SPECIAL Great Find Repurposed: 1937 Vintage Dining Table turned into my modern day desk

My new desk...Isn't it beautiful??

Can you believe how great this finish looks at age 74!!
Golly, I hope I look this good next year!

For almost a year, I had been on the hunt for ideas for a really chic desk for my bedroom. However, I wasn’t settling for just any old desk… No!! Not me…so I waited and looked and waited and looked and finally came upon an idea. I was going to have a clear glass top propped up by sawhorse legs. Not really my own design, but I thought it would look very cool! The problem was that I started to look out for the sawhorses and wasn’t very successful.  One day on my daily neighborhood run, I saw a table out by the trash, propped up against a very big tree, with the extension leaves in a pile off to the side. I glanced at it and continued along my run: After all the paint was chipping, the table top wood was warped, and basically… it was in really bad shape. It was a couple of days that had passed when I purposely ran by that same location and guess what??? No one else wanted that table! So, I ran home and asked my neighbor to help me secure the table and we attempted to fit it in her SUV, without success I might add. However, in looking it over a bit better I noticed it had little wheels, so yup you guessed right… I pushed it around a few corners and into our complex parking lot. Man was that a screechy endeavor!!  By the time I had it in my parking spot; I noticed I had lost one of the wheels…oh well! Duh! No wonder it was screechy.  LOL!!!

Cool metal claw feet hide little metal rollers

Company Name: Perfection Table Slide Mfg. Co in Wisconsin

What I did next gave me the complete idea I had been searching for.  I dusted it and noticed that much of it was really beautiful and only the top had really been destroyed.  I naturally removed the table-top and exposed those gorgeous legs! When I put the table-top pieces on the ground, I noticed that there was a stenciled patent number, company name, city name, and date…it was 1937!!! I had just taken apart a vintage treasure!! Gosh, too late. I simply loved what I had found and once I pulled what should have been the base for the table-top leaf extensions…the wood was in supreme condition and my table was created! All I needed next was a glass table-top!

The Warfield...Dated Feb. 23, 1937
written on the table-top underside

I saw a message on Craigslist that said, “I’m slowly getting rid of my storage items, such as…” and the list started and my eyes stopped when it read…”5 foot beveled glass table-top.” I called and met the woman at a Public Storage facility and I purchased her piece of glass for $20.00 and the rest is history… BUT I WAS SO JAZZED!

Cost to me: $20.00

How-to-make: Transferring your pictures to fabric!

Actual photograph on the left & Printed fabric on the right

Fabric was ironed onto Freezer Paper before printing

Supplies needed:

1.  Reynolds Freezer Paper (comes in 50SF/75SF and 150SF)...I recommend the 50SF because it's 15" wide and you'll waste less. The price listed is for 150SF size.

2.  Your favorite picture

3.  Muslin or a light-weight and light-colored fabric where the image will end up

4.  An iron

5.  A home printer

What to do next:

1.  Cut your freezer paper and fabric to 8 ½ x 11” in size

2.  Place your freezer paper film side down onto cut fabric

3.  Iron at a fairly warm setting on the paper side (this way the film will not get onto your iron in any way…so REMEMBER don’t iron on the fabric side or you’ll be cleaning and maybe even destroying your iron).Make sure and iron with even strokes ensuring all edges are sealed together.

4.  Scan your picture and have it handy (save it to your desktop for now).

5.  Take your sealed fabric/paper combo and place it into your printer in manual feed. IF you do not know what side your print will show up on… do a quick test by feeding a blank sheet of paper with a hand-drawn X. Feed it through and see what side your print comes out on. Remember what side your paper was fed through and do it again, but this time with the fabric side so it gets the printed end result. Most of us have done this test for some reason or another, so I have great faith that this test will be a simple one for you. J

6.   Open your picture file and hit print… Depending on how much ink you have or the density of saturation in the original picture…that’s the result you will have.

7.   Hooray!!!  Your picture fabric panel is ready to use in any project!

I am really BIG on genealogy, so my panels were used in making soft family genealogy booklets. And my apologies...I had already given them away before the began this blog. So, who is that lady in the picture??? That was my mom at age 18! In those good old days gone by!! Boy, do I miss her...

This can be a really great family project all could do together!

NOTE:  Your print result will always be 8 ½ x 11 because it must go through your printer. Should you want a larger image…you can always secure to a large piece of fabric for larger projects by sewing or gluing.

Cost to make:  <$9.00 and your cost could be a lot less if you make multiple projects.

This includes the Reynolds Freezer Paper…150 SF at Walmart <$6.00 (and you can make lots of projects) and using a FAT quarter of fabric from Joann’s about $0.99 if on sale or $1.99 if not and you already have the printer ink and your personal elbow grease to get the job done!

Mark Montano, artist and author recommends TAP (Transferring Artist Paper)...I've never used it, but will on my next photo project!! Thanks Mark for that recommendation! 

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

Renewed: Chairs

Wow...See this chair! I found 4 of them - someone moved and left them behind just for me!... And guess what?? They're practically new, just dirty seat cushion tops and a few scrapes, but other than that...another great find!! As it happens often, I jump into another project and forget to take the before picture. So this one is not the one featured at the moment, but one you'll see later on. Nonetheless...it's in this same group of chairs.

Look at the bottom of the cushion...it's super clean and proves they weren't that old nor so worn out...Truly another great find!! Actually everything I find is a great find...especially if I could do something fun with it. What have you renewed lately?? Do tell...

The first thing I did was decide on the fabric I wanted to use to recover the seat and the color AND THEN -- I bought the paint for it. As always...I clean the wood with a wood solvent to ensure all the original dirt and grime is completely gone. After a few coats of paint and new seat covers...here's what I did! BTW...I renewed 2 chairs like this! Woot! Woot! OMG, they're sooooo cool!!

Cost to renew: <$15.00 for 2 chairs ($4.99 yd of fabric + about $8.00/qt of paint and I borrowed a few heavy duty staples from a neighbor! LOL!) BTW...I didn't use the entire can of paint on these 2 chairs...there's plenty left and I've used the paint on other projects as well.

How-to-make: Family Tree Framed Art

Are you into geneology? Do you know your roots? I am constantly digging into my family ancestry and encourage all of you to do the same. A great place to go is the Mormon Temple...in Los Angeles, CA it is on Santa Monica Blvd., just east of the 405. They have a fabulous family center where ANYONE can visit and use their computers, books, microfiche machines, and even get lessons as to where to start. I luv it there and it has recently been renovated, so I am anxious about getting back there soon! They welcome all denominations and won't try to convert you...PROMISE!

Meanwhile, I've made this family tree frame as a gift and gave it to my youngest son and his wife. It's very easy to make too; however what might take time is getting all names on the tree. Our family was easy, but some won't be. 

Here's what you need:

* 1 8 1/2 x 10" frame with or without a mat...I took mine out, because my background textile art ended up a bit larger than it could have been
* fabric and ribbon scraps...don't buy anything new...use what you have
* specific fabric or ribbon dedicated in making the tree itself
* Family names printed out
* Mod Podge™ 

What you do...

Before you start...sketch a tree on paper and place names on it, so you'll have some sense as to how large this will turn out and then continue...!

1. Create a textile art piece as your background...I made waves of color, cut a round circle of white fabric and made a moon and then added ribbon and yarn as I created. And as you can see, I left the fabric without finishing the edges...I believe unraveled looks more artistic in some projects. Here, I used some sheer fabrics where it made sense to leave it alone. You can get a clean cut on other fabrics such as cottons.
2. Fold pieces of fabric in cones for the tree stump and branches and add more branches than you actually need. OR use ribbon to make your tree. The folded fabric gave it dimension and ribbon will be flat...it's up to you what you decide to use. Both will be fine...get creative and use whatever else you conjure up creatively. Also, if you want you can use thin pieces of actual tree --- you'll just have to omit the glass in this case. Hmmm on second thought...scratch that idea. It's not such a great idea after all, as it will be hard to dust without destroying it in the process! :(  Ugh! LOL!!
3. Using glue...add all your pieces to your frame background.
4. If you want, you can add a layer of Mod Podge™  to give it some shine and protection.
5. Then, begin to add the typed family names in place with glue.
6. Replace glass, hang, enjoy, and smile at your accomplishment or do the latter and also give as a wonderful family gift!

Cost to make: <$15.00 if you use a coupon to discount the cost of the frame or about $20.0 if you don't use coupons!

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

Renewed: Black evening bag

As I was window shopping at a local thrift shop one day, this cute black evening bag yelled out "Save me"...and well...you know the rest. I just had to save it from just hanging around!! LOL! Although it was in fab condition...I couldn't leave well alone, so a quick trip to Joann's garnered a wonderful panel of Japanese women in kimonos with the colors that I felt would enhance my new little black bag. Back home I cut out the ones I liked the best and then positioned them where I thought they should be. And as soon as I was happy with placement...I got my brush and Mod Podge ™ and began securing the cut fabric images in place. I made sure that a portion of the hair-do popped up and gave that part of the design a brushing on both sides more than once to stiffen it up a bit.

 Front View

Open View

Back View

Once all of it dried completely, there was a nice sheen and feel to it and then I gave it away. And yes, the recipient of this renewed little black bag loved it!! I think she wore the heck out of it! LOL!

Do you have a purse hanging around that can use a new life? Try it...it doesn't take long... just get a bit of fabric and Mod Podge™ and use some creativity and that'll do it. The bag was $5.00 and the panel of fabric was $8.00, but you can get fabric that has a better repeat of design and don't have to spend that much on fabric.

Cost to make: <$15.00

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

How-to-make: Contemporary Photo Frame

I simply luv handmade gifts and even attempts by my closest friends and family to make a special handmade gift for me is soooooooooo appreciated...much more than a store-bought gift. Here is a sample of a picture frame of my grandkids (the first 4 of them at the time) which would make them great-grandkids for my former mother-in-law fand ready for bragging rights!

I put together 4 pictures I really loved at the time and made sure they were the size needed...3"x3" worked in this case and had them reprinted through Walgreens.  In this case you can't print them up on your home printer because they don't hold up under Mod Podge ™ which we will be using to adhere the picture to the tile and then as a top coat for that super-shiny look.

So, here's what you'll need:

*4 favorite pictures cut or resized to 3"x3" each

*4 tiles (I purchased 4 coasters in a basket at Big Lots for only $2.00) If you don't want to purchase tiles...you can cut out cardboard and cover with fabric or paint them

*1 picture frame 8x10 with a mat

*Embellishments of your choice...Michael's and Joann's both have great $1.00 bins with goodies to use...here I used flowers and rhinestones

*Hot Glue

*Double-sided tape

*Small piece of fabric to use as the background..9"x11" or 10"x12" would work

*Mod Podge and a small brush

*Small amount of paint (any kind) to cover one side and 4 edges of tiles

And this is how to make it:

1. Paint your tiles on top and all 4 edges with paint you selected (I used black to match the frame) and allow to dry.

2. Make sure you have 4 pictures resized and cut into 3"x3" size (I recommend using a paper cutter instead of scissors.)

3. When the tiles are dry, place double-sided tape on back of each picture and adhere one picture to each tile.

4. Fill your brush with a light coating of Mod Podge and uniformly brush on the entire top of each picture tile.

4. Allow the tiles to fully dry by placing them in a well-ventilated area.

5. Meanwhile cut your fabric and iron, if necessary, ensuring there are no creases.

6. Take your frame apart...Placing double-sided tape on the back of the fabric...carefully lay over the exposed cardboard of the frame which normally is covered by a photo (check out my frame where I used a purple print fabric). Before securing all the edges remove the mat from the frame and then replace once you've secured the edges neatly.

7. After the mat is replaced, check the tiles to make sure they're completely dry...if they're ready, place double-sided tape on the back of each tile and begin to assemble a block of 4 picture tiles...don't worry about them falling out, the glass will keep them nice and snug.

8. Replace the glass and secure the back of the frame.

9. Embellish your frame and if needed, use hot-glue to secure each embellishment. The flowers I used, needed a dot of hot glue, but the rhinestones were the stick-on kind.

10. Enjoy the frame yourself or give as a gift to someone special!

Cost to make: <$20.00

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

How would you make this frame differently? Please share in the comment area.

Great treasure find: Distressed headboard with detailed carving

Driving through my neighborhood, I spotted 3 dark brown headboards at a garage sale. Not particularly interested, I didn’t turn back and kept on going. Two weeks later, I drove by the same house and the 3 headboards were still there. My son and I continued to our destination; however on the way back I was drawn to stop and check it out. LOL!

Do you believe in fate? I do --- so one of those headboards was meant for me!!! Once I knew the price of the twin board, I chose the one I wanted and we carefully put it into my back seat. I was so happy and my smile would have told you so. After a cleaning with Formby’s™ Tung Oil, the distressed parts started shining and some of the detailed carvings were loose and would eventually need extra care, but for now – all the cracks, distressed paint, and the chipped paint tell a story and I just loved the worn look about it: It was perfect and I made a “great find”!

Cost: $10.00


Does anyone have any recommendations as to how I could carefully "fix" the chipping on the carved detail? Please comment...all ideas are welcome!! Thanks!