Tisket, Tasket, Berry Baskets

Imagine my delight when I came across three stacks of these vintage berry baskets or boxes that I bought at an estate sale a few years ago. I had put them away in my craft room and lost track of them. They still had the price tag on them. I paid a whopping dollar for 33 baskets!

They have such wonderful character--they've all been used. The metal rims have some rust. The wood has various degrees of staining. Some are warped, cracked and chipped. But, I was able to salvage most of them, using the aged features to create a really sweet bunch of baskets that can be used in all sorts of fun ways.

First, I mixed a grey paint wash using a couple of sample paints I already had. I lightly covered each with the wash. Because of the inconsistent grain of the wood and the random stains they'd acquired over the years, each basket took on a unique look. I love the character the flaws create.

After the boxes dried, I transferred vintage images from The Graphics Fairy onto each one, creating sets of three boxes--each set with its own theme: birds, French and insects.

Berry boxes are versatile enough to use in many different ways. They're great to hold craft supplies or small toys. They look great filled with fresh or dried flowers. They'd also make special hostess gifts.

I'm so berry glad I found these wonderful little baskets.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
What's It Wednesday at Elephants and Ivy
Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty Decorating
Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer
All Star Block Party
Potpourri Friday at 2805
Brag Monday at The Graphic Fairy

From Tossed Shelf to Top Shelf

In literal terms, this what-not shelf wasn't actually tossed. But it was sentenced to a garage sale table  featuring nothing but 50-cent items. I snapped it up for a rainy-day project.

When I got the shelf home, I remembered this pitifully beat-up--or should I say scribbled up--1952 early reader, Fun with John and Jean, that I had picked up some time back for a quarter. It's easy to see why it was nearly a freebie. But, many of the pages remained in good shape and I thought I could combine the shelf and some images from the book to create a nice display shelf for a kid's room.

I'd been looking forward to cracking open my first quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue so chose it to give the shelf a facelift. I had intended to fully distress and dark wax the shelf. But, I so liked the look of the paint on its own, I decided to stop at that.

I've always loved the illustrations in these early readers and this book was no exception. After eliminating the scribbled pages, I was left with some very nice images to decoupage onto the inside back of the piece.

To add a playful touch, embellished the front panel with reclaimed Scrabble tiles.

Hang it on the wall, or stand it on top of a dresser or table. Either way, I think it looks pretty cute.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Sunday Blog Love at Cherished Treasures
Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Cowgirl Up at The Farmhouse Porch
Knick of Time Tuesday
All Star Block Party at In the Old Road
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday at {Primp}

Crusty, Rusty, Divine

On my way home from work, I noticed signs for neighborhood garage sales in an older part of town--an area where I usually can find some great old stuff. It was late, though, and most of the sales had closed up for the day.

The one that was still open for business was the only one that counted. For $8 total, I got this rusty old garden fork.

And, this rusty, crusty old crank hand drill with a wooden knob and crank grip. I'll have to think of something fun to do with this relic. My grandpa had one of these--well, probably several--on his farm.

And, this sweet 1956 baby crib. The springs are likely to end up in the garden to be used as a trellis. But, I'm not opposed to using it to hang inspiration photos and other goodies in my craft room. The frame? The foundation for a bench or a chair, maybe? Towel racks? A garden gate? Time will tell.

And, finally, this fantastic chair. It already has a great chippy finish that I could easily live with. Eventually, though, I'll probably be compelled to paint it another color.

A productive evening drive indeed.


Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
All Star Block Party at Nutmeg Place
Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures
Rustic Restorations

Re: Reuse Items to Boost Your Garden

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

Respect

After a small break during National Photo Month, I'm continuing Re: on Mondays and will be offering tips for creating a more earth-friendly lifestyle and featuring ideas that others are incorporating into their everyday lives to have a positive impact on the environment.

Source: Earth911

Earth911.com is my "go-to" website for all things environmentally friendly. With gardening season going full tilt, I was excited to find a great feature on reusing common and household items for gardening.  From toilet paper rolls to burned-out light bulbs, "7 More Items to Reuse in Your Garden" offers a fun and useful list of earth-loving items to incorporate into your green thumb adventures.

I'm going to try the self-irrigation idea on my container tomatoes. What will you try?

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
More the Merrier Monday at DIY Home Sweet Home
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday at Kammy's Korner
Tuesday Garden Party

Hail the Red Admiral; National Photo Month, Day 31

The admirable red admiral (say that three times, fast), closes out National Photo Month and my 31 days of posting photographs.

This shot was enhanced with PicMonkey's daguerreotype feature and the addition of Kim Klassen's "Be Still" texture. I like the simplicity of the sepia. It puts more of a focus on the shadow.

It's fitting to end a photo month with the admiral, as I can honestly say I've never before had so many of this handsome butterfly visit my garden spaces in a single season. Every day has brought several of the admiral into the yard--often in playful pairs that dart around chasing each other in a game of cat and mouse.

It's been great fun sharing photographs with you during National Photo Month. Thanks for following along.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

This or That Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

A Brilliant Splash of Red; National Photo Month, Day 30

No words needed. We should all be so colorful!


Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Rednesday

Botanical Beauty; National Photo Month, Day 29

During this National Photo Month, my own landscape has taken front and center on several occasions. Today, I'm featuring some of the natural beauty that can be found at Lauritzen Gardens, our local botanical garden.

My work team recently spent a day at the gardens with a business meeting in the morning and a fun photography activity in the afternoon. These are some of the photos I took on that gorgeous day.

In the Model Railroad Garden, electric trains snake through the natural setting and run amongst buildings and other structures that are constructed of all-natural materials. The structures all represent landmarks around our community. Trains have a rich history here, as Omaha was the starting point of the first transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad.

If you're ever visiting Omaha, or even just passing through, a visit to Lauritzen Gardens would be time well spent.


Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer
Water World Wednesday