Vintage Thingie Thursday: Wall Art Using Vintage Doilies and Vintage Buttons

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much. Lastly, try to make an effort to visit the other participants. I know myself, I get so behind and busy, but this year, I am going to do my best to visit each week. 

I have posted this week about some of the projects I have been working on for my daughter.  While putting together some wall art for her, I looked and looked for feminine things that was not too overpowering on the walls. I came across this photo on Pinterest. The original link is here.

I decided that surely, I could figure out how to do this myself. I knew I had doilies in all of my collections....the only question was, where??? I looked and looked and as luck would have it, I could not find a single one of the crochet doilies I KNOW I have. I had to visit a couple of thrift stores and a favorite antique store. I know I would be able to locate what I needed and thank goodness, I was able to find them quickly.

Here is a glimpse of my version of the original design I found on Pinterest. If I do say so myself, I simply adore this and absolutely love how it turned out. My daughter loves it too and it is perfect for her new decor in her bedroom.

So if you have a stack, drawer full, closet full of these, get them out and use them. Add them to wall art, pillows, frames, lamp shades....just get them out and use them.

Here is how I did this project.

I found a large piece of wood in our shed. I wanted this to be a large piece to fit over a king size bed. My board measured roughly 4 ft. by 3 ft. and it fits wonderfully over her king size bed.

I very lightly sanded the edges of the board. I then added a couple of coats of the same chalk paint I used when I painted the headboard. I used the darker of the gray paints to paint the board. I let it dry overnight.

I washed the doilies, and pressed the wrinkles out of them and pressed them as flat as they would go.

After laying plastic down on my work surface, the fun part began. I started by laying out the design of the doilies on the board. Once I had the design I liked, I adhered the doilies to the board. I used my Loctite Spray Adhesive for doing that.

I started at one corner, spraying the board and pressing the doilies, one by one down onto the board. This took a little bit of time, but go slow, it works very well. I ran the edges off of the board and did not put any adhesive on the edges. Once the front dried and set up after about 48 hours, I flipped the whole thing over and using a hot glue gun, glued the edges of all the doilies to the back of the board.

I am going to be honest here. I tried, and tried to make flowers like in the original photo off of Pinterest. Mine looked horrible, like big old globs of fabric. I was really frustrated with myself, but gave up after several attempts.  So I had to resort to the fabric flowers I have made before. I just made smaller ones and then used some small doilies to shape and stitch so they looked like flowers. The flowers and buttons were attached using hot glue. They stuck very well with no problems to the doilies.

I added vintage buttons for the centers of the flowers and as embellishments around the flower designs. This really turned out better than I could have hoped for. It is super feminine and looks amazing.

I think this is a super way to get what you love out of storage and use them in everyday things where you can enjoy them.

Here is one last look, in this picture, it gives you a better idea on the scale of this wall art. It is big, but that is what makes a statement when you walk into the room. (you can click any of the photos for a more close up look at this project)

I hope you have a great Vintage Thingie Thursday!! I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial on how I made this for my daughter. It was easy, and fun and the final product is just fantastic!! What do you think? Do you love doilies as much as I do?? Don't be afraid to use them, just enjoy them!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Restaurant Ware

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much. Lastly, try to make an effort to visit the other participants. I know myself, I get so behind and busy, but this year, I am going to do my best to visit each week. 

To be honest, my new thrift shop is really making me happy these days! I have found the mother load of great items in the past week. One thing they seem to always have are great restaurant ware pieces. I have purchased way more than I needed to, but some of it will end up in my etsy shop.

This small single serve vegetable bowl is just adorable....I wish there would have been more pieces, but for twenty-five cents...I brought it home!

Here is the label on the back, and it is the only piece I have that has this marking.

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!! Hope you all have a great week, thanks for all the lovely comments last week on my chenille bedspread....I am still over the moon with that purchase!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Christmas

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

This year, I found a few more Christmas mugs that are similar in style and from the same time period as the ones I found last year.

 I have them on a mug tree in my kitchen. I love all the Santa graphics.

Here is another close up of the bells on this cup.

I love these Santa Boots. The red one is rather large, and the smaller one goes well with it! Both were added this year to the holiday decor.

This Church is a candle holder. When the candle is lit, the  light shines through the windows and tree. This belonged to my mother in law, and I decided to put it out this year to enjoy.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and blessings for the new year! Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I have been busy....always working on a project or two....or three.....or four....or......ahem.  But...I did manage to find a couple really cute vintage pieces for a song and a dance.

This little elephant planter was a great find. He is so cute and in very good shape! He is a cherry red but I used a vintage wrap to edit his photo!!

This little guy was a bargain at a yard sale for only .25 cents. It is a little toothpick holder. He is in perfect condition and will be put to good use soon. was lucky to find him when one of my long time friends and I were spending the day together. It was an afternoon spent enjoying lunch out and stopped at a few yard sales and local thrift stores in her area.

I was looking for specific things and as hard as it is to believe, at each and every stop we made,  I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a great day all around and I told her she brought me good luck!! Thanks Renea for a wonderful afternoon, I am still smiling when I think about it!! A good day with a good friend while hunting for good junk...it just does not get any better than that!

Have a great Vintage Thingie Thursday!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Framed

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I have had a love affair with vintage windows for a mighty long time. Just ask my husband.....I have them stashed by our garage and threatened bodily harm if any suddenly go missing. I have been known to stop and fish them out of peoples trash.....out of scrap piles....and once out of a dumpster.

Don't judge.

This vintage window is in my hallway.....long before pinterest came into being, these widows have been destined to be picture frames. I have another that is going to be framing something else a little later this year....and other projects for the ones I have stock piled. I seem to have a running theme with things like these old frames...one is never enough. I have to get as many as I can and  then figure out what I want to do with them.

 Photos, scrapbook paper serves as the backdrop of this old wooden frame. I did not repaint this frame, just a little cleanup work and it was fine like it is.....I love the chippy paint.

 This frame is in the hallway at my house. I see lots of hall photo walls on pinterest with the pretty black frames...but for me, this is more my taste...a little battered, a little worn, but filled with things and people I love...sorta like me in a lot of ways.

These prints are not vintage, but they certainly look vintage inspired. I love the stitch work....just my kind of art.

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday! Have a great week!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Dresser Updated

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

When my daughter was moving to Austin, she wanted a larger dresser than what she had in the past. So naturally, I was on the lookout for something larger that was made of good wood and would be something that would last.

I found this dresser on Craigslist, and the price was right, so I went to pick it up. When my daughter saw it she just sorta made a face ...... like... ummmmm...that was not really what I had in mind.

She rather reluctantly told me that this sorta looks like for a little girl. I quickly made the comment along the lines of... " A little girl?"

Well, I was a little shocked at that and said something to the affect  that she actually WAS still a little girl to me....as you can guess, that did not go over too well.

I guess at the age of 24 years old going on 25, the little girl image is not what one might be after. So I did what every thrifty person I know would have done.....reworked that dresser into something fit for an old lady, I mean a  young woman.

So out in the back yard it went. After sanding, painting, and sanding some more this turned out to be the perfect dresser for my daughter. She loved it.

New knobs from Hobby lobby were added for a more updated look. Those cost me almost as much as the dresser did to begin with....I was so glad they have 40% coupons. It only took me about 12 visits to purchase these at an affordable price and doing that I was able to replace the knobs.

Sanding around the edges and corners added the distressed look I love so well.

It turned out like I thought it would. As you can see, the mirror never made it with the dresser. That was still a little too "little girl" like for her. So we scraped the mirror, I think I sold it in a garage sale for what I paid for the dresser to begin with. ~ go figure~

All in all, very little was spent on this piece, and it works wonderfully in her room. What about you? Have you tried your hand a re purposing pieces of furniture and giving them a new updated look?

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!! Have a wonderful week.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Forever Yours China Plate

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I found this plate back a few weeks ago and thought is was the cutest thing ever!  I don't believe I have ever seen a plate like this one.

I did a search on Ebay for this right before Christmas and did not find a thing......

Well, wouldn't you know I did a search today and well...there are lots of pieces that match this plate....in fact, so much that I just clicked off ebay and refused to take another look. That is the very last thing I need is more dishes....but......

These sure are sweet!!! They are called "Forever Yours" by Brock of California.....and I just simply don't see how I can not have all the pieces......I. Just. Don't. I guess you could say it is a sickness....a true sickness.....and one I fear there is no cure! I am going to try and resist. Wish me luck!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: A Grinchy Christmas Dog

It is always fun this time of year as the Christmas decorations come out of their carefully wrapped boxes, to take a moment to enjoy all the memories that are attached to the holiday decorations as we deck the halls once again. One of my favorite memories of the Christmas season as a kid was the shows that were on television during this time. One of my all time favorites was How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

I seem to try and watch this one every year and never grow tired of it! Now, I look back at all my old favorites and wonder at the simplicity in the making of these shows, Yet, as a child growing up before animated graphics came along, they were pure magical......and truth be told, they still are.

Now if you are a fan of The Grinch, then Max is just about the cutest character on the show...next to Cindy Lou Who..... Just look at this adorable Max the dog made from reclaimed and recycled materials. He has become a treasure to me and is loved and cherished.

Being a dog lover, I always felt sorry for the poor little guy.....still do every time I watch that show. He reminds me of my dachshunds....cute, spunky, and too small to pull Santa's sleigh, but so faithful to try.

Lots of time during my teenage years were spent at my best friends house and her younger brother was always special to me. He was always so much fun and funny and we loved spending time with him and his friends. I always thought of him like a brother, and he was always as cute as a bug.

Not to mention, that my first born is named after him. When I was looking for a name to name my son, "Jeff" came to mind and that is how I named "my Jeff"....after the brother of one of my best friends. Well, as you can guess, my friend Jeff has grown into a mighty talented man! And I was gifted this Max the dog this summer. I treasure it, not only because it s so cute, but for who made it. Every time I look at him, I remember that cute little blond young man and how he grew into such a talented man today. I adore this dog and could not wait to display it this holiday season.

It takes a lot of creative talent to create things from nothing. Some people have that knack, others don't. Jeff certainly has so much of that very talent. I am so very proud of him and his accomplishments. These days, it takes special hearts to be able to see good in tossed away and ordinary things and turn them into treasures. Jeff is just that type of heart.  Some of his work is displayed at an Art Gallery in Granbury Texas. Check his work out HERE......there are some great pieces all made from reclaimed, tossed and forgotten treasures! This is the very kind of art that makes my heart sing! I love it!

What do you think of Max the dog?? Adorable is the word that comes to my mind. I added a couple of vintage ornaments to the antlers which are old railroad spikes, and borrowed one of Sophie's Christmas collars to put on his neck. I think he really is just about the cutest thing I have added this year to my decorations! He will be loved and cherished for many years to come! Thanks Jeffro for my precious pup! I love it and still love you too!!!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday Everyone!!! I am excited to see all the vintage Christmas that is sure to be highlighted this next month!!  What about you???

If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so  please make sure you follow the instructions.  Please only ONE link per week.