Hello, Monday!

Mondays are all about Repurposing at fleaChic.
Are you ready to view some ingenious upcycling?

     Question:  What can you make with plastic spoons and a water bottle?
     Answer:    An amazing light fixture!  Don't believe me?  See for yourself:

Future Now

DIY Inspired

Designer Francois Legault created these beautiful spoon

light fixtures that were featured on DIY Inspired.

Here are some clever ideas to keep in mind the next time you

run across a basket of inexpensive forks at a flea market:

Awesome Craft Pins

Apartment Therapy

Plant an old mailbox in your garden to store your tools.

DIY Inspired

An old shutter makes a beautiful bathroom organizer.

Craft Journal

Isn't this vintage newspaper rack terrific
for displaying a plate collection?

DIY Network

A vintage Pachinko game was repurposed
into a very interesting coffee table.

DIY Network

An old metal typewriter table found at a flea

market is the perfect height for a bedside table.

Parolan Asema

You can't beat vintage luggage for adding

instant charm as well as instant storage space.

Source

Here's another brilliant space saving

idea - turn a book case into a closet!

Better Homes and Gardens online recently posted several ingenious

repurposing ideas.  Here are a few of my favorites from that article:

bhg

Convert a lovely vintage birdbath into a spa station in your bathroom.

bhg

Turn a distressed old porch rail into a mail organizer.

bhg

An old galvanized bucket makes a charming wine and glass chiller.

Twice Lovely

Ann Marie of Twice Lovely came up with a genius idea for
an inexpensive sofa table:  two ikea bar stools and two 6 ft.
wood planks (one 12 inches wide and one 8 inches wide.)
She's such a darling girl and so smart!


When you're at Lowes or Home Depot
check out their refab stair steps:

Source
Isn't this a darling display idea?

Twelve O Eight
The next time you're at a thrift shop pick up an old lamp shade,
remove the fabric covering, add mason jars and votives -
viola! - instant outdoor chandelier.

Miss Effie's Diary
Fire fits are so cool but turning an old
metal wheel barrow into one is even cooler!

I hope today's repurposing ideas inspire you to upcycle
items in your house.  Make it a great Monday!

We made it - TGIF!  I don't know about you
but we've had a crazy week.  Got a lot of little errands and nagging projects wrapped up but still have lots more to finish.  At least we can
see the weekend peeping around the corner.

How 'bout we wrap up the week with some motivating Before & After photos?

  Before                                                                                  After

 

Refreshingly Chic

Sometimes, when the veneer of a piece is too damaged
to restore, the best solution is just to paint it.

  Before                                                                              After

Garbage to Glam

What a fresh new look for a tired little cabinet.

With this next makeover we also get a dash of repurposing:

  Before                                                                         After

Trevi Vintage Design

Many of us wouldn't have given this small, distressed folding chair a second

look but, boy, would we have been wrong.  A pair of these would make cute

nightstands, wouldn't they?

And we've all seen dated end tables, like the one below, patiently waiting in a

thrift shop for someone with imagination to come along.

 Before                                                                                  After

Trevi Vintage Design

Ingenious!

When the team at Printerette Press decided to relocate from St. Paul to Minneapolis, they had a daunting task - convert warehouse space into office space.  They did a great job:

Design Sponge

Here's a charming formula for restoration success:

 +   =

In My Own Style

So fleaChic!

This yard sale dresser was plainly pitiful:

But, now - ooooh, so pretty!

 Natty by Design
Natalie of Natty by Design transformed the dresser into a darling addition
to any nursery.  LOVE the two-tone paint treatment with an angle design.

The vintage children's chalkboard, below, might not seem remarkable but it's a glimpse of Americana that was restored to its original condition.

                                                                                Before                                                  

After   

Furniture by Lowell

Chalkboards like this one use to be fairly common at flea

markets and in antique shops but I haven't seen one in years.

It's really not fair to compare black and white photos with color photos

but, in this case, these results are too remarkable not to share:

My Home Ideas

I'm speechless, too!

I love Mid-Century Modern better than the next

guy

but this before was definitely too tacky.

   Before                                                         After

Located in Manhattan Beach, California, this

bungalow is unrecognizable from its former self.

via Coastal Living

I hope today's post will inspire you to take on a few restoration

projects of your own.  Have a great weekend.

Happy First Day of Summer !!!

Though some (the Webster dictionary people and most Scrabble players)
would disagree, beachification is word and it means: to convert your
home decor to a beach theme through the simple use of beachy items.
Okay, I made that up but how else could I introduce these darling ideas?

Sea Babes

What a charming vignette  - vintage swimsuits and a boardwalk pallet.

Homing Scrap Blog 

Beach decor can be a cornucopia of mis-matched
casual - always fun, relaxing and inviting.

 House Beautiful

A red, white, and blue beach theme is timelessly Ralph Lauren-ish.

 I'm Going Coastal

What better birthday gift for a beach

loving friend than a bell pull of star fish?!

Lana Waller

Light blue walls, white-washed wood finish, and a bowl

of sea shells instantly put you in a Beach State of Mind.

Sally Lee by the Sea

Slipcovers are perfect for 'beach-ifying' any decor.


Cape Cod & Martha's Vinyard

Jane Coslick Cottage Collection
(Ignore the little white Christmas tree (?!)
and concentrate on the striped slipcovers.)

Source
Painted paneling is another simple treatment for 'instant beach' aura.

Salvage Dior
Remove the door of an old cabinet to
make a simple sea shell display case.

The Beach House Store

I love this bucket-of-sea-shells lamp.

Ocean Offerings
After spray painting an old lamp blue, stencil
sea shells on it in white.  Darling idea!

Jane Coslick Cottage Collection
Painted wrought iron beds have a Suddenly Summer look.

Indulgy
Beige, blues and white combine to create a charming vacation
state-of-mind.  Yes, I've posted this picture before but it's timeless.

Source
Those rods and reels in the corner actually enhance the decor, don't
they?  And it looks as if the owners converted a closet into a display space.

Thibaut Design
Cabana wallpaper by Thibaut is perfect for the bathroom, isn't it?

Home Bunch
That's a heck of a lot of shells on that mirror.

Decor Pad
This tiny guest bath packs a powerful punch.

Home Dressing
The mirror is obviously amazing but
that sea shell border is exceptional.

Turquoise, Tulips, and Bliss

Every year I say that I'm going to make a sea shell mirror.

Alas, it hasn't happened.  But, this Summer . . . . .