Antiquing With Aging Dust - An Upcycled Table Mirror

What's a girl to do when she needs a mirror to put her makeup on, but her vanity sits low and the stores don't have one tall enough?

 This is the kind of stuff that makes us junkers!

In a previous post I took a discarded lamp and upcycled it into this pretty display jar.

Lucky for me there were a couple of gorgeous parts 
from that lamp still available. 

 

Together with a few extra pieces from other lamps and 
a smaller table mirror, I was able to make this:

The detail is so beautiful!

I upped the contrast on this to show where the antiquing is.  

It is not really this dark as you can see in the other pictures.

I didn't want to use dark wax to antique this piece, because it changes the off white color to more of a bone.  Instead, to bring out the detail I painted CeCe Caldwell's Aging Dust into the shadow areas with a small paint brush.  It's a bit time consuming, but the look is soft and subtle.

I think I like this mirror better than 
what I found in the stores anyway!

Sweet Little Antique Lavender-pink Vanity

Doesn't this vanity look like a sweet, little Southern Belle?

 

 Would you believe it starting out looking like this?

Which is why I was able to pick it up for $13 (there's a story 

behind that price).  Don't you love buying furniture for $13?!!

I thought I would use it in my son's room for a bench, 

but he emphatically said, "No"!  

That's ok, I shall use it myself.

I painted it with a homemade plaster paint, then waxed with Annie Sloan clear and dark waxes.  I did use the TKO oil to control the dark wax, 

which you can read more about here.

It was my plan to distress it quite a bit, but I decided not to since there is a lot of pattern going on in my bathroom with all the tile and the floral curtain.  If I move it to a bedroom, I probably will distress it more.

I found the knobs at Hobby Lobby......so cute!

The shelf is a decorative piece I picked up at Hobby Lobby, 

as well.  It fits perfectly for the shelf and 

adds a nice touch of ornamentation.

I also painted some old, wooden filing boxes 

and added to the top for a little extra height.  

Luckily I had a mirror sitting around that had been 
removed from this garden chalk board project.

 It was just what was needed to finish off the vanity

This isn't the vanity I set out to find for this bathroom, 
but until I come across the perfect one
 - this is pretty cute.

Linking up at Tater Tots and Jello

Valentines Around the House

Today I thought I'd post some Valentine 

pictures from around my house.

I draped a leopard scarf around this lampshade 

and dressed it up with some red tuille.

Some cardboard letters look pretty sweet with 

glitter hearts and lips.  I love this "O" with the lips on it.

The red heart box is my favorite Valentine gift from my hubby.

Oh, and did you know.....Chocolate Lindt Truffles only have

5 1/3 carbs each?  That's awesome!

X's and O's

My sister made these cherub Christmas ornaments.  

They look so cute peeking out of this jar.

Thanks for stopping by.......

May your Valentine brings you lots of love this year!

 

Carrie Lou's Bedspread

When I was a child, my granny had a red velvet bedspread on her guest bed for as long as I can remember.  I don't really recall who gave it to her, but I know she thought it was quite special.  So special, in fact, that us kids were not allowed to get on it at all, which made us believe it must be very, very valuable.

 

 One day during her latter years, she asked me if there was anything of hers that I thought was particularly special.  Well, since she was asking.........the forbidden bedspread was definitely in top running.  Never would I have believed that she would give it to me........but she did.

Because it was slightly on the small size for today's thick mattresses, and because of my family's less than enthusiastic affection for its red velvetyness, I left it tucked away in storage.  One day when I unpacked it, though, I decided there had to be a way to use and enjoy it.  With trembling, scissored hands, I carefully cut it into a large circle and the bedspread became a delicious tablecloth.

I would not dress a table with it for eating, but for a seasonal table meant to hold gifts or decor - it looks gorgeous.  I also fold it in half and use it as the skirt for our Christmas tree every year.  

To my sisters and me, it is a treasure as though it came from Queen Victoria, LOL.  To the rest of my family, it is that dreadful, red bedspread/tablecloth that mom can't seem to part with.  That's ok.  Traditions are all about keeping the memories of the past alive, at least for those doing the remembering.
  

Carrie Lou, I love you so, and miss you more than you will ever know.  You were a very special Granny, and I hope it would bring that special twinkle to your eye to see your precious, red bedspread still in use today.

Metal Letter With Burlap Roses

Last month I share how I dressed up 

a Hobby Lobby metal letter like this:

This month for Valentines Day 

I added red tuille and some burlap roses.

This is how it looks now: 

I made the roses by cutting 2" x 46" strips of burlap.  I folded the strips in half lengthwise, then twisted and coiled in a circle, securing with hot glue as I went.

Kind of reminds me of Mary Engelbreit, doesn't it you?

I'm linking up at Tatertots & Jello

Valentine Bunting Made From Cupcake Wrappers

The other day at Walmart, 

I found the most adorable cupcake wrappers.

Aren't they pretty?

 I just had to make something festive out of them, 

and this is what I came up with:

A Valentine Bunting.

It was quite simple.  I ironed several of the wrappers flat with an iron, then glued the centers onto round paper doilies.  A little hot glue attached them to a piece of jute, and that's it!

My mantle is decorated fairly simple right now.  I guess I liked the sparkly, winter things I had up and waited a little too long for Valentines - since it is only 1 week away.  I think the bunting helps.

How about you?  Are you ready for Valentines Day, or has it caught you by surprise, too?

I'm linking up at Tatertots & Jello

Holey Vintage Linens

This post really is about vintage linens that have holes, and not sacred, holy linens.  They are so plentiful when thrifting, you can usually purchase them for $1 or less.  But why would you even want to if they have holes?

My thinking is I can always cut them down to make a pillow or Christmas stocking, etc., but they can also be repaired and given a new life.  Like this tablecloth.  It had about 10 holes here and there, and was not in very good shape.  It had such a pretty pattern though, it was worth a try.

Rather than stitching the holes, which seems to make the repairs more obvious, I like to use this glue.

I cut apart bridal appliques' following the lines to get small, but complete, designs, and glue them over the holes.  The glue is permanent, washable, and flexible, so it is perfect for repairing a tablecloth this way. 

Of course it is not a perfect design match, but the patch blends well enough.  In fact, I had to really look to find one to take a picture of.

       Not too sha...........well, actually, just the right amount of shabby!

A Valentine Dining Tablescape

To create this festive table vignette, I picked up a couple of really cute items at the $ Tree.  Valentine "stuff" is so much cuter than it used to be.  I already had an arrangement on the table that I liked, see here, I just wanted to change it up for this Season of Love.

The gift bag sure gives a lot of "bang" for $1.  I also purchased some little heart boxes of chocolates, chocolate lips, and a set of 2 chinese red-heart carry out boxes (under the tallest candle).  Everything else was pulled from shopping my home.

This candy is laying on top of some crystal beads and black chess pieces.  I probably wouldn't do this with little ones around who might pop the beads in their mouths.

Dressing candles up with bracelets is always a great way to add bling to candles.

This little guy seems to enjoy being on display again.

I'm linking up at Tatertots & Jello