Todays crappy to happy is a bonus. I piled up 5 little items to show you how simple it is to change something from trash to recycled in just an afternoon. When I trash troll it’s not always a winning run. Sometimes you drive all over several neighborhoods and you get nothing. That isn’t the only way I gather things to redo. Friends give me things, I buy from auctions, thrift stores, estate sales and garage sale. The greatest thing are all of the online garage sales you can get on with Facebook. I love it when it’s 7:00pm and I’m laying in bed shopping for my next big project. I don’t dig in my neighbors trash that is just gross but if I can clearly see something I will stop and grab it.
These 5 items came from all different places the long frame came from a friend, the small frame my neighbors trash, the wood box and the wire box with flowers both from a thrift store at $1 each and the wood stool I bought from my friend Laura for $5. So at this point I’m into these pieces for $7. Not bad for 5 items that could be by most considered trash. A little paint, stain and wood shapes they will become renewed and usable.
Both frames were out of date with their old rubbed metal colors. I used a medium gray to repaint them to give them an updated and neutral look. It was that simple to update something that most would toss out. How many of us go out and buy new frames when we have tons at home but we don’t like the color. I know I’ve done that plenty of times but I don’t think I’ll do that any more.
Now the wood box has so much potential and can be reused in so many different ways. I painted it white inside and out of the box. Once it was dry I added the wood shapes to give it a whimsical look. I know I’m way to excited about just a simple wood box but it has so many uses. How about putting your kleenex in it on your desks or the back of the toilet or you could fold your wash clothes into squares and stack them in this box in the cabinet or sitting out for guest. I also like the idea of storing an extra roll of toilet paper to make it an easy grab for guest. I’m sure if you put much thought to it you will find many other uses. The small wire box I painted out in the same white paint so it would match. You could add this to any place you add the wood box to store other items needing organizing.
Finally my favorite, the small wood step stool. This little guy had to be cleaned up because it had stains and peeling paint. Cleaning it up was no fun but once I got under all the paint and under the stains it was a jewel. I painted out the legs in the same medium gray and sanded off the edges it seemed to call for vintage and shabby chic. The top was covered in this terrible yellow vinyl and red vinyl rope piping. I worked hard to get all that off and trust me it was down really good. I was going to recover it again but the wood underneath the vinyl was beautiful. I stained it and added a bit of teal paint and stranded it off so it looked worn. I used satin clear coat to finish it off.
All of these pieces started out to be in the next garage sale and ended up treasures to be had. I love all the transformations. It’s easy to get tired of what is around our homes and want to replace them. Before you toss it out and buy new how about a redo. Okay on Thursday the redo is a great piece of furniture I found on the curb just around the corner from my house. It’s really from the 1990’s but I’m gonna make it something that will be great to use again. Enjoy your hump day and make sure you have a Blue Happy day.
