I am an only child so my parents entertained me quite a bit. When we weren’t playing games or in Dad’s workshop, I was seeking creative fun in all of the corners of our sweet Philadelphia home. I dug through closets, under beds, through sewing kits and cupboards. But my favorite quiet time was spent in Mom and Dad’s bedroom, perched on the end of their full sized bed sorting through Mom’s vintage jewelry box. Inside, I found the stories of Mom’s past. There were trinkets and memories. Each one had a history.

Years ago, in the ’80’s, Dad bought Mom a new jewelry box for Christmas. You know, one of those fancy wooden 1980’s taller jewelry boxes with the swivel carousel hook for necklaces and a fancy place to put your rings. Of course, I grabbed Mom’s old vintage jewelry box. Because I was documenting stories of my own.

Like those once gleaming pieces of jewelry, Mom’s vintage jewelry box has seen better days. Today is the day she gets her makeover. And, if we are talking renew, upcycle, and refresh, that means it’s time for this month’s Thrift Store Decor Team projects.

If you are new to Blu or the TSDT, we are a group of 9 creative bloggers who focus on the upcycle, repurpose, and reuse of older or previously used items. At the end of this post, you will find all of the other team projects. We share our posts on the second Wednesday of the month. This is our first post of the NEW YEAR! And we have some bloggers joining our fabulous group! What new skills will we share this year?? Tools, products, DIY skills and fabulous tips are our favorite. Hope to see you as a regular visitor. You can sign up for an email reminder at the top right side of this page! Let’s get to our project!

You see these vintage jewelry boxes at estate sales, yard sales, and flea markets. They are roomy and still the best way to store your jewelry. Mine will sit on a shelf filled with treasures when she has been restored.

Selecting a Finish

The Francophile in me loves loves loves marble. I didn’t want to paint this jewelry box so I decided to cover it. Dollar Tree had these removeable peel and stick wallpaper strips so I bought a few. Cheap, easy, and I think they will work.

The instructions are conveniently on the back and are very simple.

There is some damage to mom‘s old jewelry box. Somehow over the years, a corner of the top padding was actually ripped away. That is the part that is sticking up on the top.

The inside shelf is a bit wonky so I’ll need to repair that.

The interior is still lovely, for the most part. The beautiful Asian print on satin is just darling.

The velour is still a pretty aqua thought there are a few discolorations and some divots where weighty pearls and baubles have rested over the years. Other than that, I think she’s in great shape.

The length of this wallpaper sheet was just a bit shy of the total width of the jewelry box.

I will use one whole piece of wallpaper for the top and piece it underneath, hoping to match the pattern. When piecing I will want to minimize the seams. So I will add those smaller pieces first. We will see if I have enough product to match the patterns perfectly. Cross your fingers! Here we go.

I took a piece of the wallpaper and basically laid it over each drawer, each side, the back and the top of the jewelry box. The plan was to apply each carefully measured piece onto the surface and fold over behind the door fronts, the back, and the entire the jewelry box.

I folded the paper along each edge essentially making a creating a new panel for each surface on the jewelry box. Since the wallpaper was just a little short in length, I started with the section that would go under the longest sides. I measured and cut carefully. I began to lay the pieces into shape.

I made my way around the Jewelry box peeling, sticking, wrapping, folding, and tucking the wallpaper into place.

I took special care to wrap the corners smoothly.

And I was careful to try to match the pattern when the wallpaper had to be pieced.

I did have to cut around the knobs and handles. But the process went pretty smoothly.

The beautiful decorative panel slipped off easily giving me access to the inside edges of the lid.

I used my handy dandy vintage Pampered Chef scraper to burnish the entire surface ensuring a secure bond of the wallpaper to the jewelry box.

And the decorative panel slipped right back into place once the wallpaper was installed.

And here she is with her new look!

I have to say I am quite pleased!

In this jewelry box, amidst the odds and ends, I found this little bracelet. When I was about 7 years old, my dad brought this home for me one day when he came home from work. My favorite color was purple. My heart is happy.

I also found a bit of my grandmother’s brooches.

And my great-grandmother’s watch bands. I had forgotten I had these!

Now to decide what she will hold long term. For now, she is in my jewelry vault, so to speak.

You can read about my vintage china cabinet turned giant jewelry box HERE.

My Repurposed Life Quilted Casserole Carrier Ideas Using Salvaged Fabrics

Our Southern Home Thrift Store Lamp Refresh with DIY Pleated Shade

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Stool Dupe that Looks Authentically Aged

Shop At Blu Mom’s Vintage Jewelry Box Makeover

Our Crafty Mom Heart Shape Paper Craft From Wrapping Paper Roll

Songbird Rubber Stamp Storage Idea

Funky Junk Interiors Upcycled Ceiling Fan Blade Wall Mounted Coat Hooks

Exquisitely Unremarkable Adorable DIY Pin Cushions

Redhead Can Decorate My 91 Year Old Dad’s Thrift Store Living Room

The post Mom’s Vintage Jewelry Box Makeover appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I had planned to follow up that project by making a Pride flag. But, I never got back to the barn metal. Today is the day!

Well, if we are upcyling some old barn metal into something fabulous, must be that it is…

Be sure to check out the team posts at the end of this one!

Using Antique Barn Metal

This antique metal came from my friend, Gina’s old barn that she and her husband tore down. Gina’s grandad had built this barn. When she tore it down, she asked if anyone wanted some of the barn metal for projects. You know I jumped in my van and drove to Tennessee.

Here is the previous tutorial on how I cleaned, prepped, cut and painted the barn metal. As always, use the proper tools for the projects.

Safety gloves are a must to protect your skin from the sharp metal.

I followed the same process with this barn metal pride flag. I did have to trim the one edge to square up the metal.

Don’t worry. I did take my own advise and stopped at this point to grab my gloves. You can’t be too careful when handling sharp metal.

After the trim, I sanded the edges just to make sure I would not cut myself. I used a high grit (low number) sandpaper that was very coarse. This worked perfectly. After sanding, I cleaned the barn metal to remove all of the dust. TSP is my go to for prepping pieces for paint.

Design your Pride Flag

If Pride isn’t your thing, you can use these same techniques to make any other flag…family colors, school pride, etc.

Once I wiped down the metal with some TSP, she was ready for paint. I selected some vivid colors and grabbed the Frog Tape. And started to design and measure.

Next step was to mask off the lined for the flag pattern. I needed 6 broad stripes.

The tops of the stripes would be covered by a “V” comprised of a series of 4 other colors. So, I measured and used Frog Tape to mask off the six wide stripes.

Burnish the edges of your painter’s tape to ensure a good seal that prevents the paint from seeping under the tape resulting in non-crisp painted lines.

I taped off every other stripe. Then I painted those and allowed them to dry. I reset the tape to complete the last 3 stripes.

Be sure to allow the paint to dry somewhat before moving your tape.

I am an impatient creator. So while the bottom of the pride flag was drying, I was taping off the top.

I alternated between stripes. While one section was drying, I was starting another section.

Of course, I did have some paint seep under the tape edges so I did have to allow those areas to dry.

To minimize seepage, don’t overload your brush. And, dab the paint along the tape edges instead of brushing. This adds the paint more slowly. Thicker applications of paint tend to seep under the tape lines. Thinner applications tend to stay where they are applies. I went back and touched up those leaked lines once the paint was completely dry. If you use a thin flat brush, it is super easy to touch up. Here is the brush I used for touch up. Like applying the paint to the tape lines, I dabbed in from the side instead of using a brushing stroke. Use the flat tip of the brush to tap the line into place.

I just went from color to color making any necessary touch ups. And, before I knew it, she was ready!

I sealed her with my go to sealer Crab Coat by Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint. This fabulous sealer ensures that the metal will be protected from the harsh Alabama sun and heat.

Here is an antique metal ice box that I keep outside. She is well protected with Crab Coat!

I’m not sure where to put my beautifully colored Pride flag. Right now, we are in the process of re-staining our deck. So excuse the clutter behind the flag.

But I really do like her beneath that fern for now.

Are you doing anything special for Pride month? Birmingham always has a great variety of activities and events. What’s going on in your neighborhood?

My Repurposed Life – Little Girl Statue Makeover

Petticoat Junktion – Repurpose A Mirrored Vanity Tray

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – DIY Macrame Propagation Station

Shop at Blu – Barn Metal Pride Flag

The post Barn Metal Pride Flag appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Just look at those legs!

They make me so happy!

And my favorite finish to paint over is a dark wood, like this gal with the walnut stained top. My plan is to make her bright and cheery and, of course, distressed.

A furniture makeover? That means, yes! It must be the second Wednesday of the month and time for the Thrift Store Decor Team projects! All of this month’s projects are linked at the end of this post for your DIYing, upcycling, repurposing, and thrift seeking pleasure!

Gameplan

She was pretty cruddy. So I decided to bring her up onto the deck to clean and prep her for her makeover. Rain was on the way so I would be able to bring her into the house quickly should the skies open up.

Of course, since this is one of my projects, it got a little more complicated right from the start. While carrying her up the stairs and opening the deck gate, her top separated.

You are in luck to day friends, because you will get a second tutorial on how to repair a split tabletop!

Repairing a Split Tabletop

This is actually quite an easy repair. Just grab some wood glue and a clamp or two to start.

Sounds simple, right? Until only one clamp is long enough the clamp the tabletop. I remembered I had one of my dad’s old clamps in the garage. I had never used it before so I grabbed it an it worked perfectly. Pop was a woodworker, refinisher, the ultimate DIYer, He could fix anything and I cannot every remember a repairman coming to our house to fix anything. Pop did it all!

Place a liberal bead of glue along the complete length of the broken edge.

Push the top together and clamp into place.

I used 2 clamps. Because I only had 2 big enough. If I had 3, I would have used all three.

I allowed this to set for about 30 minutes and then wiped the joint with a damp rag removing the excess glue.

I allowed the repair to dry overnight.

Before you remove the clamp, you can reinforce the damaged area from beneath with a few screws and a mending plate. This will strengthen the repair and reduce the chance of the split recurring. Smart step, but I did not do this because I don’t plan to use the table for anything heavy. It would still have been a good move but you know me…anxious to get to the paint! I offer you one of my mom’s favorite quips…do as I say, not as I do!

You could even leave the clamps in place to give the entire piece a bath followed by a gentle sanding. I removed the clamps and gave the table a good wipe down with TSP.

Trisodium phosphate helps prep the surface to remove residual dirt, oils, and debris and preps the surface to better receive paint. Read about my be pre-paint prep tips HERE.

Choosing a Paint Color…or NOT

Next step was to sand the table top. I decided that the legs were is great shape with no major mars, knicks or dings.

So I would dry brush over the legs. That was the plan. So no sanding needed there so I decided to go to the more substantial project of sanding the tabletop. The top had what appeared to be a relatively thick coat of either oil based paint or paint with a heavy sealer.

When you work on older furniture pieces, you never know:

• what type of paint is on the piece
• how many paint layers there are
• what type of wood is beneath the paint
• what is the quality or condition of the wood beneath the paint.

It really is a grab bag of surprises. So my #1 rule for reviving old pieces is NEVER EVER BE HARD AND FAST TO YOUR GAMEPLAN. It is critical for your sanity to be fluid and ready to switch lanes during the project. That said, I grabbed the sander to “gently sand the tabletop” so I could get an idea of how well the paint might adhere.

And…that’s where the plan changed.

UNEXPECTED PATINA

That phrase…UNEXPECTED PATINA…gets me everytime. Once see beautiful old wood or gorgeous unique patina, I stop in my tracks and the plan changes. EVERY.STINKIN.TIME.

To most people, that photo above, is a mess. Their first thought is…grab a brush and paint over that mess! Not me…my mind says…oooh…let’s make that better…more fabulous and more unique.

Change in Plans…Imagine that!

So at this point, I put away my favorite teal paint, General Finishes Milk Paint Patina Green. I was looking forward to using it as it had been a while. I used it on this stool pictures below. It’s a great color to use for transforming treasures as it really makes an impact.

So, this patina spoke to me and I had to see, or create, more.

She really was quite nice this way but, alas, I needed to see some wood beneath the patina.

So, I sanded the edges and all of the curves around the table top.

I could start to see some wood. The individual wood planks used to create this tabletop were becoming more defined.

But I knew there was MORE!

As second sanding revealed more of the joints of the boards and more texture from layers began to appear.

I wiped the top down to remove the dust so I could see the surface a little better.

The purpose of the last sanding was to even out the surface and try to unify the piece. Don’t worry though. The top will not be so visible and choppy when it is sealed. You will also be viewing the finished piece from an angle and not a direct over view…which is a little busy and unrefined, I will admit.

I used Polycrylic sealer on the top because it is a resilient and easy to use sealer. I do like the rustic look that is emerging.

Because those legs were in such great shape and so pretty, I decided to give them a coat of hemp oil to bring out the beauty in the wood. Hemp oil is applied with a rag and then buffed to a shine.

Look at how the hemp oil feeds the raw wood and makes the stain shine.

Hemp oil really feeds the wood and brings out those natural tannins.

And so, while my intended fabulous transformation of this antique radio table is not so spectacular a transformation, it is a revival of the wood and that makes my heart pretty darn happy. Who knows…maybe I will tire of the rustic shabby primitive worn look. Or maybe I will finally paint her and gift her to someone. But for now, I love her!

Can you picture her in the corner of the parlor holding the big ol’ radio with the family gathered around to catch the daily state of the nation or an update on the World War?

I think I have the perfect place for her in the house but for now, we will enjoy her for a while out here on the deck.

I have some other projects scheduled for out here, including restaining the deck and revamping this little white dump truck.

It was 85 degrees the other day and some of my perennials are starting to show off. Mia is excited for spring.

So are these snap dragons.

These planters were upcycled almost 3 years ago and the colors are still vibrant!

And here is a good before and after. Special thanks to the sisters who can’t be in the same room together but do love a good project with Mom.

Today is my youngers daughter, IV’s birthday. She is 26. I posted on IG and FB that there aren’t many people who know themselves better than my IV. I’m realizing that maybe she gets a little bit of that from me! I really wanted to paint this table with Patina Green. I really did. But one look at what was beneath 50 some years of paint and I was finished. It had to be natural. There was no fighting it.

So Happy Birthday IV…and you are welcome for this stubborn resistant yet unique streak that you are owning!

And here are the Thrift Store Decor Team’s projects for this month! Enjoy!!!

Petticoat Junktion-Rick Rack Home Decor

Our Southern Home-Spray Paint Wicker Table

Shop At Blu-Upcycled Thrift Store Antique Radio Table

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia- High-End Garden Planter Knockoff

My Repurposed Life-Upcycled Drawers | Wall Shelf

The post Upcycled Antique Thrift Store Radio Table appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I bet you already knew when I mentioned an upcycle project, that today is the 2nd Wednesday of the month and time for the Thrift Store Decor Team Projects! You will find them all at the very end of this post. I wonder what the team is revitalizing today? Let’s get on with our outdoor lantern upcycle!

Prep your Outdoor Lanterns

My plan is to sand off the rust and use some colorful Rustoleum Spray Paint to refresh these outdoor lanterns. The Rustoleum will have a dual purpose. First, it will stop any rust that is developing on the lanterns and second, it will bring a fabulous new finish to these aging lanterns.

A closer look reveal debris and rust that has accumulated from the lanterns sitting outdoors for so long. So, as with any project piece, lets start with a good cleaning.

First, I needed to remove any glass. These lanterns are aluminum and have tabs that hold the glass in place.

To remove the glass, I simply folded the tabs away from the glass and lifted the glass out.

I dusted off the debris and gave each lantern a once over with a stiff bristled brush to remove any surface rust. Next, I set the lanterns in my sink and added warm water and Dawn dish soap.

I used a bottle brush to scrub the inside and outside surface of each lantern.

I gave the glass a good bath as well so I can replace it to use the lanterns to hold candles in the future.

After a good rinse, I set the lanterns outside to dry. It was a windy day, so I laid the lanterns on their side. After about half an hour, I flipped them over to make sure they were drying thoroughly.

Time for Paint

Once dry, I took the into the yard and gave each a thin coat of Rustoleum I used fall colors that I had on hand from a previous fall project. I used the Cinnamon and the Warm Caramel.

Rustoleum 2X has fabulous coverage and I didn’t even need a second full coat. Also, I recommend the Rustoleum Comfort Grip to hold your can. It eliminates finger fatigue and overspray onto your hands. Great tool!

I gave each lantern a light coat. Rustoleum 2x coverage is so good that I only needed one light coat. I allowed this coat to dry for about 20 minutes.

Then I flipped the lanterns over to finish the insides, bottoms, and any angles that I could not reach previously.

Tips for Spray Painting

Like I said, light coats are preferred because that prevents drips and pooling of paint. If you miss a spot, wait for the coat to dry and flip the piece so you can hold the paint can at a better angle to hit those spots. If you see a drip, tap or dab it lightly with a rag. This usually removes the drip. Sometimes you can go over this area after the paint dries with another light spray, but, amazingly, sometimes the paint self levels and the touch up spritz is not needed.

I like to use this small vintage open wire shelf unit for spray painting because it can hold several small items at one. These lanterns were larger so I would spray one coat and move the lantern aside to allow it to dry. I would place the next lantern on the shelf, spray one coat and remove to dry. Repeat.

I didn’t want to touch the outside of the lantern as the paint was wet. So I cupped my hand, lifted the lantern from the inside, and set it aside to dry.

Once the lanterns were dry, I moved the to the table on our deck until I am ready to use them inside. So many possibilities.

As I said, these lanterns were outside for a few years. The two larger lanterns had rope handles. I will replace them eventually but that is a project for another day. For now, I used masking tape to cover the bases for the handles because I like the chrome metal look.

After painting, I removed the tape. You can see the handle bases in the photo below. Use painter’s tape to mask off any area that you don’t want painted. This is commonly used for hardware, glass, or to make designs.

And here are the outdoor lanterns after being painted.

I couldn’t just let them sit there all lonely and empty, could I?

Look at that dreary sky! For once I exhibited some patience and took some more photos the next day.

That sky is so much happier! My pilgrim is even smiling.

The lanterns look great on our front stoop at the entryway also!

Move the lanterns around to different positions. Use different combinations of mums, pumpkins, and gourds until you find the look that you like.

If it doesn’t look quite, right, move things around again.

Sit a mum inside of a lantern.

Add some small pumpkins or gourds. Use real or faux…whatever you have on hand.

How about using those lanterns inside! Grab some florals.

And some pumpkins.

I even added some feathers.

They make a great centerpiece for an empty table.

The larger lanterns might be a little tall to use for Thanksgiving dinner. You might have trouble looking through them to see your guests. But they would look nice before dinner. Just remove them and replace them with the entrees and the turkey!!

I can see some florals and candles sitting inside of these beauties on Thanksgiving Day.

And here are this month’s projects from my fabulous creative friends!

Refresh Thrift Store Artwork

Upcycled Brass Christmas Bell Decoration

Decorating with a Vintage Toolbox

Repurposed Santa Mug

Refresh Outdoor Lanterns for Indoor Decor – That’s ME! You’re HERE!

The post Refresh Outdoor Lanterns for Indoor Decor appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Welcome! If you visiting for the first time as part of the Amazing Creators network, I am so glad you are here. I hope you will browse through my other posts and take some time to visit my friends linked at the end of this post. You never know what kind of fabulous inspiration you will find. Who knows, maybe you will find a new favorite creator!

Let’s get started with our project!

Prep your Bottles

With any paint project, you will have to prep the surface of your project piece. Glass bottles are no different. This consists of removing any labels and cleaning the glass thoroughly, both inside of the bottle and outside.

I wrote an entire post about tips for cleaning your bottles and removing that stubborn label glue! Click on the photo below to read all about it:

What Paint to Use

Once your bottles are clean and dry, you need to select your paint!

My first thought for paint for this project was my go to Black Dog Salvage Furniture paint as it is suitable for ALL surfaces. I thought I would need something special for these glass bottles. However, My go to spray paint was sitting right here in my garage in a variety of colors needed. So, I went with Rustoleum 2X in the fall colors of Cinnamon, Warm Caramel, and Real Orange. I used a clear spray as a sealer. I highly recommend the Rustoleum Spray Handle. This baby keeps your fingertips clean from paint overspray. For larger projects it really reduces that index finger fatigue from holding down that tiny spray button.

I figured I would go ahead with the on hand supply, seal with a top coat, and see how the paint holds up.

Spray Painting your Glass Bottle for Decor Projects

Once my bottles were clean, I moved outside to my yard to apply the spray paint. If you are using spray paint indoors, be certain you have proper ventilation to avoid any excessive fumes and prevent repercussions of such.

I have an old metal bath room shelving unit that I have been using for years with my outdoor paint projects.

The open shelves allow me to spray much of the bottle and eliminate some turns of the project piece, reduce drying time, and even eliminate additional coats of paint. I can see a restoration project sometime in the future with this little MCM beauty.

I placed the bottles randomly on the shelves in a manner that would reduce overspray. Bottles to be painted the same color were placed on the same shelf.

I could hold the spray paint at the right angle to reduce overspray on different colored bottles. This saved so much time. Instead of spraying two or three bottles at a time, I did 6 and allowed them to dry. Streamline for the win!

Spray Painting Tip

It’s also important to try to choose a day where the weather is calm and not windy. You should also determine the direction of any breeze that might pop up to avoid spraying into the wind. Trust me…getting a direct shot of overspray to the face is no fun. Proper safety gear is always recommended. I love the mask from RZ Mask which is designed for comfort and use in DIY projects. Never underestimate the importance of safety gear.

I gave each bottle one light coat. With Rustoleum 2x, coverage is excellent. So I did not need two complete coats. I just gave each bottle one light coat, allowed that to dry (about 30 minutes), and just touched up any spots needing a little extra coverage.

I decided to keep some of the green glass exposed on one wine bottle. I used frog tape and paper to mask some of the glass. Then I sprayed the vibrant orange which made a great contrast with the green.

The orange spray paint covered so well!

I carefully peeled off the frog tape after the paint was relatively dry (maybe 20 minutes).

Frogtape is probably the best releasing painters’ tape. The lines are always crisp and clean.

You can really get creative with designs using frog tape and paper. My design was very simple and easy.

Be sure to seal your painted bottles with spray polyurethane or clear coat. I used a Clear Rustoleum. This will protect the finish and make it harder to scratch or chip.

Embellishing Your Glass Bottle

Once I had a nice selection of colored bottles, I grabbed some jute and some twine to embellish the necks of the bottles.

I used a variety of sizes of jute and twine. I even unraveled some thicker jute to make a wavy thinner jute.

The process was easy. I simply placed a dot of hot glue on the base of the bottle neck.

I place the end of some jute/twine on the glue dot and just wound the jute/twine up the neck.

Push the twine into place and keep adding rows.

Another small dab of glue at the top of the bottle neck kept the jute/twine from unraveling. I found these silicone finger tips on Amazon. They are a godsend for protecting finger tips from the hot glue. I use them to hold the glue in place until it dries. Great! Cheap! Effective tool!

The twine and jute added a nice texture to the project. You could even use buttons or ribbons or decorative paper or florals! Use what you love or what makes you happy! Give it your own special flair!

Next, I spray painted the bottle tops and caps to match the bottles.

The Finishing Touches

I grabbed some fabric with complimentary colors and cut some strips to tie around the bottle necks.

It didn’t take much fabric and this was so much more cost effective than buying rolls of ribbon.

USE WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND!

Be creative and mix all of the colors!

Cute, right??? Just crazy quilt those bottle necks!

Scatter those bottles around the house.

Bathroom…

The vanity is the perfect place for some fall decor bottles! You could even add a hand soap pump top!

How about the kitchen!

My plant shelf is the perfect spot for some color.

Buffet? Or piano top?

These cuties can literally go anywhere!

Other Practical Uses for Glass Bottles in Decor

• Olive oil
• Homemade seasoned cooking oils
• Bath oils
• Filtered water
• Hand soap
• Bath salts
• Body lotion

I could go on a bit longer but I’m sure you get the idea. How about some other fall and Thanksgiving fabulous projects? From tablescapes to decorating tips! Jewelry and Recipes! Planning tips and decorating tips! We even have a crochet project! Check out all of my creative friends! I know you will be amazed! And I know you will find some inspiration for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!

Shop at Blu -That’a me! I’m so thankful you are here!

Cloches & Lavender

Sweet Valley Acres

Birdz of a Feather

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Gathered In The Kitchen

An Organized Season

Everyday Edits

My Home and Travels

Now Choose Life

From Farmhouse to Florida

At Home With Kristy 

The Stylish Maker 

HouzewizeBushel and a Pickle

The post Creating Glass Bottle Decor for Fall appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Have you ever come across a fabulous glass bottle that makes your heart scream YES? Or have you simply wanted to use a pretty glass wine bottle for your dish soap in the kitchen? But then you try to remove the label and the whole project, glass bottle and all, ends up in the trash? Seriously! When did they start using atomic solutions to adhere labels to glass? Sometimes those labels may come off easily but the residual sticky adhesive that is left behind is enraging! I’ve gathered some tips for you to help minimize the elbow grease, time, and especially frustration with trying to recycle a glass bottle…or a glass jar. I mean, who can toss a super cute pickle jar? They are handy for so many things! Let’s remove a label from and clean a glass bottle or fifteen.

Clean your Glass

The easiest way to get started cleaning your glass bottle is to simply fill the sink or a large basin with hot soapy water (I recommend Dawn dish liquid). While the sink is filling, I run each bottle under the hot hot water. This helps start the release of the adhesive. Hot water is the best tip to remove a glass bottle label.

I fill each bottle and lay it on its side so that it won’t float. The weight of the water in the full bottle will keep the bottle sitting on the bottom of the sink. Lay the bottles or jars on their sides and fill the sink to above the height of the bottles.

TIP: The longer you let the bottle soak, the easier the labels will be to remove.

You can see where the label is beginning to release in the photo above. The corners of the labels are visibly wet. I turned the bottles over so that the labels were completely submerged in the hot water. It is a much quicker process to do all of the bottles at once in the full sink but I was only doing a few at a time.

Once the labels appear to be completely wet, you can start to scrape off the labels. Sometimes, the labels will peel right off and take all of the adhesive with them.

Often, part of the label is resistant. Soak these a little longer.

Tools to Help the Process

Here are some items you may have in your kitchen that will help with the label removing process:

• Pampered Chef Pan Scraper (they come in a cool blue color now)
• Scrub Daddy
• steel wool (be careful to apply minimal pressure as steel wool can scratch glass)
• butter knife or scraper
• credit card
• Goo Gone or glass cleaner
• Vinegar I keep a gallon on hand for convenience.
• Baking soda and it comes in bulk too.
• bottle brushes or miscellaneous brushes

Often the label comes off but that adhesive does not.

You can spray the glass with Windex and let it sit a while longer. Give it about 15 minutes checking to make sure the label stays well. Then scrub. Most of the time, this worked for me. I had Windex with Vinegar on hand and that worked well.

However, for the really resistant goop, I used Goo Gone.

This is a great product to keep on hand. Simply spray it on, let it sit, wipe off the glue.

Yes, that is a hammered copper farmhouse sink in the photo above. I won it at a DIY conference where Sinkology was a sponsor. You can read about the kitchen I designed around this sink by clicking on the photo below.

The vodka bottle had some adhesive on steroids. I’ll avoid these bottles in the future for sure!

Cleaning Inside the Bottle

For bottles and jars recently emptied, this process can be as easy as rinsing in warm soapy water. But, for bottles that have sit for some time with dried contents inside, this can be a real task.

I always start by filling the bottles with warm soapy water. After an hour or so, I will drain and rinse them. In a perfect world, this completes the process. And for recently emptied bottles this is usually the case.

However, I’ve also tried to clean antique bottles and jars. These are an advanced challenge. But here are a few tips should the soapy water not get you the desired result…

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Funnel one tablespoon of baking soda into your bottle. Be certain that you are at the sink for this next part. Pour one cup of vinegar into the bottle. This will cause the mixture to fizz up and foam, sometimes spewing out of the top of the bottle. Swish and swirl the solution in the bottle. If there are still debris particles inside of the bottle, add two tablespoons of rice and gently shake the bottle. The rice acts as an agitator against the sides of the glass and can help remove stains, etc. For soiled bottles that have been sitting for 20+ years, you may need to repeat this process many times.

Other substances to use instead of vinegar and baking soda are:

• Denture cleaner, which can be used to clean porcelain
• Alka seltzer, the effervescence can clean the glass

Other Helpful Tools to Clean Glass Bottles

Another handy tool is the skinny bottle brush or other kitchen cleaning tools. Check out your local home center and Amazon for great products.

Some power tools come with a skinny long brush to use in maintaining your tool. I always grab these at yard sales and antique stores. They come in a variety of sizes. You can also find tiny cleaning brushes online.

This one is approximately 12″ long with a bristle diameter of about 1.25″. But I’ve seen them in much smaller sizes that would work for antique pharmaceutical bottles. These are wonderful because you can bend and manipulate the handle to get to the correct spot on the inside of the bottle.

I am always looking for more tips for cleaning bottles, and especially for antique bottles with antique stains.

Be patient and LET IT SOAK for a while. Those are my best tips!

What are your favorite tips and tricks?

Here are some of my favorite bottles:

The post How to Remove a Label from and Clean a Glass Bottle appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Many of the most beautiful antique American furniture pieces from the 1800’s and 1900’s were created from tiger oak. Tiger Oak is characterized by very distinct horizontal grain and was featured in 19th-century oak veneer furniture. The stripes appear light in the dark wood because they showcase the medullary growth rings of the oak tree. Tiger oak is a distinctly American style, popular especially with the emerging middle class. Here is an example of tiger oak:

Another favorite antique or vintage wood is heart pine, often used for floors, pilings and poles in the construction of homes. Heart pine, before the 1900’s, was the go to wood for building due to its strength, hardness and golden red coloration. It was nearly extinct due to logging and overharvesting. Before the 18th century, in the United States, longleaf pine forests, covered approximately 30-60 million acres along the coastal plain from Virginia’s southern tip to eastern Texas. These pine trees, 80 to 120 feet tall, require 100 to 150 years to become full size and can live up to 500 years. An inch of heart pine requires 30 years growth. Due to deforestation and over-harvesting since colonial days, only about 3% of the original Longleaf Pine forest remains.^{(source: Google)}

The source of much of the available heart pine found on the market is longleaf pine from old buildings. Currently heart pine for building and woodworking is procured by reclaiming old lumber and recovering logs, felled pre-1900, from rivers. Here are some examples of heart pine:

Both tiger oak and heart pine are super strong and durable. I often find these woods in old doors and old furniture. Here is one project where I refurbished an old tiger oak mantle:

While old wood is fabulous when restored, there is something about old wood peeking from beneath layers of old paint that just sets my creative heart on fire. Look at these doors:

When I closed my antique and consignment store 5 years ago, I had many antique doors. Sadly, some were left outside due to storage limitations and recently, we cleaned up that pile. I was able to salvage a few pieces that resisted the heat and weather. I could not simply discard them.

Just look at that patina!

With fall almost here, let’s make some pumpkins from this antique and vintage wood!

Cut the Wood to Size

I cleaned the wood and headed to the miter or chop saw. This Ryobi compound sliding miter saw is battery operated and my new favorite Ryobi tool. I cut the wood to various sizes that I though would displace nicely together. After all, a pumpkin patch has pumpkins of varying sizes.

Here are pieces of wood that I was able to salvage. Some have more paint on them than others.

I did give these selected salvaged pieces a light sanding to remove some of the dirt that had built up. Light sanding removed the thin layer of dirt and freshened the paint colors.

Here is the practice pumpkin, before I sanded the surface to renew the paint.

Pumpkin shapes are quite easy and simple. I’m considering these to be funky and quirky because, really, when have you seen a chippy blue pumpkin? But isn’t decor about creating and matching your home to your very distinct likes and styles? It’s about making things unique and personal. So here we go.

Creating Your Pumpkins

I cleaned up the wood. I also gave some sections a very light sanding to make the colors pop and remove any lingering residual dirt.

Pumpkins need stems. I grabbed a tree branch from the yard and chopped off sections to use as stems for my pumpkins.

Perfect!

I needed some leaves for my pumpkins. My choices were to cut some leaves out of fabric or gather some leaves from my yard. It seemed so much easier to forage than to dig through my overflowing fabric stash. So I headed to the corner of my yard to grab some beautiful leaves from my neighbor Cindy’s gorgeous magnolia tree. I grabbed as many small magnolia leaves as I could find.

Last month I use some jute/twine to embellish some wooden crates that I made into pumpkins. l liked that look for the tendrils so I planned to use some of that for these vintage wood pumpkins.

I had this old wooden frame in my garage. It’s been waiting for a project. It will make the perfect backdrop for my mini pumpkin patch.

I gathered all of my supplies and began to create my little pumpkin patch right on my mantle. Here is the mantle before:

I added the wooden backing.

Then, I started in the center with the base pumpkins and arranged them to my liking…

I moved them around until I had the look I liked.

Once I was happy with the position of the pumpkins, I added my stems.

Once the arrangement was pleasing, I hot glued the pumpkins…

And the stems into place.

Next up, were the leaves. My Ryobi cordless glue gun was perfect for the job.

I found these silicone fingertip protectors a while back. They are perfect for protecting your skin from that hot glue. With the leaves it was necessary to hold each leaf in place until the glue dried. This only took a few seconds for each leaf but these little doohickeys are a literal godsend. No more blisters for me!

These leaves are the very best for projects for two reasons…they were free and came in a variety of sizes.

After the leaves, I had planned on adding the jute tendrils (YES, THOSE LITTLE SPIRAL FLY-AWAYS ON A PUMPKIN STEM DO HAVE A NAME). But with the chippy paint and the textured leaves, I though there was enough going on so I skipped the tendrils this time.

Sorry my little pumpkins, no tendrils for you!

I might add a little sign or some words later, but I sure do like her just like this!

I finished of the mantle by adding these wooden crates from a project last month for the Thrift Store Decor Team. If you love super quick and even easier projects, click on the photo to see that post.

The mantle came together nicely.

Here in Alabama, the temperatures are just starting to drop to the mid 80’s. Being from Pennsylvania originally (Philly girl), I have a hard time jumping into fall with the vibrant traditional fall colors when I still have my a/c running full blast. So, a few years ago, I started easing into the fall season with neutral colors. I always gravitate toward blues and pale greens so I start with those colors and, of course, whites and beiges. But the time I’ve enjoyed these for a few weeks, we will be into the 70’s. And I can’t wait!

Guess what? Are you ready for some more projects and fall inspiration? How about 11 other posts from my Amazing Creator friends??

I’m joining friends, some new and some old, in sharing some October happiness. Below is a list of blogs joining me. Please swing by and meet some new friends. Enjoy the projects. Maybe learn a new skill. and definitely absorb the inspiration!

Shop at Blu -that’s ME! You are here!

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Gathered In The Kitchen

An Organized Season

Everyday Edits

My Home and Travels

Now Choose Life

Birdz of a Feather

From Farmhouse to Florida

At Home With Kristy 

The Stylish Maker 

Tea and Forget-me-nots

Here are some of my favorite fall projects from the past:

The post How to Make Pumpkins from Vintage Wood appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I am so very excited to have this project at the top of my to do list! You find the most fascinating things when you are out scouting for things that you don’t know you need. I fell in love with this antique Frezone ice box at first sight. My dad would tell stories all about the ice box they had when he was a kid. He was born in 1934 so perhaps those stories gave way to my fascination for old things. It’s finally time for this antique ice box refresh!

It is the second Wednesday of the month! That means it is time for this month’s Thrift Store Decor Team projects. This antique ice box refresh is the perfect example of taking something old and transforming it, in a thrifty manner, for alternate use. Renew! Repurpose! Restore! Let’s go!

History of the Antique Ice Box

Here’s what Google says about the ice box:

“The icebox was invented by an American farmer and cabinetmaker named Thomas Moore in 1802. Moore used the icebox to transport butter from his home to the Georgetown markets, which allowed him to sell firm, brick butter instead of soft, melted tubs like his fellow vendors at the time.”

Blocks of ice were kept in and sold by local neighborhood ice houses. There was an ice house as recently as the 1980’s in my childhood Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. My dad would buy blocks of ice to cool kegs of beer for the famous Core States Bike Race that went past our house on Lyceum Avenue in Roxborough. Dad was a local celebrity during the event. But that’s a story for another day…a really long and fabulous story.

The Vintage Frig company website states that “During the early 1900s domestic electric refrigerators became available, and by the 1940s they were common in US homes.” Before that time, people used ice boxes.

“Ice was shipped to its destination city or town in block form to be kept in an icehouse and then delivery by horse and wagon in block form street by street through the city. The refined form of icebox as kitchen furniture or appliance was invented between 1850 and 1860 and remained in production in a similar form until the advent of the electric fridge in the 1940s.” (sourced from The Vintage Frig website).

Ice boxes were usually made of wood and had a zinc or metal interior lining that kept the cold inside and cooled your meets, dairy products, drinks, etc.

Here are photos of different styles of ice boxes:

I don’t have a spot right now for this antique ice box inside my home right now. It’s gonna take some purging to make space for her and I’m not quite there yet. In the interim, I plan to put her to functional use outside under our covered patio area.

Choosing a Paint

Being made of metal, it is important to make certain that this beauty will be protected from the severe Alabama weather. Although the patio area is covered, it does get some scattered rain and is definitely exposed to extreme heat. Both of these elements of nature are adversaries to metal items and can cause rust. So, I grabbed my favorite paint, BLACK DOG SALVAGE FURNITURE PAINT which was created for salvaged and antique objects. Not only is the paint fabulous for this antique ice box, BDSFP makes heavy duty sealer that, in my opinion, is second to none in protecting your favorite vintage items from the extreme outdoor elements. Crab Coat is my go to for protecting outdoor items.

Prep Your Project Piece

I won’t go into great detail about how I prepared this piece but if you are interested in ALL of the details, check out these other posts on how to prep items for paint.

As always, prep your piece in the following manner:

• clean with warm soapy water to remove any dirt and surface debris
• lightly sand the surface to smooth any inconsistencies or minor scratches, dings, or mars
• wipe or dust away any heavy dust from sanding
• wipe surface with TSP to remove any lingering dust, oils or dirt

There was quite a bit of cleaning, then sanding, then more cleaning to do.

Fortunately, most of the rust was just on the surface and sanded off.

Even the spots where rust was a little heavier cleaned up nicely. I was so grateful!

The degree and severity of rust is always a big consideration when I buy metal antiques. You always want to make sure that the integrity of piece is intact and that the rust is not excessive. I only buy items where light to minimal sanding is required.

For metal items, you should select a paint that is made for metals. Just check the label to see if your favorite paint can be used on metal surfaces. You always want to select the best paint for the job so that it adheres well and lasts a good long time.

I selected BDSFT in Clean Canvas, their version of pure white. I conducted a few tests as this piece is metal and I was super worried about further rusting of this antique, though most of the rust was just on the surface. I prepped the piece using the steps above. Then I applied two liberal coats of paint allowing each to dry between coats. I applied two coats of Crab Coat, BDSFP’s marine grade environmentally safe exterior top coat, allowing each coat to completely dry overnight. For final application, 3 coats are recommended. I allowed the piece to sit outside under the deck for what I intended to be about 2 months. It actually sat there for a year.

Here are the photos with the test coats applied.

And here is the piece almost one year later after withstanding the outdoor elements.

Once I cleaned off the dust and thin layer of dirt, the surface was virtually rust free. The paint had help up marvelously! I call this a win!

I should also mention that I used Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean up the handles/pulls. It worked fabulously! I also use it to clean my hammered copper farmhouse sink.

BDSFP protected this beauty from the harsh Alabama elements. I was confident that this antique ice box would be safe in this under deck location. So I started the process again by using the prep steps again. I lightly sanded the top coat and wiped it down with TSP. I applied two liberal coats of paint. Two were enough, and though I considered adding another for extra protection, alas, I was low on paint. So two coats of paint were followed by three coats of Crab Coat.

And here she is, ready to hold any items we need protected from the elements.

She adds a bit of nostalgia and class to the area. Just the inspiration needed to get the rest of this new patio spruced up.

I’d say this is quite an improvement.

I am missing one latch handle. So if you come across one for a Frezone Ice Box, let me know!

Be sure to leave them a comment as to what you liked and what you would like to see in the future!

Wicker Table Makeover

Welcome Wreath

Turn A Storage Bin Into A Planter

Antique Ice Box Refresh – You are HERE!

Old Mirror: New Look

Vintage Aluminum Wash Basin Hanging Planter

Framed Coastal Wall Art on…Sandpaper!

The post Antique Ice Box Refresh appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Thrift store find? It’s time for this month’s Thrift Store Decor Team projects! As always, they will be listed at the end of this post so be sure to check out all of the fabulous thrifty upcylced projects from my super talented friends.

Easy Way to Refresh Any Area

Two years ago we replaced our old deck . We’ve enjoyed using the deck but his year, we are finally getting around to finishing the patio area under the deck. While we have a few concrete projects planned, the area needs a quick fix to spruce up the area in the meantime. Of course, an easy and cost efficient way to immediately add character to a space is with plants!

A Garden Hanging Basket Staple

I had come across these wired garden hanging planters at the thrift store but you can also buy them new. I saw these at Home Depot.

You can buy just the coco liner replacement or the hanger with the liner.

Why buy new and spend money on planters when you can upcycle the planters that you have? I mean, that means you can use the funds you’ve saved to buy more plants? Right? Perfect logic.

I ordered some coconut liners from Amazon. Did you know, the sell it in rolls? I’ve seen the rounded liners and rectangular liners in various sizes. But what if you have a weird shaped planter, like these:

I actually have 4 of these beauties. When I had my second store, The Yellow Building, I bought them from a woman who worked for an interior designer. She said they were from Paris. They’ve been sitting and waiting for their chance to shine. I bought the rolls of coco liners for these planters. Stay tuned as this will be the next project up after my practice run today.

Make a Custom Coco Liner

Unroll the coco liner and spread it out flat. You can trace the form onto the liner with a sharpie and then cut the pieces, like a pattern. Or, if you are a combination of lazy and impatient, lay it over the wire form.

Use the form as a guide to cut the liner to size.

Then lay the liner along the planter and set the pieces into place.

You can use some twine to tack the liner into place. But I wouldn’t get to caught up in making the liner lay flat against the form. When you add the soil, the liner will fall into place.

Trim the tops to be even with the edges of the form but don’t worry too much about it being perfectly straight as your plants will spill over the edges and cover the liner thus hiding any imperfections. I’m all about smoke and mirrors.

Good quality potting soil can be expensive. It also can be very heavy, especially after you water the plants. Can you imagine how heavy this would be if filled with wet potting soil?
So I used some old pots as fillers. Then I simply plopped a round planter into the top. Voila!

Filling your Garden Hanging Planters

Have you heard the phrase spillers, thrillers and fillers? There are several variations of this phrase. But they all basically mean that you need 3 types of plants in your planters. You need a Thriller, or an anchor plant that has some height and will be your focal point. Then you need spillers that will fall over the edges. Lastly, you should add fillers which take up the space between the thrillers and fillers. I grabbed few from Home Depot. But don’t be alarmed, they were all on sale.

I found this Lemon Calypso which resembles a Mandeville. So this will definitely grow upward an can have some runners that will hang over the sides of the planter.

I also grabbed some Caladiums. This is not my normal planter plant so I decided to give it a try. I expect this to bush up a bit. So I can separate it and scatter around my garden.

Like I said, they make coco liner replacements to fit your standard shaped wired hangers. Standard sizes are round, half round and rectangle. They are definitely easier to work with as you simply drop them into the frame and you are ready to plant.

I had some coco grass leftover from a previous project to I just recycled this for my round planter instead of buying a new replacement.

I just set it in the bottom of the round wire hanger and spread it out until it fit all around the form. I did add a small plastic bag to the bottom to help hold extra water for the plants. Then I added the soil. After I added soil, I moved the liner around to cover any bare spots.

Use the following tips to fill any garden hanging planter.

Fill your liner about 3/4 full with soil. Don’t fill to the top because you will be adding your plants and it’s silly to fill it up and then remove soil. Work smarter, not harder.

Add your thriller or anchor plant.

Set your spillers into place.

Fill in the spaces.

Add one plant at a time and before you know it, your liner will be full.

Remember that it will take a week or two for the plants to acclimate and begin to thrive. They will grow bigger and continue to fill the planter.

Adding Little Details

While scouting out the coco liner availability at my local stores (Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes), I found this great little sign at Dollar General for only $5! So she came home with me.

I hung the round planter with the chair from a bracket that I attached to the side of the deck.

I will probably be checking it everyday waiting for the plants to plump up and spread out…a literal watched pot! The waiting!!!

And here is the half round garden hanging planter with the custom coco liner.

It really brightens the area.

And my $5 sign…

The area is coming along nicely. Can’t wait to add more garden hanging planters!

Here is a sneak peek of one of the Paris planters in progress…

Is it wrong to want to spend all day in the garden?

Rope Wrapped Hanging Basket

High Top Table Makeover

Thrift Store Candle Holder Makeover

Refresh Dated Art

Turn A File Cabinet Into a Planter

Fixing Up a $5 Broken Side Table

DIY Garden Hanging Planters

Conceal Your Hose with This Simple Flower Pot Hack

The post DIY Garden Hanging Planters appeared first on Shop at Blu.

The temperature in Alabama has finally hit 70 this week. That’s not bad for the second weekend in March. Are you like me? When the first hint of spring appears, I run to Home Depot or Lowe’s and scout out the new colorful spring plants. It never fails. The first warm day has me planning my spring and summer deck/garden design. What colors? What plants? Will I add any new species this year? I have a lot of pots so I tried to recycle them. That gives me more funds to spend on new plants, right? So let’s upcycle some garden pots with paint! This year I’m starting with these two.

I thought I could use them for some spring flowers and then Easter flowers and then some succulents for the summer.

If we are recycling, upcycling, renewing, or repurposing, chances are a thrift store find is involved…like those two pots above. And, of course, this is a great topic for Thrift Store Decor Team Wednesday!

So here we go to upcycle these pots by adding some paint. Remember to scroll to the end of the post to see all of this month’s projects from the fabulous Thrift Store Decor Team!

Prep to Paint

As with any paint project, the first step is to prep. Start by removing and old plants from the pot. Remove any plants and remnants of dirt from last year. Clean all of the old soil out of the pot.

Give your pots a good bath in warm soapy water. Scrub them with a brush. Rinse well and let them dry in the sun. Soak them for about ten minutes in a solution of one part water, one part bleach. Put them in the sun to dry. After they dry, I always wipe my project pieces down with TSP to remove any lingering dirt or oils. This will ensure that the paint adheres to my project piece.

You are ready to paint!

Decide on a Color or Color Scheme

I decided to keep a similar color scheme from last year as there’s a good variety of colors and it’s easy to match accessories and additional pots. So of course, I grabbed my supply of Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint. If you scroll back through the blog, you will see the variety of colors I’ve used in past projects. The beauty of BDSFP is that you can blend the paints to make custom colors. So everything matches! Check out their website for color recipes. This paint was designed for salvaged items so you can use it on any surface including, of course, furniture, concrete, metal, synthetic resins, glass, etc.

I grabbed five smaller paint brushes and five different colors of BDSFP. My plan was to slap the paint on each pot in a random manner and after the paint dried, cover the pot with a white wash to mute the colors. I have enough bold colored pots on the deck. So I wanted more of a muted or neutral color this year.

I started by painting the rims of each of the pots with Clean Canvas (pure white).

I don’t have any real reason for this except that I thought starting with the white would seem to unify the two different pots as they were different sizes and colors with different textures. The large pot is resin and the smaller is concrete.

Adding Color

Ready for real color! I started with Blue Ridge, of course!! I loaded a brush and applied a stripe to the pot. I rotated the pot slightly and made two more stripes. I alternated stripes from the top to the bottom to the center of the pot in no particular order. I rotated again and added another stripe. I continued until my rotation brought me back to my first Blue Ridge stripe. Then I added Go Green in the same manner followed by Keep it Teal.

I had some Watermelon left from the drum table project so I used that next. And I ended with That’s Gonna Need a Bandage.

You can see the application is completely random.

And I like how each section of the pot is a little different.

I went heavy on the red in one area. To highlight that color on my deck, I will simply display my pot with that side forward to highlight any red pillows or accessories. You can play with the colors however you like.

Making a White Wash

Next I mixed one part Clean Canvas (White) with a bit of water. You can play with the consistency. I kept my paint rather on the thicker side because I didn’t want the colors to be too bold. Although, as you know I love color. So I did find it hard to apply the white wash. But I stuck to the plan! Simply brush the white wash over the pot and then wipe it off with a rag. If there is too much white on the pot, wet the rag and wipe again. Continue to add and remove the white wash until you achieve the look you like.

Head to the thrift store or a yard sale and grab some old pots! How easy was this upcycle???

And now the fun part…filling the pots!

I dug up a nice round of daffodils from the front yard. They will do nicely on the deck for the next week or so.

I added a few grape hyacinths as well.

I found these English Daisies at Home Depot. Have you ever seen these before? I’m hoping they are hardy like my Shasta Daisies that are just starting to appear in the yard.

They were the perfect size for the smaller pot.

Looks like I am gonna be busy the next few weekends painting some more pots as I’ve got plants waiting in line.

How do you stop with just one color when all of the colors are so beautiful?

Can’t wait to fill up the pots…all of the pots.

Mia is pretty excited for deck season too!

Look at that March sky!

We certainly are looking forward to the sunsets too!

• House of Hawthornes- Salvaging A Vintage Porcelain Enamel Kitchen Table
• My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – DIY Wood Candle Holders from Finials
• Sadie Seasongoods –Mid-Century Modern Wall Decor from a Collage Frame
• Petticoat Junktion –Paint A Wood Mirror
• My Repurposed Life – Simple Small Table Makeover
• Our Southern Home –Decoupage Wastebasket Makeover
• Organized Clutter – Thrift Store Hinged Box Spring Makeover
• Shop at Blue – Upcycle Garden Pots with Paint
• Domestically Speaking – How https://www.domestically-speaking.com/how-to-make-a-cane-wrapped-vase/To Make A Cane Wrapped Vase

Be sure to leave a comment on each post. We love your feedback! What do you want to see next?

The post Upcycle Your Garden Pots With Paint appeared first on Shop at Blu.