One "earthy" thing I do is try to keep useful items out of landfills so I keep my eyes open around the neighborhood on garbage day. My kids have gotten used to stopping on the way to school while I jump out of the car and grab stuff off the curb. Generally they pretend not to know me when I am doing this.
Sometimes I use items just as they are, but more often than not they need a facelift. Here are some items that got quite a redo.
We actually have two of these big oak desks I found. One needed no work at all and is where I keep my computer for coloring, the other is this one in John's studio. All it needed was a new top so we used leftover linoleum from our kitchen floor. Bonus: linoleum is self healing so you can cut on it and it makes a great production table. Another note about linoleum - real linoleum - it is made from organic materials and does not outgas any petrochemicals. A lot of people think you can't get true linoleum anymore but you can. We got ours from Forbo - you should check them out.
These pieces needed almost no work.
This one is still in progress.
These are awaiting their "makeover"
Wow...I love these! That trunk is gorgeous..who would throw that out? Do you sell these things? And what exactly is that dark piece with the (it looks like) lemons painted on it?
ReplyDeleteThanks! The trunk pretty much just had to be scrubbed and then spray lacquered, although it took about 20 coats of lacquer. And this is a tip for anyone who wants to rescue a trunk with a cloth lining that may smell musty - I lacquered the inside as well. It still smells a teeny bit musty but I keep old photo albums in it and they don't seem to pick up the smell.
ReplyDeleteAs for the dark thing with the lemons - John and I, our friends and several relatives have floated a variety of theories as to what in the heck it could be - when I got it, it was sort of a tan color. I'll try to add another view of it and if any of you actually know what it was used for we'd love to hear it!
And no, I don't sell them. I generally give the painted pieces away to my friends at Christmas in a version of the "white elephant" game. The exception is the green chair, which, when John saw me working on it said, "THAT'S going to my studio - it's an Edison chair!" So that's where it went.