One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

You never know what kinds of things can have a new life. I was camping in Shenandoah National Park a few years back, when I stumbled upon a campsite with scrap wood left by the fire pit. Most of it was in the form of twigs and logs, but some of it was scrap lumber. I saved this one small piece of 2x6 to figure out how to re-purpose it later.

It just sat for the longest time on a shelf in my spare bedroom. I was lacking inspiration. Then one day it finally came to me. I was going to paint it with some craft paints a family member gave to me. I was then going to spray it with lacquer and add hardware to make a small piece of art for the kitchen that could also hold my potholders, kitchen towels and other small items.

Here is how I made this lovely little piece from start to finish:

1)  Sand down the rough edges using sandpaper. I also sanded edges so they would be more rounded instead of crisp 90 angles. I thought it gave the piece a more warn, but softer look. Brush away any sanding dust before painting.

2) Paint a base coat on the front and four sides. Save some paint aside for touch ups later. I used a dark chocolate brown for my base coat. Several coats of paint may be needed to achieve opacity. Otherwise, if you like some of the wood grain to show through (more like a stain) then one coat would be enough.

3) Draw design on wood using pencil. The pencil may not seem to show up at first, especially on a dark background, but the graphite does have a sheen to it, so if you hold it up in the right light you can still see it even on a dark painted piece of wood.

4) I painted a few fruits and veggies onto mine, since it is for the kitchen. Paint the base colors on first. Then add shading and details with the same colors but in darker or lighter versions. Several coats of paint may be needed to achieve opacity.

5) Once you have finished painting you can coat your design in a lacquer. I use Treehouse brand spray in either matte or glossy, depending on how I want the piece to look when done. I spray 2-3 even coats of lacquer over the entire design and sides. I decide how many coats to spray based on the way each coat looks when it is dry.

6) I add hardware on the back for hanging. You can purchase that at any craft store that has a framing dept. Nail or screw it on, depending on what the package recommends. You can also use Command strips if you piece is light enough. I used picture hanging Command strips that were rated up 16 lbs. I know this piece is nowhere near 16 lbs, so it should be fine.

7) Add hardware to the front if you desire to make it useful for hanging things. You can buy hooks or handles in the hardware dept. of a home improvement store or you can get creative and use old silverware, etc. for hooks. A lot of silverware is fairly easy to bend with your hands into a hook shape. You can find cheap silverware at a thrift store. I paid a quarter for each of my spoons. Some hardware will already come with holes and nails or screws for attachment. Others will need creative attachment.

• You can glue hardware on with epoxy or hot glue.
• You could drill through the metal if you have the right tools to do so, then nail or screw them in.
• You might be able staple across the handle of something like a spoon.

Do you know anyone who works in the construction trade who might be able to give you scrap lumber? You can make things like this, too or the long signs like those you see in country/primitive/antique stores.

Estimated Cost: $4.00
(paints free, wood free, spoons $0.50, command strips about $3.50)

Second project:

Here I used an IKEA cabinet front from the AS-IS section to create a wall hanging. The cabinet door cost me $3.00. I thought for $3 it would be easy to experiment with a piece of wall art.

Again I used my craft paints (PLAID brand). I used my computer to print out letters which I cut out using my X-ACTO knife. This became a stencil to which I traced using a fine point sharpie onto my cabinet front. Using a pencil also works, especially if you do not have the confidence that you will not screw up in the tracing process.

I wrote SOUTHPORT on the top and MAINE on the bottom. This is where I was living last summer and it has a very special place in my heart.

(I wanted this piece to be the partner to another similar size piece I created using a rectangular frame with 3 5x7 slots, which features mementos from Monhegan Island, ME. Monhegan was also a special place I visited while I was in Maine. Southport is also an island. Each piece will have a map of the island in the center.)

I then painted in the letters using craft paint in a turquoise color. And then lacquered the lettering when I was done.

In the center inset I decoupaged a trio of photos (the center being a map). I used both outdoor grade decoupage and the lacquer to create a nice top coat.

On the backside I added some picture hanging hardware. I used the same Command Strips as above (16 lbs). I put lots of strips on the back to create as many points of contact as possible, so that this piece would not fall off the wall. You could also nail, screw or epoxy on picture hanging hardware instead.

Now I have a lovely wall hanging of my time in Southport, Maine, made from a cabinet facing. I think in the future if I sell my work at farmers markets/craft fairs, I will buy more of these cabinet pieces and make more artwork. They are very economical and the fact they are often inset means they make great frames. However, for now I just made this piece, because it is so heavy and would not ship inexpensively. I would be willing to do custom work for anyone who wants to pick up locally.

Estimated Cost: $10.00
(Paints free, frame/cabinet door front $3.00, copies of pictures from copy center $1.00, decoupage about $1.00 worth, Command Strips $5.00)

I love making my own wall art, using mementos from places I have been. I want my next place to have walls filled with an eclectic mix of my own art (the fruit and vegetable kitchen rack above), places I have traveled (Southport and Monhegan) and things that are of great meaning to me (like the collection of prints I have that are copies from an antique book I own that has been passed down in my family). Other peoples artwork is nice, especially if you know the artist personally, but your own artwork and personal mementos are so much better.

I am also working on a piece using a frame I found near a stores dumpster. It was lovely framed newspaper article. The frame was in great shape.  I replaced the matte with a matte for 4 (4x6s). I then plan to add four vintage art deco postcards from my favorite national parks. I already have two from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I know there is one for Shenandoah and I am sure other parks have their own. I paid $4.00 for the matte, since I used a half-price coupon. The post cards will total around $2.00. Of course the frame was free, so for $6.00 I have another beautiful memento of some of my favorite places.

Finally, I want to show another transformation not of the wall art kind. I had two really old yucky potholders at home and to most people they would have been trashed. However, I thought that instead of trashing them, I could give them new life and this would also save me from having to buy new potholders. I had always thought about making my own potholders, but was too afraid to try. I was afraid I would use the wrong material and they would burn or that I would burn myself through them if they were not insulating enough. So, I decided recovering old potholders was the perfect solution. As long as I used cotton fabric and thread I knew my potholders would be just fine.

1) Wash the old potholders first to be 100% sure they are clean before you start. Use cotton fabrics and threads. Trace around the old potholder on the new fabric, remember to trace 1/4 inch out for seem allowance or cut 1/4 inch out from the traced line afterwards. Make a front and back piece for each potholder. Snip off the hanging hook on the old potholder (You will create new ones later).

2) Sew the back and front pieces together (wrong sides together) leaving an opening 2-3 inches wide. Flip the piece right side out. Iron the casing flat and the open edge so the raw edges are nicely pressed inside. Stuff the old potholders inside and flatten them down, pushing them into the corners or wherever else necessary to insure a good fit.

3) Sew as close to the edge as possible to close the open edge and just continue around the whole perimeter of the potholder.

4) Add an applique design on top if you wish, using scrap cotton fabrics and wonder under.

5) Sew through all layers around the applique designs if necessary. Also sew other patterns on the potholders to create a quilted look and to insure all layers are well bound together. I quilted my potholders in the shape of the fruit appliques and then just did a simple grid pattern on the rest of the potholder.

6) Add a small loop for hanging. I used scrap fabric, cut it into a long strip and folded the raw edges in twice and sewed them in place. Then I created the loop and sewed it. This can get tricky as you are now asking your sewing machine to sew through tons of layers and even denim/heaviest duty needles can struggle with this. Go super slow with your sewing machine or hand sew the loops on if it makes you feel more comfortable. Done!