Putting DE-COR Back Into Our Home

Remembering the joy of buying our first home and I did that as a single Mom.  I was not only proud & excited I was anxious to get it the way I wanted.  So many decor ideas of decorating flashed through as I was constantly brainstorming setting in my head.

Dustin's Memorial site is here

The house was bought on April 15, 2005.  My son; my only child was killed in a car accident on June 8, 2005.  It was that devastation that took any desires I had for decorating.  I bought the house so he would have something when I was gone not the other way around.

About two years later I met Michael and soon he moved in with me.  Just as if he had said it yesterday, "Are you going to move in here?"  There was nothing on the walls or out.

Slowly some of my treasures came out of hiding but not much.  Lately blogging sites, friends, Pinterest, Hometalk have given me inspiration and God has given me strength to start putting huge word DE-COR back into my home or for the first time in my own home.

One of my greatest loves is vintage, antique and JUNK!  Nobody would be able to know that looking at my home.

Remember I have Mom living with us who likes vintage but LOVES Early American, Michael likes all furniture finished to a high gloss and left as wood, the manly look.  Eclectic is truly the rhyme and reason in my decorating.  All needs are pleased.

Now that I have rambled on forever have a look.  Our home is lived in, we are not like all of those beautiful blogs with the perfect house, furniture and pics.  Why hide the fact that we live in our home so what you see is who we are.

A little corner shelf that has been distressed and nicely displays a vintage teapot, blown glass pumpkin, and a Monet teapot.  My home town ins known for The Pumpkin Show so somewhere there just had to be a pumpkin in the DE-COR (decor).

The mantle which by majority voting, was not allowed to be painted. I used a vintage table scarf to brighten up the space.  My brother Billy (who was killed in Vietnam in 1968) and Michael's (my fiance) pics are not going to hang there.  They are both in frames that only hang so they are hanging out on the mantle ledge for now.  Once I fix the frames they will go nicely with the decor on the vintage WWII Trunk in front of the fireplace.  The decor of our home is all over the place as I said, eclectic.

An old rugged, vintage box was hung to show off some tiny vintage treasures decor.

Michael's toy box from his childhood is lightened up with a antique table or dresser scarf that I instantly fell in love with.

The trunk turned side table adorns some of my fav items.  My rocking horse that I got for Christmas hen I was two years old.  It is an old thing just like me!

Chicken Wire Lamp Shade Tutorial

The vintage repurposed floor lamp from yesterday's post was the main "job" to do.  You know how it is when you buy a must have lamp with no shade and then finding the right one can be grueling.  The cost of a lamp shade is ridiculously high.

I had to turn my creative juices on to flow.  Ah-ha I will make it out of chicken wire, muslin, and chenille bedspread fringe.  My first try was a flop with the chicken wire.  Good ol' Mom who has been there and done that for more years than I can count came to the rescue.  When we work as a team I get the inspiration and ideas and it's up to her to figure how we will do it!  lol  Poor Mom.

Are you ready for this?  Let's go!

1)  Getting the chicken wire a nice round.  I used the lid to my charcoal grill as a pattern and used a marker to trace around the lid.  Please note I have never made one of these or seen one made so I was winging it as I went along.  Wear gloves and long sleeves or you get all poked up like I did.

2)  Once it is traced then it is time to use the tin snips, wire cutter to snip the wire along the marker.  Tricky but doable.  This was 24" round.  At this time use pliers to fold all of the sharp ends in or snip them off.  This will make arranging the fabric much easier.

3)  Fold the circle cut chicken wire in half as evenly as possible.

4)  Fold into half again.

5)  One last time fold in half again and run your hands down the ends or seams to almost make it flat.  I stepped on it to make sure it was as flat as I could get it.

6)  I opened the fold now to see if the process was working.  Remember this was a trial and error process.  So far so good.  Once opened you see how it is taking the shape of a lampshade.  Please note that you can work the shape as you go once you get the fabric draped over it.

NO matter how I tried I could not get this picture turned correctly.  So sorry but it still shows how it should be.

7)  My choice of fabric is always muslin as I love, love really like it.....ok for real I love it!  In the basement was a hobnail chenille bedspread that long ago I wore out having it on my bed and washing it so much it got thin.  sniff sniff  I hated to retire it.  It has been out of retirement from time to time for projects.  Oh, back to the fabric for the lamp shade.  I thought the fringe from the chenille bedspread would be so completely awesome, utterly over the top and make the muslin come to life.  So I had to grunge my muslin and fringe.  I used a mixture of coffee, cinnamon, allspice, and at the end a touch of my natural walnut stain.  They soaked for about three minutes.  Time to wring out the material and get to dry.

This is the total amount used for all of the wrung muslin.  Pick a spot pour a small dab, rub with the bottom of your spoon.

8) Removing the fringe which should have been done before grunging but.....to take off the fringe you will need a widget, razor blade, carpet knife.  On the wrong side snip a few threads loose then pull and it all comes off.

9) Cut your muslin or fabric using the same object you used to shape your chicken wire.  This time I used a pencil to trace.  I ironed the muslin slightly to make sure it was the right size.  Pictures are not ironed.

10)  Attach the fringe to the outside of the muslin.  Mom did this as I haven't found a needle and thread yet that fit my fingers.....anyway.  She did this by hand but you could sew it on.  See how it is ever so slightly ironed?

I found an old light pull and placed in on but want to find something else later to top it off.

11)  Work the chicken wire to shape until you are satifsfied with the look.  Take your fist to round it out.  The ambiance is so warm and cozy.

Taa-daa!  There you have it a Chicken Wire Lamp Shade by Nancy Davis with My Eclectic Loft!

Materials Needed

• chicken wire
• tin snips, wire cutters
• pliers
• black marker
• pencil
• fabric sized as needed 
• fringe if wanted
• grunge solution

I have been asked many times about my home made walnut stain.  Gather the walnut hulls (the green part) add to water and let soak for about a week or more.  This is very strong on fabric and you just need a very small dab, size of a dime or smaller.

Vintage Home Decor Industrial Tool Caddy Repurposed Recycled, Tool Storage

Time sure has gone by quickly since I was able to post.  Sharing a repurposed/upcycled industrial tool caddy.  It can now be used as a storage container,  Perfect for part of the vintage home decor that I am trying to achieve.

It's a bit difficult.  Mike likes the manly ugly treasures from the 1980's, Mom is also stuck in the 1970's and 1980's but the horrible Early American items.  I have a vintage antique washstand, a vintage trunk repurposed as a side table (pics to come) and a mantle that I can do as I please with.

I started with small changes as to not throw them into shock!  lol

The vintage industrial tool caddy was bought at an auction.  The future for it wasn't clear until I had an "a ha" moment.  We have a zillion five (5) remotes that needs a storage spot.  A small collection of bottles, and a vase with fresh flowers will soon make it's way to a new home in this vintage industrial caddy.

The first thing I did was to wash the tool caddy.  Next step was to use a hand sander to smooth out the rusted spots and the finish as well.

Okay I then cheated and spray painted the entire industrial tool box caddy.

I tried the wax paper transfer but it didn't work for this at all so it got repainted and was stamped with black flourish and dandelion fluff.

Plenty of rooms for all of the treasures to fill up each section.  May leave one or two empty.

I hand sanded the handle for a more distressed look.

Taa-daa all finished.  Yea!  Next is rearranging the living room for all of the newly repurposed home decor lovelies to be place ever so carefully.

New Flea Market Vintage Finds, Treasures, Junk

The first of the month brings our local Flea Market to town.  Always excited to get there.  Got up early to get things done I needed to do....priority.....I jumped into the car and was off.

Lots of smaller things were in my bag this time.  It was all good.  I had done very well this time getting better prices.  My fear was gone.  Pointing out what was wrong as I learned from The American Pickers to get a lower price.  So proud of myself.  My bag was full a couple of times as I had to go to the car to empty the new treasures so I could get some more.

Finally it was time to leave.  I noticed a sign that said, "Really low prices on all kinds of stuff.  Come to the Grange building."  Energized from the luck of the morning I was headed to the Grange Building.  On my way I remembered I had forgotten to stop at this one place at the Flea Market that was outside.  My car didn't even hesitate in pulling into a spot to drool over more "junk" as in "treasures."

There before my eyes was a floor lamp that was just screaming my name.  It was vintage, the style I had been looking for and in all of its beauty there it was before my eyes.  Ahhhhh, now the price.  Once the gentleman told me the price my hopes dropped as there was no way I could pay what he wanted.  So just like Frankie from American Pickers I set aside the items that I wanted and had a bundle.  Right at that moment I got my price plus the man gave me a small cupboard (that I do not need BUT it was FREE).  AND he told me he had a barn full of "junk" and that I was welcomed to come to pick it.  Oh was I riding cloud nine now, you betcha I was!

He loaded my finds and as I got into the car I couldn't wait to show Mike and Mom my treasure hunting finds for the day.

I haven't taken pics of the smaller treasures yet but I snapped a few of the items to share with you today.

Tomorrow I will have pics of the smaller items.