New Look in the Booth

I've been working hard to get 

a lot of new items into my booth

at Rusty.

It was a super fun way to create

and I love the little bit country,

little bit rock and roll:)

Iconic in Turquoise

I beg pardon y'all if  I offend the purists

on this post;)

I bought an old pair of cowboy boots...

very cheap and too big for me

But I really "needed" a Turquoise pair, 

not to wear but to display in my bedroom.

So out came my Annie Sloan chalk paint

and now they have pride of place in my room!

Now I really wish they did fit!

Emptying that Garage!

Every project I do now is a race

to empty out my garage stash

from my treasure hunts and get 

things into the shop or ready to move.

Here is a desk I've had buried under

piles for over a year.

It was a large sturdy wood teachers desk.

Very sadly covered with pen marks and 

scratches.

But with some graphite chalk paint for the top

and white and pale blue for the rest it looks lovely again!

I also have been wanting a 3 tiered galvanized metal

holder for my coffee items but those I found were

just too much money.

So I found these at GW ( the pans are springform) 

and painted them a

faux galvanized metal look, 

glued them together and Voila!

Busy Xs Three

It is crunch time...

3 houses being made ready all

at once, 2 move in dates for all 3

and me going back and forth between

them all, with new grand baby and paint

and cupboards the wrong color and 

redoing them and packing up treasures

and sore backs and refinishing furniture...

but as a friend pointed out to me today

God knows what we need and I am busy

right now in these good ways because

it holds back the sorrow and the pain.

Really, it eases, not holds back

for in the labor of helping my children in 

this way I bring back tender memories

of my own parents serving me, 

so they are closer and the loneliness

of single life fades away.

Table redo for my son

 Footstool redo 

Projects for 2 houses

Because both me and my older son

are moving in the next month

there are a lot of projects going on

in my garage!

 This is actually a golf bag stand

which I painted and made into a 

project/garage organizer. I had been

looking for some idea to keep my 

silk flowers out of the way until I use 

them at different times of year

and this works great!

 Below is a bulletin board that I made into 

a portable place for the grands to play cars

and trains, it can be tucked into the side of

the play area and not take up too much room.

 The stools below are for my sons house,

the ones I painted had white legs...

 This is what they look like now!

He is going for a rustic modern feel

and I get to do the decor:) so fun~~

Redone Chair

There were 2 of these chairs

which sat in upstairs rooms at

my folks home. 

When we emptied their house they came to me.

 Below is the new look.

 For some reason I had the stain bleed

through the chalk paint which

has never happened before...strange!

So some of the areas had a faint pink tinge:)

Also finally got the last cart from my garage

lined and into

the shop where it sold promptly.

Doll House Upcycle

This Fisher Price doll house was the best

garage sale purchase I have made

 for my grand kids. 

They play with it every time

they come over.

It is a typical hard plastic.

Because I am a person who likes things to

"go together" I decided to give it a little make over

so it will match the kids play nook I am

going to have in my new place.

I wonder what my grand daughter will have to say

about it however? 

She may not be very happy that I got rid of the pink!

Memorabilia in Use

I've been focused on thinking of ways to keep

my new little house more organized.

(I will be moving in a month)

It is exactly the same floor plan 

as the house I've been renting for 1 1/2 years

 so I should know what works and

what doesn't!

So for my stamps, bills, pens etc I used a 

wooden box with a handle I had in my garage.

The inside has all kinds of sizes of compartments too.

On top with Mod Podge, I used a water color

I did a few years back, vintage pattern figures

from my moms stash, a postcard written by

my mom to me and some fun papers etc.

 The file box below will store all my files

so I can eliminate a desk and save space.

This also has vintage pattern figures as embellishment.

I may add some type of lettering later.

I

More Items to Sell

These were some real diamonds in the rough!

I always forget to take before pics,

but believe me they were trash ready

when I bought them so it was a real

pleasure to make something cute out of them.

Tent Awning 101

I just spent 3 blissful days

camping by myself...in a very safe

state park near a local town.

I had prepared with several projects

before I went so I really had my

tent feeling cozy and pretty.

The first thing I knew I wanted was an

awning in front of my tent.

I found a queen flat sheet in a nice

stripe at a garage sale for $2

and that is what I used.

First I put 2 grommets in the fabric where I wanted

the poles to go, then I put sand in a large jar

and the jar in a metal bucket. This is

what the poles went into for stability.

I put a nail in the top of each pole and the grommets 

went over that and then 2 ends were tied on to tent

and the pole side was tied down with 

rope and tent pegs. It stayed up nicely the whole time

and provided a good shade in the 90* weather.

Garage Sale-For Sale

I sure have been enjoying this years

season of Garage sales.

I know a lot more about what sells

at Rusty Glamour so I'm trying to be

more careful and think through my purchases

before I buy and also how much $

 it will cost to upcycle, so I'm sure to 

make a profit on all my items.

Here are some new ones that just

went in the shop.

 The piece of fabric above only required

one side to be cut and the bottom 

pockets sewed on, it fit perfectly on the

bulletin board!

 The technique on the bottles and holders is the

faux zinc with Annie Sloan wax and paint.

This is a lined bicycle basket:)

How Many Ways can I use Canning Jars?

I've been using canning jars in so many

ways for the items I sell.

I guess it's because it's that time of year

when a person thinks about preserving 

all the fresh fruits and veggies.

However I don't do that!

I use them in every other way though...

 Storage, candles, twine holder

The red candles are in jars inside a canning holder

I painted white.

All these are for sale at Rusty G

Treasures in the Rough

When we were going through 

my Mom's things one of the nieces

found an old spice rack. 

It got put in the throw-away pile

but then same niece said

"Auntie Karen, you should do something wtih

this!" I hesitated because I really didn't know

if it was worth salvaging but 

decided to give it a try...

It ended up turning into a real treasure!

 Also the bed tray below was ugly and dirty

when I bought it for a few bucks and

now it too looks great:)

New Techniques

I'm on a learning curve with the

projects for Rusty G.

Since I got into Annie Sloan Paint and

waxes it has made things a lot

more interesting.

Below is a bed tray that I painted for myself

 Before

 After:

The wooden caddy is painted and waxed

and the rack is painted, waxed and sponged to 

look like galvanized metal.

 This chalkboard was a cast off frame

that is painted, waxed and embellished with

a paper banner.

Using the Fab Wax

 The Annie Sloan Wax is amazing!

For the pot rack above, I did a coat of flat black 

spray paint. Then I dipped my brush in the 

clear wax and then in a metallic acrylic and 

stroked and blotted it. 

There it is a faux galvanized metal pot rack...

This wicker ottoman was a basic red/brown color.

I spray painted it tan and then with the same

technique as above but with brown and black

paint I aged it. Now it matches my old 

ladder that I have in this room perfectly.

The wax dries very quickly too so no 

long wait to use your creation.

(by the way these are both thrifted items)

Craft Day/Girl Time

 Good food, lots of talking,

paper and fabric galore and we call it

Craft Day.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

This week I took a class with Lea

at Rusty Glamour

learning how to use the up and coming

(or should I say exploding!)

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

These boards are a few of the many

techniques that can be done

with the products 

which are available at Rusty G.

I've been a spray paint upcycler

this past year so painting with a

brush and technique is a new approach for me!

This paint can be used on anything...even
Leather and Fabric!

French Baskets

I found a super easy way to 

age baskets and give them that 

french vintage look that is so 

popular right now.

I began with these....

 Spray painted them dark brown...

 Then used gray and cream craft paint and water

to brush over the wicker to age it.

I added a French address on one with white paint.

These are actually my bike baskets

so when spring finally arrives I can do my 

shopping etc in town using my bike!

I also did a couple more with french muslin 

tags that are for sale at Rusty Glamour.