Now that the structure of my shelves was complete, I went to work on the color scheme. I decided to use some of the wicker from the laundry basket I found as a backing for the smaller drawer and a strip of texture in the larger drawer.

Since the drawers were made from MDF or fiberboard and not a hardwood, I was not able to use eco-friendly milk paint for this project. Instead, I used some salvaged latex paint that I got for free at the ReStore in St. Louis. Looking at the colors I had, I worked out a design on paper. Continue reading »

Since my last post about the dining chair, I’m sure everyone has been hanging on the edge of their seats wondering, “Will the stool fall apart when the clamps are taken off?” or “How will she ever fix that ridge in the center of that seat?” No fear! I am here to answer all your questions and lead you through the final stages of this project!

The clamps came off, and the stool was a sturdy piece of furniture. There was a ridge down the center from the different sized planes of wood… but with the help of a small chisel, I carved away the wood to a nice new smooth seat. I even got rid of the large holes in the seat by gluing in the old back supports as fillers (above right.) Continue reading »

I thought these drawers would make a great little shelving unit! You can create storage space by simply stacking and combining drawers in new ways. This is an great project, because you can make it as simple or as involved as you want. If you come across a nice set of drawers, all they might need is a new paint color. Then, they can be stacked and arranged into a unique modular shelving system.

Since I only had two drawers to work with, I decided to slightly alter the form of each of them to add more character to my shelf. I planned to add feet to the larger drawer to lift it off the ground and  make it look less ‘drawer-like.’ I also wanted to create a specific place for a plant to grow on my shelf and decided to build a secure spot for a flower pot in the smaller drawer. I drew some quick sketches (above right) and then got to work!

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After fiddling around with the broken pieces of this dinning chair, I discovered a simple way to recombine them into a nice little ’squatting’ stool.

I find that when working with materials  that have been previously cut and shaped, the easiest way to discover what you can do is to make 3-D sketches. By this, I mean holding the pieces in your hand, putting some together, taking others apart, and propping them against one another. That is exactly how I developed my 3-D ’sketch’ (image above right) to turn this trashed chair into a brand new stool.

After setting my goal for the piece, I began figuring out how it would all come together Continue reading »

Last week, I went scavenging my local alleys with a crew from the St. Louis, MO morning show “Great Day St. Louis.” I gave some tips and advice for dumpster diving and took home a few objects we found. On November 23rd I will be live on the show to present the new looks I have created for those discarded objects. You can follow the process of the creative restorations here on the blog under the title “Dumpster Diving Finds.”

And now for an introduction to our objects…

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Over the past year, I have accumulated more than a few pieces of luggage from the trash. Recently, I came upon a beautiful blue suitcase only to discover it was pregnant with an equally as lovely mini-suitcase. With suitcases reproducing at such a rapid rate, I figured it was time I found some ways to reuse all this discarded luggage.

With my summer vegetables on their very last legs, I have been thinking about how to continue growing vegetables into the  colder winter months. In my search for a solution, I discovered cold frames, which are essentially tiny greenhouses (image on right). With limited space in my apartment, I thought it would be great to make a portable cold frame from an object built to travel…the suitcase.

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I am working on building a library of print documents that have tips for some important steps in the restoration process. With the hopes of saving paper, I’m trying to condense things like ‘Basic Repairs’ into a single sheet.

The final product is a bit more complicated than the image above Continue reading »

dumpster diving, curb cruising, and the like…

DON'T DO THIS

What’s wrong with the image above? 1. no gloves 2. jumping in and out of a dumpster with reckless abandon 3. my mother doesn’t approve. What’s right? 1. I have permission from this thrift store to look through their dumpster 2. I’m with a friend (the photographer of this amazing picture) 3. I’m wearing closed-toed shoes.

If you are thinking about searching for some treasures, there are a few things you should keep in mind before diving into your local dumpster. Continue reading »