Another rusty metal facelift. This time it is an old rusty heavy metal hardware box I found. This was nice heavy metal and the rust was only surface rust. It only took a good rub down with steel wool.
I covered the old leather handle with painters tape and sprayed it with my favorite fast drying Rust-oleum Professional Primer. Spraying inside and out. Using a primer gives added protection for the rust as well as enabling the final paint color to be bright.
Since this has an inside tray, I chose 2 contrasting colors. And alternated the colors when spraying the stencil flower designs. To protect the surrounding area of the box, I taped a stencil to a piece of lightweight cardboard, trimming a hole out for the stencil to show through. I sprayed a very light coating of spray adhesive on the back of the stencil too. I wore a latex glove on the hand that held down the stencil so I could hold it real steady while I sprayed and not have to worry about painting my hands.
It is such a heavy box, it’s hard to imagine it was used for portable hardware. I think I’ll use it for my beading hardware and accessories.
I love maps! When I was a kid I remember my mom had a subscription to National Geographic and they always had some kind of map stuffed inside the magazine. Whether it be prehistoric land mass changes or modern day Australia – they were beautiful and 2 sided.
Our city has a local recycle drop off for newspapers, magazines and cardboard. The last time I was there I discovered someone had dumped a pile of old Geographics. I did what any map loving, dumpster diving, recycling fanatic would do – I grabbed them all. They were pristine. I gathered all the maps that could be found. Saved a few issues for the pictures for collage projects and donated the rest to my favorite thrift store that carries books and magazines.
Recycle maps by using them for:
• wrapping paper
• make envelopes
• school book covers
• wallpaper a wall
• shelving paper
• blank journal covers
• origami
• collage – see map art by Matthew Cusik
Don’t throw out your old maps. If you can’t use them, offer them up on your local Freecycle group – artists love them! Here are some crafts I created:
A map glued to a large soup can. The can was sprayed painted inside with bronze colored Rust-oelum. I used coordinating color nail polish to trim the top edge and wrapped/glued the top edge with natural colored hemp.
The spiral bound journal has laminated maps for the front and back cover. Blank copy paper inside. The box was made by glueing (spray adhesive) a map to a box lid.
Save maps, make stuff, have fun.
Turn a compartment food tray into a beading board!
I found these compartment food trays inside a picnic basket purchased at a thrift store. When I’m working on bead projects, I may have several going on at the same time. Turning these trays into bead trays help keep the projects organized. (I’ve seen these hard plastic compartment trays available different sizes.) What I like about them is that they are sturdier than the traditional light weight plastic grey flocked bead boards you find at craft stores. So I can carry it around and hold it in my lap where ever I’m sitting.
Using felt or some type of textured fabric on the tray helps hold beads when you are working with them. Cut your felt (or fabric) and keep positioning and trimming until it fits. Don’t worry how it will fit around curves – it will stretch a little to fit.
I use 3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive. (Visit their website for tips and projects 3Msuper77.com )
Here is how I spray: I save scrap paper and lay it in a trash can. I place my felt upside down on the paper and spray. When I have to spray another piece, I lay a new piece of scrap paper on top of the sticky one. That way each new item to be sprayed will not get sticky from the piece before. (I use this technique for small spray paint projects also.)
Then gently pick up your felt and carefully place it in your compartment. Next I recycled a promotional magnet I didn’t want. I glued it upside down in one of the compartments to hold beading needles secure when not in use. You can also use those adhesive magnets. The kind where one side has paper to peel off and you adhere your business card.
If you like, you can use a marker and mark off 1″ increments on one edge of your tray for help in measuring lengths of bead projects.
Happy Beading!
Jules
Here is an old metal school desk I found at a thrift store for $5. It looked so sad and wanted to come home with me, what else could I do?
A nice Saturday project. I took it apart and scrubbed it down with some steel wool and a wire brush. Also washed parts of it with CLR, washed it and let it dry.
I sprayed it with a coat of Rust-oleum Professional Primer. I used the grey primer, very fast drying! Using a primer gives added protection for the rust as well as enabling the final color to be as brilliant as possible. Then I chose a sharp contrast of Chinese Red Rust-oleum and Black to finish it off. Oooh, just like a little red wagon!
I’d like to add a nicer piece of wood some time, but for now a coat of polyurethane on some sanded plywood works for right now. I’m using it next to my painting easel – paint can be stored in the desk while palette and brushes sit unencumbered on the top. The once forlorn desk seems very happy now! Is there something you’ve found that needs a face lift? Reclaiming old rusty stuff is easy and fun!
I first saw a how-to on recycled sweater hats on CraftStylish.com
If you have a sweater that you shrunk in the wash – this is a fun project to recycle that sweater!
Dog Sweater – another recycle sweater project!
more to come on this how-to
