gallery wall 2nd instalment

Continuing from my first post about my new gallery wall.
Sorry if you've seen some of them before, but for me, my blog is an online diary and I just like to catalogue stuff (I should have been a librarian !).

I did a guest post over at A Place 2 Call Home recently and showed this piece of beach junk.

I've hung it on the wall,  just as it is, because I love the patina so much.

I wanted something similar for the other side, so I created this little piece.

I just glued one piece of wood to another, then put a rusty nail through the rusty 'thing' and bent it round to hold in place.

Then, I slipped this old metal piece through the middle.

For some reason, I have given myself a rule with the beach junk. That is, that I can paint it, glue it to something, add pieces together and change it, but never to cut it up. I feel that if I cut it to fit something, then I have taken away the value of a piece of beach junk.

It washed up on the shore having been worn by time and the elements and I only want to enhance it, not destroy it.

You still here, I am not sure telling you all my off the wall thoughts is a good idea but I'm impressed if you've stayed.

Anyway, here it is on the gallery wall, where it balances out the larger piece on the other side.

I also bought this £3 pine frame, to show off some of my favourite things, because I couldn't find a box frame this size and shape. 

I painted it grey, and distressed and waxed it, then stuck the pieces onto the glass.

I thought I might just have no background at all, in the hope that it would look like the pieces were floating. This didn't work, so I used some photocopies of fish, which needed a few adjustments to fit behind the glass, and then just put it all together.

The shell in the middle, is just so lovely and worn. The silver pipe has a real softness to it, and I love the circuit board with tiny molluscs.

I'm loving all the grey tones - grey may be the new white in this house.

And because this is on the left side, I also did a grey frame for the right side. I bought this at the local charity shop for £5.

I had to buy this, because the frame is great, but also because it's the Hight Street, Sevenoaks, Kent  - where I grew up. This photograph is from 1920 and that building on the corner is now a jewellers !

I kept the photo, but used the frame for a print belonging to the old geezer. He lived in Tenerife for four years and wanted to keep this momento of Puerto de la Cruz.

The print isn't square at all, so I did the best I could, and played about with the frame till it looked ok.

I have been collecting all this stuff for quite sometime. Some things I have made for no cost at all, and the ampersand I already had, but I have worked out that the whole cost for everything is £61, which for 16 items isn't bad at all.

Every time I walk in the room I feel seriously happy with the result.

There is one picture left - I'll leave that for another day !

An ascp finished project coming soon !!

Linking up with
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

union jack love

This is the second item to come out of the lean to/workspace/studio. Furniture painted with Union Jacks is a big trend here too - I guess it started because of the recent royal wedding, but it's great to see it being used everywhere in blogland.
Pandy gave me this little table and said it was crying out for a makeover.

I actually decided NOT to paint it white !!! But I did decide to paint a Union Jack on the top and do it slightly 'in' from the edge because there was a natural line, created by the way the table was made.

I didn't take many photos (thank goodness, you're all thinking because your photos are rubbish !), but basically I sanded, put on two coats of primer, then painted the white, red and blue - taping as I went.

I found a great link that told me how to draw out the flag - this was actually a suggestion from the lovely Danielle at Silver Pennies who painted up a great chest of drawers with the Union Jack (she is married to a very cute Brit).

Yes, I distressed it A LOT - I love the old, vintage, distressed, shabby, scruffy, slightly soft round the edges (no, I'm not describing the old geezer !). I added a dark wax, you can see it at the top, before I covered the whole thing. I buffed it, then added a couple of coats of clear wax.

I love it, but maybe not so much, because I am actually going to try and sell it. If I manage to sell a few things then I can actually stay in the 'lean to' a lot more ! And it didn't cost me anything as I had ALL the paint, although I will be giving Pandy a percentage !!!

Linking up with -

Knick of Time Tuesdays @ Knick of Time

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays @ {Primp}

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence

Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer