Shredded with Love

Posted on February 26, 2017April 3, 2017 Posted in UpcyclingTagged colorful, decoupage, DIY, magazine, magazine crafts, mod podge, sheet metal, shredded magazine, upcycle, upcycled, upcyclingLeave 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!

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One Hex of a Jewelry Box Makeover

Posted on February 12, 2017March 30, 2017 Posted in Furniture fixups, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged after, before, buttons, drawer pulls, hexagon, hexies, jewelry box, joann, lowe's, mod podge, quilt, quilt pattern, quilting, thrift store, upcycle4 Comments

A little background before I unveil the befores and afters – I no longer live in St. Louis. One random day that pesky straw appeared – you know, the one that broke the camel’s back – and I couldn’t take my job anymore. I struggled with my decision for a couple of hours, and then I went to my boss and told her that was going to be my last day. She didn’t try to convince me to stay (which encouraged me to go even more), and just like that – BOOM, unemployed. But at least I had a chance at remaining however sane I was at that point.

After a few months of desultorily looking for jobs in St. Louis, I decided to radically change my life. I put my house up for rent, sold most of my possessions, and boomeranged back to Mom and Dad’s house! My plan is to stay for a while and then buy a tiny house to put in my brother’s backyard. I have found a wonderful job with less-crazy people, so I’m paying off some bills and making big plans.

And this has to do with a jewelry box makeover . . . how? Since I made the decision to pare down and eventually go tiny, I have to remind myself not to buy makeover candidates at thrift stores. One of the hardest parts of selling most of my belongings wasn’t parting with items I loved, it was saying goodbye to the basement full of future projects I’d never gotten around to. It was really humbling to see all the great ideas I’d once had walk out the door with someone who might turn my great idea into a great finished project.

SO! I’ve been avoiding “befores” at the thrift store, but I could not pass this one up. I hope you’ll see why….

It’s not particularly well-made or anything, I just really loved the simple lines of it and I knew I could give it a new life. I had a stash of paper hexagons I had punched from some particularly awesome scrapbook paper (I couldn’t let them go in the moving sale!), so I chose a paint color and went to town!

I couldn’t find the exact drawer pulls I had in mind, so I followed Melissa’s lead over at Polka Dot Chair and headed straight to the button section at Joann. These little crystal-looking flowers were just the thing! I wanted to make sure they didn’t flop around on the front of the drawers, though, so I picked up some semi-rigid tubing at Lowe’s and made little sleeves for the buttons to sit in. Then I fed a wire through the drawer front and secured it inside.

I’m really happy with the way this project turned out. If it makes you happy, too, go on over to my etsy shop and buy it! Thanks for stopping by!

I linked this project up at:

Who’s Your (Fry) Daddy

Posted on November 8, 2013November 11, 2013 Posted in Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged deep fryer, DIY, diy light, fry basket, fry daddy, lamp, light kit, paint, spray paint, thrift, thrift store, upcycleLeave 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:

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

Reflections of the Past

Posted on September 24, 2013October 7, 2013 Posted in Decor updates, Furniture fixups, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged DIY, makeover, paint, spray paint, thrift store, upcycle, vintageLeave 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

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

Around the World In a Briefcase

Posted on September 10, 2013 Posted in UpcyclingTagged decoupage, DIY, makeover, mod podge, thrift, thrift store, travel, upcycle, vintageLeave 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!

Fall in Reverse

Posted on October 8, 2011October 13, 2011 Posted in Decor updates, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged DIY, makeover, paint chip, paint sample, secondhand, thrift, thrift store, upcycle, vintage1 Comment

There was a time in my life when I would have given up in the middle of this project. I wasn’t really feeling it, it was kind of driving me crazy, and I was tired! BUT I have finally learned to listen to that voice inside that knew what this could be, so I pressed on. Here’s where I started:

I think they may be vintage Ikea pieces, but I’m not sure. I say that like they’re so hoity-toity or something – “ohh, dahhhling, I luuuv your new Ikea pieces! Will you hang them next to your Picasso?” But I didn’t care if they WERE fine art, I was going to pimp them out! I seem to be on a paint chip roll lately, so I went with it. And here’s what happened!

They’re going to hang in my new office at work and the paint chips match the colors in my new fabric panels and the clock in the previous post. People at work are going to think I have stock in Valspar or something. Hmmm, now that I think of it, that may not be such a bad idea! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

I’m linking this project up at:
and

Half Past Aquamarine

Posted on September 25, 2011October 8, 2011 Posted in Decor updates, Thrifty findsTagged clock, DIY, makeover, paint chip, paint sample, secondhand, thrift, thrift store, upcycle1 Comment

Okay, I can’t claim the idea for this, but I did do all the figuring, geometry (!), and cutting to make it happen, so I’m proud to share it with you.

The population of my office at work recently dropped from 2 to 1 people, and the number of upholstery-worthy panels grew from zero to two, so I’m changing things up a bit. And by “changing things up” I mean decorating that which has never been decorated before! I covered the panels with the fabric shown below, which served as inspiration for the color palette of the clock. I think this fun pattern will be so much nicer to look at than the mauvey-gray commercial grade weave that’s underneath!

Tomorrow is installation day – if I can, I’ll snap a pic to share later. I hope you like my “chromatic clock”! Thanks for stopping by!

I’m linking up to

Hello, Blogland!

Posted on August 9, 2011August 9, 2011 Posted in UncategorizedTagged furniture, makeover, recycle, secondhand, thrift, upcycle, welcome3 Comments

Welcome to RedoPalooza! Stayed tuned for my first post shortly. I look forward to sharing some of my favorite makeovers and crafts with you!

–Missey