Upcycling Mid Century Furniture Without Losing Its Flavor

I love mid century items and furniture. Not always for their look, but for their design. I come across alot of furniture that seems to sit around in the thrift stores and sheepishly sits in the garage of the neighborhood yard sales. Many times you can get them for next to nothing.

Two weeks ago, that is exactly what happened. My neighbor finished her garage sale and then asked me would I want to come over and get anything that was leftover. She knows how much I love to tinker with things. When I arrived, there sat a pair of  mid century end tables. Not exactly beautiful in color, but definitely had style.

I really liked how they were very deep and narrower across so to fit nicely between furniture. As I studied them, I did not want to take away from their "era", but did want to upcycle them into something more appealing than their drab brunette color.

They were topped with a laminate, so I knew there was not much I could do there. So I decided to match the paint with the laminate color.

First I taped off the area where the laminate was and spray painted lightly the entire surfaces of each. By doing this you help the next layer of paint adhere without having to do much sanding.

Then I painted a top coat of white latex over both tables and allowed it to dry. Doing a "dry brush" effect so that the wood from underneath could somewhat show through. Then I painted a color that was complimentary ( wheat color) with the laminate on top over the white paint and the spray paint showed below. Just as us women love to get our hair colored with highlights and lowlights, I love doing this with furniture as well. It allows the colors from underneath to show through. Always making sure to paint each coat of paint so not to completely cover the coat from underneath.

After these three coats, I then put on a final coat of a slightly darker color (yellow-gold)  overtop of the wheat color, once again letting the layers from before slightly show through.  As this was drying I removed the handles from the drawers and spray painted them a weathered gray. I then spray painted the drawers with spray paint followed by a coat of latex white paint. I allowed them to dry and then roughed up the face of both drawers and replaced the handles. Next I distressed both tables to give them a worn look and then replaced the drawers. I wanted to keep them white to give a contrast to the tables and the laminate tops.

I was very pleased with the outcome. The tables look more current, but have still kept their "mid century flavor".

• Paint .50 at Lowes x 2                $1.00
• tables                                 (donated)
• Spray Paint "Ollies Discount         $1.00

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• TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT       $2.00

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

Bar Stools Get A Step Up

I have a friend who always calls me after their annual yard sale. She gives me items that I pass on to my ministries and to whomever may need the items that they have left over. This year as I was going through the items she gave to me,  I came across these wonderful bar stools. I couldn't believe that no one bought them and they were leftover from the sale. There was nothing wrong with them that a little TLC couldn't fix.

After a little upholstery paint, (yes they make upholstery paint), they look as good as new. I found the paint at an outlet store for .99 cents. I then polished up the chrome with some steel wool and "good as new"!

• Paint (onhand)                        $.99
• bar stools                        (donated)

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• TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT    $.99

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

Related articles

• Burlap & Bar Stools Pt. 2 (figuringoutfabulous.wordpress.com)
• Kitchen Bar Stools: Sitting in Style (inmanteam.wordpress.com)

Did You Think Of This? New Ways to Recycle

When we speak of upcycling or recycling, most of us think of repainting or restoring something. Sometimes just merely using something for another use is another great way of recycling. During my trip to area thrift stores I found many ways of reusing vintage and antique items as they already were.

A Rake As A Hook

A Sled As A Shelf

A Floor Shelf Hung On Wall

A Vintage Iron Board As A Table

A Vintage Hat As A Pendant Light

Silverplate Forks As Note Holders

An Old Suitcase As A Medicine Cabinet

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

Vintage Lamp Takes a Trip from Drab to Worldly

I love going to the Thrift Store. There is nothing else that gets my more excited. Finding that one "peculiur piece that needed a makeover. Then as I was working around the house and realized I had some vintage pieces of my fiance's who needed me just as much.

Today, I came across this light. Never paid much attention to it until I was replacing the cabinet that it was sitting on with a upcycled piece I got from the thrift store. I soon realized as I was staging my new cabinet that this light had been overlooked.

The lampshade was one of the old shades that had the fabric glued onto the plastic shade. So I decided to use the existing shade and take the outer fabric piece off.

I decided that I wanted a different look for it, something that would be a focal point and began rummaging through my finds. I came across an atlas that I had gotten at the neighborhood thriftstore for .25. I knew right then that was the answer. 

After carefully cutting pictures from the atlas I neatly glued them onto the lamp shade. I couldn't be happier about the outcome.

• Vintage Light (onhand)           $.00
• Atlas from thrift store             $.25                

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• TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT    $.25 

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

TV Console Turned Hutch For $10.00

TV Console Turned Hutch For $10.00

I thought I would share a find that I have upcycled lately. It was a Made in Italy by Ballard Designs Console. I picked it up at the local thrift store for 8.00. I decided that I wanted it much higher than the 2 inch ball legs that were on it. I wanted to turn it into a hutch that I could utilize more than as a TV stand.

 

 I had a coffee table that I made the top of this bench seat from. What remained were 4 legs and the decorative edge from the coffee table.

 

Upon measuring the decorative edge from the coffee table it was almost a perfect fit.

 

I then applied the decorative edge, along with the legs from the leftover coffee table and it worked out better than I thought. I used the same hardware as well and screwed everything into place.

 

After applying all of my pieces, I repainted it and gave it a shabby look. I can't believe I found a console made in Italy by Ballard Designs that normally sells for $600.00. I paid 8.00 for the console and the left over pieces of a $2.00 coffee table.

.

• Thrift Store Console by Ballard Designs   8.00
• Paint from previous projects                     free
• Wood legs and decorative wood              2.00

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•  TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT     $10.00

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H
#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

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The Top 5 Ways to Decorate Your Home on a Budget

If you have just brought your first house, or you are moving away from home, and the thought of furnishing and decorating is stressing you out, take a look at our list below of ways you can decorate your home on a budget.

Cheap as Free
The best way to decorate on a budget is not to spend any money at all. There are a number of ways you can get furniture for free. Firstly, signup to a website like freecycle, where people offer items they no longer want, rather than selling them on or throwing them away. If there is something in particular you need, it may be worth putting the word out to your friends and family. You never know who has an unused coffee table in their garage or attic. With free furniture, you don’t have much of a choice about style or colour. Try modifying what you get by painting, sanding, reupholstering or accessorising.

Second Hand
If you want to have more of a choice over what you buy, and if you are a fan of vintage styles and antique furniture, buy second hand. There are so many ways to do this. You could go to car boot sales, second hand furniture shops, charity shops or take a trip to your local auction house. Auction houses are great places to pick up bargains, whether it’s a house clearance, or a antique chairs that no-one wants, you will be surprised at the variety of what you can find. If that sparks your interest, you should also consider recycling centres.

Online
If you cant find what you want for free or second hand, don’t just go to your nearest retailer and buy a piece of furniture outright, go online and check out price comparison websites. Savings could be as simple as the price online being cheaper than the price in store. This is the best way of making sure you get the best price for your money, and you get to see a wider selection of furniture. As you wont be looking at the pieces in person, take measurements of your room so that you can make sure that what you order fits in your home.

DIY
Rather than paying someone to decorate, do it yourself. You can hire wallpaper strippers that can effectively remove all types of wallpaper, vinyl and woodchip. If you have moved into an older building, you may find that the previous owners have put wallpaper over existing wallpaper, sometimes multiple times. A wallpaper stripper will leave you with a clean surface for redecoration. Whether you are painting or papering, if you are unsure of how to do something, get advice online, or from home improvement retailers such as B&Q. You will be left with a real sense of achievement once you have finished.

Craft and Upcycle
You can use craft and upcycling to make your home interior unique, from making your own accessories and ornaments, to modifying and making your own furniture. Reclaimed materials are great when undergoing a DIY project. You may find broken antiques that you can restore or repurpose. This is a great way to reflect your individuality within your new home.

We hope that these suggestions have inspired you to start bargain hunting and DIY decorating.

Guest Blogger Emma Richards is a keen crafter, upcycler and second hand enthusiast working at Lilleymans.

Upcycled Plant Hanger From Recycled Finds

It's Sunday and I like to take it a little easier so I opted for a simpler project. We have been remodeling our house with only thrift store decor and I noticed that I had a plant hanger that still needed a nice hanging plant. I went through the shed that holds all my precious junk and decided I would see what I could find.

So Today's Project at J4H is a Upcycled Plant Hanger. First I found a wire basket and some old silver. I have a addiction for picking up simple things that would work for other projects.

For this project you will need the following: 

• old chain 
• drill
• hammer 
• needle nose pliers 
• parts for your hanging basket 

First you need to hammer your silver to a flat shape. After hammering each bowl of the spoon you will then need to drill holes on each end of the spoon. After you have all of the holes drilled take the chain links and insert them into your basket and then your spoon on each side of the basket. Always making sure that your spoon is faced forward before closing the link.

After getting the first 3 done, I then did the same on the other 3 smaller spoons. You can use any size spoon to your taste. After attaching all 6 spoons you will need to gather them all together at the top. Still making sure all of your spoons are facing forward.

After doing this take a long link of chain and attach it to the top of the spoons. This is where you can be creative and let your imagination take over. I used crystal glass that I took from an old table lamp and also a decorative metal piece from another old hanging lamp. You then need to feed your chain through the items you use and make a circle with the chain to hold it on the plant hook.  

Afterwards you have a plant hanger that is an expression of your creativity as well as recycling things that normally would have been discarded for the fraction of the cost.

Bag of Silver bought at a garage sale       2.00

Pieces from lamps already on hand          0.00
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Total of today’s Project                        2.99

Junkin4Humanity.com  #J4H

#repurposedonpurpose

Ugly Betty Gets A Makeover

More and more people are interested in recycling. The fact that they can help the environment and improve their life at the same time makes them become more engaged and attracted to all kinds of projects that refer to this problem. Starting today I want to engage others into looking at things in a different perspective. I am talking to you “Do it yourselfers” a.k.a “DIY“, or even those who think they couldn't draw a circle. Get in touch with your inner creativity, you may just be surprised.

As I begin this first blog for the long haul, I might as well come clean from the start. As one of my best friends always said "I'm driving Miss Crazy" when I rode in the car with him. In a way he was right.

They say the key is to first; admit you have a problem...I have several. I love thrift stores, flea markets as well as the good ole garage sale. But what I love even more is the items that I find (the stranger the better) that cross my path. I look at those unforgotten keepsakes and hand me downs as "still alive and doing well". Where most might say, "that's just junk". The object here is to see things as they once were and even more times, as what they can become. Hopefully you will find yourself laughing sometimes at my "inner" child and my passion of changing one piece of junk at a time. I also hope that you can find some ideas to use yourself as I begin this blog about my passion...upcycling.

As I am no writer, just a talker (ask anyone). I am going to try to let my fingers type my words as you go along with me through my daily life. If you got this far....I thank you for reading.

Today's #repurposedonpurpose is a wonderful light Marked Made in Mexico that I found that was screaming Ugly Betty. But, I like the underdog and swept it off the shelf. Not to mention it was only $3.99.

I brought it home and I dug out all my paint. I knew that the brass color had to go.and I wanted to make this lamp more “current” and decided on nickel color. Even though I have a good stash of junk, I didn’t have what I really wanted and that was world globes. I really wanted to make the light bulbs into globes or planet looking lights. But, that will have to be for another day. Instead I took what I did have on hand and decided to paint the globes instead. `

Despite having to use my second choice, I was very pleased with the outcome. I was even more elated when I found out that my light was actually a 3-way light as well. Each globe comes on one at a time and then all 3 come on if you want more light.


Light                          3.99
Paint already on hand 0.00
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Total of today’s Project 3.99


Junkin4Humanity.com  #J4H