the art of rust

no sew. no glue. just a t-shirt...scissors...and you!

2011-03-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

My dear friend from The Vintage Modern suggested that I try this craft... IT IS SO EASY AND EVERYONE HAS THE MATERIALS TO DO IT AT HOME :-)

So when Christmas time came around, I decided that my version of the Martha Stewart T-shirt Necklace would be a great gift!

You can watch the video (click on link above)... or just follow these EASY steps!

1. pick a t-shirt, with no print on the surface of the fabric which will be cut and stretched...

2. cut off the bottom to get rid of the hem...

3. cut about 1 to 1.5 inch strips, creating loops horizontally through the tshirt...

4. stretch each strip, holding the loop at the seam to prevent splitting...
(you'll be left with really long tube-like loops because the fabric will curl in)

5. if you'd like a long necklace - fasten the loops together per your liking
OR if you'd like a short necklace - hold the mass of loops at each end & fold up from a figure 8 and fasten

Here are some of my finished products. Couldn't track down all of them... but you get the idea of how versatile they can be! Especially when you add some extra flair like chains or pins...

they can be headbands too!!!!!!!

Feel free to comment or email me with questions :-)

...a coffee table facelift... no feet allowed!

2011-03-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

The past month has kept me away from the computer due to some laptop failure, sickness, and travel! But I'm happy to be back... hope you are too :-)

I saw some pics on Facebook from a friend who recently moved and decided to tackle a refurbishing project! Here's the before & after pics and their story in Whitney's words...

It was QUITE an intensive project so Steve and I are pretty attached to our table now. We call it our baby : )

The table was actually given to Steve in college from his uncle so he could have at least one piece of furniture! I liked the table when I first saw it. I thought it had a beachy/surfer charm to it and I knew that it would be really cute if we just gave it a little "facelift." So I told Steve that I wanted to make it my project to paint and stain the coffee table. He told me it was going to be a lot of work, but I figured it really couldn't be that bad.

Ohhh was I wrong! Actually getting the blue paint off took an incredibly long amount of time and we had to use a combination of sanding and paint remover to finally get it to a "paintable" place. After the painting and staining was done, we bought new drawer handles from a little boutique store here and got the drawer liners from Chic Shelf Paperhttp://www.chicshelfpaper.com/. This site is great because they allow you to customize the size of the paper so no cutting is necessary. The stain is called Dark Walnut and it's from Ace Hardware.

Great work Whit & Steve. We miss you guys... but I'm happy to see you're making yourself at home :-)

Cookin' up.... A Teal Table Top

2011-02-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Our fantabulous couple is back with some bold color in their living room! This coffee table has been passed around the young couples in their family... and for the second time, they've given it a facelift!

In their last apartment, they painted it black -- but their new beach-town home called for some vibrance!

The table sits a few feet from the fabulous repurposed entertainment center... so what better color than this teal to make it all pop!

On top of the coffee table, you'll find a tray with some magazines and cardboard coasters they've collected from some of their favorite restaurants!

quack attack!

2011-02-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

My hubby has always been a friend of animals... One of his fondest childhood memories was when a male and female duck couple made their home in his backyard. The ducks became so comfortable around Chris, they would eat out of his hands. He even watched their little ducklings grow up in the backyard pool!

This Christmas, his parents gave him some sentimental gifts that I recently used in his office makeover...

...a picture of his long lost friends... meet Arturo and Catarina!

...these wood floating ducks...

...and a painting that has been passed down 3 generations

painted by a man his grandpa and dad would hunt with!

From the Heart Friday... February Vogue

2011-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Can you remember a time when you were going about your day and suddenly realized your perspective or your goals in the situation were all turned around?

When we let our time, our "to-do" list, or our expectations get in the way... we will undoubtedly find ourselves missing out on treasures!

Exactly year ago, I got to leave work a little early on a Friday, so I rushed over to the Irvine Assistance League Thrift Store before they closed. I'm a "Thrift Store Addict" so once inside, I immediately began searching through the home section in hopes of something for our apartment, a fun Valentine's outfit, new piece of jewelry, or maybe something for my Valentine... But nothing in the store was just right for me.

As I walked to the exit of this little shop and said thanks to the nice lady volunteers... I spotted something at the entrance display I hadn't seen on my way in!

This wooden tray, with a painted mirror base... it was PERFECT for my cousin whose birthday was that day! She is an amazing artist and is wonderful with portraits and designing clothing, costumes and such -- plus her birthday is in February!

What a difference it made to take a moment, slow down and take a second look at what I had missed at the beginning of my treasure hunt that afternoon... Happy birthday, cousin :-)

Thrifty Thursday... wood in the kitchen

2011-02-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

There are lots of wooden textures and colors in my home. So adding wooden accessories adds some fun dimension to it all!

My bread box is from Goodwill in Costa Mesa... $3.99

I found the tall salt shaker and pepper mill at a Revivals thrift store in Palm Springs... $1.99

** Thrifty Thursdays will be dedicated to sharing my affordable finds from various resale sources: thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, consignment shops... you name it! **

Cookin' up... some curbside vanity

2011-02-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

There's really nothing vain about this story...
but it is about a vanity!

Our creative couple from last week (the hearts and hands behind the boisterous entertainment center) have given this old vanity a new home and a new life!

They found this treasure on the side of the road in their neighborhood a few weeks ago! Its airy and light features add both charm and reasonable function to this side of their bedroom! The metal framed piece has two faux marble table tops along with a swivel mirror...

This vintage vanity tray is from an antique shop and I love the glamorous touch it brings!

This type of addition to any bathroom or vanity is an easy find at a boutique thrift shop or antique store...

These types of things are like old tools...they were just made to last in the olden days... so why not add some timeless charm to your morning routine with an affordable item like this!

antiquated bling

2011-02-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

So it's time to tell some stories about the sentimental items I used to decorate my hubby's office this weekend!

He's always had a thing for pocket-watches so he has two from his dad's ancestry line and one from my family! They are all super old and gorgeous.... Some even work when you wind them up!!!

They've been sitting in a box for years...

but don't they look great on display!?

I used three different metal ceiling hooks from Grandfather's tool collection to mount them on the wall.

The pen and pencil set are from my hubby's grandpa. I put them in a fabulous vintage wall-mounted organizer that has a glass front! The gold screws really pop next to all this bling!

Backyard Beginnings

2011-02-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Our backyard is getting a makeover!

This weekend, our landlord had workers here for two full days hacking away at the 30+ year old vegetation... including a HUGE and MESSY Juniper Tree.

Watch the transformation over the next month and you'll see some creative ways we bring new life to some old plants, furniture, etc!

Here are some BEFORE (well, actually MID-destruction) pictures!

Take note of the rusty table... old pots... old fence... bricks... and plants passed down by Grandfather.

Sentimental Surprise!

2011-02-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

My Hubby is camping this weekend, so to take advantage of the extra time & space... I cleaned up his closet/office and decorated the room as a surprise!

He's very sentimental and loves keeping trinkets from his past & from ancestors; but typically they stay stored in boxes in the closet... So I brought some out to create a space that's more "him".

Pocket-watches from our Grandparents

Grandpa Herzwurm's Gold Pens

Grandfather's Little Tape Measurer

Ducks, Bibles, Family Pics, Coins from Different Countries...ETC!

I'm so excited for him to come home tomorrow and see the transformation!

I'll tell specific stories about each relic in the near future ;-)

Once upon a garage sale...

2011-02-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've been discovering lately that I am very similar to my Nanna...and I love spending time with her. There are several stories I'm excited to tell about how our

"creative minds think alike"...

She told me a great story the other day which just emphasized one more way I inherited my

resourceful personality and love for rummage....

She found these legs at a garage sale and was determined to put them to good use! So her hubby crafted a top for it, painted it all white...and it's been in her home for decades!!!

I'm honored to have my picture on the tabletop!
It's me on a bike in Sweden (our homeland)!

Grandpa Bill died several years before I was born,
but I love hearing stories about him!

MORE antique printer's type drawers

2011-02-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

In the enthusiasm to organize my accessories inside my new printer's drawer, I did not take the time to refinish or add any "gizmos and gadgets" to make storage easier.

Take a look at work of Jessica of BlueBirdHaven. I found her work by browsing through Modish... whom I was introduced to by Mrs. Bumblebee!

BlueBirdHaven

Cookin' up... a boisterous entertainment center

2011-02-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

A new series for the art of rust is going to be stories of ways other people have brought new life to old things!

I am so excited to share this one :-)

Craigslist is a great resource to find old objects. Oftentimes we can give new life to old items by just saving them from the dumpster!! But these resourceful friends of mine decided to re-purpose and re-finish this fabulous Magnovox Radio / Phonograph / Television they found on Craigslist.... WOW!

On the surface level, you can see that they picked a seductive red paint which they highlighted a bit by sanding the edges...giving it a classy antiqued finish. A fresh coat of black paint really makes the hardware pop too!

Originally, the lower section of each side were the speakers to this system! So they brought some unexpected flavor to the piece by lining the inside with a discounted piece of fabric!

Now here is where the real creativity comes in! This is where the television would be, as you can see, they left the vintage frame as-is... but they re-purposed the cavity by building an internal shelf, painting the inside, and using it as open viewed storage!

The top of this massive piece opened up and housed the various controls and phonograph mechanics...so they built a top so they could rest their classy flat screen on top!!

Ready to see the gutted piece they started with???

DRUM

ROLL

PLEASE....

Stay tuned for more stories from this creative couple who have a home full of projects they've been cookin' up!

Signing off with an ad I found for a similar piece in the 1960's...

salvation peacock

2011-01-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

As I was paying for my "bric-a-brac" finds at the Salvation Army a few days ago, I spotted this fun piece across the store up on the wall! It wasn't priced...so the guy helping me proposed $12...and I talked him down to $6!

What a find... gotta love the peacock!

The more traditional colors of a peacock's plumage are my favorite... they've definitely inspired the colors around my house!

Here's some more of my feathery finds!

resourceful unemployee

2011-01-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

The past few months have been an adventure. God's definitely teaching me how to make the most of each day... seeing it as an adventure... and applying my creativity to different areas of life! It's been fun to see how God provides and has granted the desire of my heart in many ways. Even through my Grandfather passing away... we ended up with a wonderful new rental home and so many treasures to play with!

I love being resourceful and making the most of a good deal when I can! Here's some of my latest resourceful efforts!

#1. Ordered 10 Free Business Cards from Moo.com > instead of just the typical contact info... I took the liberty of loading a picture of my hubby and I to one side... and then brief descriptions of our qualifications! Killing two birds with one stone!

Job market... here we come!!

#2. On that "networking card" I also listed my FREE one page website > www.flavors.me/danicaraye ...you'll not only find some contact info, a description of my skills, experience & education... but you can also see a photo of a project I did a few months ago!

#3. My mom loves to put out flowers and plants from her yard. One of her favorite tools is called a flower frog. I was at a thrift shop and found this awesome crackle, glazed ceramic piece with a frog already in it! Just cleaned it up and added some plants from a centerpiece I received from an event!

TaDa! Resourceful Gifting!!!!

Mini Flower Frog

Warm Buddies

2011-01-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

My mom has passed down several fun traditions of crafts and recipes...here's an easy favorite!

This holiday season, my sister and I decided to spread the love by gifting some WARM BUDDIES to some friends and family! What's a warm buddy? It's a pouch of rice that you can microwave and use to keep warm or apply to sore muscles on your body!

Step 1: Select a piece of fabric approx 30in x 20 in .
Step 2: Fold it in half with the inside-out.
Step 3: Sew the two sides adjacent to the fold to make whatever size pouch you'd like.
Step 4: Turn the pouch right side out & fill about 2/3 full with rice.
(Optional: sometimes we add coffee beans or other aroma enhancers!)
Step 5: Sew the open edge shut!

Microwave for about 3 minutes... and enjoy!!!

My favorite one was for my hubby!

He has kept a flannel shirt that was his dad's from the 70's. It had huge holes in the pits, but he kept it around!
I decided that it was time to re-purpose the shirt and make it into a warm buddy.

Now, we've kept this memorable shirt by making use of the fun fabric!!

Thanks for the fun, Mom!

MMM.....Mustard

2011-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Everyday I receive an email from Etsy.com called Etsy Finds.
Etsy's slogan is: "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." They basically provide a place online for people to sell their handmade or vintage products!

They pick a theme everyday, whether it is a holiday, fun quote, idea, or color ...and then send an email with pictures of all these related but very different products!

Today's theme was Please Pass the Mustard... so in honor of one of my favorite colors... I'd like to add to their post today!

...around our home....

Thanks Mrs. Bumblebee!

...elsewhere...

check out Shy City Vintage to see more accessories!

Gotta Have Galoshes

Suzy Knit Chain by Nappington on Etsy

Stay tuned for "the Art of Rust Store on Etsy" coming soon!!!

Writing on the Wall

2011-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd share some of my recent efforts to put some "WRITING on the wall"...

Grandfather loved to decorate his golfing hats with buttons...

since the fad of pinning buttons to your purse or key lanyard is

"so last decade"

I decided to pin some of my favorites on the wall next to an inspiring quote Grandfather had on his wall...

"DON'T COUNT THE DAYS, MAKE THE DAYS COUNT"

now these fun messages welcome me into my creative workspace!

I found this piece at Goodwill Keepers in Mission Viejo!

We thought it'd be convenient to keep some READING & WRITING materials on the wall outside the bathroom door! ...Entrepreneur Magazine and my Page-A-Day Calendar 2010 ToDo Lists!

These are fun stick-ons I recently put up on a wall and added the touch of a "G" that we used as a decoration at our wedding!

Fun to give it a new purpose here in our new home!

Now bear me with me for a minute on this next one...

You might be thinking..."D, this is supposed to be about writing on the wall...what do your jewelry have to do with that!?"

Well... I've been hoping to do this with my accessories for quite some tie... AND...when we were shopping in Palm Springs over Thanksgiving, and I found this

OLD PRINTER'S DRAWER at a thrift store!

It was previously used to store the LETTER STAMPS that would be put into a printing press...

and now it's a fun display piece for my earrings :-)

creative evolution

2011-01-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

One of my dear friends was over today helping me with a project and she spotted 3 empty bottles on a shelf and asked where they were from! So here's the creative evolution story...

About a year ago, I was looking through my Nanna's collection of kitchen items that she was going to give away. She decided that she'd take the opportunity to get rid of some clutter while her kitchen was being remodeled!

I ran into these 3 bottles -- though I didn't have an immediate purpose for them -- I stated my famous last words... "Don't get rid of that! I could make something with it!"

The first thing I did was use them to display some of my favorite necklaces...

After we moved to a smaller place, the effort to dedicate so much square footage for 3 necklaces just wasn't working out...

So here's what they evolved into!

I bought some "rub ons" from the dollar bins at Michael's and made some modern art out of some vintage bottles!

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a not-so-great camera, so you can't see the images too well.

"vision" with reading glasses

"rest a minute" with a chair

"take some time" with a pocket watch

I've used these rub ons for several projects...

home-made cards

embellished frames & mattes

scrap-booking

ETC!

P.S. --> Today's outfit: Grandfather's Neon Sweater & Grandma's Cameo Broach!

trivets, coasters & cork

2011-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Unique trivets, coasters, and cork are fun items to look for as you rummage through a thrift store, relative's house, or garage sale. Here's some of my collection as well as some examples I've come across online!

Peacock Expandable Trivet -- Goodwill in Ahwatukee, AZ

Owl Trivet -- Angel View in Palm Springs, CA

Cork & Black Trivets -- Grandfather's Kitchen!

Morton Salt Coasters -- Grandfather's Kitchen!

Paisley Green Coasters -- My Mom's MOPS Craft 2009

Dozens of Cork -- Grandfather's Kitchen!!

Brooklyn Bottle Cap Trivet - RETTOCAMME on Etsy

Fox on a Bike Cork Trivet -- darkcycleclothing on Etsy

Who says you can't protect your counter-tops in a fashionable way!?

NOW I'M CRAVING A HOT BEVERAGE.... ANYONE CARE TO JOIN?

Shiny and Green Things!

2011-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite hobbies is rummaging through thrift stores. My routine is typically to grab a shopping cart, and head to the "home" section of the store. Here's a few finds from 2010.

All the plants are artificial & from Shinoda. I originally bought the containers from Goodwill in Mission Viejo and made the arrangements for my office... but now they're spread out around our home!

If you'd like one for your home or office I'd love to make an arrangement for you!

They're so wonderful because if you have a black thumb like me...all you have to do is dust them :-)

old lights...old cameras...action & more!

2011-01-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our home is turning into somewhat of an antique museum! This weekend we finally re-built the television unit that my Grandfather had...and now we are using the shelving as a display case to show off our favorites!

It's a work in progress for sure! BUT here's a sneak peak of some old pieces given new life...

I have fond memories of Grandfather's Yorx stereo system... it was set up on the floor below his television for years. It was set to his favorite classical radio station, so all he had to do was tap the power button with his big toe, and the room would be filled with music! It plays records, cassettes, radio & 8 tracks... Chris's favorite feature is all the fun colors when it's turned on!

Grandfather's Amelia Earhart & Grasshopper luggage are now used to store & conceal our games...

This is a GoldE Manumatic Slide Projector! Totally belongs in a museum!

Chris' Mom collects antiques and has passed on a set of Jane Austen's writings as well as some delicate Bibles. I've also included one of Grandfather's Bibles, his flight training log, and devotional book from years ago.

This is a set of Shakespeare's work printed in 1899 that Chris' mom passed onto us!

So beautiful. So old. Love it.

How awesome do Grandfather's old cameras look on display!?

I'm going to try have the newer of the 3 Polaroid's repaired... but for now it will serve as a good bookend!

You'll have to wait until I make some fashionable additions to see the final product of our museum :-)

The Organized Hoarder

2011-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

My Beloved Grandfather passed away in October at a healthy age of 88 -- a Double Snowman in his terms!

He was an avid golfer, reader, and advocate of RESOURCEFUL LIVING! Definitely a hero of mine :-)

After two full weeks of cleaning through his belongings, we named him "The Organized Hoarder."
He kept nearly everything that touched his hands...

As a property manager, he had duplicates of every tool and piece of necessary hardware...

We found a stack of every grocery receipt since 1993...

We also found a box of every pocket calendar since 1954...

We even discovered a stash of yogurt foil tops in the back of his closet! I think his plan was to invents some new antenna for his television!

The list is endless.
Several "collections" were documented by photo and then dumped...
A few were recently sold at our garage sale...
But some I've kept as TREASURES!
The biggest treasure of all is that my hubby and I have the privilege of renting the home he lived in for 36 years!

So let the story telling begin of how I am bringing new life to the old, rusty, and fabulous items that Grandfather so carefully kept to pass onto future generations!

Old is New in Newport Beach!

2011-01-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

For a handful of years, there has been a "rusting" hole in the heart of Newport Beach.

While working at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, I heard rumors about reviving the vintage-looking shopping center in "Mariners Mile" on PCH... I originally imagined that some random stores would go in that would never peak my interest... But it looks like I'm wrong... and my dreams are coming true!!

Check out this article in the Orange County Business Journal -- New Tide: Newport’s Mariners Mile sees renewal with boutiques, plans for retail, spa development.

The new center is going to be called The Cove. Too fun! Here's another fun blog with details!

Stay tuned and I'll report as I visit the boutiques and find out more!!!

Tacky Party

2011-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

New Year’s Eve was approaching…

We had just recently moved into our little home...

And there were still several boxes to unpack…

PERFECT setting for a tacky party!!!

The invitations got the ball rolling; I was determined to keep this a low budget event… so I put on my rummage, resourceful hat, and went digging through Grandfather’s Garage!

Here’s what I came up with:

We had an old page-a-day calendar with quotes from The Office printed on one side… So I printed the invitation on the blank side.

I folded the little page up and slipped it into a funky old matchbook that Grandfather had collected from “back in the day”.

Then I slipped the matchbook into an old yellow envelope, addressed the front with tacky nicknames, and sealed the back with our OLD return address label (crossing out the address and scribbling on our new one). I added a Christmas Sticker, stamp, and popped them in the mail!

I spent all day on New Year’s Eve prepping. Didn’t try to over-exert myself though… it’s a tacky party right!? Who cares if there’s bags of trash sitting around and dishes to be done!

So as you approached our front door (in your tacky attire), you’d notice that there was a hand-written sign in our front-door-window stating that “we proudly serve”... Shasta Cola, boxed wine, Dino’s chicken nuggets, etc – all displayed by ripped up box labels.

Inside our entry, the floor was lined with plastic, secured with orange tape! Greeting you were two Halloween cheerleader statues and some leftover Christmas decorations a well!

I framed our tv with a broken wooden-orange-frame and stacked some power tools, tape, and a fire extinguisher for some added class. Our open wall also displayed a tacky home-made “happy new year” sign.

I brought in some of my Grandfather’s silly old décor like:

A bamboo beaded doorway curtain with a hula girl image…

A Hawaiian themed American Flag…

A poster of me at my 1^st birthday with cake all over…

Here’s some more of the tackiness:

Stepping stools substituted side tables…

Silly toys and costumes served as centerpieces…

Snacks were served out of odd kitchen supplies like pots, pans, measuring cups, paper boxes, strainers, etc!!

Iced drinks were stored in a paper box lined with a trash bag…

We served wine out of little Dixie cups that dissolved before you could finish the last drop…

Other drinks were served in colorful plastic cups from our childhood…

Although much of the party was “tasteless” we managed to serve some delectable tacky food:

Dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets

Bean Dip & Chips

Cheese Fondue Fountain with Apples

Chocolate Pudding with Graham Cracker Crumbs & Worms!

Candy – Chips – Etc!

This may become a tradition… any ideas for the next Tacky Party?