Amazing Things You Can Make With Old Breadboxes

Traditional bread boxes were either metal or wood, and kept on top of a kitchen counter top for storage of, you guessed it, bread! Some wooden style bread boxes had roll-top lids, as you will see in the following images. 

What happened to these clunky, countertop space taker-uppers of yesteryear? I think as we transitioned to larger-sized kitchens with more cabinets, drawers, and storage space, as well as more electric countertop gadgets and small appliances, the bread box just became in the way and obsolete. 

Think about it, how many of these have you seen at thrift shops, flea markets, and yard sales? I see at least one of them at every thrift store I visit. What to do with them? Well...most people just repaint them. Paint them to match your kitchen, your bathroom, wherever you are going to eventually use it. But paint only gets you so far. It basically is still a breadbox, just with a fresh new look. And that's cool. But what I really respect and enjoy are the breadboxes that are REPURPOSED (READ: given a NEW purpose) by way of creative thinking! 

Think about it, with a little bit of creativity, ingenuity, and paint you can turn yours into something much bigger than...a breadbox.

Breadboxes turned corner shelves from Lulastic
(above and below)

Breadbox + curio cabinet + child's craft desk from Patina Paradise

Breadbox turned charging station from Bob Vila

Add some casters to stacked breadboxes for movable storage

Breadbox added to a small table = mini roll top desk!

How to refurbish a vintage bread box tutorial from The Spruce

Breadbox turned charging station from Artsy Chicks Rule

Upside-down breadbox turned storage shelf from thrift decor

Another wall shelf painted bread box

Old breadbox turned extra bathroom storage

Yellow breadbox used as catchall storage space



Which is your favorite?


Have a great week!
Laura

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Article  copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2019 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. 

Upcycled Farmhouse Wall Decor: Vintage China & Silver Spoons Sculpture

I can't believe how quickly 2018 has flown by. It seemed like we were just getting out our beach umbrellas and now I've got a pumpkin on my porch!  Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the winter holidays are close behind. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I had to share my new vintage wall art sculpture that I made from repurposed and salvaged vintage silver spoons and an old, unusual Statue of Liberty china platter. 

These actually started out as displays for a museum show that I was a part of (I made two of them, the one pictured here and also a smaller version) and I loved how they turned out so much one went right up on my wall. The one photographed here is now listed in my Etsy shop. It has such a cool and unique look to it, and is perfect for dining room or kitchen (though it could be hung anywhere). It has such vintage charm that I think it would look great in vintage farmhouse decor or eclectic decor. Perfect for the vintage and antique lover! 

I hung mine between two old silver trays in my dining room. Check it out! 

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What do you think? 

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article and images copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018 all rights reserved

How To Upcycle Thrift Shop Finds Into Trendy Home Decor

Thrift Shop Hot! What to look for right now....

In my last post I shared some tips for shopping thrift shops. Now I'm going to share with you some items commonly found at thrift shops that are great for upcycling into swanky home decor and crafts. These items are great because not only are they inexpensive, but they are very much in style as current home decor. Check it out! 

What should you be looking for right now?

1)  Silver-plated Serving Trays
I always see lots of silver-plated trays and platters when I go thrifting, and they're usually inexpensively priced from about $1 to $5 each. The neat thing about these trays is that they come in different shapes and sizes, and some have pretty engraving or ornate edging on them. 
What to do with them? Hang them on a wall as you would china plates, making a display that works well not only in a dining room but throughout the home. (Click here for more wall-display grouping ideas)

Pretty wall display

image via Apartment Therapy

Photo by Blayne Beecham 

Wreath made from silver platters image from Bees Knees Bungalow

2)  Vintage Scarves
Sometimes sold by the bag-full, vintage scarves are abundant at thrift shops and also cost next to nothing. They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, so they are great for repurposing and upcycling. Vintage hankies are great for repurposing too, but they can be a bit more difficult to find than scarves. 
What to do with them? Frame them as art, sew them together to create a unique curtain, or use them to cover throw pillows.
(Click here for even more ideas on how to use scarves and vintage hankies.)

Curtain made from vintage scarvesvintageisforlovers.com

Upcycled skirt by Flowerpie via Etsy

 Children's dresses made from silk scarves by Nixie (above and below)

Scarf curtain

Framed scarf

Pillows made from large Hermes scarves

3)  Picture Frames
I always check out the picture frames at thrift shops. Pay no attention to the colors, you can always paint them. As a matter of fact, I just painted a group of 6 frames black for a photo grouping for my family room. Once painted, they're brand new! The thing that's great about buying frames at thrift shops is that you can find a variety of unusual shaped and sized frames, which are great not just for photos, but also for framing  artwork.
What else to do with them? Replace the glass with mirror, cork board, or paint with chalkboard paint. Get the glue gun and cover them with twigs, sea shells,rocks, or any type of small found objects, or decoupage them with fabric or paper. Or, use them as-is to create a gallery wall of unique variety.

painted frames by MandolinGoose via Etsy (above and below)

Wall display of frames by Simply sadie jane

Chalkboard frames (above and below) by Shugabeelane via Etsy

*Check out my other blog post, Creative Uses For Chalkboard Paint for more chalkboard ideas and a recipe for how to make your own chalkboard paint!


           
Chalkboard paint comes in both brush-on and spray forms!

Twig covered frames

4)  Globes & Maps
Just like road maps, globes become outdated and are replaced with new, up to date versions. I don't see tons of them at thrift shops but I do come across them from time to time. 
What to do with them? Use old maps for decoupage projects, and old globes can be upcycled into pendant lamps.
Check out my previous post on upcycling globes  for a myriad of globe ideas. 
Also check out this post on upcycling maps and atlases for even more ideas!

Vintage globe lamps

Chandelier made from vintage atlas pages

Vintage globe clock

Dresser decoupaged with maps

Mod Podge decoupage medium for decoupaging maps and any type of paper

5)  Old sweaters
With a price average of $1 to $5 a pop, the men's cashmere sweater section in a thrift shop is a goldmine! Not only are these great to wear as-is, but these once pricey luxury pieces are perfect for upcycling into new items for yourself, your family, and your home.
What to do with them? Use them to cover throw pillows, or try your hand at fashioning some new accessories from them like the ones pictured below.

Upcycled cashmere baby blanket by Thismommamakesstuff

Yes, those are upcycled cashmere undies - perfect for keeping your tush toasty on cold winter nights!

Upcycled cashmere sweater pillow by mmwolters via Etsy

 Upcycled sweater pillow with DIY from Going a little coastal

Awesome & stylish upcycled cashmere sweater hoodie dress by darrylbalack via Etsy

Upcycled fingerless gloves by Flowerpie via Etsy

Rose pillow from an old sweater (above and below)

What do you think?
What's your favorite way to repurpose thrift shop finds?

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There's more! Click here to read Part Two of this article!

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Please leave a comment below! 

Which is your favorite? 

Have a great week!
Laura

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Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2019 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area.