Monday means Repurposing Time at fleaChic.
Let's start with some cute garden ideas:

 

Follow the West Wind

Technically, using an old rusty wheelbarrow as a planter
isn't necessarily repurposing but it is neat, isn't it?

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 Tea cups and saucers used as bird feeders are so cool.
 

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Use a lemon, orange or a grapefruit to start your seedlings. Plant
the entire thing in the ground and the rind will compost directly
into the soil to nourish the plant as it grows.

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A set of alphabet imprint stamps can
even be useful in the garden.

The ultimate organic garden marker!

 

 

Here's a repurposing craft idea that the kids could make:

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EVERYONE needs a hidden house key.  When the kids get bored have them hot glue a pinecone or twigs to the bottom of an empty medicine bottle which can be loosely buried in the yard.  Great craft idea for keeping those little hands busy!

 

 

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What a charming way to display a faucet handle collection.

Funning With Sisters
How many repurposed items can you
count on this birdhouse?


It's a little late to be bird-thoughtful but
keep this idea in mind next Spring:

Pollyanna Pumpkin
Set out a broom for the little tweeters
to use when making their nests.


Here are a few cool miscellaneous repurposing ideas that I've
been meaning to post and always seem to forget they're in the file:

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An old cracked violin that couldn't be repaired proved that it
still was useful as the frame for a miniature string workshop.


 It might take a second glance to see that this awesome
Dunce Dog is painted on a set of school lockers:

Paul Walsh

 

 

From old baseball bats to a new rocker:

Source

 

 

Bicycle  +  wheel chair  =  Whaircycle!

Very cool.  (I love inventors!)

 

 

The Big Lebowski bowling pins are cute:

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 You could paint a caricature of just about

any character on a bowling pin.

 

 

 
Well, that's it in a nutshell!  Hope you enjoyed today's
Repurposeful Monday ideas.  See you tomorrow.

Do you have big plans for the weekend?  I hope your weather isn't too hot or too wet or too dry.  But, before we start partying let's close out a fleaChic week with some Before and After project photos.

I was a little surprised that this kitchen was

considered as being in before condition:

New paint, new hardware and new lights

completely transformed it:

Apartment Therapy

 Not sure I'm a fan of the floor, though.  Seems a little loud.

This small kitchen really packs a punch after its renovation:

Before                                    After

Link

LOVE the stone wall, don't you?

I can't figure out what the owners did to the ceiling but

now it looks as amazing as the rest of the kitchen:

Harbour Kitchens

A dated kitchen received a beautiful makeover:

Harbour Kitchens

A plain attic kitchen is now sleek and sophisticated.

 Being Home

Painting the cabinets white and replacing the laminate
flooring with hardwood gave this kitchen a classic look:

Graphic Made 

Enough gorgeous kitchens.  Let's look at some "weekend-able"

projects that any of us could do in a couple of days:

Apartment Therapy

I'm completely captivated by this coffee table makeover.

Notice the little bird drawer pull in the after photo?  Cute.

A pitiful Mid-Century Modern dresser was
given an extended, useful life:

Brooklyn Limestone

The bottom drawer was missing from this old dresser:

Domestic Superhero

The solution?  By removing the top drawers to store the dvd player
and cable box the owners were able to use one of the drawers to
replace the missing bottom one.  Great repurposing!

An old desk was turned into . . . . .

Link

. . . . . a beautiful sewing table.

A yard sale dresser mirror was transformed

into a charming chalkboard.

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Isn't this an adorable idea?

A $10 thrift store find is now a priceless treasure:

  Imagination is the most important tool in your workshop!

Have a great weekend, friends, and keep an eye
out for a before piece of your own to renovate. 

If you happen to be home on a rainy Summer afternoon what do you do to pass the time?  Clean the house?  Catch up on laundry?   

Heck, no!  Go fleaChic browsing on the internet!

Link 

Do you know much about antique celluloid toys?  Me, neither.  But this Uncle Sam figure from the early 1900s is in very good shape.  Apparently, celluloid degrades with time and is quite fragile so finding a 100+ year old piece is quite rare.  $300 worth of rare?  I don't think so.

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I found another one on the same site (Etsy) for $150 but it isn't in quite as good a shape.

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Made from metal, this vintage patriotic spinning toy from the 1950s is priced at $32.95.  You hardly ever run across these anymore.

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I wonder why manufacturers quit making these simple spinning tops.  It seems that if it can't be made from plastic these days, it's just not worth making.  Sad.

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Enamel broaches were SO popular in the 1960s.  I had an aunt who had one for every occasion.  Back in the 90s you could find these at yard sales for 25¢ but today collectors scoop them up for a few dollars.

(I think this browsing expedition took a detour down Memory Lane!)

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Enamel clip-on earrings are groovy, too.

Here's an enamel broach and earring set priced at $48 and you probably couldn't have given them away 20 years ago:

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You'd definitely be The Show Stopper at the 4th of July

Bar-B-Que in this 1980s creation.  But, $41?  Ouch!

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I probably laughed when I saw these Converse high tops at the mall many years ago.  Priced at $195 - who's getting the last laugh?!

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Hippies made ponchos The Thing back in the 60s but I've never been a poncho kind of girl.  Here's your chance to buy an authentic piece of Counter Culture (is that an oxymoron?!) for only $20.

1980s holiday sweaters are mocked by many:

Link

But I'll bet our grandchildren will find them

quite pricey at antique shops in the future.

Well, it's stopped raining and now I'm depressed - why didn't I

invest in high tops and enamel jewelry instead of Beanie Babies???

Maybe I'll reconsider those holiday sweaters . . . . . . . . 

Not only is fleaChic all about antique, vintage, and collectible decor, it's also about ways to live thriftily and repurpose every day items.

That being said, today's post features inexpensive but charming snack and refreshment ideas for the upcoming Fourth of July celebration.

Frozen berries in ice cubes makes a

plain glass of water look enticing.

Fruit-ka-bobs are easy to make and serve.

Source

Food color and chocolate chips turn regular
Rice Krispie treats into watermelon slices.

101 Things To Do

Banana, Blueberry and Jelly sandwiches
are the new PBJs.

Source

Fruit and waffles make a delicious holiday breakfast.

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Watermelon stars made with a small cookie
cutter can be served in lots of different ways.

Festival Fruit

Bakers Royale

Mom & Me

Click here for the easy recipe on how to
make these healthy yogurt parfait treats.

These are also easy to pack and carry - just
cover with the lid and keep cold.

Better Homes and Gardens

Taste and Tell

Homemade candy corn?  That's just crazy talk!

Click here for the surprisingly simple recipe.

My Recipes

Patriotic fruit pops are super easy
to make.  Here is the recipe. 

Wilton
A grass piping tip was used to make
the bursts on these patriotic cupcakes.

Hungry Happenings

Red, white, and blue creamy coconut stars are
almost as much fun to make as they are to eat.

It's never too early to start planning your holiday menu.
The Fourth of July is only 10 days away!

And Happy Birthday wishes to June Lockhart who played Ruth Martin on Lassie from 1958 to 1964. Timmy's television mom is 89 today.  Miss Lockhart also portrayed Dr. Maureen Robinson on Lost in Space from 1965 - 1968.