Category: Decorating

Collecting, Crafting, Decorating

Recycle/Upcycle at the BIG RED BARN

Big Red Barn Blog

We had a great sale at the Big Red Barn this weekend. Hope you were able to make it out! I had a lot of great discussions with the buyers and lots of suggestions for upcycling/recycling items we sell in the barn. We get many, many artisans and craftspersons at our sale who are looking for items to make everything from robots to bird feeders. I’d like to share a few ideas with you.

This was one of my favorite ideas. This clever crafter, takes large round doilies and wraps them around different pumpkins at Halloween/Fall. Easy! She will just tie up the top for great holiday decor. I liked the idea of using the different colors of doilies. You could also experiment with the tie for different looks – ribbon, twine, fabric, etc.

Another idea was using the multitude of miscellaneous glassware pieces you can find at garage sales to make bird feeders. You could use milk glass, depression glass, etc. It’s a great use for pieces with a tiny chip, imperfection, or cloudiness. I liked the idea of using the square dishes or even the divided dishes. You could assemble them with a base, or not, and place them in your garden.

I also find literally, hundreds of punch cups at sales for practically nothing. Everyone is trying to get rid of them. I would suggest using old punch cups for a single serve at a party. They are perfect to hold desserts, snacks, salads, etc. They’re a perfect grab and go for your party and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Finally, the frames and trophy tops. People bought the frames to use for projects from simple painting to embellishment. The trophy tops were used as pegs to make hangers on a board. I thought this would be cute for a kids room. You get tons of trophies with no future life.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. More will be shared soon. Happy hunting!!

Jackie

Decorating

Vintage Wrought Iron Porch Rockers

Big Red Barn Blog

We found these old wrought iron porch rockers a couple of weeks ago at a farm sale out in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma, for $20! As you can see, they were in pretty rough shape! The seats were very rotted out, and we actually fell through one while trying it out. But, the iron was still very solid and sturdy, and I knew there was plenty of life left!

Helping my husband, we cut new seats out of 3/4” plywood, using the old seats for a pattern. I bought new duck cloth at Joann fabric. If you wait until this time of year (fall), it’s pretty cheap (60 percent off). We also purchased a new roll of 2” thick project foam for the seats. The rolls are much cheaper than the precut seat cushions. We used a staple gun to fasten the cloth to the bottom of the seats. It’s really a two person job, so you need someone to help stretch the fabric uniformly. When cutting the foam, we used a table saw to make the cuts. We tried scissors, but found the table saw made much more even, uniform cuts.

I considered spray painting the metal, but decided to keep it the rusty blue. I love it!! My recovering, upholstery technique is not the best, but I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. I think they add a lot of character to my back porch!

I found the old wooden box holding the mums at a barn sale. It was full of old telephone insulators, which I plan to sell in my antique booth. I really like using old wooden boxes to hold plants and flowers. Just be cautious when watering! The big metal pumpkin was found at a tag sale. He does light up, and I really like him. Our son-in-law made the BIG wooden box out of an old refrigerator. It can hold drinks for a really large gathering. Right now we’re using it for storage on our porch.

Don’t be afraid to try your hand at updating, upgrading, repurposing items to make new rustic treasures! Everything doesn’t have to look or be perfect. It’s just fun to try something new!

Jackie

Decorating

Details, Details! Carnival Mardi Gras

Big Red Barn Blog

Just got off a one-week vacation on Carnival’s newest ship, the Carnival Mardi Gras. What a beauty! There were a LOT of bloggers and vloggers on board. They were everywhere reviewing the food, accommodations, entertainment, etc.

So, you might wonder what a country life blogger could possibly have to offer. (I kind of wondered that myself!). I found myself drawn to the details and touches throughout the ship. The floors, ceilings, lamps, fixtures, etc. were all fantastic! I hope you draw inspiration from these photos!

My absolute favorite thing was the ceiling in Guy’s Pig and Anchor. I LOVE rustic, metal, rusty ANYTHING. I really liked the way each square was an individual work of rusty art. As the ceiling ages, you will never notice any deterioration of the tiles.

The bars and cocktails were FABULOUS! I had two favorites – The Brass Magnolia and the Fortune Teller. The Brass Magnolia was reminiscent of old New Orleans. It was in the French Quarter section of the ship. I really like the way they used the brass instruments in their lamps. They played jazz most evenings and we really enjoyed it.

The Fortune Teller was my afternoon hangout. They had the BEST drinks and my favorite was the Crystal Ball! The video below shows how great the drink was.

They had big vintage-look posters and the tile work on the floor really added to the theme.

These columns were outside the chef’s kitchen and I really liked the unique checkerboard pattern. They were pretty small, about 3” x 3”. So, it was surely a lot of work!!

I’ll be sharing more from the Mardi Gras in the coming months. Hope you enjoyed this! I know I did!

Jackie

Collecting, Decorating

Depression Glass

Big Red Barn Blog

Many collectibles start life as a very inexpensive item. Depression glass is one of those items. It was manufactured and distributed during the 1920s and 30s. It was given out in different products such as oatmeal to encourage you to buy the product. It was also given away at movie theaters and carnivals. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns. And, some of the pieces are spectacular.

These are a few of the pieces I’ve picked up over the years. Mainly cream and sugar. However, notice what happens when the green pieces are placed under a black light! It is so awesome. The uranium oxide in the glass makes it glow. This generally only works on green and some yellow pieces.

I have never collected depression glass and have never really been tempted to collect a specific pattern. However, I do love to mix depression glass in with place settings or pieces on my table for a festive look. It adds color and interest to the table. It is particularly great for holidays and special occasions.

There are a LOT of depression glass punch cups available. Consider using these to serve desserts or appetizers. They are smaller and don’t take up a lot of room. But can hold cheesecake, layered desserts, ice cream, or a fruit dessert such as strawberry shortcake. Or a shrimp cocktail, pasta salads, or a small relish cup with dip in the bottom and celery, carrots, or pea pods around the sides.

Sherbets are also plentiful. They are also great for all the same servings. When I use or sell depression glass, I put it in the dishwasher to clean it. Some might say this is blasphemy, but I rarely use anything for entertaining that I can’t throw in the dishwasher. Even something 100 years old. However, if a piece is very precious or meaningful to you, you should probably avoid the dishwasher. The cake plate is an unusual milk glass piece I use to serve desserts at holidays and special occasions.

Depression glass is everywhere. I’ve never been in an Antique Mall or flea market where I didn’t see a good supply of depression glass. Some of it is still very valuable and hard to find. However, there are plenty of colors, patterns, etc. that are plentiful and easy to find. Consider adding a few pieces to your table!

Jackie