Second Hand Roses~

These " painted ladies" were gathered at different yard sales, flea markets and the local dump! It was a very satisfying trash to treasure hunting day. I came home with money in my purse, a darling little desk with french curved legs and original white iron drawer pulls which I kept! A tired old luggage rack with scratched wood and torn strapping. A vintage mirror, a porcelain rose lamp base, and a beat up cornice from a window treatment that was long gone...Come see how these "ladies in waiting" turned out!

Once I got them home and looked at the array of shapes and sizes I had gathered I was inspired to create a collection

 of Vintage Pink Cottage Furniture!

They were destined for a local consignment shop and I couldn't wait to get started.  I love using words and phrases on my painted furniture.  Since I had decided this would be a collection I chose a stencil design from an online company called " say what? "  and ordered the phrase " Everything's coming up roses".  I applied it to the cornace after painting it a shabby off-white then dry- brushed some of the soft vintage pink paint over it to age it a smidge and vary the color. All of the remaining pink pieces were hand painted with latex paint then sanded back at the edges for a  NEW distressed appearance.

The inside of the desk drawer was weary so I covered it in rose print scrap book paper, then covered the seems with a pretty ribbon. I bought enough of it to use as strapping on the luggage rack also which tied the two pieces together nicely. I found some pretty pink dangle beads and attached them to the bottom of the lamp shade for a soft sparkle effect day or night! The roses you see on the stenciled cornice and top of the mirror ( in the first photo)  are called Wallies and can be purchased at your local craft store. They're easy to apply once you have dampened the  pre- pasted back with a sponge.

  So, what does a child's rocking chair painted black with gold leaf edging have to do with my cottage pink furniture collection? I added some of my own whimsical hand painted roses on a vine to tie it in... After all, things shouldn't be too matchy matchy should they?  What was the fate of these lovely ladies? I'm happy to say they all found new homes eventually and are more beautiful and functional the second time around.

What have you CREATIVELY RECYCLED lately? 

Hey, it's hip to be GREEN again!

Give it a try and visit my creative recycling blog challenge page to see who's creating really neat stuff from their favorite lost and found!