Tag: DIY

Shredded with Love

Posted on Posted in UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

This was a project in process that I just couldn’t part with when I sold most of my worldly possessions.  It didn’t take up much room and I knew I could make my vision come to life, so this one didn’t even go into the storage unit – I came with me to my parents’ house.  I finally got the peps (as my grandmother would say) and finished it!

Shredded magazines + some hardware = love!

If you’ve seen any of the other photos on this blog, you know I LOVE bright colors (see what I did there?), and I knew that a stack of magazines ready for recycling would provide a treasure trove of supplies.  I ran the most colorful pages through my Amish paper shredder, as my former boss called it (similar to this http://tinyurl.com/jlqlbxl), then painstakingly glued the best strips onto some chipboard letters from the craft store.  Once they were covered, I coated each letter with Mod Podge and a couple coats of varnish.

I created the frame out of wood strips from the home improvement store and my dad’s miter box.  I would have purchased a frame, but I was able to construct a custom frame for less than I would have spent on a pre-made frame, plus I wanted to customize it with my own color anyway.  Once the frame was done, I stuck a piece of galvanized metal on the back with some heavy-duty double-sided tape, and stuck the letters on with the same tape.

I am really happy with how it turned out and I’d love to know what you think!  This project is for sale in my etsy store – check it out!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/redopalooza?ref=search_shop_redirect

Thanks for stopping by!

New Year, New Directions

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

No project today, just the beginning of a whole new year.  I could spend this first paragraph explaining all my “reasons” (a.k.a. excuses) for the extended hiatus between posts on this blog, but I’m going to skip that and tell you where it is going from here.

I love to make things and most of them are before and after-type projects, but I’ve found that I will go weeks without completing one and that keeps me from posting.  I also love decorating my home, thrift store shopping, and selling some thrift store finds on eBay.  I would love to share a little of everything with you and going forward, that’s what you’ll find here at Redopalooza.

This year is starting off in really exciting fashion for me, as I am moving in to a new house!  I live in the St. Louis metro area and bought a place closer to my job.  It is cute as it is, but one of the reasons I chose to buy it is the abundance of DIY projects I can tackle within.  First was refinishing the wood floors, about which I will post in the very near future.  Meanwhile, I’m going to rest after a full day of packing and moving.

10000 EBD OMO

Happy New Year!

Twofer Tuesday

Posted on Posted in Decor updates, Furniture fixupsTagged , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Today I’m coming atcha with two different makeovers from one room. I guess it’s technically a bedroom, since it has a method of egress and a closet, but it really serves as more of a walk-through space for me. But I wanted a spot for a sundry niece or nephew to stay, so I stuck a daybed in there! But a naked closet and a 1980’s daybed would not do for a spot in Chez Redopalooza.

Funny story about the daybed – I was cruising Craigslist with the vague idea of buying one, when I discovered one that was listed just down the street from me. I leaped from my chair and went running out the door in my comfortable clothes (okay, they were pajamas) and hustled down the street. There I met the nicest woman and carried the daybed home with me in pieces. Later on I would discover that she is the owner of this amazing etsy shop: ReMain Eco Designs, where she sells incredible pieces made from bicycle parts. Small world!

After many nights in my chilly basement and a substantial mattress investment, the daybed is now a much more palatable and comfortable orange. And just so the closet wouldn’t feel left out, I dressed it up with some cathedral windows fabric from Joann. That was another funny story – I bought the remaining fabric on the bolt and when I got home discovered that it was EXACTLY the right size! I didn’t have to cut it once. Okay, that’s not that funny. Sue me.

Anyway, here are the afters, in all their glory!


Hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Thanksgiving!

I linked this post up to

Who’s Your (Fry) Daddy

Posted on Posted in Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I mean no patriarchal disrespect when I say this, but nobody needs their daddy around anymore. Not with all the bad news out there about the evils of cholesterol and deep-frying. Oh! I meant to say nobody needs their FRY Daddy around anymore.

I’ve never been much of a deep-fryer person anyway – every time I attempt it, everything in my house (clothes for work the next day) ends up smelling like a greasy strip mall Chinese restaurant. So I didn’t have a Fry Daddy to dismantle, but somebody did and this fry basket ended up at the thrift store.

I grabbed it with a light fixture project in mind, thinking I might stick something in those holes or hang something beaded off of them. But the longer I had it, the more its industrial vibe spoke to me and I decided to go a more purist route. All it took was some spray paint (of course), tin snips, and a light kit from Cost Plus World Market.


If you insist on keeping your Fry Daddy intact, you can purchase this light fixture in my etsy shop! Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by!

I linked this project up at:

DIY Show Off

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/11/10/that-diy-party-42/#zVc44gcySUZXJ3Zz.99

Reflections of the Past

Posted on Posted in Decor updates, Furniture fixups, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Geez, that title probably made you think you were going to see some kind of Lifetime for Women movie, didn’t it?

Well, I’m happy to say that’s not the case (or sorry to disappoint, depending upon your feelings about Lifetime…it DOES have Project Runway going for it)!  This is a post about mirrors.  See what I did there?

I found a set of four Burwood pictures at the thrift store.  Only three of them would fit in the frame for these pictures, but rest assured, they all came out the same.  I LOVED the shape of the frames, but the finish on them was hideous, as Burwood/Syroco/Home Decorators vintage items usually is.  And the “artwork”…?  Ahem.

Can ya guess what I did?  Of course you can.  I painted them.  And, after nearly severing a digit while trying to do it myself, I had a glass shop cut some mirrors to fit and glue them in place of those sad, 70’s butterflies.  This all happened about four years ago and I still love them just as much!  I hope you like them, too.  Thanks for stopping by!

I linked this project up at

DIY Show Off

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/10/06/that-diy-party-37/#8tiwySeCxXhDtBoh.99

Around the World In a Briefcase

Posted on Posted in UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

This little briefcase called out to me at the thrift store a while ago.  It reminded me of a vintage suitcase and I immediately knew what I was going to do with it.  I had a moment’s couple month’s pause about altering it because it had a vintage shoe company brand name on it (Wikler Shoes) and I wondered if it was a old salesman’s case or something.  Eventually, however, I just decided to dive in with my Mod Podge!

As I mentioned in my laundry room makeover post, I love anything travel-related, especially vintage designs of travel posters, advertisements, stickers, et cetera.  Knowing this, my parents have gifted me with two different sets of travel stickers over the years that were laying dormant in Craft Purgatory.

Sidebar – it’s so funny about things like these stickers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved them so much I didn’t want to use them on anything.  So instead, they were languishing in a drawer, gathering dust.  Strange way to show love, don’t you think?  I do this with scrapbook paper, too.  Arrggh.

At any rate, I stuck the travel stickers on in what I perceived to be an attractive fashion, Mod Podged over them and here is the result!

 

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by!

I’ve been posting . . . Periodically!

Posted on Posted in Furniture fixups, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

This is an oldie but a goodie.  At one point in time a few years ago, I was in search of a new coffee table.  It struck me at the time how boring most coffee tables are, and the ones that aren’t boring are usually hideous.  Neither option appealed to me or my living room decor!

So I got to thinking about making a unique coffee table and I just couldn’t stop thinking “Periodic Table.”  I considered creating a coffee table with the standard-issue chemistry class periodic table, but then I stumbled across this GENIUS project:  http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/, and I knew immediately what I would do.  I tracked down a super-boring but high quality oak coffee table and used paint, paper, and Mod Podge to transform it into my own Periodic Coffee Table of the Elements.  Behold!

And here are a few closeups of my favorite elements (well, not favorite ELEMENTS, because I love all the elements equally [doesn’t everybody?], but my favorite PRINTS of the elements):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the interest of education, I’ll leave it to you to discover what the more cryptic of these elements are.  Please visit the project website, too, for more information:  http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/.  I believe they may even sell prints of certain of the elements.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Fill ‘er Up!

Posted on Posted in Decor updates, Furniture fixupsTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’ll take “Blog Neglecters” for $500, Alex….

In honor of getting back on the blog radar, I’m pulling out one of my biggest projects to date.  When I first moved in to my townhome, one section of my living room looked like this:

Sooooooo, yeah.  A wee bit sad (and blurry – apologies for the pre-blog photo tragedy).  I know my electronics are completely old school, but I like them and didn’t want to spend money on new ones.  But that part of the room was just asking for something to fill it – the ceiling is vaulted and that’s near the highest point, so the emptiness soared to tremendous heights, too!

What happens when a girl wants to fill a tall gaping hole in her living room with a place for her TV and stereo system from the Pleistocene Epoch but doesn’t want a just-begging-to-be-outdated entertainment center?  She designs her own shelving unit (in Microsoft Excel, of all programs),

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

then she tracks down a welder to make the frame, and creates wood inserts for the shelves, of course:

Lots of my favorite things on that thar shelving unit, with a tiny bit of cat tail for good measure (bottom left)!  I love the globe on the top shelf and the glass head on the bottom shelf just makes me laugh.

Now, lest you think we’re all basking in our post-shelf-creating bliss over here, let me tell you a couple things I learned from this process.  1)  Welders are NOT cheap!  2)  Measure, measure measure!  Once the unit was finished I realized how large the space is and it’s a bit of a challenge to fill!  3)  Drilling through your index fingernail may result in long-term loss of sensation.

The most astute of you out there will notice that something else has changed also (the floor, for the rest of you) – that’s a whole other post and a big part of the reason for my lengthy self-imposed blog exile!  I’ll tell you about it soon!

I PROMISE!

You’ve Got Mail

Posted on Posted in Decor updates, Thrifty findsTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Collections are dangerous things.  They can push you precariously close to hoarding status, as well as bankruptcy, especially if you choose to collect something like Faberge eggs!  Holidays and birthdays are dangerous territory also, when your well-meaning friends and relatives give you items that they’re just sure “will be great in your collection!” but that you NEVER would have purchased yourself, collector or no.  It can be dicey!   

I’ve been pretty lucky and careful in my collecting life.  I can usually tell when it gets to the tipping point of buying for quantity versus quality of the collection, and I can rein myself in, in most cases.  One of those cases is my vintage mailbox collection.

Snail mail has always been a love of mine, starting back when it was just known as “mail.”  I love the look of stamps and postmarks and most things postal (except “going postal,” of course, to which I am opposed).  Years ago, just because it was cool looking, I bought a glass mailbox that has “Visual Mail” embossed on the front.  Little did I know it was a collection seed!

Most of my collection today resides in my small entryway, hanging on corrugated metal (another love of mine) within a homemade frame.  Yesterday, I finally got my entryway painted and am no longer ashamed to post pictures of it!  Behold!

Here are a few closeups of my favorite bits and pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The quail were thrift store finds, and they are salt and pepper shakers.  I think they single-handedly created the blood pressure problem in this country, because they are huge!  They could each hold about half of a salt container!  Perhaps we could just say they’re efficient, because you’d only have to refill them once a year.  Maybe you could even develop an annual family ritual – The Filling of the Quail.

I love the designs on the feathers and of course the plumes on their heads are awesome!

I have a few other mailboxes that may end up on a different wall.  One of my favorites was a gift from my parents, which was a homemade job that reads “We Shoot Every Third Salesman.  The Second One Just Left.”  Ha!  A simple No Soliciting sign would have sufficed!

Well, thanks for stopping by!  I hope your Spring is happy, healthy, and productive.

Basket Case

Posted on Posted in Decor updatesTagged , , , Leave a comment

Long story, but I was originally going to use this shopping basket as a jewelry display.  Yeahhhhhhhh………..that didn’t work out.  But I had this big empty space above my cabinets and I was THIS CLOSE to reverting to my 1980’s roots and filling it with a fake plant!  Luckily, I waited to do that long enough that I eventually had a brainstorm to put my cool vintage shopping basket up there.

It’s really hard to get a good picture of something that consists mostly of space….

So there it was, all empty and stuff.  For a long time.  I always felt bad because it’s such a cool thing!  I mean, check out this brand badge:

And when I took it down to work some magic on it, I noticed that the previous owner had taped her name and address to the handle of the basket!  And she was a Show-Me-Stater, like myself!

So cute!  Hazel, if you’re a reader of RedoPalooza and you want your basket back, get in touch!  Of course, I’ll have to see photo ID in order to relinquish this beauty.

So I had an idea to make it look like I had just taken this basket shopping in 1943 and wouldn’t you know it, on a thrifting trip shortly thereafter, I came upon some delightful faux fruit and veggies!  I brought them home and set them on my counter.  Well, today was the day.  The day I got SICK OF HAVING THEM ON MY COUNTER!  So I also had an empty cereal box and I decided to fix it up with a printed copy of a vintage cereal box.  Look – it still says SUGAR Frosted Flakes!  Then I took some cardboard and glued some fabric to it and lined the inside of the basket.  I wasn’t about to do any SEWING for this “just to look at” project!

SO!  Awesome vintage shopping basket + fake fruit + faux vintage cereal box + imitation fabric basket liner =

And here they are in their new habitat, above my pantry cabinet.

I’m not completely pleased with the whole montage.  I wish I had a mesh bag for the fruits and veggies to go in but I guess I’ll have to wait until the next time I use up a bag of onions!  And I didn’t realize how high up the whole arrangement would be and it’s kind of hard to see from the floor.  But that’s the beauty of redoing stuff – I get to decide when it’s finished or just keep tweaking it until I’m happy.  We’ll see where it goes from here!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season!