DIY Upcycled Dish Gardens in Vintage Coffee & Tea Cans

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I wish I had a room FILLED with vintage Coffee Cans and Tea Tins! Filling them with Mosses, Succulents, and Basket Fillers are easy, and inspirational eye candy =) Collections on patios, window sills, Tree Stumps, and Table Tops are certainly compliment worthy. Old metal colanders are WONDERFUL for this as well. They have built in draining and often tie a theme together with vintage class and rustic style!

Vintage Buttons for Everyday Use DIY Projects

Give your memo board and fridge FLAIR with button magnets!

Colorful Votives for the Patio this summer!

Cluster button bouquets for table top delight!

Create a personal space Monogram for loved ones

Wreaths of old buttons, make great family trees!

I literally have JARS and CUPS and BOXES of buttons! I can't turn one down...it NEEDS me =) When my Great Grandma passed away we put her buttons on display in the form of a wreath for everyone to marvel at. Clustering hues of pinks, yellows, ivory, greens and blues make for whimsical wire stemmed bouquets on desktops and packages. Brides alike are merging to button bouquets that transcend the test of time. Upcycling old tin and wooden frames with burlap or linen as a back drop, creates the perfect palette for Personal Monograms! There's a lovely weekend project just waiting for you to make it happen!

This is my first Vintage Upcycled Donation for a Private School Auction. I fell in love with the reclaimed metal utility stand at a local shop and thought "Why not a craft station?" So with some searching the internet for ideas, I was able to set up a pretty good gig! Glass flower frog for the top with pencils, art pens, and paint brushes. An old wooden coffee mug stand, repainted in white and perfect for holding rolls of ribbon. I also found an old glass jar at Goodwill for 1.99 and filled it with new and old buttons for embellishing. Of course not to forget a roll of cotton string for whatever floats your boat. My husband Jim tightened the coils on an old schoolhouse paper cutter and VWAH-LAH! Works like a charm =)I added some white storage boxes from Michaels, a plastic scrapbook paper container, paints in primary colors, small clear acrylic boxes for glitter, beads, etc. An all purpose cutting mat, acrylic rulers, scissors and vintage library card holders. Being able to repurpose and reclaim some of the older items really made this great. I hope it's well recieved tonight at the auction.

My addiction to recycle and upcycle items that are SO CUTE has brought me to this Seattle based shop on Etsy.com. As Valerie Lloyd puts it "Beauty meets Utility" Mini tarlet cups and vintage Jello molds are delicious additions to any creative space. Her use of ticking stripe cotton and wool roving, makes this the ultimate upcycle in use and style! Hang onto your cups and tarlets darlings! Use that scrap of vintage bliss fabric and hop to it with making your own mold =)

DIY Gardens with Reclaimed Treasures!

Any and EVERY reason to recycle with great old items that have stood the test of time! Classroom Desks with a new coat of paint and old wooden crate inspiration really brought these ideas to fruition!

Spring up the front porch!

This was a fun and simple spring "pick me up" for our front porch. Pinterest had so many fun DIY tutorials for light and easy decor. I chose the wreath displayed on our front door as my project. The vintage childrens chair, old yellow golashes, and tulips really added a youthful whimsy =)

Kitschy Retro Easter Inspiration

I found this WONDERFUL Kitschy Retro Easter Mosaic Courtesy of ShabbyVintageMom's Blog. Today is Rainy and gloomy in Spokane,WA. So I felt compelled to share bright,cheery,Easter images of yester year to bring us into the holiday weekend!