Eye Candy… and Some Ideas
April 27, 2009
On the morning of the last Sunday in April, you will always catch me singing in the shower and doing a happy dance in my bathrobe. Why? Why it’s the annual Antique Fair, of course! Two blocks of antiques, salvage, and vintage finds on display a mere mile from my house = CG’s drug of choice. Vendors from all over the California Bay Area come to sell their wares, and Mr. CG knows it’s his day to watch the children, cause I’m going treasure hunting.
How about these ideas ?
Make a one-of-a-kind chalkboard by adding chalkboard paint to an old cabinet door:
Create a coat rack out of a salvaged cabinet door or shelf, brackets and vintage knobs:
Repurpose antique spoons as cabinet door pulls:
Spray paint an art frame and add a mirror for wall glamour:
Spray paint another art frame and add some wire netting to make a jewelry holder:
Repaint an old piano bench, and add decorative elements for a new kind of shadow box. A glass top would make this a very whimsical end table:
Paint a bucket, drill some holes in the bottom, and then add some flowers:
Make a planter out of, well, anything :
Remake vintage tea towels into aprons and little girls dresses:
Make a trendy “trailer park” with salvaged finds:
Create a coat rack out of an old iron post, some brackets, and vintage knobs:
Make a potting bench with parts from an old fence, reclaimed wood, and a cutout for an antique bowl (this local artisan was featured in Sunset magazine):
Hand paint a piece of coral with your color of choice:
Recover a chair seat with a coffee bean sack:
Decoupage (or just plain glue) scrapbook music notes paper to inexpensive craft store letters:
Don’t be bashful when choosing a color to repaint vintage furniture:
Hop on the succulents bandwagon (these are all the rage in CA):
Cover anything, not just tender plants, with a cloche:
With specialty paint for glass, make your own sign with French flair, and you’ll end up in the Pottery Barn Teen catalog like this vendor – can you spot the sign?
If I had a few thousand dollars, or a very wealthy client, I’d have purchased these beauties:
What did I buy ?
For less than $100, I will add serious decor to a ceiling, a corner, and a wall.
Tune in tomorrow !
I would have never thought of the tea spoons turned cabinet pulls, how clever!
I also love the piano bench turned treasure box.
Thanks for the great ideas!
What a dreamy day you must have had! Great ideas, terrific treasures! I’ll be back tomorrow to see what you bought.
I love the sheet music letters and piano bench. Great crafty ideas!
What a fun day! Love the little blue desk with the low back chair! Looking forward to seeing what treasures came home with you and how you are going to dazzle us with their transformation! :>
Looks like you had fun! I love turning the old linens into aprons and children’s dresses – what a great idea (mentally filing that away in my WAHM idea file…)
you are awesome!!! i love your ideas. would love some feedback on my twin chairs that i scored off craigslist. i would love to incorporate nail head trim, but not sure if it’ll work. hope to hear from you! you are soo creative and talented! xoxo grace
I think you and I were separated at birth. Poking around in other people’s stuff is my heaven. Great ideas! Oh, and the bird trailer park is awesome. Completely appropriate for where I live.
I love alll the French furniture, too. Don’t you just love a flea market?!
How would you spray paint the vintage picture frame to make it look like the one that is being used to hold jewelry? It looks antiqued. I have a gold frame just like it at home and would love to use it for that.
Hi Cacey,
I would buy two cans of paint, a pale gray and an off-white. I would spray the gold frame first in gray and completely cover it. Let it dry 24 hours. Then I would mark it up with some candlewax on the edges you want exposed, spray with a thin layer of off-white paint, and wipe away the edges with candlewax where you want the gray to show through. Email me with any more questions. Good luck !
HI,I LOOVE ALL THIS, CAN U TELL ME WHERE CAN I FOUND THEM OR HOW TO PAINT THE FURNITURE IN THA FRENCH WHITE,,THANKS
[...] In fact, I’ve written about the Antique Fair in 2009, with plenty of inspirational pictures, here and [...]