repurpose Archives - Linda Nelson

MORE THAN JUST A HOME OFFICE

February 28, 2017

The past three weeks of my life have been centered around giving my home office a facelift. And, though I repurposed stuff I had on hand to pull this project off, everything seemed to just fall into place without a hitch.

Here’s a before photo, just prior to the prepping/sanding/painting stage. The room had previously functioned as an office, but it was dingy, tired and not in any way pleasing to the eye. It was very makeshift. My “new” office, in a way, is still makeshift, but a pretty makeshift. And, it’s more than just an office. I’ve gained a mud room AND a breakfast nook, too!

©Linda Nelson 2017

Ta-da!

©Linda Nelson 2017

The concrete floor was restored to a pre-finish condition, a job which I contracted out. Oh my goodness! I had never seen so much masonry dust in my life. It took me two days to thoroughly clean every crevice and cranny in that room. I tackled every other aspect of the project, the exception being the work table base; my friend built that for me. The window trim still needs a few more brush strokes, but I had to step away from that type of tedious work for a while; it was driving me nuts. I whipped up the simple cabinet curtains this morning. I see no purpose in tossing out perfectly functional, but mismatched storage containers; however, I wanted a clean and cohesive look. Curtains solved that conflict.

The little bistro setup underneath the windows….. that’s my breakfast nook, former home of my old work table. It was nice to look out the window while working on something, but very inconvenient to open the windows. The room feels so much more airy and spacious with the new layout. I gave a plywood round “tabletop” I had on hand a chalk-paint-ish treatment and did some humble-style carving into the surface prior to painting it. Carved are the words ‘sprout’, ‘grow’ and ‘bloom’ . The cast aluminum patio chairs are still awaiting new cushions and seat bases, which I’ll address in the next week or so.

©Linda Nelson 2017

Isn’t this a neat “squird”seed(short for squirrels and birds) storage container? My garage is full of repurpose-able crap.

©Linda Nelson 2017

Now, on to my “mudroom”.

My sister gave me this adorable coat hook many years ago; only, I had it mounted directly into the wall, and that was the extent of my mudroom.

©Linda Nelson 2017

Now, it accompanies a curious little collection of hooks mounted onto a board I made last week.

©Linda Nelson 2017

This folding stand is another treasure that previously lived in my garage, perfect for stowing snow boots and such. The (roadside find)drawer underneath stores my garden gear accessories, such as gloves, bandanas and knee pads.

©Linda Nelson 2017

Are you familiar with those vintage looking vinyl floor mats on the market? The patterns to choose from are so lovely, but their price tags just make me do an about face. But, I still wanted a waterproof “something” underfoot upon entering my office. I settled for a remnant of economy vinyl, which I purchased from a local carpet/flooring store, and cut it to fit as a runner. It does just as good a job as a pricey floor mat.

©Linda Nelson 2017

The pendant lamp is original to the house, but it has seen its day. I’ve obtained a replacement, a door to door delivery which I will have to hold out for until early April. Until then, this one will do the job as it has for many, many years.

And finally, a little “spur” of the moment repurpose I threw together last night.

©Linda Nelson 2017

No pun here; just a “bit” of horsing around to “stirrup” and un-“bridle” your imagination 🙂

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this post about my “new” makeshift-mud room-breakfast nook-home office.

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REPURPOSED FOOD FOR THOUGHT

March 10, 2015

Lately I’ve been questioning the general effort and focus regarding reusing and repurposing things into art, craft or utilitarian creations. Is it just me, or have any of you noticed that we often re-create with items that can be recycled anyway?

©Linda Nelson 2015

Don’t get me wrong; lidded glass jars come in handy, and tin cans look fabulous when slapped with a coat of chalk paint and embellished with a sparkly bauble. Turning an old T-shirt into a grocery tote bag is a wonderful idea. Sure, let’s keep doing these things. I enjoy doing them very much so.

But, shouldn’t our focus lean towards repurposing things that would never be allowed into a recycling container? I love all those wood palette projects, I really do; but, when I obtain one, I simply return it to the vendor and get my $10 deposit fee back.

A paper towel roll whirly wig? Really? It’s plain cardboard, for goodness’ sake. Compost it, don’t make something with it. Oops……. I have quite a few blog posts about reusing corrugated cardboard.

Why aren’t we focusing more on reusing things that are not recyclable? I want to make the effort. It won’t be easy because those things are probably not my favorite go-to materials, but I am willing to challenge myself… with baby steps. What about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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RIP-DIP-N-ROLL

January 9, 2015

Yesterday I defrocked an old linen tablecloth, then repurposed it into shabby, vintagesque fabric gift wrap ribbon. Paired with a color coordinating box, this simple ensemble is presentation worthy.

©Linda Nelson 2015

If you have an old(white) linen tablecloth that’s seen its day perhaps you’d like to make some ribbon yourself.

Here’s what you’ll need (besides the tablecloth) –

2 small bowls
small paint brush
measuring tablespoon
1/2 cup water
white school glue
various colors of acrylic paint with a viscosity thicker than cheap craft paint
mesh sieve or coffee filter (not pictured)

©Linda Nelson 2015

Begin by snipping one end of the cloth with scissors, then rip/tear cut the rest of the length. Continue snipping and ripping various widths of “ribbon” until you have the amount of pieces you’d like to color.

Next, remove the warp/weft threads created by the ripping step. Remove only as many necessary to create a tiny, shabby fringe.

Combine one tablespoon of paint, one tablespoon of glue and one tablespoon of vinegar with 1/2 cup water in a small bowl; stir/blend thoroughly with the paintbrush. Pour paint mixture through sieve and into another small bowl. This procedure captures any globs of paint or glue that didn’t dissolve completely.

Dip your fabric strip into the paint mixture, then squeeze out the excess. Wait a minute or two, then rinse under COLD water. Squeeze out excess water, hang to damp-dry, then toss them in the dryer on high heat for a few minutes until completely dry. Remove additional warp/weft strands made during the drying process.

A half cup of paint solution will color about ten feet of fabric.

Roll up your ribbon and secure with a safety pin to prevent unraveling.

The rolled repurposements are so pretty; they can be stored in plain sight.

There you have it.

Now start ripping, dipping and rolling, and get creative!

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GO BACK TO THE SHED!

December 20, 2014

In my previous post I shared an idea for repurposing flowering vine trellises. Upon completion I still had 3/4 of a trellis left to play with (I actually have about thirty trellises stashed in my shed, he-he-he….).

Ta-da!

Now, aren’t these little gift tags just too stinking cute? I had a few cut “shorties” leftover and didn’t have the heart to toss them. I had the ink stamp on hand, a clearance purchase from a craft supply store a few years back; but I never used it. This was the perfect opportunity to christen it. The cotton twine is attached with tiny U nails; sanding smooth the back side of the tags creates an ideal surface to write on.

I do hope this post triggers a few ideas in your head, and motivates you to create something original yourself.

There you have it.

Now, grab a trellis and get creative.

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