We have all heard the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover.” We generally think of people when we use it and that’s a perfect time to apply it! I taught that to my students for the 21 years that I worked in the classroom. Now, as someone who spends her days surrounded by antiques, I have found a whole new use for the saying!
Antiques are often found in their worst possible shape, rusty, broken, missing pieces, and they are overlooked as unusable. For instance, we had this old blue metal doll crib. It was rusty and wobbly. As I carried it outside for people to see as they passed by, I kept thinking that it had a purpose and could shine again, so I bought it and took it home.
Here is the crib before and after:
I spray painted the crib with copper paint. Then I added an old wood drawer. I spray painted it a bright turquoise and added vintage hardware. I added a container of flowers and a chicken waiting for a place to roost, and I turned a rusty crib into a flower container. I could also see it in my house holding books or toys for my future grandchildren! (Just a side note, all of the items in the “after” picture came from the store except for the flowers.)
Another item that we often see that is definitely not usable as it was originally intended is the wood ladder. We see them in many sizes! I decided to use mine as an outdoor display unit. I didn’t change the ladder at all but I do change what goes on the ladder by season (or whim!). Here are two examples:
You can decorate with a theme like red, white and blue or birdhouses or things you love to collect – for me, it’s small animal figurines made of stone or iron.
There is a great deal of satisfaction in taking the rusty and broken antique and turning it into a treasure that brightens up your home, inside or out!
As always, we want to see what you have done with the items you buy here in the store. Send us pictures! We would love to feature your “don’t judge a book by its cover” projects! Don’t forget to take before and after pictures! I sometimes get so excited by my project, I forget the “befores”!!!
We’ll see you when you stop in to say hi!
Carolyn, hanging out with Nancie, Winston, and Ziggy
