A few other recent projects

This is a table I repainted.  It was once a telephone table.  Now, it's just a fun little end table since everyone keeps their phones in their purse these days!

I made some Halloween decorations from yucky, kitschy knick-knacks purchased at Goodwill (love that place!)  A little paint, some glitter and spiderwebs...voila!  Instant creepy cute!

Cats, owls, birds and a rose candlestick are all in this pic.

I decided to make Halloween art, so I used a thrift store picture frame to hold pics of classic horror film creatures.  I dirtied the glass with some brown paint and cobwebs to add to the creepy factor.

Family Portrait!

Last, but not least, I have started painting shoes.  Don't ask why. 

The answer is because they are a cheap canvas, thanks to Goodwill.



Wingtips, anyone?

Baby tennis shoes



  


 

These were bridesmaid's shoes...the dreadful dyed to match the dress kind.

Glitter paints embellished the top, but the heels are covered in seed beads.

All of these items are now in my Etsy shop.

Upcycled Dinosaur Diorama

I am so excited about this latest project.  It is a Christmas gift for my nephew who loves dinosaurs. 

I started with a $1 tv from Goodwill.  I gutted it and painted it with plastic paints.

The walls were decoupaged with pages from used children's books, and I painted a bit to blend them together.
I made the volcano from a plastic water bottle covered in news-paper mache.  I installed a red light bulb that came from an old plastic Christmas decoration that was in a box of junk I bought at an auction.  The dinosaurs all came from a flea market for a quarter a piece. 
I positioned the large dinosaur near the hole where the knobs were, so there is something to see if you peek through.

This diorama cost less than $5.00 to make!  And, most importantly, it was fun!

Time to catch up!

Whew!  It was a busy Summer!  I thought I would just post some of the items I have upcycled over the past few months.  I will try not to let so much time lapse between posts in the future!

This first one is a used lamp from a thrift store and antique lampshade from flea market.

Nursery lamp with vintage card decoupage.

I used vintage "New Baby" cards to completely cover the wooden base of the lamp.

 

This second item is a Portable Mini Bar made from old metal toolbox.
The top is tiled with bottle caps. 
The door is adorned with a vinyl album of
"German Beer Drinking Songs"

  

This next item are little greeting messages made, quite simply,

from an old Scrabble set I picked up at a yard sale.

Scrabble tile messages

Exciting News!

The UpDo Shoppe is expanding.  After our first month in the Merchant's Outlet Mall, I've decided that I need more space because I want to include the vintage clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories that I have been acquiring. 

So, I have moved into a larger space, and my daughter Lily and I spent part of Sunday sprucing it up a bit.  I've posted my inspiration board created on polyvore for the new space.  It combines vintage nostalgia with modern reuse.  I hope you like it!

Go to the post "Inspiration Board" to see a larger picture

I'll post pictures of the actual shop when it's ready.

Inspiration Board

Inspiration Board by wenturner71 featuring pearl jewelry

UpDo Shop

UpDo Shop by wenturner71 featuring summer bracelets

Wool sweater, $32
Yaya Aflalo silk blouse, $80
Wool handbag, $240
Summer bracelet, $22
CUSTOM RECORD CLOCK | Vinyl, Timepiece, Wall Art, LP, Album |..., $60
Monica Lubkowska Jonas Colorful Wobble Glasses, $40
Balloona Stool Confetti By Natalie Kruch For Umbra - Umbra - Home..., $200
Lucca Dining Side Chair - Triple Twist, $550
Vinyl Coasters, 15 GBP
Cornerstone Black Cabinet, $799
Lacquer Wood Tray, 14"x18", White | west elm, $22
22" Quilted Foam Fur Cuddler Cat Bed - Dollar Days Weekend Sale -..., $5.99
WEY Pink Wood Photo frame, 12 GBP
ShopCurious - uoldbag! - Decorative box - retro circus, 165 GBP
Pink Frosting Wedding Shop - Yellow Paper Ball Lantern in Three Sizes..., 4.95 AUD
Zig Zag Long Tray, $22
Paper Lanterns - Round - Hobby Lobby, $7.99
Lilac Purple 10 Inch Small Round Paper Lanterns, $3.95
Paper Lanterns - Round - Hobby Lobby, $7.99

Nursery Lamp

Here's one of my newest projects.  I started with this boring wooden lamp from a thrift store.  It was new and in good shape, but just lacked any character.

About a year ago, I had picked up a box of old greeting cards at a yard sale.  There were quite a few "Welcome New Baby" cards from the 50's and 60's.  They were still unused with the envelopes.  I decided that they would be perfect if decoupaged onto this lamp.

I had also found a glass lampshade at a junk shop.  It was in great shape, and ended up being the perfect topper for this lamp to complete the vintage feel.



Crown Royal Quilt

Just had to share this photo from The Bob and Tom show website. Now this is upcycling!

She created this quilt entirely from the little velveteen bags that Crown comes in! How creative!

http://www.bobandtom.com/photo/plink/crown-royal-bag-quilt/15044

Wednesday's Wooden Word Bowl Tutorial

I was looking at glass dishware and candlesticks to upcycle into cake plates, when I came across this ugly old wooden pillar candle stick.  I had also recently purchased (another!) wooden bowl.  I like to use them for parties to serve chips because they look nicer than plastic, but I don't have to worry about them being broken as I would with glass. 

However, this one had a few knicks and marks on it, so I decided to combine it with the candlestick to make something wonderful!  I started with these:

Before

I decided to go with a very modern color scheme, but basic since I wanted to embellish the bowl with something.  At that point, I still wasn't sure what!  But I painted the candlestick white and the bowl black.

I used a super adhesive to attach the two parts together.  This particular adhesive was made for many surfaces, including glass.  Since these were wood, I probably could have used something less powerful.  However, I already had this one opened since I was also doing glass that day.  Following the directions on the adhesive, I put some on both pieces and let it set for a few minutes before putting them together.

I decided to spray paint a hint of white on the inside of the bowl so that it would soften the look and create a better canvas for whatever I decided to put on the bowl.  The newspaper there gave me an idea...

I began cutting random words out of article titles.  After cutting out all of the words I thought were interesting or useable, I started playing around with them and forming a sentence.  I came up with this:

I used Mod Podge to attach the letters to the inside of the bowl.  I then put a coat of Mod Podge all over the inside and outside of the black bowl to give it a smooth shiny appearance.

I let it dry completely and here's the final product:

Now it sits in my shop for sale with the other upcycled items. 

It's Open!



I spent last weekend getting everything finished and moving it into my new booth space at the Merchants Outlet Mall.  I'm really pleased at how great it looks!  No pictures yet.  I still have to hang my sign! 



Here are some pics of some of the items that have been upcycled and placed in the shop for sale.

Musical Jewelry box from the 70's.  Added artwork purchased from French artist through Etsy, and painted the box black with red accents.



I loved this blue glass plate.  I knew it needed a substantial pedestal, though.  When I found this heavy pewter candlestick, I knew it was a perfect match.  I love this!

 The storage ottoman above is a vintage piece that I covered with old felted sweaters.  A little silver paint to the wooden legs and it's a modern piece!

All of the display items in the shop are also upcycled.  I use the existing wall shelves and brackets left from the last renter, although I added a fresh coat of black paint to them.  I hang clothes from a rickety old ladder I painted, an old lamp and skis that I added hooks onto.

For shelf space, I tried to get creative as well.  I purchased this vintage vinyl upholstered headboard for $10.  I thought it could be great if repurposed into a shelf for the shop.  It definitely needs some sprucing, though! Franky still enjoyed hanging out under it.

Before



So, I decided to use maps from an old atlas my dad gave me that was just laying around in his barn and Mod Podge it over the vinyl.  Here's the result!



After

What do you think?





Shop Opens Soon

So, this Friday, April 1, I can begin setting up my shop (no, that's not an April Fool's joke!).  I met my ex-husband on April Fool's Day...now I know why it's called that!  But, I digress...

I have been busy, busy trying to make everything that I want to put in my shop.  So many ideas and so little time!  I need items not only to sell, but also to remain as part of the display.

My latest obsession for the shop are Easter baskets made from felted (fulled) wool sweaters I thrifted. 

I got the idea from Resweater's blog.  Although she has posted a tutorial for a different style of basket this year, her old post from last year is what inspired my creations.Here is a link to the version from last year:  Easter baskets 2010.

TV Cat Bed

Here's one of my latest UpDos!

I was inspired by Alpine Butterfly's Cat Bed From A Computer Monitor, but decided to give it a retro nostalgia.  I found this old TV at Goodwill, and it reminded me of the little black & white I had in my room as a kid (that I bought with my babysitting money and only could pick up 3 channels with the rabbit ears!).

The picture isn't great.  For some reason, if I take photos in my dining room when there isn't any natural sunlight, they turn out very blurry.  I'll add some better ones later!

Getting Started

I have made the decision to take the plunge into the retail world.  I've dabbled periodically with craft shows, eBay, etsy, webstore, etc., but now I've decided to rent space at a nearby popular antique/craft mall.  This serves many purposes, one of which is storage for all of the things I have made! The second purpose is to generate enough income to pay for my thrift store habit.

So, let me explain a few things about my arts and crafts.  I love to take old, unwanted, used, discarded items and transform them into something you would never expect.  Such as this bustier made of plastic water and soda bottles.



I realize it isn't something one would actually wear.  I made it for a fundraiser style show called Mardi Bras.


I also enjoy just taking a well worn item and sprucing it up a bit, such as this doll bed I made for my niece's Christmas present (whose picture will need to be added later because Mr. Computer isn't cooperating today!).

Some call it upcycling, some repurposing and others, like me, just know it as a way of life.  Growing up the youngest of five, I was always taught to make do with what I had.  That could involve a new coat of paint on a dresser or a patch over a worn knee, but it was never considered "crafty."  It just was how it was.

Now, I have college degrees and the ability to purchase what I want.  However, that just doesn't seem challenging enough, and it isn't nearly as much fun as making something myself.  Making something new out of something old is a good exercise in thinking outside of the box (or thinking outside of the sweater, as I write about in my other blog!).

So, all of this creative thinking has led to an abundance of items I have upcycled.  Thus leads to the creation of UpDo, a place to sell and display (and store!) some of my creations.  I will post pics and tutorials on the blog for some of the items I make.  I get so excited with projects sometimes that I fail to take before pictures.  I'm going to work on that, though!  If you live in the Evansville, Indiana area you can visit the store.  Otherwise, I do have an etsy shop where items can be listed.  But, the primary purpose of this blog is to share with the world my latest adventure and get feedback on my creations.  I want to know what you like and don't like; what you think is too common or not keeping with current trends.  I'd like to hear anything that can help make my creations more useful.  Thanks for coming along!