Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my readers!

I made this card as an example for my craft group in a mental health centre. Card cut from used file cover. Tree torn from used green envelope. Ribbon cut off from an old dress. Gold paper found in trash. And used magazines.

The Spinning Wheel

Though it was not working due to a missing part, as a yarn lover I couldn’t leave this vintage beauty on the curbs. Not for myself but to find a new home for it. Unfortunately I didn’t find a buyer so I posted it in a Facebook free pick-up group and soon found a young textile art student who said she knew people who could help her fixing the wheel. Her happy face at the door was the best payment after all.

A Fruit Bowl Turned Onion Bowl And My Antique Kitchen Table

My creation ‘Fruit Bowl Elstar’ never sold on Etsy, even though it attracted thousands of visitors. Probably it was too expensive to ship overseas because of the weight. I used almost two complete trashed XL T-shirts to make it. But at the Dutch craft shows nobody even looked at it. As I feared the colours would only fade from bringing it outdoors over and over again I decided to keep it for myself and decorate my kitchen table with it.

Because I’m not a fruit eater it now stores onions. Even though the colours don’t match as well as with the apples I’m quite happy with the picture.

My table is another late night pick-up from in front of my own door. It must be very old, at least from before 1940. It’s funny that years ago I put out my dining room table, but I had to have this one. Being quite narrow it just fitted in my kitchen. It’s very practical to have the extra surface there. The stained and scratched top tells me a long story of families and children having sat at it. The wall and the cupboard on the left hide damage on those sides. Though I’m not really a fan of the curly style of the thick legs, that completely matches with my dresser and my coffee table and I think it’s growing on me!

My Old Lace-up Boots

I picked up these awesome boots over twenty years ago, but only wore them a few times because they were a bit too tight. Then kept them in a box because I just loved them too much. Finally last year I put them on line. It took a while before I found a buyer, but the girl who got them was thrilled and wrote me she was going to cherish them as much as I did. And hopefully wear them often!

Vintage Chairs

Yes I dragged in more chairs… But they are cute, seriously vintage and I love that simple style that I must have seen in farm houses in my childhood. With one set still waiting for a buyer I wasn’t too pleased with myself but I had good hopes they would go quickly. And they did. Young girl obviously furnishing her student room came with daddy to pick them up.

A Mysterious Concrete Object

I picked this thing up because the design attracted me. Then my antique loving friend came by and said: Oh, that’s pretty, what is it?

No idea to be honest, though obviously it had been the support of something. But I was happy she approved of my rescue.

So I listed it as ‘a pedestal or something like that’. Two days later a young artist picked it up who told me he was going to use it for one of his concrete sculptures. My friend was thrilled when I told her that.

My Antique Dresser And An Ugly Chest Of Drawers Makeover

Have a look at my first trash-to-treasure project ever! The stenciling is a bit simple and not perfect yet, but I’m quite happy about it.

This is what the chest looked like before. The Man dragged it home years ago, and as I can always use extra storage it served to stock my yarn for a long time. Then, replaced by something prettier I decided to get rid of the heavy clumsy thing. But waiting in vain for a buyer I almost re-trashed it.

Glad after all I didn’t. From where I usually sit in my room, my vintage dresser almost disappeared out of sight in its dark corner behind a new chair I picked up recently. As I took it home for the pretty glass door and the lovely woodwork I want to be able to see it! Solved that problem by raising it using the drawers as a support.

Maybe it’s a bit strange to pile up furniture that way but I’ve always done that. Now also the extension socket is off the floor which I find safer and I don’t have to duck down so deep to switch it off. And of course I have again more storage space.

The lamp, for once, was not a curb find. I picked it up at the giveaway shop.

Two Shop Window Doll’s Arms, A Terra Cotta Vase And A Miller’s Collectables Guide

Last year, for six months I had a spot at a pop-up indoor market place where I offered my handmades of course, but added curb found second hand and vintage to my table to help cover the costs. Especially in the beginning when we didn’t have a reputation yet that was necessary.

Looking for something to display my crochet cuffs on, Patrick, a fellow vendor gladly lent me his doll’s arms that I saw sticking out of an old bucket in his corner.

As he wanted to keep his bucket, my black oval terra cotta vase turned out to be a perfect replacement as a base.

One day I was happily surprised as I walked in and found the arty owner of the shop had picked up my display and placed it on a table in the middle of the entrance room. First thing the visitors set their eyes on!

When we all packed up in December Patrick was so kind to leave me his arms. I know he found them in the trash anyway, but as he then showed interest in my collectables guide of course that was my return present to him.

The vase never sold so now the display serves as a fun decoration in my home reminding me of all the sweet people I met at the project and the great time I had. Apart from that I use the arms every now and then as a photo prop for my Etsy shop.

Earrings

My friend rescued these from the trash in her part of town and gave them to me because one of the hooks was missing. Easy fix, simply attached two used but matching fish wires. Then listed the earrings on Etsy and sold them within a day!

Here’s another pair that I recomposed from two single cast out earrings. I had them on Etsy but you had to see them in person to fall for them, which one lady at the car boot market did.

More Chairs

Well, I was downsizing wasn’t I?

Then not long after selling my old kitchen chairs…

I dragged home these cuties. I just can’t leave a good chair when I find one!

Luckily I could lend them to a friend who has a little shop where she uses them to serve tea to customers while they are on display for sale at the same time. For Dutch readers who may be interested find details here.

My Hallway

My hallway is a pretty useless space as it measures only one by two meters. Too narrow to even hang up a coat rack as you would rub against the coats all the time while passing.

So it took ages before I did anything about it. This photo that I took when I wrote about my transportation helper is from 2007, two years after the renovation of my flat. 

Then finally in 2010 I found a brand new leftover piece of carpet to replace the old soiled one. So I started looking for paint and found I still had this yellow. I never used it because it’s too strong a colour for my lounge and kitchen, but now decided it was perfect to brighten up my dull entrance. And even though trashed years before and stored outside in my yard it was still in great condition.

Then recently, the just narrow enough chest of drawers, now storing my shoes, was waiting for me late at night at the dump across the street. And done! Only still a bit barren, but the room is too dark for plants and anything placed on top of the chest might be knocked off as well. Usually just piles of junk mail end up on top of it.

So now to finish up this post I thought let's see what we can do and dug up these old finds and voila. The old vase can break and the plastic flowers won’t  wither. Some day the chest may get a paint job to cover the white stains.