ using various colors of latex flat interior paint, sanded the edges for an aged look, then rubbed oil-based wood stain with sealer over the entire surface including the natural wood interiors.

Covering Country Clutter with Chalkboards

2014-06-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

I love using chalkboard paint to cover 1980's country motifs for a simpler look! Not only does it cut down on the visual clutter, it also creates an ever-changeable message board. The flat black color goes with anything ~ even if the chalkboard is left blank it'll look good.
I picked this little kitchen shelf up at a thrift store. Using a small screwdriver, I lifted the plastic sign out from the center and sanded off most of the engraved country motif. After washing & drying it, I sprayed 2 light coats of Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint onto the surface & set it aside to dry.
I painted the shelf using 1 red coat of Plaid's new DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint (Romance) which has great adhesion coverage! Since it dries so quickly, I was able to sand/distress the same day, just around the edges to add an aged look. After dusting the sanded edges with a clean paint brush, I rubbed an even coat of oil-based Walnut furniture stain over the surface & allowed a couple of days drying time. Using wood glue, I reattached the plastic chalkboard in it's spot ~ and now have a cute garden room shelf with drawers to hold my seeds.

Sew~So To Star~Spangled Apothecary

2014-05-16T07:16:00.003-07:00

After several years of painting/distressing/antiquing vintage finds for others, it's nice to have some time to recycle some junque finds for myself lately! This week I scored this cute little sewing notions apothecary at a local thrift shop.

After removing the notions & motifs adorning the drawers with fine grit sandpaper, I applied a thin even basecoat of Vintage color Americana Décor Chalky Finish paint (available at Home Depot and Michael's).

Then I mixed equal parts Cobalt & Admiral Blue acrylic craft paint (.50 cents per bottle, Walmart) for a second coat, followed by a final dry-brush coat of Admiral to darken the color up a bit.

The next day, I used fine grit sandpaper to distress & age just around the edges, followed by wiping a light even coat of oil-based wood stain (Walnut) over the painted surface with a dry cotton rag, allowing a couple of days drying time.

I'm going to use the updated little cabinet to stash the patriotic & military odds & ends I've picked up through the years.
Have a great week!
~Donna at Red Shed Vintage

Piercingly Simple Punched Tin Panels

2014-03-21T06:47:00.002-07:00

* This trash to treasure project of mine was featured in the Winter 2012 edition of A Primitive Place Magazine! *

~ Piercingly Simple Chandelier ~
Instead of replacing our 1970’s builder grade dining room chandelier in our previous home, I decided to give it an upgrade with a piercingly simple punched tin Paul Revere lantern style makeover.
The outdated Lucite plastic panels were easily removed by bending back the lamp frame prongs. I happened to have some old aluminum kick panels from screen doors handy to replace the plastic covers, but thin sheet panels of various metals are available at most home improvement stores. I also gathered hammers, nails of various sizes, screwdrivers and awls to use as metal punch tools; and used an antique pie safe as a drawing model for my lamp template.
Wearing protective eye goggles & gloves, I used one of the plastic panels as a tracing template & cut the aluminum panels with heavy duty scissors. I taped the paper template to the back of each panel and placed them on a wooden board, using a hammer, screwdriver, and nails to create the tin punch designs. Gently bending the panels back into shape after removing the tape and template, I secured the pierced metal panels with the lamp frame prongs.
Here's a little homemade youtube video that I made, for those who learn from seeing instead of reading! ~ Click here to view video ~

Portable Pot of Cooking Herbs

2014-03-05T07:47:00.002-08:00

I love snipping fresh herbs from the garden for cooking, but now that we've made the move to town home living ~ I needed to plant a patio version of my herb garden this Spring. What better vessel than an old cooking pot!
I placed a layer of garden rocks in the bottom of the pot for drainage, then added potting soil. I carefully removed the plants from their plastic nursery pots by turning them upside down, then placed each plant in around the big soup pot.
Our local Ace Hardware carries small herb plants, the perfect size for creating a sampler of 6 plants. Some grocery stores also carry herb plants in their produce section, or you can find some at home improvement stores which carry garden plants.
I added some soil around the plants, just enough to cover evenly, then sprinkled some water over the pot of plants & placed in a partly sunny section of our patio. Since I'm always misplacing scissors, I tied a pair onto the handle with some twine ~ for snipping clippings!
As a final touch, I gathered some old mismatched spoons & dipped the ends in craft-store chalkboard paint ~ to use as changeable plant markers. Chalk ink markers come in different colors & provide longer lasting writing, but plain ol' chalk works too. I found my chalk markers at Michael's Arts & Crafts, and also have a few which came with chalkboard coffee mugs from Starbucks. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014

Faux Pewter Chocolate Molds

2014-02-03T09:54:00.001-08:00

This makeover of mine was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine!

Sometimes the package is better than the gift, as was the case with these discarded clear plastic treat containers shaped like chocolate bunnies. These looked so much like antique chocolate molds, I decided to hang on to them and go with the faux. Faux Pewter, that is.

Using inexpensive flat black spray paint, I covered the exterior of these clear plastic candy holders. When dry, I added two coats of Dark Patina by DecoArt Dazzling Metallics (available at Michael’s Arts and Crafts) and allowed drying time. To add a darker patina look, I brushed on some Old English Scratch Cover, wiped the excess with a rag, and sealed with a liberal coat of clear acrylic gloss sealer spray. This same process also works great on discarded plastic egg containers, resulting in a new and improved way to recycle plastics and make holiday decorations on the cheap.

Trash Talk Thursday: Media Apothecary

2014-01-30T07:09:00.002-08:00

This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine!

This unfinished Pine media storage chest was a $5.00 Goodwill find, with handy removable drawers for storing various media discs.
I like to think of unpainted wood as the primitive décor lover’s canvas; it’s ready to be stained or painted to fit in with your own personal style. I chose a two-toned finish, with red drawers in a black chest.
Using interior flat wall paint, I applied two coats of flat black to the chest and drawer fronts. When dry, I added one coat of flat Candy Apple to the drawer fronts. I used my electric palm sander with fine grit sandpaper to gently distress just the edges & knobs, then rubbed water based wood stain over the entire surface with a cotton rag.
Media storage racks are also great for stashing craft supplies, garden seeds, photographs, fragile ornaments, or small toys in kid’s rooms. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014

Putting Up A Faux Front

2014-01-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Apothecary cabinets provide lots of little drawers for stashing stuff, but here's another way to utilize the space behind a 'cabinet' ~ go faux! Woodcrafters and unfinished wooden furniture stores often carry faux-front appliance covers of various sizes ~ made to look like an apothecary cabinet in the front but open from the back ~ for placing over toaster ovens or other small countertop appliances.
I picked a used one up @ a thrift shop, and decided to give it a more primitive finish.

First, I removed the fake button drawer pulls. Then I sprayed a light base-coat primer of generic flat Black spray paint across the front & sides. Next, I applied a coat of flat latex To Die For Red (Better Homes & Gardens wall paint, Walmart) and allowed proper drying time before lightly sanding the edges with extra fine sandpaper, for a distressed aged look. Last, I rubbed an even coat of Walnut wood stain across the surface with a clean cotton rag.
After 24 hours drying time, I drilled larger knob holes to insert the more realistic looking peg pulls (from the unpainted wood crafts section @ Hobby Lobby) adding a dab of wood glue in each hole before twisting the knobs in.
Faux-front cabinets are also great for hiding bathroom supplies, counter clutter, cookbooks, and of course ~ handy kitchen appliances & gadgets you'd rather not leave hanging out. redshedvintage.com© copyright 2014

Trash Talk Thursday: Repurposed Pu-Pu Platter Pineapples

2013-11-07T07:22:00.001-08:00

Festive 1960's Luau parties called for festive Hawaiian serving platters, so nearly every home ended up with at least 1 wooden monkey pod pineapple. Often sold as pu-pu platter serving sets, pineapple shaped serving pieces included bowls, trays, mugs, tidbit servers, condiment cups.
Since the Pineapple has long been the symbol of hospitality, why not repurpose some vintage pineapple shaped wares during the holidays?
After adding a coat of green acrylic paint to the bottoms of some pineapple bowls, I added a coat of crackle medium to just the body part of the bowl. (I've heard that plain white school glue has the same effect, but I haven't tried that myself.) When dry, I covered the crackle medium with mustard yellow acrylic craft paint, resulting in a more primitive pineapple-like finish with the green peeking through. Brown would also be a great base coat, if you'd rather. When the paint was completely dry, I used a cotton rag to rub a coat of oil-based walnut wood stain over the entire surface. Happy with the upgrade, I ventured on to try the same colors on some pineapple shaped mugs & tidbit trees.
I added some pineapple scented wax shapes in some to give as hostess gifts (made from store-bought wax melts and pineapple chocolate molds ~ rubbed in ground ginger) and tied some of the smaller bowls onto holiday wreaths. These also can be used for organizing or displaying so much more than just serving up pu-pu party finger foods! © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

Autumn Bowl!

2013-10-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Serving up salads with flair created a need for artful vessels back in the 1960's ~ 80's. Salad bowl sets in a variety of shapes and themes became a staple in kitchen serving ware, including wooden bowls in the shape of different fruits to coincide with salad ingredients and/or pu-pu platter spreads. Apples, pears, pineapples, even acorns were popular salad serving themes.

I added even more flair to these thrift-store apple shaped wooden bowls, by painting/sanding/staining them different shades of orange ~ perfect for Autumn décor ! I used the largest bowl for trick~or~treat candies, the smaller bowls for Fall potpourri mix, pumpkin flavored coffee creamers, guest soaps in the bathroom, and displaying pumpkin scented wax shapes. Next week I'll share how I updated some pineapple shaped pu-pu platter bowls! © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

~ Have a safe & happy Halloween ~

Trash Talk Thursday: Papier Mâché Candy Cups

2013-10-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Love the look of vintage Halloween party décor? Here's a cheap & easy way to create your own vintage-inspired papier mâché party accessories, without paying the premium price of vintage...

Purchase some inexpensive plastic party favors ~ I found 8-packs of small jack-o-lantern candy cups @ an after-Halloween clearance last year for .50 cents a package!
Rip some newspapers into small strips, and mix all purpose glue with water (4 parts glue x 1 part water) in a shallow bowl or pan. Drag the newspaper strips through the glue mixture, then slide between your thumb and index finger to remove the excess. Apply the wet newspaper strips randomly to cover the plastic cups, smoothing the paper down with your fingers as you go. When the cups are completely covered with newspaper strips, hang them to dry a few hours. Then paint with craft paints as desired, to create your own unique vintage-style candy cups! These also make cute window luminaries, just add a battery operated LED tealight candle. © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: Carvable Dollar Tree Prim Pumpkins

2013-10-10T06:24:00.001-07:00

Although I'm not usually one to sing the praises of cheap Made in China merchandise, I do occasionally find myself drawn to Dollar Tree's seasonal supplies. At least they sell their stuff at about what it's really worth @ $1 or less, right?

I was excited to find $1.00 carvable styrofoam pumpkins at our local Dollar Tree recently! I've seen them in arts & crafts supply stores (costing a great deal more than 1 buck & being a little too large in size) and have been wanting to try them out to make a couple of permanent prim pumpkins.

I purchased only 2, as we're trying to downsize for the golden years (hah!) and decided to use one as an Autumn vase/vessel, the other as a whimsical jack-o-lantern. I painted the vase one with acrylic craft paint (1 coat, dark orange) and let it dry overnight. The next day, I dipped a cotton rag in oil-based walnut wood stain with sealer, and rubbed it evenly over both pumpkins ~ wiping the excess in a downward motion (be sure to use rubber gloves, unless you like having the dirty fingernail look for several weeks!)

After allowing the stain to dry for at least 24 hours, I gathered up a sharpie pen and some tools & gadgets to carve the jack-o-lantern.

I pressed a vintage pastry wheel tool to indent 2 wacky looking eyes, drawing over it with a permanent ink pen ~ then added a nose & mouth. I used a basic serrated table knife to carefully carve the face & a hole at the top, for adding a battery operated LED tea light candle. Since the styrofoam inside the nose & mouth was white, I added some color by rubbing an orange marker along the exposed insides. Pretty daggon' easy, and cheap to boot! © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

Tune in next Thursday when I'll show you how I turned some plastic treat cups into paper maché party cups...

Trash Talk Thursday: Not So Heavy Metal

2013-10-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

When looking for fast & festive table décor which isn't too heavy on the budget, don't overlook simple metal vessels. This pair of 1960's hammered brass tavern pitchers were a .50 cent yard sale find. After a quick coat of red acrylic craft paint was dry, I added some pine sprigs from the yard & pip berries in one and wooden spoons in the other ~ quickly turning ordinary into extraordinary! This can also be done with simple grocery cans of different sizes. Try adding twigs, battery operated lights, mini trees, and other seasonal décor that you've already got on hand.
© copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: No Fret Firkin Stack

2013-09-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Check it out ~ all of my firkin bucket makeovers pictured below were published in the Spring 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, pages 82 ~ 85!
© copyright 2012 redshedvintage.com

The popularity of vintage mid-century wooden buckets has driven the price out of the ballpark for most collectors, but with a little creative searching and thinking outside the firkin box one can still find affordable methods for growing a stack of these pantry buckets.

Often stacked by graduated sizes, rustic wooden buckets still offer practical storage for seasonal items or household supplies. Most of the wooden buckets circulating nowadays were reproductions of colonial cooper’s buckets, mass produced in the 1950’s – 60’s at the tail end of the colonial revival era. Warehouse décor stores such as Basketville in Putney Vermont were once stocked to the rafters with the inexpensive wooden buckets of various sizes. I've recently put together this big stack of painted firkins for under $50.00, and chances are you can do the same.

Knowing their past uses can be the key to finding affordable vintage buckets through thrift store and online searches. Since many folks have no clue what a firkin is, firkin buckets often go unsold on internet websites or online auctions, or sell for a fraction of what collectors would pay. I’ve found inexpensive firkins online which were listed for sale as popcorn pails, pretzel containers, cheese boxes, planters, magazine racks, Basketville baskets, purses, salt boxes, kitchen canisters, ice cream barrels, piggin’ pails, churns, even beach or toy buckets. The next time you are searching for firkins or buckets to buy online, try entering some different key words and you too might just find some hidden bargains.

Likewise, you can start looking for firkins in all the odd places while browsing through thrift stores and flea market booths. I’ve found firkins mixed in with the vases complete with dusty plastic plants, in the tool department holding greasy nuts & bolts, in the toy department filled with Lego blocks, in the shoe department as a shoe shine kit, in the salt & pepper shakers section, even in the purse department. Below are the makeover stories for most of the wooden buckets pictured in the above stack...

A Pretzel Pail

I found this firkin listed as a Handpainted Wood Pretzel Container for just $9.00 (plus $6.00 shipping) on etsy.com. With wooden finger bands and lid intact, this 'pail' was practically a steal.

After sanding the entire surface to remove all paint & varnish, I dusted the bare wood and applied 2 coats of Federal Blue Old Fashioned Milk Paint. When the paint dried, I distressed the finish by hand sanding with fine grit sandpaper, then dusted the paint powder with a dry rag and sprayed a light coat of clear acrylic spray sealer. Milk paint adheres better to unpainted or stripped bare surfaces and can be a bit tricky to work with, but darkens over time to look authentically older than most latex paints.

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A Sweet Deal Cookie Jar

Similar in size to the pretzel container but with metal bands, I found this firkin listed simply as a Vintage Cookie Jar on ebay for only $8.50 including shipping. After lightly sanding off the cookie motif, I used a base coat of flat black, followed by a coat of Moss Green interior flat latex paint. When completely dry, I distressed the paint by sanding with an electric palm sander, then applied Minwax Wood Sheen Rubbing Stain & Finish with a dry rag.

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Back On The Wagon Ice Barrel

This larger firkin was found towering over a shelf of shot glasses and barware at a church thrift store, which could be a story in itself but with a price tag labeled BAR ICE BARREL $2.00 it quickly became the next trash to treasure makeover story.

Sometimes vintage buckets come with extras such as metal or plastic embellishments, removable legs with brackets on the bottom, even electrical lamp kits added through the center. As a matter of preference, I like to remove all that and fill in any holes left behind with wood filler, which is what I did with the plastic Eagle on this firkin. Don’t let the spare parts deter you from buying a thrift store bargain bucket, they truly are easy to remove with just a common screwdriver.

The metal bands on this bucket were not in the best of shape and I like the more rustic look of wooden finger bands, so I decided to ‘make’ my own. Metal bucket bands can easily be covered with wooden bands from basket repair splints or scrap baskets, Chinese bamboo steamers, or even strips of rubber carpet cove molding. I used a .99 thrift store bamboo sectional steamer for this particular bucket, by soaking 2 of the sections in warm water for 20 minutes. I removed the steamer’s widest strips, towel dried them, then wrapped them around the metal bands while still damp, nailing the strips directly into the bucket with 7/16" copper tacks (available at Home Depot) and overlapped at the tapered ends. The wide splints from old baskets also work great, simply soak the basket in warm water for 10 minutes, cut and remove some splints to wrap& nail or staple around the bucket. The ends can be tapered by cutting with scissors to resemble finger bands. After applying a flat black base coat, I painted this bucket with Mustard Yellow interior semi-gloss latex, then sanded with an electric finishing sander & rubbed watered down brown acrylic craft paint over the surface for an antiqued look.

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Spicy Stack Topper

While browsing through the Salvation Army thrift store one day, I was stunned & amazed to find this set of .59 baby firkins amongst the vintage salt & pepper shakers! Complete with swinging pegged handles and made in USA, I knew these would be the icing on the cake for topping firkin stacks. I discovered they are plentiful on eBay and Etsy, usually listed as salt & pepper or S & P buckets or churns. By simply filling in the shaker holes with wood filler, these tiny 1940’s firkin replicas become unique top of stack buckets. After filling in the spice shaker holes, I painted these little buckets assorted colors and distressed by using a cardboard fingernail file, then sprayed with a light coat of clear acrylic sealer. These also make great ornaments for hanging on a Spring themed tree or wreath.

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Magazine Racks Hold Up The Stack

The largest of firkin buckets often had dividers added inside for use as magazine racks or knitting/sewing project holders. Checking out the books and sewing areas of your favorite thrift stores can result in great firkin finds.

I found this huge firkin filled with hunting magazines in the corner of the book section at the local Hospice thrift store, and almost fainted upon peeking at the $4.00 price tag. The volunteer clerk pointed out that there was a similar magazine rack which had been converted into a sewing box that I might be interested in for $3.00, but since it was half-price day on craft supplies I’d be able to buy it for $1.50. Needless to say, I gladly took both of those off her hands and now make a point to check out books & crafts at all thrift stores.

Neither of these large buckets had their original lids, but don’t the lack of lid deter you from buying bargain buckets. A round wooden plate can take the place of missing lids, and work especially well when stacking buckets. I keep a drawer full of thrift store wooden dishes of assorted sizes on hand, they usually only cost pennies, are easy to store, and come in handy for make-do firkin lids. I painted the larger bucket with Colorplace To Die For Red flat interior paint, and the smaller one White semi-gloss interior. Both painted buckets and make-do wooden plate lids were distressed using a palm sander, then rubbed with watered down brown acrylic craft paint on a rag for an antiqued look.

Trash Talk Thursday: A Two Buck Sawbuck

2013-09-19T08:21:00.005-07:00

A $1.00 folding wooden TV tray + a $1.00 cutting board = one easy 2 buck sawbuck! I combined these cheap thrift store finds to create some extra holiday baking space.
Newer cutting boards are usually constructed of 3 separate wood pieces. Wearing safety goggles, I wedged a flat head screwdriver between the seams & tapped with a hammer to gently separate the board panels, using the 2 end pieces to create storage space below the table.
I drilled holes through the boards into the TV tray legs, then attached the boards with wood screws. Although the wood practically matched, I opted to add 2 coats of flat black paint which I later sanded around the edges for an aged look.
© copyright 2012 redshedvintage.com
~ Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 81 ~

Before

Trash Talk Thursday: Spice Box from a Nut House

2013-09-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

	Spice boxes and apothecary cabinets conjure up warm thoughts of colonial hearth cooking. Once used as compartmentalized storage of herbs & spices or apothecary needs and often made of wood or tin with many drawers, these storage units served a valuable purpose and are still very popular today. *They can also be very expensive.* *To make-do without making wallet empty, look no further than the garage nut house for a wonderful alternative spice box/apothecary cabinet!* ~ Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2011 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 104 ~ After making sure that the sturdy little house of many drawers won’t be sorely missed, empty & clean the plastic or metal bin drawers in a dishpan of soapy warm water & dry completely, then wipe the cabinet unit with a damp rag. When dry, apply a liberal coat of flat spray paint on the drawer fronts & cabinet. Paint desired color, using interior flat or matte, then when dry rub on stain & sealer to desired antique finish. If extra durability is desired, follow with a protective coat of clear acrylic spray. Spice names can easily be painted or stamped using acrylic arts and crafts paint. I purchased a tiny set of alphabet letters for $1.00 at Michaels recently, and dipped the ends in black paint to stamp on the finished drawers. © copyright 2011 redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: A Curiously Cheap Spice Box

2013-09-05T04:52:00.002-07:00

An inexpensive alternative to vintage spice boxes is to convert a wooden cassette tape rack into a make-do storage cabinet. An overabundance of these outdated cassette cubbies can be found at thrift stores and yard sales for next to nothing. Add some curiously sturdy peppermint tins as drawers, and you’ve got an inexpensive storage box with compartments for spices or teas!

I spray painted this cassette rack and some tin Altoids boxes flat black, then painted the sides using red interior house paint. Never one to throw away old drawer knobs, I happened to have some small metal spice box knobs & used a strong magnet on the inside of each box to hold the knob in place on the outside. The cassette slots are also a great size for organizing crafts supplies, especially rubber stamps & ink pads. © copyright 2011 redshedvintage.com

Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2011 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 105.

Trash Talk Thursday: Artful Twigs

2013-08-29T06:32:00.003-07:00

Awhile back I ran across a rustic lodge lake plaque made from sticks on Pinterest, and have had it on my to-do-it-myself list ever since. (Thanks to pinterest.com, my to-do list is now long enough to last the rest of my life and then some!)
This past weekend while I had the pleasure of babysitting my grand-dogter, Noodle ~ we walked along Lake Tarpon in search of suitable twig sticks for writing out the word 'Lake' on an old wooden plaque (found at a thrift shop for 50 cents.)

I sprayed my found tree-twigs with a pest control product before bringing them inside ( because it's Florida ~ home of tropical bugs galore) and used snippers to cut the ends off twigs as needed. Once I had the word layed out as I liked it, I sprayed the twigs with clear acrylic sealer to bring out the wood hues (and further protect the indoors from that which lives outdoors) and used wood glue to attach the twigs to my plaque, allowing drying time overnight before hanging. © copyright 2013 redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: Plastic Prims!

2013-08-22T06:09:00.003-07:00

Home parties were all the rage in the 1960's - 80’s, and during that time companies such as Home Interiors produced some great plastic wall décor which were reproductions of antique cast iron or wood plaques. Sometimes labled Burwood, Dart or Homco, these lightweight treasures are plentiful at thrift stores and are easy to upcycle with a little paint. This large patriotic Eagle was a recent $2.00 score.

After lightly cleaning with a damp cloth, I sprayed a light coat of flat black spray paint.

It looked good enough to hang with just the black paint, but I decided to add some patriotic colors. Using Folk Art acrylic craft paint, I applied red, white, blue, and gold paint on the dimensional areas, as shown. When it dried completely, I wiped Minwax Stain & Sealer with a cotton rag and waited a few hours before hanging. If you'll be hanging your painted plastic prims outdoors, a coat of clear acrylic spray will help protect it from the elements.
Check it out! This makeover of mine was featured in the Winter 2011 issue of A Primitive Place Magazine, page 107
© copyright 2011 redshedvintage.com

Here are some other painted plastic projects of mine, recycled using the same painting method:

Trash Talk Thursday: Drop The Drawers!

2013-08-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

The next time you pass up a discarded old dresser or desk in the trash, stop & drop just the drawers! Vintage wooden drawers make handy primitive storage or display boxes and are easily stored on shelves, desk or counter top, in cupboards, hung on the wall, or stashed under the bed. Vintage sewing machine cabinets, vanity desks, even jewelry boxes are great drawer sources for recyclable drawer projects.
* Check it out! This makeover of mine has been published in A Primitive Place Magazine Fall 2012, and also in The Antique Register of Arizona Jan/Feb 2013 (See pages 10 and 47) *

I rescued these 4 dovetailed drawers from an antique vanity desk right before the garbage truck turned the corner. After a light dusting, I painted just the drawer fronts flat interior Lotus Green. When dry, I lightly sanded the corners and rubbed Minwax Rubbing Stain & Finish over the painted finish with a cotton rag.

The storage drawers can now be stacked or slid under furniture, or they also make nice wall shadowboxes for displaying collections.
In one of the drawers, I added a scanned/printed copy of an old (early 1900's) post card photo of a gal churning butter, then cut to fit & attached with dots of glue inside the drawer for displaying butter tools.
© copyright 2012 redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: Hearth Stand from a Chew Stick

2013-08-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

Rescued from the roadside, this discarded old coat & hat rack had become a chew toy for a presumably large dog. With the help of some wood filler, I recycled another man’s trash into a sturdy hearth stand for displaying vintage fireplace tools.

After scraping the loose paint, I used a putty knife to fill the deep chew holes with wood filler, scraping the excess & creating a smooth finish with the flat end of the tool. When the putty was fully dried, I sanded the surface with an electric finishing sander followed by one coat of red semi-gloss interior paint.

Trash Talk Thursday: A Greater Grater!

2013-08-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Vintage graters really stand out when displayed in front of electric or battery candle light. This newer grater featured a wooden frame with a drawer, perfect for housing a strand of battery operated LED lights for a cheerful kitchen sconce.

Since I won’t be using this for food purposes, I applied a light coat of flat black spray paint to make it look older, then painted the wood with flat interior Red Delicious. When it was dry, I rubbed Old English dark wood scratch cover over the surface, removing the excess with a dry cotton rag.
(Use caution when handling sharp metal graters)

I chose a battery operated set of LED lights from Dollar Tree, but you could also use a single bulb or strand of electric light(s) also available at discount stores.

Trash Talk Thursday: Framed Display Boards!

2013-07-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Got some old frames? Convert them to display boards!

Recycled old frames make great memo or photo boards ~ here's a cheap and easy way to do it yourself. Whether for use as an ever-changing photo or treasure display, pinning to-do lists or business cards, a jewelry pin collection, or as a special gift for the college student leaving home for the first time ~ any wooden frame will work.

I chose assorted colors and sizes to make a batch of recycled frame boards (painted, distressed, and antiqued with wall paint) but unpainted wooden frames will work just as well.

You'll need a piece of project board (in the school supply section at Dollar Tree)

Scissors

Glue

Burlap (or fabric)

Frame

Using the frame as a template, I cut the project board to fit inside the frame & cut a piece of burlap large enough to wrap around the board. I spread some glue over the board with a sponge applicator (optional, a finger works just as well!) and flattened the burlap with a wallpaper roller (also optional, the palm of your hand works just as well) folding the excess edges over on the back. When the front was dry, I placed the board into the frame, cut the excess burlap off the back, and had cheap & easy bulletin style boards ~ ready for use with thumbtacks or pins!

Trash Talk Thursday: Industrial Prim

2013-07-18T08:56:00.004-07:00

When looking for primitive shelving options for storage or display, don’t overlook industrial metal racks! I found this sturdy old GE Motors auto store display for just $4.00 at a thrift store.

After removing the back board & rubber mats, I wiped it clean and spray painted the entire metal unit a uniform shade of Fire Red (from Walmart, about $1.50) then painted the backboard flat exterior Black (also from Walmart, cheap 'oops' reduced price paint!)

The extra sturdy construction is great for stacking boxes and drawers for storage of heavier household or hobby supplies, and the flat black backboard now doubles as a chalkboard!
copyright 2013 www.redshedvintage.com

Trash Talk Thursday: Raisin Rack Redeux

2013-07-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Hidden behind a stack of framed posters, the rustic wood of this old raisin drying rack caught my eye while browsing at a charity thrift store. As was the wall art trend of the 1960's, a poster had been cut and découpaged onto the 3 wooden slats, covering but also preserving the primitive wood which lie beneath.

Using a wallpaper scorer, I made some small holes in the poster paper. Then I mixed equal parts of hot tap water and liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle, spraying & gently scraping small sections with a plastic putty knife. When the poster was completely removed, I rinsed the residue with a hose & allowed the drying rack to dry in the sun. The slats allowed space to add 'S' hooks, providing a great place to hang bunches of herbs and flowers for drying.