gallery wall 2nd instalment

Continuing from my first post about my new gallery wall.
Sorry if you've seen some of them before, but for me, my blog is an online diary and I just like to catalogue stuff (I should have been a librarian !).

I did a guest post over at A Place 2 Call Home recently and showed this piece of beach junk.

I've hung it on the wall,  just as it is, because I love the patina so much.

I wanted something similar for the other side, so I created this little piece.

I just glued one piece of wood to another, then put a rusty nail through the rusty 'thing' and bent it round to hold in place.

Then, I slipped this old metal piece through the middle.

For some reason, I have given myself a rule with the beach junk. That is, that I can paint it, glue it to something, add pieces together and change it, but never to cut it up. I feel that if I cut it to fit something, then I have taken away the value of a piece of beach junk.

It washed up on the shore having been worn by time and the elements and I only want to enhance it, not destroy it.

You still here, I am not sure telling you all my off the wall thoughts is a good idea but I'm impressed if you've stayed.

Anyway, here it is on the gallery wall, where it balances out the larger piece on the other side.

I also bought this £3 pine frame, to show off some of my favourite things, because I couldn't find a box frame this size and shape. 

I painted it grey, and distressed and waxed it, then stuck the pieces onto the glass.

I thought I might just have no background at all, in the hope that it would look like the pieces were floating. This didn't work, so I used some photocopies of fish, which needed a few adjustments to fit behind the glass, and then just put it all together.

The shell in the middle, is just so lovely and worn. The silver pipe has a real softness to it, and I love the circuit board with tiny molluscs.

I'm loving all the grey tones - grey may be the new white in this house.

And because this is on the left side, I also did a grey frame for the right side. I bought this at the local charity shop for £5.

I had to buy this, because the frame is great, but also because it's the Hight Street, Sevenoaks, Kent  - where I grew up. This photograph is from 1920 and that building on the corner is now a jewellers !

I kept the photo, but used the frame for a print belonging to the old geezer. He lived in Tenerife for four years and wanted to keep this momento of Puerto de la Cruz.

The print isn't square at all, so I did the best I could, and played about with the frame till it looked ok.

I have been collecting all this stuff for quite sometime. Some things I have made for no cost at all, and the ampersand I already had, but I have worked out that the whole cost for everything is £61, which for 16 items isn't bad at all.

Every time I walk in the room I feel seriously happy with the result.

There is one picture left - I'll leave that for another day !

An ascp finished project coming soon !!

Linking up with
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

tv cabinet

I've been busy in my new work space/ studio. I am on my third bit of furniture and I'm still working on things for my gallery wall.
The first piece, a tv cabinet has been sitting in our living-room since before Christmas !

I actually missed the one I really wanted, which was pine, chunkier, lower, and had the back corners chopped off, so it would fit into the corner of my room better.

Anyway, this is still a nice shape, and I love the castors and the handles.

Very old fashioned ring-pulls, but I really love them. So I decided to paint it grey and cream, which would tone with my room.

 

I haven't put it in the right place because the dear old geezer wasn't home when I took the photos. And I can't actually lift our big old beast of a TV. Nor do I have any clue about unplugging all the gadgets etc. so I'll leave all that up to him. For the moment I have just put a computer screen on the top and added the baskets, one of which I will probably keep in there, to hold the remotes.

I think the colour really goes well in here. In fact the little beach junk piece I did a while ago has become the colour inspiration for this room. The warm golds are the colours of my stencilling, and now I'm adding more shades of grey - found in the fabric and the shells.

One last look -

The tv cabinet cost me £30.00 and I had the paint and wax already. I have a 5ltr tin of cream, and I made the grey mixing a charcoal matchpot with the same cream. I love the colour, so I'll be using it some more - it's in a jam jar so that it doesn't dry out !

Linking up with -

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence

Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805

Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter
Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Show me what ya got @ Not Just a Housewife