Sunday, June 8, 2008

Show and Tell Sunday -Trash to Treasure

This week we are looking at "Trash to Treasure" -a subject near and dear to my heart. When I moved into the neighborhood I met and took a class taught by my neighbor, a local artist. It taught me some of her techniques for turning trash to treasure. She uses paper mache combined with clay and her special painting techniques. But more than that she teaches her students to look at the shape of an object , not the condition, and she a new way to use it. I loved that! Some of the first projects I finished were these 2 candle holders. I usually use them decorated for Christmas, but I dusted them off and gave them some summer flowers.




These are made from flower pots, wooden salad bowls, paper towels, clay, wall paper paste and paint!



This one also has an old metal candle holder, some artificial grapes and some cording. I had such fun in this class. We even took a field trip to some thrift shops to gather our trash. Then we experimented with stacking things up and balancing them so they weren't top heavy! All the angels and roses are clay. We learned how to make molds to reproduce the shapes. The roses were molded from buttons and the angels from a terra cotta angel! The possibilities are endless!


When I found this picture frame for $1 it was missing some of the detail. I made molds of the pieces that were still on it and replaced the missing ones. Then repainted using some of the aging techniques I learned.
The next treasure was in my nursery and then spent 40 years in my parent's basement storing tools. My talented husband turned it into a vanity by repainting it and running plumbing between the drawers.
Also in the bathroom is an old wicker chair that was on our front porch when we moved in. At first I was going to put it on the curb, but I saw one in a magazine that had been spruced up with a little work. Where the wicker was broken I put doilies with ModPodge. A little spray paint and some new pillows and it will last until another chair wins my heart!
Out on the porch now is another cast off chair from the barn of a friend's aunt!
Please don't sit on it though!






When my artist/neighbor moved some of her leftovers came to live at my house waiting for me to give them a new life! Old windows.....


And a great old sewing machine table....... any ideas?
Be sure to check out the other creative ideas on Sugar*Sugar! And thanks again to Cheri and Analise for hosting this each week!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the candle holders they are just beautiful!! The bathroom cabinet is to die 4 my husband and I have been looking for one to fit our tiny bathroom. Thanks for sharing.

Kathy

Splashes of Pink and Mint said...

Wow... your vanity is absolutely gorgeous!!! And your candle holders are very well done! TFS!

blessings said...

Oh my stars! I would love to take a class like that. How amazing. You did SUCH a cool thing with the candleholders! I would also love some of those window frames you got =) Blessings... Polly

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love the candlesticks. Your chest of drawers have never looked better. What a little imagination will do.
We looked in TJMaxx at sink/vanities and I showed your Uncle how DH made a box in the drawer to house the pipes. He was very impressed. Love all you do.
Lillyxxoo

Karen ~ Cider Antiques said...

Oh!!! What a stunning bathroom vanity you have and I love, love, love that chair with for floral seat. I am on the hunt for one of those! Gorgeous!!!

Karen at Ciderantiques

Rebecca said...

OMGosh! You vanity is insanely awesome, and what a special one at that!! Thanks for sharing all of your treasures!!

Hugs and Blessings,
Rebecca

Anonymous said...

great candle ideas. That class sounds like a lot of fun and very useful to get the creative juices flowing. I have some old 6-paned windows also and am planning on cleaning them up a little, maybe change the color of the paint, and turning them into a picture frame to hold 6 pictures and/or maybe a mirror or two mixed in with the pictures. I figured that the large size of it could look great on a stairway wall maybe. In fact I saw some new ones made to look old in a department store for just that purpose. love from lkpt.

roseroomnz.com said...

Love the wicker chair:) Rachael

Barbara said...

That vanity is gorgeous! I've seen the drawers from old sewing machines hung on the wall and used as shadowboxes, but that looks like an awfully pretty sewing machine just as it is.

leesiebella said...

Hi Lynn~ love your old sewing machine! I can't wait to see what you do with it, it has so much charm!! Good luck!

xo
Analise

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

Gorgeous candleholders & boy am I impressed that you can reproduce missing pieces on that pretty frame!

The bathroom itself is absolutely stunning & worthy of an entire post! Beautiful!

Stephanie
Angelic Accents

Nancy said...

What a great idea for the wicker chair repair! Love that vanity. Nancy

Anonymous said...

Your neighbor taught you some wonderful skills....how great is that! I love the idea of stacking and molding the shapes. Great Trash to treasure story!

Smiles -

Christa
Chloe Rose

Nevis said...

What a beautiful bathroom!

ricracsally said...

My best idea for the sewing machine table??
MAIL IT TO MEEEEE :)
Can't wait to see what you do with it!
Tiffani

Jeanie said...

Nice job on the wicker and I love that print in your well-done frame!

Lisa's RetroStyle said...

Great bathroom!

kristie said...

very good ideas! i got some old windows from my grandparent's house and i'm going to paint them bright red and hang them on the white picket fence in the back yard behind our hammock for some nice 'art'. like you i don't like to throw anything out.

Anonymous said...

THIS IS JUNE 10. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
YOU ARE SO CREATIVE. JAN TAUGHT YOU WELL. I KNOW YOU MISS HER. TERRIFIC ARTIST AND YOU ARE FOLLOWING IN HER FOOTSTEPS.
LOVE FROM LILLY XXOO

Unknown said...

WOW..those candle holders are just fabulous! And I always love it when you can incorporate your *Found Treasures* in your home or as fixtures!

Ps...I'd keep that sewing machine as is...they retain their value that way...I have one that I put lace and soften it that way.

Have a blessed day....Lorena

Heidi said...

Hi! I'm enjoying your trash to treasures! The technique you learned is facinating to me. Makes lovely detailing on "trash" (nothing, really, is trash...)

Very pretty vanity! I'll bet you and your husband are having a good time working on your home, you both sound so creative!

*heidi*

Miss Gracie's House said...

The candle holders are beautiful! I really like how they are glazed. Very creative stuff!
Rene'

Sandy said...

That vanity in the bathroom is so beautiful...good job!