mini shelf unit

So, this is the other half of the box frame, that I wrote about here.

Those dividing pieces were really stuck to the tongue and groove, so it gave me an idea.

I bashed out the diagonal pieces, cut them down and moved them. There were bits of wood and glue that I couldn't remove, so I decided to cover it all in plaster. I had a large tub of cheap wood filler, so I used that.

I did thin layers of plaster and made sure it dried out between each coat. When the middle sections were done, I found some wood to make a frame.

Ok, so nothing fitted or joined up, but I just kept filling and painting, filling and painting.

In the end I had a mini unit for loads of little things that have been in a drawer. I know that some of them are pretty tacky and twee, but they are sentimental, and I found a nice little space in the corner of the guest room that I am trying to finish.

The only things I'm really NOT attached to, are the teapots. I bought them about 20 years ago and loved them then, but not any more !

The silver piece on the right is a silvered champagne cork commemorating the birth of my oldest friend's son. The brightly coloured dish and the one below are metal enamelled dishes from china. I bought them when I was a child, from a jumble sale.

When I was young I wasn't interested in dolls. I would go to a shop called Pauline Lovell, in Sevenoaks (it's no longer there), and buy knick knacks, like the ones below. They had a craft shop as well, and I would go there for fabric and beads.

Both of the things below were gifts - a little tiny powder compact and a small hand mirror, with stitching on the back.

I have a really cute little silver mirror, but no idea where it came from - you can just see little ribbons and flowers etched onto the back. Next to it, is a tiny box set of four Winnie the Pooh books - greatly faded as it was also purchased 30 or 40 years ago !

I've been writing this post while staying at my friend Pandy's house, and she informs me that I promised the teapots to her !!  Brilliant - she loves collections, and she has a few of the teapots already (and a much larger house), and I get to gift them (which feels better great) and display a couple of other things I recently found.

And, the cost of all this? Well, the whole box frame was £5, and I used half for each project, and everything else I had already. So that's £2.50 for my mini plastered shelf !

As you can see, the walls of my mini guest room are white - well what else could I chose.

Anyway, the room really is tiny - white makes it feel larger. 

More on that soon !

linking up with

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Terrific under ten Tuesdays @ At Home With K

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Weekend wrapup Party @ Tatertots & Jello

Saturday Showoff @ Nutmeg Place

Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter

Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer

unfinished projects !

I have finally returned from my job in Hertfordshire and I'm afraid I have no after shots.

I left about 8.15pm on Friday and didn't take any photos. Having said that, I will have to go back in a couple of weeks and hopefully by then, the after shots will be better. The protective covering will have been taken off the corian worksurface, and the marble effect tiled floor. Hopefully the oven will be in place and all the handles will be on.

So this is my first unfinished project - the before.

I also haven't finished this, my second ASCP project. It's actually gone wrong twice. First I drew something on the top and painted it but it looked awful, so I tried something else, and that doesn't look much better !



Unfinished project No. 2

I also bought this a few weeks ago, because I need a deeper box frame than the ones I can buy locally. So far I have managed to dismantle it and that's all. All the partitions are glued to the back piece (really well) and as I don't want them, it's going to be a little bit more work than I thought.


Unfinished project No. 3

I have been wanting to do some decoupage for sometime and have been printing off some great graphics for yet another project. My test piece below ( from The Graphics Fairy) went really well, but the actual project - not so.

Unfinished Project No. 4



And because I haven't finished project nos. 2, 3 and 4, I don't feel I should proceed any further with project no. 5 !

Unfinished Project No. 5

I love things with feet - it's a cute brass cache pot, but it'll have to wait.

And so will everything else I'm afraid as I've just started another job !

beach junk

I'm not quite ready to start my 'impossible' challenge yet (see post before this) but I have been
playing with some stuff I found on the beach.

 Worthing Beach, West Sussex - last week !

I have collected shells in the past, but recently I have been picking up all sorts of things.

This is my haul so far.

 I really like finding things now, and can't stop looking (even if my little dog would

sometimes rather go to the park !).

I love the simplicity of these things, and the unique way that time

and the sea has aged and softened them. 

First, I took the rusty wire mesh from above, and a pine frame I bought last year for £3.

I painted the frame white, because I want it to stand out against my stencilled walls,

 ( see here )

and distressed it. Took out the glass etc. and stapled the mesh in the back.

And voila -

This is a photo of my brother and I when we were 6 and 4 !!!

I love the contrast of the rust and distressed frame against my walls.

A valentine selection. The gorgeous little metal tag came on a Christmas present.

Next I took a box frame, which cost about £3.50

 (I have been storing stuff for a few months),

and added some brown paper, a fabric sample, some shells, and a little organza ribbon.

I painted the frame with one of the colours from the stencilled wall, because this will

probably end up on the opposite 'white' wall, in a group of pictures.

I have a plan for the large pieces of driftwood, that I am really excited about.

The box frame turned out so well that in the future I will frame some more of my haul.

But the best thing about this project - I didn't go out and buy anything, just used what I had !

Well folks, I must get on, it's Saturday morning and the poor dog is making sad little

whining noises, because I haven't said the 'W' word yet.

linking up with

Saturday Nite Special @ funky junk interiors

Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805

Inspiration Friday @ at the picket fence

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ common ground

Whatcha Got Weekend @ lolly jane boutique

Debbiedoos Newbie Party @ Debbiedoos

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Primp your stuff Wednesdays @ {primp}