I love D.I.Y. projects!  (Door Desk, and Plank Wall)

This weekend, in our little town of Coarsegold, CA, the Peddler’s Fair (Antiques & Collectibles) is in full swing.  It’s a fun event, where all different types of treasures can be discovered. There are true antiques and valuable collectibles, but there are also a lot of “hidden” gems, things that some people might consider junk. Those are the kinds of things I love to find.  They fuel my imagination, and their possibilities excite me.

Here’s an example.  This is the back of an antique chair that had been painted multiple times. The paint was peeling, and the wood was very dry.

Using a wire brush, I brushed off the paint that was flaking and peeling, then I used Howard Feed-N-Wax to put some moisture back into the wood.

I turned it upside down, hung it on the wall, and it serves as a towel rack in one of our bathrooms.

I enjoy rescuing old pieces. I wonder what they looked like when they were brand new. Who owned them? Why did they get rid of them?  What history did they see?

Yesterday my husband and I spent hours at the fair, and came away with LOTS of what we consider treasures.  This is just about 50% of what we picked up.

I am going to chalk paint the little round table, and that will go in my husband’s “golf room,”  (man-cave). He used to build models as a hobby when he was a young boy, and thought it might be fun to do again, so the table will be his dedicated spot to do so.   I will make foot stools out of 2 of the antique drawers.  I will chalk paint the oak on the stained glass window, and that will hang in my bathroom. The white antique window frames – one of them has broken glass, so I will remove that, put chicken wire behind the frame, and hang it in my laundry room.  I will pin to it that one sock, that is missing it’s partner, for handy reference on the next laundry day.  The wound up rope-looking thing is a hammock. It doesn’t need any thing, except to be hung in a tree, and be ready for me to relax in it at the end of the day.

We don’t have our entire house decorated in the “reclaimed” style.  But we do like to include pieces that add , what we consider, rustic charm to the overall look.

I know this decorating style isn’t for everyone. Do you see junk here? Or do you see possibilities? Or junk with possibilities that you would like to see in someone else’s house but just not your own?