On the Road Again...

A couple months ago when I came back from vacation, I shared some finds with you that were form the peddler's Malls and flea markets in Kentucky. Among those items was this little guy:

He's an antique road flare. I knew when I saw him that he was absolutely perfect and he had to come home.

P.S. I felt like I had to give him a trucker's name, like Big Joe or Bubba or something. SO yea, I went with Bubba.

 Anyway, Bubba needed some work, and today I finally got the chance to give him some much-needed attention.

 The first thing I did was I took him apart. The top unscrews easily, then the wick cover inside, and then I pulled out the wick and threw it away. It is still full of whatever fuel was used to light it, and I thought maybe it was a good idea to, you know, get rid of all the stuff that could blow up in this very combustible home I live in.

Yes, that's my sink.

After all the parts were removed, I sanded off all that greasy, grimey gunk and rust that made it look kinda... well... crappy. What a difference it made!

 

Then, I cleaned it. Since there is some gunky residue, I used soap specifically designed to remove grease, and though I didn't use a Brillo pad, it might have been a good idea. But hindsight is always 20/20, right?
Lastly, I painted it. It would be fun to paint it a really unexpected color like a deep purple or hot pink or neon green, but for the theme I'm working on right now with some of the stuff I'm doing, I just repainted the original red.

Wouldn't this be amazing as a vase? I just love mixing the industrial, rough-and-tough elements with something as soft as a bunch of lilacs or daisies.

Another great idea would be to convert it into a lamp, using a very inexpensive and easy-to-find lamp kit from a hardware store.

Personally, this one I like just as is for now. I really am digging this whole industrial thing lately, and I love it. But I think I'm going to buy more and experiment.

If this is a project you're interested in trying, these are incredibly easy to find online on sites like ebay, where you can get a whole box of them for around $10-$20. Imagine the profit if you fixed up a whole box of these and sold them!

So that was today's project. It was super easy, a lot of fun, and most importantly, incredibly inexpensive.

Happy thrifting!

Get Inspired

Do you ever bring home that gorgeous piece you know has so much potential, but once you want to work on it, you're like... um... now what?
I have those moments almost every time.
Lately, I've been bringing home more and more things, finding things in my home to redo, and getting spray paint galore from ReStore or the hardware store clearance paint section. But still I get home, and I look at my project, and then I look at my paint, and I'm just stumped.
The day I discovered Pinterest, my life became complete. You know, besides the days I had my kids or got married, it was pretty much the most amazing day. Ok, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration. But seriously. It was an awesome day.
Finding inspiration on Pinterest, blogs, and even just Google searches has given me the ideas for some of my favorite projects. And in case you're not on Pinterest, I'm telling you you need to be.
I leave you now with some of my inspirations and the end results. I always put my own twist, never copying exactly. What fun would that be?

Hope you've been inspired.
It's so easy! Go for it!

Owl love you forever...

I love owls. Not necessarily the living, breathing, creepy kind (all though they're ok, I guess), but when incorporated into home décor, I just can't get enough of them. Maybe it's the whole vintage vibe, or maybe it's that they have those whimsically huge eyes, or the fact that they can go with any theme... I don't know. But I love them.
I also love painting. I suppose I might have mentioned this before (wink, wink) but it's true. And when I combined my loves, the result was just... owlsome? Sorry... trying to think of a pun. They were a hoot! That's one's better.
Anyway...
I have been collecting owl figurines and wall hangings since high school. Since then, some have broken, some have been lost in moves, but some, a very fortunate few, have stayed with me. Most of them are gifts, but some I have bought ridiculously cheap at thrift stores.
I don't like to alter gifts. Unless I absolutely have to, or the person who gives it to me tells me they want me to, I don't change the condition I received them in.
But when it comes to the items I bought, anything goes.
I love to shop for paint. Ever since I discovered ReStore, I am there every payday, and sometimes even more regularly, just stocking up on paint, mostly spray paint. And this weekend, I decided it was time. I was going to paint some owls.
Sounds like a euphemism...
Anyway, these are a few guys I've had in my collection over the years. Well, actually this is only two of them. There is a third, but I failed to take a before picture.

Excuse my foot. And the sideways picture. I don't know why it's still sideways even thought I changed it... hmmmm....

So I thought I would look up some trends in home décor, since these guys are gonna be in my shop I'm opening in the future (I think it'll still be a few months - getting a inventory together first). Here's how they looked after a coat of primer and a couple coats of spray paint:

 

Again with the sideways picture... odd.
So these are instantly a great way to add a pop of color to any room. I think they'd be especially great for a nursery or an enclosed porch. Just my opinion, though.
I hope this gives you just a bit of inspiration as to a simple way to fix up items you already have or that can be easily found at thrift stores. I don't think any of those owls cost me more than $2, and that's guessing high.
Happy thrifting!