Creating, collecting & recycling textiles & papercrafts. I love preserving the past for the future.

Monday 18 July 2011

WOW, over 500 hits in less than one month! And recycling furniture for my creative space stories and more.

Over 500 hits in less than one month!
I cannot believe it and it's mainly thanks to Karen at My Desert Cottage and her wonderful party Where Bloggers Create 2011!
I have had visitors to my humble blog from all over the world.
Mainly the USA, Australia (where I live), then Netherlands, Malaysia, Germany etc.....
Thank you to all who have looked through my creative space. I am over half way through looking at all the party attendee's blogs and each and every lady has presented a visual feast.
I have picked up quite a few ideas and that is always fun. Sometimes I think I go a little too far with what I display but when I see others doing it I feel justified and sometimes when I see what other creative bloggers are doing I would even go so far as saying I feel 'restrained' in the display of my collection, both working and purely decorative.
I had no idea there were so many ladies who actually do 'weird' things like me and display doll's heads and parts of doll's bodies, not to mention vintage greeting cards, personal memoribilia and anything that just takes our eye in general.
It is all so attractive, at least I think so, and I love looking at my things, well as much as I can fit out on available display space. In latter years I have learnt to been able to rotate some of my collection. That was and is the hard part, deciding what to 'rest' and what to display.
Most of us seem to use 'found' display, storage and work areas and I LOVE THAT!
I love re-purposing items. I hate waste. And it seems I have a lot of friends in this regard. I love the way we re-use, re-paint, re-cycle in general.
I have posted some photos below. All are re-used in a different way to their original intention. I just love the story that goes with each one. That to me is part of the thrill of all the things I have in my home.
I hope you can take the time to read the tales of how I came by these pieces and please leave comments. I just love to hear from my blogging friends from all around the world.


This lowboy cupboard was just languishing in my father's neighbours farm shed. The neighbour's moved out and told Dad he could take what was left. Dad offered me several pieces and I took them all. Anyhow back to this particual little lowboy....... I painted it using acrylic house paint, a paint medium and gladwrap (plastic cling wrap). I gave it all a good clean first of course. I painted the inside and shellaced the drawer fronts and used a cute little stencil on the inside as the cupboard was going to be used in my sewing room. Green is one of my favourite colours and I like it even though some think it gross and have told me so.
-------------------------------------------

A friend of my father's who was a coach builder in the Railways and who now restores and builds furniture made this for me around 6 old Singer Sewing machine drawers I had. The SS machine drawers came from an uncle who had pulled a perfectly good treadle machine apart. He was going to dump the machine and the drawers and make the treadle base into a garden table. Well I could not stand the thought of the poor thing being so mis-treated so I offered him a swap and he said he would like my melamine microwave cupboard and I thought that fair. So to this day I have the machine on display, the drawers as you see them above and the base was indeed made into a garden table by my DH and all parts are treasured. At least the poor thing is still together sort of.
-----------------------------------------

This cupboard was originally the end of a draughtsman's table. Originally about 12 feet long with 2 of the above (one at each end). A neighbour and dear friend offered it to me, she kept the other end and the middle long desk part (which she carved into a beautiful bed head) and I had my Dad's friend restore it. It sat at my parent's place for 3 weeks before being delivered to the restorer and when he started work on it made an interesting and scary discovery. The front right leg was eaten out by whiteants (termites). So needless to say I rang my friend and alerted her to the termite problem that had originated at her property. Anyhow the leg was replaced and many years of paints scraped back to reveal the final pleasant surprise. The door panels are solid red australian cedar. A very beautiful, expensive and now scarce timber. The remainder of the cupboard is Queensland hoop pine. All this drama from part of a pre-loved draughtsman's table. LOL
Oh the final drama with this particular cupboard......the screen door and door had to be taken from their hinges in order to get it into the house. Eeekkk! That made me feel a bit guilty as it wasn't me doing it but my Dad and my SIL, as my DH was away working in Saudi Arabia at the time.
PS The top drawer holds about 100 plus fat quarters.
-------------------------------------------

This little pre-loved CD storer was found on a footpath as I was walking home one day. The lady wanted $5 for it and I thought that was reasonable, because as soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for some of my button collection. The colour was OK with me too so it was all win win.
---------------------------------------------------

From the blogs I have looked through, black and white seem to be a popular theme atm. It's classical style and elegance will always make it chic and appealing.
I also love the vintage 1930's era type colours that quite a few bloggers seem to lean towards. Soft baby colours such as pink, lemon, mint and blue. So cute and makes me get all nostalgic.
I think each and every lady has put her heart and soul into her private 'creative space' and that is what makes them all so special.
Thankyou once again to Karen from My Desert Cottage for this wonderful concept known as Where Bloggers Create. I love it!! Thankyou!