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Showing posts with label altered artworks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label altered artworks. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 9, 2016


When I was 6 years old young, my Mom taught me how to sew. 
She bought me a small metal Singer sewing machine, 
the perfect model to create handmade doll clothes.


Fast forward to my latest vintage sewing box makeover. 


To see the complete transformation, click over to my new blog at 
I hope you'll start following me on my new site.
I'll meet you over there!


Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Jewelry Chest Gets a Nautical Makeover


What do fish sticks and jewelry box makeovers have in common? Last month, while vacationing in Boston, we ferried over to the seaport town of Gloucester. Fast forward to this 50-cent wooden jewelry box. To see the makeover, and to find out the answer to how fish sticks played a part in this project, head over to my new blog on Wordpress.



Click here:





















Thursday, July 7, 2016

Kitchen Towel Rack Makeover





This is one of my favorite home decor makeovers. 


Hard to believe it started like this.


Click on over to my new blog at Wordpress to see all the photos plus info on finding the beautiful stencil I used for this project.

Click here: Altered Artworks






Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Upcycled Toy Chest into Ice Cooler


Do you have an old toy chest that your 
kids have outgrown?
Upcycle it into a very cool ice cooler. 

See the makeover for this box 


Monday, May 16, 2016

Kiss Me Goodnight



This metal sign was stuck in the craft closet, wondering if it ever was going to see the light of day. Summer is still one month away, and even then, it doesn't quite fit our decor.  It was time to get it out and give it a makeover. You'll never believe the transformation it received with a little paint and stencils. Hop on over to my new blog to see the complete tutorial and makeover. Click here to take you directly to the post.






Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Vintage Sewing Box Makeover


I have a sweet spot for sewing boxes. Not the modern fabric-covered cutesy ones, but the wooden type from our Mom’s and Grandmother’s generations. I found this one at a thrift store while in Ventura last month, and I knew it had great potential to turn into something scrumptious. See how I completely transformed it with a little paint and a beautiful stencil over on my new blog at Altered Artworks on Wordpress.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Repurposed Typewriter Table into Bar Cart



Vintage typewriter tables can be found everywhere: thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and online. They are the perfect size to repurpose into a bar cart. Check out the tutorial and see how I transformed it on my new blog, Altered Artworks.Wordpress. I'll meet you over there with a nice cold brew.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Have a Seat: Industrial Chair Makeover

Can you believe I bought this industrial stool for just $5? It sat in the corner at a warehouse where tools and parts were for sale. The guy at the helm said I can take it for $5. [Little did he know that I was about to offer $10.]


Anyway, this beauty also sat in the corner of my laundry room for a year until it received its much-deserved makeover. Here's a peak at the fabric I used to give this dreary chair its new sunny disposition.


To see the full transformation and the desk it's paired up with, please visit my new blog at 

I'll meet you over there!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Repurposing City Maps & Picture Frames





Our older daughter lives in "The City by the Bay," which also happens to be my old hometown.  She absolutely loves everything about San Francisco.  On our last visit, I noticed she didn't have any coasters, and since she is "borrowing" her grandparents' antique furniture...let's just say, the coffee table will soon need a new coat of varnish.  Until then, I decided to combine fun with functional, and use an old SF map to create coasters and a coordinating serving tray for her.

Here is the tray I started with, found at a thrift store for $3.

Someone had previously added handles onto a picture frame, so it saved me a step.

I painted the frame with an antique white paint using a light brush stroke here and there to give the tray a distressed, vintage look.  After all, paper maps are vintage, right?

After deciding on the section of the map for the tray, I cut it to size to fit inside the frame and decoupaged it into place.  Then I painted the handles sage green to match the green parks on the map.  I sealed the entire tray with antique-colored decoupage to emphasize a vintage look.

Then I cut four 4" squares from another section of the map and decoupaged them onto stone tiles.  



Not leaving well enough alone, I decoupaged a small box to neatly hold the four tile coasters when not being used.
tile coasters using maps

For the photo op, I leaned the tray against my kitchen wall, coincidently right under a schematic of the Golden Gate Bridge.


Now I'm going to pop the tray and coaster set into the mail -- marked fragile, handle with care -- and surprise my daughter with a little handmade DIY.

I've been featured:

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Using Book Pages for Collage

 
using book pages in collage
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While on vacation, and having a few hours to myself one day, I googled thrift stores in the area, and found a local Salvation Army. After [only] three u-turns, I finally found it.  It was a bit disappointing.  However, I did pick up this wooden caddy for 99 cents. 
 
When I got it home, I realized it came with its very own dead moth.  Ewww!  I don't want to know how long it's been hiding in there. 
 
After a thorough cleaning, I painted it in my current go-to color, Behr's Clear Pond, which I had
on hand.
Ahh, it looks better already!

For creative inspiration, I turned to a vintage children's book called "The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberry Island."   I fondly remember reading many books in the Bobbsey Twins series in my early reading days. 

Using book pages and my stash of paint chips, I began altering the wooden box into a handy desk caddy.
collage with book pages
 
For those of you familiar with my altered art, you know I prefer clean lines.  For this project, I'm going to go c-r-a-z-y and try my hand at collage!  [My friend, S, will be glad to know I'm using her favorite art technique.]
Paint chips.

Torn pages [eek--don't tell the librarian!].
 
Twine.

A collaged clothespin on each side--to hold notes.
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A vintage measuring tape cut around the 56" mark -- happens to be the year I was born [and, uhh, also my current age, at least for one more week], a stamped image and a rustic metal tag.
 
 A roll of the dice shows another five-six.  Cosmic.
 collage book pages
 
Added these metal "legs" to give the caddy some stature. 
(Plus, I've had them forever.)
 
Here are photos of the finished caddy.  For now, it will hold markers.

 
 
 

 

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What do you think of my new desk caddy?  What would you use it for?

You may also like these projects:

 

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