So when I reclaimed this one from my daughter, I knew she needed a refresh and a special place in my garden to invoke those sweet Wildwood memories and brighten a corner in our yard.

She is in great shape for her age. Very little rust. And most of it is just surface rust.

I’ve heard that you can repair more serious damage with auto repair body filler. Good to note that for the future. But my project will just consist of sanding and painting, fortunately.

Let’s Get Started

As always, we start with a good cleaning followed by a good sanding to remove loose paint and smooth the surface for better paint adhesion.

After sanding, she got another wipedown to remove the dust.

Time for paint color selection. I just received a lovely yellow paint from Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint. This paint was designed for use on salvaged, antique, and vintage items marked for restoration. So, BDSFP is perfect for this vintage metal yard or patio chair. Let me introduce you to Star City Sunshine!

I expected 3 coats would be needed since this yellow is covering the pinky mauve which covered the red.

Here is the chair after one coat.

As expected, I moved onto a second coat. The trick to better coverage is to ensure the first coat has completely dried before moving onto the next coat. This keeps the paint from streaking. Here is Sunshine during application of the second coat.

And finally, voila!

It’s that time of month where the Thrift Store Decor Team publishes new posts! On the second Wednesday of every month, the team shares new projects featuring upcycled, recycled, renewed or newly created items that you can use in your decor. Accompanying the transformation pieces are always new tips, skills and products to help you in your DIY and upcycling journey!

You will find all of this month’s projects at the end of this post. Be sure to visit everyone!

Now, to decide where this beauty should live.

For now, she is residing on the deck by the entryway. She is quite welcoming.

And she looks even better in the bright sun!

Ah! I just love vintage everywhere!

Here is another vintage garden post:

And apparently I do like vintage seating!

My Repurposed Life DIY Outdoor Fairy Light Lampshade

Shop At Blu Refreshed Vintage Metal Patio Chair

Our Crafty Mom Thrift Store Lampshade Makeover

Funky Junk Interiors DIY Upcycled Globe Light, Cloche, Pedestal Bowl and Paper Towel Stand

Redhead Can Decorate  Glass Rainbow Garden Tower 

Exquisitely Unremarkable Thrifted Botanical Print Makeover

The post A Timely Refresh for a Vintage Metal Yard Chair appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I think it’s the after affect of having a Dad with 7 siblings who grew up in working class Philadelphia just after the Depression…but I have trouble throwing things away. I see value in everything. So when Mr. Blu said it’s time for this old mantle to go…I just could not do it!

I do love old wood and I’ve restored enough of it to know that you can revive wood. I think rustic items in your outdoor space are fabulous. You may remember this mantle from years ago…my first deck decorating post.

She weathered the Alabama heat and storms well. But she shore doesn’t look like that anymore. Several years ago, we removed her to rebuild our deck and she has been sitting under the deck since…neglected and discarded.

I’ve decided to give her a last hurrah! If we are reviving something fabulous, you know it must Thrift Store Decor Team Wednesday.

And I have the perfect spot for her!

I have wanted to start a lovely perennial garden right here. Why not build it around this ol’ gal? So I removed the planter and sign from the fence. Oh boy, this fence will need a good pressure washing to make a better backdrop for the antique mantle.

I dragged the mantle over for a visual.

She fit perfectly but I should have reinforced her wobbly joints before I moved her. She needs to be realigned. The rotted wood was worse than I had suspected. When I moved her out of the way to clean the fence she kinda sorta fell apart. So I laid her flat on the grass and put her in line for a bath.

The fence needed cleaning so I grabbed my Ryobi pressure washer to give the fence a refresh.

Wow! Already looking much better.

Since the fence cleaned up so well, I decided to pressure wash the mantle as well. I knew the chippy paint would probably all be removed but I knew the antique wood was under there and I thought that was a great trade off to restore/expose some of that antique woodgrain. Hopefully we will see an improvement.

I pressure washed the antique mantle and was pleasantly surprised to see some of the beauty of the wood appear from beneath the grime.

I moved her piece by piece into place against the fence.

One piece at a time until she stood tall.

The mantle shelf will need to be replaced as this one is beyond repair. But that is a project for another day. I also noticed, after seeing the old post picture above, that the supports for the mantle shelf are missing. So I will need to replace those. I leveled her and nailed her to the cross posts of the fence.

I am also considering to paint her as she is quite difficult to see next to the fence, even though the fence was cleaned. Wood on wood makes it a bit difficult to appreciate the antique mantle’s lines and the curves of the pillars. Normally, I would not paint an old mantle but this gal is definitely beyond her prime and I think I will need some help making her really shine again. That said, I might have some tricks up my sleeve to restore that wood a bit more. We will call that part two of this project! Stay tuned for that.

With the mantle in place and secured to the cross bars of the fence, I felt confident that the Alabama wind won’t send her back into pieces!

Planting a Garden around the Antique Mantle

This time of year, I usually have newly acquired plants sitting in the driveway waiting to be planted. Like these hydrangeas. $14.99 each? Yes, please and thank you Aldi!

And that is a butterfly bush behind the purple hydrangea. My old one did not survive this past winter. It was unusually cold. I had also grabbed a few perennials in vibrant yellow that caught my eye. Those will go into the garden here as well. I gathered some other plants from around the yard like this flapjack succulent. She weathered very well this winter in the garage and is ready to be thinned out so I will try her in the ground this season.

I added a few plant in pots to fill up the space like a strawberry pot filled with seedum and some succulents. I will fill in the spaces with more succulents. And there are some irises in in front of the mantle to be thinned and moved against the fence. I started by placing a basket of petunia like flowers (I’ll have to look up the name) on the shelf. I will eventually add some smaller pots but will need to replace that shelf first.

I placed my selection of plants in front of the mantle and started to put them into the ground.

The space filled up quickly. Mr. Blu took one look at the small section of fence and decided to pressure wash the entire fence. He was out there long after these plants went into the ground. And the entire fence is now clean!

Now to fill in the large fence back drop. I may install the mirror behind the shelf. Still deciding on that. And I’m thinking a unique trellis where the firebox would sit. There is already vinca planted to that should fill in nicely. But in the meantime, I popped my dragonflies here (fresh from their second makeover) and they are perfect!

I returned the garden sign to the area.

And added Lady.

And I think I will call it a day. I will let this little garden settle for a few weeks. Next, I will add some filler, like succulents. It needs some height behind the plants, too. And some character to the visible fence…maybe a lime wash on the mantle? I’m open for ideas here, friends! Because Mr. Blu will want those dragonflies back on his deck!

And here are all of the post from my other team members. Be sure to leave them each a comment!

Funky Junk Interiors  Upcycled Ceiling Fan Blade Flower Yard Art

Shop At Blu Antique Mantle in the Garden – Why Not??

My Repurposed Life Unique Upcycle for a $1 Thrift Store Frame

Our Southern Home Easy European Wall Art with Thrift Store Frames

Sadie Seasongoods Upcycling a Wooden Cafeteria Tray (Without Paint!)

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Rag Flag From Thrifted Clothes

Exquisitely Unremarkable Romantic Textured Vase Makeover

Our Crafty Mom Antique Steam Trunk Makeover

Redhead Can Decorate  How I Created a Beach House Guest Room Using Heirloom Furniture 

The post Antique Mantle in the Garden appeared first on Shop at Blu.

There are two that are similar.

I had sprayed them pink and yellow and white. I had daisies on my mind. And this one is a little simpler

As you can see, they have begun to rust and have seen much better days.

Alabama sun and weather are absolutely brutal on your garden decor. Inevitably, everything fades and rusts. This being the second time to refresh these flowers, they have just about run their course. That said, I’m not buying new fence decor at the beginning of the season. So, I grabbed the spray paint and gave these sad flowers a much needed refresh.

Welcome! I’m sharing this post today with some friend in the Creative Craft Hop. This fabulous group of creator’s share monthly posts to help feed your love of all things crafty. If you are joining from Modern on Monticello…I know you enjoyed Donna’s patriotic florals. You will find all of the other posts for this month at the end of this post. Be sure to check out all of the great projects!

Let’s Upcycle Some Metal Garden Decor

First step is to prep your piece by removing any debris like leaves and vines that tend to grow on our fence where these flowers hang. After removing the debris, I gave each flower a good wipe down. It is also a good idea to give the item a scrub with a wire brush. This will remove and surface rust. And for more advanced rust, use some sandpaper and give the piece a good spot sanding. Then I grabbed the spray paint.

My go to spray paint is Rustoleum 2X with primer. It constantly does the job quickly and effectively with great coverage. I have a collection of vibrant colors from previous projects so I grabbed those.

The backs of the flowers were rusty so I started there with a heavy coat to mitigate the rusting process. I suppose the last time I concentrated on the fronts of the flowers and may have failed to spray multiple coats on the backs. Not this time. I layered quite a bit so they should be good for a while.

I am going with a multicolor look on these flowers so I sprayed the first flower and allowed it to dry. Then I laid the second on top and sprayed that. I repeated this process with the third flower. I gave each a nice thick first coat.

When the first coat had dried, I started over again with a second color. I concentrated on any areas I had missed with the first coat. I simply sprayed a spot here and a spot there and created random color. I used the layering method again until all 3 flowers had a second coat. I used 2 primary colors (pink and yellow) during this process.

Time for the 3rd coat where I used two other colors (purple and teal) as a highlighting or tertiary color.

This was a super quick project. I recommend this quick refresh for any outdoor metal decor that is still quite sturdy and exhibits minimal rust. Rustoleum colors are fabulous and the 2X coverage is incredible.

I placed the flowers back on their screws on the fence.

And I added some flowers in colorful pots to the galvanized shelf that I made a few years ago. I need to touch it up again since the Alabama heat has cause some more surface rust.

Did you know that in Alabama, portaluca will often return the following spring/summer like perennials? They don’t return after an abnormally cold winter but most winters are not brutal so we can get several years out of our portaluca. And being in the succulent family, they thrive in the Alabama summer. I have several posts about succulent and fun containers I’ve used over the years.

Updating the colors on your metal garden decor is helpful in several ways:

• Provide a new look to your preferred decor by simply changing the colors.
• Protect and extend the life of your favorite metal garden decor with Rustoleum.
• Upcycle gently used and inexpensive finds at yard sales or thrift stores.
• Make your decor items into a lovely vignette of complimentary colors.
• It’s hard to not justify thrifty upcycles!

So grab your spray cans and get to work!

Here are the rest of this month’s projects! Head over to Cecilia at My Thrift Store Addiction for some fabulous homegrown gift ideas!

Patriotic Flower And Decor Arrangement For Wired Basket Table

Crochet Necklace

Terrain Style Taper Candle Cuffs

Rooted with Love – Crafted Homegrown Gifts

How to Refresh Metal Garden Decor – That’s ME! You are here!

The post Refresh Metal Garden Art – Part Two appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Can you believe that Fourth of July is right around the corner? I know time goes faster as you age but how did we get to July in a blink? I am rounding up my past patriotic DIY projects to celebrate Fourth of July in today’s blog hop with some creative friends.

Carol at Blue Sky at Home is once again our gracious host!  Be sure to stop by her blog at Blue Sky at Home to show her some love!

If you are following along in order and just arrived from Libby’s incredible blog at A Life Unfolding, I know you have your patriotic drink in hand. We have some great DIY and decor projects, a tablescape, and refreshments for you today! So let’s get to some more patriotic DIY projects!

Shop at Blu Patriotic DIY Projects

My absolute favorite way to decorate for patriotic holidays is with Old Glory herself. Sprinkling red, white, and blue around your home is the easiest way to add some patriotism into your decor. Grab a few flags and get to work!

You can grab flags in so many different sizes. This post, Easy Ways to Decorate with Patriotic Red, White, and Blue Decor, gives you some great sources and ways to show off Old Glory!

My antique fetish began with a healthy obsession of my MIL’s rusty and primitive decor. Flo loved all things Primitive an Americana. She really was the queen of patriotic DIY projects. Back in the 80’s, Flo made a picnic table out of a giant industrial wire spool. She was amazing! I carry her influence with me along with her beautiful collection of vintage American flags. Here is one displayed on a blanket ladder.

And these are Flo’s flags by our shed in our yard.

That little American corner screams FLO!!! I upcycled that little red garden table with this corner in mind in my More Updated Metal Garden Decor post. Everyone needs a little tribute corner to provoke fond memories, don’t you think? And this is the perfect place for your patriotic DIY projects.

Barn Metal American Flag

Keeping with Flo’s Americana/Primitive influence, a friend gave me a pile of antique barn metal. I put it to great use and created this large Barn Metal American Flag.

This is one of my favorite projects. When she goes up on the deck, you know it is Fourth of July!

As always, remember to use all of your scrap materials. These smaller barn metal flags are about 4″ X 8″ as look just darling tucked into or in front of a plant. Just scatter them around the garden.

I have several pieces left and plan to pull them out this weekend for another flag project. Look for that one next week for Thrift Store Decor Team’s second Wednesday’s monthly post

We can’t forget our Fourth of July cookouts! We always need a sweet treat and I’ve got a few!

Who doesn’t love some refreshing jello? So many colors available these days but red, white, and blue is my favorite!

Of course my patriotic desserts revolve around the kids and our pool. So something icy and refreshing is a great treat for the barbeque.

And of course, the Thrift Store Decor Team has so many patriotic posts! Click on through for this round up of 60 projects!

Celebrate the Holiday Blog Hop

Which brings us to today’s special projects for today’s hop!  Be sure to comment on what you like about each post.  We love to know what you like to see.

I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July this year.  Despite the political turmoil, we have much to be grateful for.  Here’s to patriotic holidays!  And an extra day off!

The post Patriotic DIY Projects appeared first on Shop at Blu.

As always, if we are renewing, repurposing, reusing, or upcycling you know it is time for the Thrift Store Decor Team monthly projects. I am excited to see some spring projects this month. Be sure to check out the team projects that are each linked at the end of this post.

Step one, I gathered my supplies:

• Craft paint in vibrant colors
• White paint for base coat
• Various paint brushes
• cup of water (to rinse brushes0
• paper towels (for drying brushes and blotting paint when I make mistakes ’cause there will be mistakes)

PAINT!

I started with the easiest flower to refresh…the daisy. I traced the edges of the petals with some bright pink. I just continued around the flower until I had highlighted every petal.

Then, I filled in the lighter areas with a paler color to add freshen those areas. I went back with a few darker swipes of paint to mimic shading.

Next up was the roses. Same process…add color on the edges, refresh the centers, add shading.

I worked my way through the types of flowers and moved onto the leaves and stems, highlighting and adding dabs of vibrant colors.

LETTERING

The last part was the lettering. I selected a bright violet red, a bright purple color.

***And here is where I will pause and say…USE THE RIGHT TOOLS! I was rushing so I grabbed a few paintbrushes that were handy.

Midway through the lettering touch up process, I realized that better brushes suited for lettering were needed. Did I stop and rummage through the supply closet to find them? NO! Consequently, the lettering was a mess. The lines were too thick. They were not crisp and sharp. So I had to wait for the paint to dry to fix the mess.

The good thing about paint is that it is always easy to fix. My patience, or should I say my impatience…not so much. Take your time! Use the right tools! Reduce your frustration level! Do it right the first time. (The project is finished, sort of, but I will still need to touch up the lettering a bit when my temperament is better). LOL.

Slow and steady wins the race! Even veteran creators make mistakes and have to pay the consequences of rushing a project! So give me a few days…and check back for the “really finished” lettering.

Ok, enough side notes…back to the project.

Load your brush and simply follow the lines. There are brushes for lettering and I would highly suggest investing in a few. Some have very flat bristles that will ensure crisp straight edges on your letters. Some are skinny long that allow you to follow the curves of a letter. PRACTICE! The more comfortable you are with the process, the easier it will be. PRACTICE!

Another reason to practice? Dark purples and red paints tend to stain a white canvas. Such is difficult to wipe away and just as difficult to cover. So, if you make a mistake, allow the paint to dry completely and cover the mistake several times. Several times means apply the white over the purple mistake and allow the paint to dry. Only when the paint is completely dry should you repeat this process as many times as needed.

When the paint has dried, use a smaller brush to fill in the letters. I would also suggest tracing out the lines where you want them and slowly fill them in with small strokes to avoid more mistakes.

Good lettering takes lots of practice. So, don’t get discouraged. The answer is PRACTICE.

FILLING IN SPACE

When you are touching up an existing piece of art, it’s really a game of color matching. If I can’t match a color, I get as close as I can and I try to blend. In the photo above, I used a light grey wash and covered the entire canvas OVER the design. This brought coherency to the project. And a little white wash freshens everything.

FINALLY

So here is the final project with the disclaimer that I will go back and touch up those letters a little bit more. Sometimes you just have to walk away for a minute and then resume.

I hope you enjoyed my not so perfect project! Every now and then, the project doesn’t go as planned and you have to pause and regroup and sometimes step away. And that’s okay!

Bundt Pan Bird Feeder My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Upcycle Thrift Store Art Shop At Blu –YOU ARE HERE!

Two Ways to Update Thrift Store Art Our Southern Home

Repurposing A Damaged Stoneware Crock House Of Hawthornes

Small Country Shelf Makeover  My Repurposed Life

Diy Easter Display Petticoat Junktion

The post Upcycle Thrift Store Art appeared first on Shop at Blu.

It all started with this Valentine’s Day Mantle Decor!

Today, I am joining some of my blogger friends from The Amazing Creators for a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop offering a variety of Valentine’s Day oriented projects! If you came over from visiting Linda at Bushel and a Pickle, welcome! And a warm special welcome to all of you who are new to us here at Blu. Next on the blog hop is Libby from A Life Unfolding. I hope you have time to visit everyone. This wonderfully creative group shares unique ideas to help make your home fabulous. From endless DIY and home decor tips to food and drink recipes, from product tips and crafting instructions to thrift store makeover…you are sure to find some inspiration here! It seems we are feeling the love and hearts this month. Check out all of the fabulous projects that are linked at the end of this post.

What Inspired the Creation

When the Dollar Store is stocked with new holiday decor, I grab any decorations that range from 8″ to 16″. So when I saw these fabulous hearts for Valentine’s Day at the Dollar Tree, I knew I could use them to add a great burst of love inspired color to my mantle. They are bigger than they appear, at about 14″ X 14″.

But how would I incorporate these hearts???

I didn’t want to glue or tape them to the mantle. If only I had something removeable that I could attach them to, and then attach the removeable whatever to the mantle. Where could I find such a gadget? I was trying to think of a source when I realized that I could build the removeable whatever that I had in mind. You can read all about how I fabricated this incredible hanger by clicking on the heart photo below.

Once I created my hanger, I started using it for just about every holiday,

Valentine Heart Decor Mantle Hanger

Such a simple idea that added such character to my mantle decor!

Here is another photo of that first Valentine’s Day mantle:

Here is a St. Patrick’s Day Mantle using the hanger:

And this is my fall mantle from this past October. I draped my pothos across the hanger.

I’ve used the hanger for winter decor as well.

And after this past fall, I moved the pothos to my kitchen.

Creating a Design

With a glue gun, some Dollar Store holiday decor, and creativity, you too can create a fabulous mantle for any holiday or occasion. Alternate colors and styles, size and textures to really make a statement. For added interest, add some smaller glittered or metallic items. Add some garland for fun. The process is very forgiving. If it doesn’t look right, remove the decor and start again. Very forgiving!

Now, I always grab holiday decorations from the Dollar Store and layer them together to create an expensive looking holiday mantle. You just can’t been the convenience and value of Dollar Store seasonal decor items. With $8 to $10 dollars, you can create expensive and high end looking mantle decor.

Here is a brief video of the process of attaching the Valentine’s Hearts.

This large heart swag is sure to be the focal point of your mantle. And the hanging tool will surely become a favorite for every holiday.

Show me your Valentine’s Mantle! Share with me on Social Media! Tell me what you have created lately!

The Amazing Creators

And here are the projects from my very talented friends in The Amazing Creators!

The post Build a Reusable Tool for your Mantle Decor in Time for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Shop at Blu.

If you are a regular visitor here, I know what you are thinking. And you are right! It’s time for:

If you are new to Blu or the TSDT, we are a group of 7 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! What new skills will we share this year?? Tools, products, DIY skills and fabulous tips are just a few of our favorites. We hope to see you as a regular visitor. Sign up for an email reminder when new posts are shared. See the signup at the top right sidebar of this page! We would absolutely be thrilled for you to follow our projects! Let’s get to our kitchen utensil decor project!

Inspiration

Shout out to my friend, Daphne for passing these pot lids along.

Daphne has a beautiful lake house where all of her older kitchen utensils retire and bring joy to the family and to friends…like Mr. Blu and me! At the end of every trip to the lake, Daphne grabs items that are no longer needed or, in this case, mismatched. So, I brought them home but, alas, could find no matches. Rather than donate to the endless pot lid shelf at the thrift store, I opted to repurpose them. So here we go! You never know where you will find your inspiration. But the lake really is the perfect place!

Mia say let’s go!

Build a Snowman

Amazingly, the three pot lids are a perfect combination in size to create a snowman! I needed something to mount them on so I headed to the garage where I have a wood pile with a variety of excess wood from previous projects.

I narrowed the selection down to these two:

Always check the front, back, and sides when you are selecting wood. Sometimes there will be a surprise on the back that can eliminate a choice. Like too many knots or rot or oil stains. And sometime you will find a good surprise like unexpected texture or fabulous woodgrain. Such is the joy of wood!

The lighter piece measured 18″ x 27″. It’s always a great idea to dry fit your items before proceeding…to help visualize the finished product, if you will. I set the lids on the lighter wood.

They fit did fit. But I would not be able to put a hat on my snowman. So I tried the longer piece.

The darker piece of wood measured 13″ x 40″. I could fit the snowman and there was plenty of room for a hat. There was extra room above for additional embellishments like a catchy winter phrase or maybe some snowflakes. I will decide later. But this piece of wood was a better fit for the project. I decided to leave the wood as is for a rustic look.

Clean Your Project Pieces

Yes, this is the real first action step whenever I am using wood or re-creating from used objects. Give the components a nice bath with warm soapy water.

Who knows where the items to be rehomed have been? I really mean the wood because the lids were at Daphne’s home. But when you grab an items from a thrift store, flea mall, or even curbside, a good cleaning is always a must. Even the wood from my own garage needed a wipe down. Dust, dirt, and the occasional critter are always a possibility regardless of how clean you maintain your storage area. The chipmunks in our yard are fast little buggers and have been known to seek refuge from the Alabama heat and storms. I gave the lids a cleaning too. I figured why not?

Allow the pieces to dry completely. I just allowed them to air dry by the sink.

Assemble Your Snowman

I laid the lids down to create my snowman. You can lay them straight or off centered for a whimsical look.

Use a sharpie to outline each lid. I wanted us use E-6000 which is a great craft adhesive that dries clear. But, I could not find it in my garage so I grabbed some Liquid Nails instead. Follow the sharpie line and squeeze out your adhesive. If you have outdoor adhesive already on hand, that will work too. Use what you have.

Lay the lid onto the adhesive. Outline the next lid, apply the adhesive, and set the lid into place. Complete these steps again for the third lid. Allow the adhesive to dry. You are ready to dress your snowman.

Embellishments

As I said, I wanted a hat for my snowman. So I grabbed some plaid fabric I had on hand from another project.

Years before I started blogging, I would create primitive decor.

This snowman angel is one of my all time favorites. I made a snowman version with a simple primitive hat was super easy so I decided to follow that design.

I cut out the hat. Just a rough shape will do. And then I rolled some fabric to make a droopy brim. This also give the snowman some more dimension. Lastly, I cut a few strips for a scarf for my snowman’s neck. It’s chilly on the front stoop this week! It’s been 28 degrees the last two mornings!

Next I laid out the pieces where I wanted them and then I used hot glue to attach the hat to the wooden background.

I started with the hat and worked my way down the front of the snowman gluing the hat pieces and then the scarf pieces to the wood.

Continue until you have glued all down of the hat and scarf pieces.

The pot handle in the center of my snowman’s face made for a cute nose. So I just grabbed a black sharpie and drew on some eyes and a mouth. You could also use some black craft paint.

Final Touches

I was putting away my Christmas decor at the time of this project so I kept out a few snowflakes and glued them around my snowman.

I think he turned out great. This was a quick project that did not cost me one penny thanks to Daphne and a garage full of old wood and craft supplies.

What have YOU ever made out of kitchen utensils or gadgets? I’d love to see!

Here is my after Christmas outdoor entryway.

I moved Frosty to storage and added my new kitchen utensil decor snowman.

It’s so cold this week here in Alabama that I could not resist adding my childhood Yankee Clipper sled and Pop’s ice skate. Great memories sitting right here in this corner!

Yikes! I need a winter doormat! Headed out to get one!

Vintage Oak Cane Chair Makeover-My Repurposed Life

How to Style a Glass Cloche– My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Paint A Bamboo Tray -Petticoat Junktion

Kitchen Utensil Decor– Shop at Blu

Using Restor-a-Finish on Thrifted Finds– Our Southern Home

The post Kitchen Utensil Decor – Build a Snowman appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Sarah – SADIE SEASONGOODS

I am starting with the literal queen of repurposing. Sarah has the keenest eye for repurposing thrift store finds. One glance at her blog and you will be amazed at how she visualizes and nails a transformation. With a mid century modern flair, Sarah reinvents new purpose for simple old things. Look at this paper towel holder. Am I right? Be sure to browse her upcycle and DIY projects…and yes, you are welcome!

Gail – MY REPURPOSED LIFE

While Sarah may be the queen of transformations, let’s call Gail Ms. Fixit. In every DIY project where she upcycles a piece of furniture or accessory, you will find a lesson in how to repair, resurface, or stabilize an item. In the midst of the how to lesson, you will be introduced to some fabulous paints and DIY products. If you find a fabulous items with great bones but some small issues, scour Gail’s pages and you will find the quickest solution and a guide to the tools you need.

Christy – OUR SOUTHERN HOME

If you are looking to upgrade your decor, Christy is your girl. She will walk you through the process of creating Pottery Barn style decor from your everyday thrift store finds. Spray paint truly is a girl’s best friend. Take a stroll through Christy’s beautiful home. You will be amazed by the thrift store projects sprinkled through out the beautiful rooms. Take these lovely Christmas village houses as an example. You will find Christy’s detailed DIY project tutorials easy to follow. And the end product…so rewarding!

Kathy – PETTICOAT JUNKTION

Kathy’s projects are always very simple but stately! She has a knack for quick projects that simply light up a corner. Take this project with thrift store vases…such an easy way to make a big statement anywhere in your home. With a little bit of spray paint, some painter’s tape, and thrift store vases, you are all set! From the front porch, to the guest bathroom, to the living room, Kathy’s upcycles are practical, useful, and beautiful!

Pam – HOUSE OF HAWTHORNES

Pam always hits a home run with her repurposed items. With a pension for vintage and an eye for practical use, you never know what she is working on but you always know Pam will find a creative new way to display her vintage beauties. In this project, she pairs two of my favorites…vintage kitchen items and succulents! Check out Pam’s projects for new ways to cherish your vintage finds.

Kristin – MY UNCOMMON SLICE OF SUBURBIA

You tell from Kristin’s succulent, garden, beach themed, and garden projects that she is a West Coast girl! Her projects always leave me longing for sunny weather and outdoor beauty. While many of her projects are perfect for your patio or outdoor rooms, Kristin has completed some fabulous DIY projects in her home. From painting, to room renno to easy tips to get things done, you will find a fabulous mix of DIY and beautiful decor on Kristin’s pages. My favorites, of course, are her succulent projects and her fabulously thrifty decor upcycles.

Enjoy reading through the projects we have gathered for you! I can’t wait to see that new skills, tips, tricks, and always fabulous upcycles the new year will bring for us all!

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!!

Here are links to the last 2 year’s “Best Of” projects:

The post Thrift Store Decor Team Best DIY Projects of 2024 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.

What better time to create decor that can be used anywhere in your home??!!! It’s Thrift Store Decor Team Wednesday!! If you are new to my blog, WELCOME! On the second Wednesday of every month, my incredibly creative and talents friends and I each post a project that is a thrifty upcycle, or a decor hack, or just a budget conscious decor idea. We love introducing you to new skills, tools, methods and products that we use in our thrifty decor oriented lives.

Check out all of the new posts from the team at the end of this post.

Vintage or New Wooden Crate

I started with these two wooden crates.

This is a vintage wooden oak crate that I’ve have for many years. I used it at Vintage Market Days and other antique shows when I used to do shows.

And this is a newer pin wooden crate that I bought from a vendor when I used to have my store, The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment.

I see wooden crates from time to time at the thrift store. They come in many sizes so you can adjust this project for size. Table top wooden crate pumpkins would be great! You can find them new in various sizes at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart!

Two Step Process to Upcycle a Wooden Crate

This really is a very simple and easy project. I’m almost embarrassed that it is so easy but every now and then we need a no brainer, super easy project. I basically painted each wooden crate with spray paint and glued on some embellishments. Easy peasy! My projects RARELY get any easier than this.

Supplies used for this Pumpkin themed wooden crate:

• Wooden crate(s) Walmart, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby or thrift stores
• Rustoleum 2X spray paint, vary colors or paint them all the same
• Jute rope
• Dollar Tree florals (you can’t go wrong for $1.25 per bunch)
• Hot glue gun. I love my Ryobi

My go to spray paint is RustoIeum 2X, which has a fabulous selection of colors and finishes. I grabbed two cans of spray paint from the garage. I thought they were both shades of teal. But one had a teal cap and was actually white paint. So I went with a light teal and a white, ensuring a more neutral color palette. Just spray the wooden crates to your liking. As I like a more shabby rustic look, I only applied one coat.

I used the aqua on the oak wooden crate. Because it was older and a bit darker, it took 2 coats.

I used my Rust-Oleum Comfort Grip. This handy tool snaps onto the top of your spray can. The pistol grip trigger ensure paint free fingers and an even flow of paint. I sprayed 3 sides of the exterior and also the interior, allowed the paint to dry, flipped the wooden crate and sprayed the remaining sides.

Allow the paint to dry. Rust-Oleum 2X also dries very quickly. I think I waited just one hour and the paint was completely dry.

Decorate Your Wooden Crate

Next, select your embellishments for your crate. I wanted the crate to resemble a pumpkin so I grabbed a small branch from the yard. The circumference was about 1.5-2 inches. I used my Ryobi sliding miter saw to chop off a few pieces of the limb to use as my pumpkin stems.

You can glue the stem to the wooden crate before or after you add your other embellishments. I considered using raffia, burlap, bright ribbon, faux leaves, jute, and floral sprigs. You can go as simple or elaborate as you like. I went with simple.

First I glued two pieces of jute rope to each wooden crate. Then I added florals. Simply trim the wire stems and glue them into place.

Finally, I glued on my pumpkin stem. In retrospect, I probably should have glued the stem on first but I was excited about using the jute so I rushed. No harm though as the stems are secure.

Did you know that you can now buy pumpkin stems? I mean, why not!

I also considered drawing a jack-o-lantern eyes, nose and mouth to cut out and glue onto the backs of the wooden crates. This way, I can use these for fall and into Halloween. Here is a link to the stickers.

Do you like the blue or the white?

Of course, I added some faux pumpkins.

I can’t wait to add some small mums to the mix.

Here are the tutorials for the Hydro Dip Pumpkins:

And for the Mod Podge Custom Pumpkins:

Can you ever have too many pumpkins?

I am quite happy with my choice of colors for these wooden pumpkin crates as I can use them anywhere in the house afterwards without having to worry about bright orange clashing with any room decor.

Chandelier Repurpose Idea For Fall Petticoat Junktion

Solar Powered Water Planter Feature My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

 Fall Wooden Crate ProjectShop At Blu

Upcycling a Pair of Halloween Pillows Sadie Seasongoods 

DIY Cheese Box Wreath For Fall House of Hawthornes

Bathroom Wall Cabinet Makeover My Repurposed Life

Lamp Makeover with Rub ‘n Buff Our Southern Home

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