The Repurposed Fish Bowl

So, numerous years ago I acquired some glass retro fish bowls at a yard sale for super cheap. I've always had aquariums and figured they may come in handy for back-up, water changes, disciplining naughty fish . . .

Somewhere along the way, one has been misplaced. Perhaps it broke. I can't recall. The other has been sitting quietly in my basement for years in plain view, yet I never really paid it much mind . . . until recently.

A few months ago I wrote a post about simple and stylish, plain glass being used in home decor. I had purchased some cool, vintage, glass gallon jugs which prompted that post. A big trend I'm sure you've seen is repurposing those vintage jugs into table lamps or hanging pendant lights among other creative uses.

Since I was focused on clear glass, that plain fish bowl sitting in my dark basement suddenly seemed a whole lot more appealing. I figured I could use it in a new way. Albeit quite simple, if you have a spare fish bowl laying around, you have a great container for displaying items such as these natural accents - some bought, some made.

A nice mix of decorative spheres made from natural elements such as various vine, grasses and jute rope.

Thanks to Pier 1 for this excellent coffee table.  I bought it many years ago but have yet to grow tired of it.

A vintage vise (foreground) makes an excellent table accent.

Great earthy colors from both the coffee table top and the displayed accents.

Keep your eyes peeled for vintage fish bowls at yard sales.
I know I'll be looking for more now! 

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Tuesday
Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
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Wednesday
Someday Crafts - Whatever Goes Wednesday
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Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Thursday
The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Chippy Paint Rustic Shelf

As you may recall, my last adventure yielded some old, skid wood which I salvaged and turned into a rustic box. What I didn't tell you is that I also found some "authentic", chippy-paint, wood planks.   I left them there and returned a few days later to stake my claim!  After three treks back and forth through the woods, all the planks were home. What a fun work-out on a sunny and warm Spring-like day!

Here are "the goods" once I removed the numerous 3 1/2" nails and cut-off any bad end sections. At least some of the ends with nail holes were in good condition . . . (I love the vacant nail holes left in the wood for extra character.)

A bonus was that one of the planks had an old, loose (and rusted in place) latching hardware fixture. I knew I wanted to showcase that element on the completed piece.

The show-cased hardware on the finished shelf unit.

Well, here it is. Not too bad for a very "un-carpenterish" guy like myself  (" . . . Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby")

The front "apron" piece extends beyond the overall width (read more below).

Just some quick stats:

I cut (4) horizontal, shelf pieces at 3 feet and (4) vertical, side pieces at 4 feet. I created my horizontal shelves first by laying two of the 3 feet sections side by side (to add depth to the shelf) and connected or braced them together with scrap pieces of wood about 3 inches in from either end.

I did this similarly for all "sections" I created and then merely attached them together. Yes, I say merely as though it was breeze but this project took me a good four hours to do. (Pathetic, I know . . . and the carpenters on HGTV can case 8 windows, build a custom, built-in shelving unit and cut floor trim molding in a 1/2 hour show!  I'm so envious of their skills!!!)

OK, Back to attaching them. Where the sides attach to the top I used both "L" shaped brackets and corner blocks of wood. I screwed through the corner block into the top and into the sides. For the lower shelf, I again used blocks of wood which are simply screwed into the sides. These shelves simply rest on the blocks and are removable.

The wood plank with the hardware was used as an apron piece, spanning the front, top shelf. I elected to leave this one piece of wood longer than the overall width of the shelf as both ends had such great character I didn't want to lose with a clean saw-cut.  This extending piece also hides the other clean saw-cuts of the other pieces and where they connect.

Oh . . . and I added a "V" notch to the bottom of the side pieces with a jigsaw to create "legs".

Here it is staged at the front entry.

A simple mix of items with a bit of rustic charm.
Don't you just love that chippy, white paint?!

Old bottles I found while "good-deed" cleaning my road.

Old watering cans are just too cool!

A shabby lantern made from left-over. miscellaneous materials.

An iron doormat borrowed from my mother for one of my holiday displays.
Umm, maybe I can keep it awhile longer?  

The corner displaying my upcycled chimney pot with cool, twisty branches and filled with stones.

I sorta want to seal the shelf from the elements but don't want to change its appearance. Any suggestions on a good product to use? I have an oil-penetrating, clear-coat, deck sealer which I applied to the underside of one of the shelves but it made the wood darker.  I prefer the dry, weathered and faded look of the wood and don't want to lose that (too much). If I can't figure something out, this piece will be making its way indoors as a hallway console table. I really like it outside though. Thoughts?




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Wednesday
Very Merry Vintage Style - Share the Love Wednesday
Restore Interiors - Restored It Wednesday
Primitive & Proper - Piece of Work Wednesday
Someday Crafts - Whatever Goes Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
Ginger Snap Crafts - Wow Me Wednesday


Thursday
The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Somewhat Simple - Strut Your Stuff Thursday
House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HOH Thursdays


Friday
Happy Hour Projects - Freestyle Friday
Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration
At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Friday
The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday
REDOUX - Friday Link Up Party
The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating - Flaunt it Friday

Saturday
Funky Junk Interiors - Sat Nite Special
Be Different, Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday
Tatertots & Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

Weathered Skid to Rustic Box

Well I guess I've been busy as my posts have been sadly lacking lately. First off I must give a big THANK YOU to two fellow bloggers. Suzy at Worthing Court featured ME last week on her blog and did such a wonderful write-up. I'm still beaming from her efforts. You can read the post here as well as peruse some of her personal, frugal, decorating ideas.

Likewise, Tiki at Ribbons, Lace, and Inspiration chose me as a "new" recipient of the Leibster Award. Thank you Tiki!!! She is another fan of frugal decorating who knows how to design on a budget.

So what have I done lately? Well, I've been collecting not METAL as I had been but instead, WOOD. Yes, numerous types of wood. I took a trip down to the river on a gorgeous Sunday last weekend and brought home numerous pieces of drift wood which I'll be turning into art projects of some sort.

The past two days had me trekking through the woods to a spot where somebody dumped some old skids. These skids must have been sun-baking in this spot for quite some time. I love sun-dried tomatoes and I must admit, I now love sun-dried skids! The wood is super for rustic projects such as the one I completed this morning. This project took me about an hour and I'm so pleased with it. It WAS to be an ETSY project for my store but once again, like with other creations I've made for ETSY, I may find it hard to part with. Guess I'll have to make MORE!!!

Here are some of the weathered boards I removed from the skids . . .
. . . my raw materials for this project.

And here is the simple, rustic box after cutting the boards to size and attaching them.

Hmmmm, what about a cool, rusty metal embellishment?

Love it!

Now, let's see . . . how can I display this new box? 

 Ah yes, soaps and wash clothes.

So, here is sits in its new home beside the main bath sink. I jostled some items around to make room for it and am happy to say it will be staying like this for quite awhile. Yep, guess that means this "intended Etsy item" is not For Sale . . . (at least not yet). :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday
Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
At Home With K - Terrific Under Ten Tuesday
Sassy Sites - Trash to Treasure Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
Happy Hour Projects - Freestyle Friday
Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration
At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Friday
The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday

Tree Bark Bowl

While out and about the property yesterday I happened upon a large tree in the woods that is sadly dying. It has been shedding large sections of bark for awhile and many thick pieces lay strewn at its base. Although sad to see a tree in this state, I couldn't help but be immediately drawn to the organic beauty and texture of the bark and knew I had to "save" the memory of the tree (  now I want to listen to Enya) the only way I knew how . . . to incorporate a piece of it into my home.

I have used large random sections of bark before in my landscaping. It is a great addition placed on top of mulch located on steeper hillsides as it minimizes mulch "erosion" and also adds interest to the landscape.

Once I carried the large piece (measuring over 3 1/2 feet) up to the house, I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it. Although the bark's texture is incredible to look at, I realized that the backside (inside) was just as interesting. When placed bark-down, the piece naturally has a slight concave shape, making it a fitting "bowl" or tray of sorts.

Although I've been in love with my "level-headed" tea-light display, it was time for a change. So, my new bark bowl has replaced the level and it looks great. A few moss balls which I made a week ago seemed like a highly appropriate accompaniment to the bark.   What do you think?

Another use of "trees" added to my arsenal. 

  "En Garde Pottery Barn!"

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A Little Knick Knack Link Party
Redoux - Friday Link Up Party
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Be Different, Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday

Budget Bathroom Lighting Makeover

Gosh, where does the time go? Yes, I've been neglecting The Frugal Tree blog but not without good reason. The main website, Frugal Interior Design needed some attention and I've been busy working on projects for The Frugal Tree at Etsy. After a few, mini-snow "storms" and completing a few home projects, I decided I had better write a post before a Search-and-Rescue party ensues for yours truly.

So, what did I do this weekend? I finally decided to do something about the lighting fixtures in my bathroom. I'm almost embarrassed to show these images. Funny how we find time to help others with their "upgrades" but seem to neglect our own.

Out With The Old

Yes, there was a time when this lighting fixture was cool. Amazing how dated it looks to me now. A few years ago, all the fixtures in my bathroom were converted to an oil-rubbed bronze finsh. My bathroom has some semi-Old World charm. Does this say "Old World" to you? "Ummmm, nah, not so much!" It was the last remaining nickel finished item in the room; albeit, rarely noticed perched up high on the ceiling, but the blue shades? I was OVER IT!!!

Enter Rustoleum Universal Metallics in Oil Rubbed Bronze.

I can't say enough good things about this paint's finish. I was truly amazed. It actually DOES look like oil-rubbed bronze. At $8+ a can, it better be good! I was on the fence as to whether or not I was going to do this (use paint) or just buy a new fixture. I saw a rather nice one with a bit more Old World Charm, especially due to the style and shades for a mere $40.00 at Lowes, but seeing as this is a "FRUGAL" blog, I decided to attempt the spray paint process.

Aluminum foil easily covered the sockets to keep them free of paint.

The bad part of the project? Ummmm, near 32 degrees outside with snow spitting and having to work in my basement. Now I hate spray painting inside. For safety reasons, I turned off the heat, opened a nearby outside door, bundled up and sprayed quick short bursts. The house still STUNK for hours despite my efforts. This spray paint definitely has a different odor than normal spray paint but hey, it looks WAAAAAY better than regular spray paint too.

Check out the likeness between the cap color and the lighting fixture's base.

The drying process seemed to take forever and I was so antsy to get the thing back up in place. While it was drying, I decided to work on another project . . .  the crazy vanity lighting (see below). The cabinets in this bathroom were hand-made and as such, things are a bit "customized" and sometimes, not in a way we would like. The two, giant, globe light-bulbs scare the crap outta me. I've disliked them since day one. No other lights would fit up into those sockets because the hole drilled through the wood is a bit on the narrow side and these MEGA GLOBES apparently have just a narrow and long enough neck to reach (lucky me).

Well, I recently have been fascinated with the nod toward "Edison bulbs".
Clear bulbs with a vintage look in which you can see the numerous filaments. I saw the one-and-only style available at Lowes and scrutinized the diameter of the neck. Would it fit? Yes, I could always drill the cabinet holes to a larger diameter but was I that ambitious? Not really, so let's give these bulbs a try. "YAY, they fit!"

A "Scary Bulb" (left), a new "Edison bulb" (right).

Now, what kinda of shade do I want? In a lot of the applications I've seen with these bulbs, you want to "show-off" the filaments and not mask or hide the overall appearance of the bulb.

Seeing as I've been working on projects lately that utilize reclaimed, rusty metal springs, I knew a "spring fixture" would be the perfect answer. After numerous trips from the basement (my work area) to the bathroom for adjusting the metal and the mounting points on my new "fixtures", We Had Success.

These pictures make it look a bit BLAH but I'm quite happy with the outcome. It definitely seems more "vintagey" and better fits the Old World influences and colors of the space.

I can't stop running to the bathroom every few hours to admire the new look. Guess those creepy globe bulbs that reminded me of Mr. Bill's head (see the "Scary Bulb" pic a few images above) had subliminally traumatized my psyche. I'm glad THAT'S over!

In With The "New"

Note, the Frosted White shades.  "Bye, bye blue."

So, for now, a spray painted track light and a rusty spring shade make things
"well in my world".

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At Home With K - Terrific Under Ten Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Scrap Metal Madness

I went scavenging for scrap or "raw materials" for my projects again and found this cool, wiggly, wavy metal that was previously some decorative fencing element.

See the pile amassed in my basement? I also found two heavy-duty iron stakes with a typical detailing that looks architectural. They have a great rusty, weathered patina too. I can't wait to figure out how to use these buggers. Anybody have a blow-torch I could borrow? . . .  (LOOK OUT!!!)

So in sticking with something a bit easier to handle, I decided to start working with the wavy metal elements. I cut them to a few different lengths, ground off the sharp edges with my handy Dremel and began laying out a pattern which I then affixed to a glass vase.

I placed burlap around the bottom of the vase before applying the metal pieces. I figured it would act as an anchoring material to keep the metal from slipping and sliding around. A bit of hot glue helped secure them in place and later, jute twine was added for extra security.

My latest candle holder incorporating scrap metal. 

I love the wavy, metal pieces. They kinda give it a modern feel. I guess you'll be seeing more "wavy metal creations" as I have a pile of that stuff to use up now! :-)

Stay-Tuned!


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Rustic Crafts - Shabby Shares

Classy Glassy

Boy did I make out well yesterday while "thrifting". Without realizing it at the time, I had purchased all clear glass items during my multiple stops.

Three vintage glass EO BRODY vases . . .

Two old gallon jugs with vintage metal lids (yeehawww!) . . .

. . . and an old, glass gallon jar full of rusty nails. 

Yes, I wanted the nails for some of my projects and the jar of course was an added bonus.

I was a bit turned off by the label . . . (I hate mustard) but it wasn't a deal breaker.  That old label makes it cool regardless of my disgust of yellow condiments.

However, I'm sorta liking this look as is. Could this gallon jar of nails be the big brother to . . . 

A small, vintage bottle filled with random rusty nails.

. . . this little guy?

So, for now, an old jar filled with rusty nails makes yet another decorative statement (in my world). I'll pull nails as I need them but keep the jar sitting out among my other rustic, vintage finds as it just "works".

Have you noticed that clear glass is gaining popularity again in decorative lighting? Simple, classic, chic seems to be the direction. Add some snazzy Edison bulbs and we are talking cool lighting! Of course repurposing old jars as retrofitted lamp shades and pendants, or glass gallon jugs as lamp bases is a popular "sport" these days. Perhaps I'll dump those nails after all and make a lamp instead!