Carols Time Again Treasures: HOME

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... with an old ornate frame?

Ok ... before you put that old ornate frame in the yard sale ... maybe you should take a look at this uplifting transition!

Isn't that great? I especially love the green ribbon. To keep your frame secure, you may want to fasten it to the wall, and have the ribbon simply as effect. This idea is the crafty Monica's at CraftyNest ... via non other than design*sponge.

There's a great old frame in my shop just begging to be freshened up ... best get out the paint!

... with a collection of vintage bottles?

All junk lovers seem to have a thing for vintage bottles! Whether we find them in our favourite treasure shop (wink, wink) ... or at the upcoming garage sales ... or some of us get a kick out of excavating them from the ground in an abandoned yard (with permission of course!). You know that feeling of glee when you see a rusted bottle top poking it's way out of the ground and you giddily but gently pull the dirt away hoping that the bottle is in tact! And if it is, well then the archeologist in you sets out to discover more ...

Now, what the heck are you going to do with your treasures? How to display them? And do you want to clean them first?

Fortunately, I have wonderful windows in my home and take great pleasure in placing a collection of all colours and shapes and size of bottles on the window sill to catch the light.

I tend to like the look of the bottles as they are, with only a gentle exterior cleaning. If you are looking for a pristine clean look, then you want to take great care when cleaning these old timers ~ they somehow have survived years of being in the hard frozen ground in winter and the warm summer earth ... but if you should put too hot or too cold of water on the glass, you run the risk of breaking the glass.

Here are a few cleaning suggestions that I found on American Bottle:

1. Room temp water only. Anything other than that can cause bottle glass to crack.

2. Always turn bottle up-side-down and leave in box over night to drain all excess water

3. Vinegar and water 50/50 is a good cleaning combo.

4. Coca-Cola works well too believe it or not.

5. If you use muriatic acid be sure to wear eye protection and gloves. ALWAYS keep your muriatic solution covered with a lid. The fumes will cause steel to rust up to 40 feet away.

Here are just a few of the bottles I have displayed. I have grouped the brown and green varieties in this window and in my other arched window, I display my blue and clear collection!

The afternoon sunlight glows on this amber glassware on a shelf in my shop. If you don't feel like digging in the dirt, then come on by and let's find you a few bottles ...

... with pretty teacups and candelabras?

Just a few of the prettiest teacups in my shop ...

And this is a candelabra that has been beautifully transformed into a centerpiece by gluing teacups to the candle holder parts. Note that different cup sizes and shapes are used ~ each have their own unique purpose from candle holders to flower vases ~ even fruit bowls! Although differently shaped with different purposes and patterns, the cups match in colour! Wouldn't this be pretty at a bridal shower?

Speaking of weddings ~ these creative and lovely centerpiece ideas come from Ellie at Mint. The single candlestick design was created by Ellie and her friend Amy for Amy's wedding last summer. What a special way to repurpose the teacups, candlesticks and candelabras ~ certainly cost efficient and oh so attractive and individual. You can find Ellie and Amy's creations as well as other neat ideas for a 'green' wedding at Portovert.

... with that old chair in the corner?

Aren't those delightful? I mean, how many old office chairs get discarded to the dump on a regular basis because they really have no appeal. But that's not what Joanie and James saw ... they saw an opportunity to recover with fabulous fabric and make it useable again! BRAVO!

And Melanie and Ariel gave 'father's chair' a wonderful lift by putting this wonderful print on it! You just can't buy that style.

Credit to Joanie, James, Melanie and Ariel and the many other 'before and afters' found at the very fun and inspiring Design*Sponge ... check it out!

... with a day of green?

Celebrate it by decorating in green of course!

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was happy and lucky ~

... with vintage suitcases?

Let's start with this lovely floral painted case that sits pretty adding to this bedside display in my shop. The case would be ideal for keeping delicate lace doilies, runners and maybe Grandma's precious hankies.

Here's an old cosmetic case that has been painted. This one I use in my shop to handily display these candles. I like the large mirror in the lid to reflect whatever the case may display. This particular case would work very well to hold a potted plant with white faced posies bobbing and spilling over the edges ~ a sunroom addition!

This classic little hard sided cosmetic case works perfectly to display these beautiful, collectable blue willow dishes. I love using chalkboards in my shop for messages!

My friend at Prairie Girl Studio has stacked these three beauties on the base of an old baby buggy and uses them for storage ... ribbons, buttons, beads and other treasures. (Her site is still under repair, so check back another day when I post something else from her studio.)

And isn't this possibly the most purrfect solution for an old suitcase? The designs could be endless! The folks at Vintage Renaissance are having too much fun 'making vintage fun again'! You will notice that Vintage Renaissance is part of Etsy where you will find a myriad of people showing and selling everything handmade ~ caution: you may get lost in there!

... with old picture frames?

First, we start with tubs of old picture frames ~ just a few kicking around in the back room of my shop!

Choose one that will suit your space. Follow what Rachel at Heart-Of-Light has done to achieve the beautiful yummy yellow message board below! Cheery as a spring daffodil ...

Rachel's idea was found via Grace Bonney's Design*Sponge where you will find many delightful 'before' and 'after' ideas!

... with wildly colourful scraps of old fabric?

To say these old lamp shades and chair and sofa have been given 'new life' would be an understatement!

Just a little something to cheer you up and chase away any winter doldrums that are still hanging on.

There's a couple of old chairs in my back room in the shop ~ perfect for this project ~ perfect for someone's summer cottage at the lake!

Fun stuff at Squint Limited via Blue Moss Girls blog.

... with a grouping of glass vessels?

Let's see! The collection above are a few of the many lovely glass pieces in my shop ...

... and here is a lovely way to utilize them!

This soothing and fresh 'breath of spring to come' is Skonahem via the ever wonderful Di Overton. Isn't it amazing how we can be inspired from all over the world with just a wee click of the mouse ...

... with beautiful buttons?

Isn't this just as sweet as can be? My sister worked her magic by creating a collage of beautiful buttons in two small antique oval frames. She created lovely landscapes in the other two frames. Notice the old key added for interest and intrigue. The frames and buttons have been given new life as art, beautifully grouped and arrange on the wall in my home. Thanks Sherry for all your creativity and inspiration!

... with vintage doilies?

Look what I found over at The White Verandah!

A most lovely way to use and display vintage lace doilies. Simply stitch a selection of doilies onto a white curtain ... or sheet ... or sheer fabric. As Jessica says ~ can you imagine the sunlight shining through?

Of course, I do have quite a selection of white doilies in my shop, but I was also thinking that brightly coloured doilies would be quite cheery on a kitchen valance ... hmmmm....

... with old rubber stamps?

How about simply making one into a note holder ... a photo holder ... or a placecard holder? This nifty idea I found over at Ki's JunkCamp where she gives you the directions!