IMAGINATION IDEATION - old door knobs

OLD GLASS DOOR KNOBS

Bling anyone? Old door knobs are a great find and can be used for so many different things. They add history and interest! Here you can see that they have been added to an Antique Iron Bed. This 3/4 size iron head and foot board would be a great start to set the tone for a guest room or cottage bedroom.



When building furniture or changing up older pieces, you can use door knobs instead of traditional pulls. The unexpected really makes a piece special! You could change up your door knobs to your bathroom or pantry! You could use the knobs to hang tab curtains or use as curtain tie backs. I have also seen a door knob attached to a wall and used to hang a picture by a beautiful thick ribbon!




Old door knobs come in all sorts of shapes and colours. These knobs are black and have been added to an old wood window that has been converted into a mirror. This restyled beauty can be used for coats, hats or jewelry. To change the look you can create this project in any colour and with any knobs.

Heather from The Fresh View Magazine purchased these glass knobs from The Passionate Home and had her handy man install them to make a grand entrance to her shed! This is not your typical shed, just look at the vintage panel doors in glossy black, WOW! Thanks for sharing Heather!

It may sound funny put I have seen many a smiling face when people see the old door knobs. They seem to surface fond memories! Take a moment and think how you can add a bit of history into your decor!

IMAGINATION IDEATION - one chair

ONE SINGLE COUNTRY CHAIR

A single chair is a great addition to any home and in any room. This chair would make a super bedside table in a small space. Just enough room for a lamp and clock and it doubles as extra

seating. This same chair would work in a family room as a side table with books and a blanket. What about in your kitchen for a plant or fresh flowers?
If you are lucky enough to find a sturdy old country chair, snap it up! Just look at the character this one from the store has! It is sturdy oak and painted a beautiful shade of blue. You could also collect your set of dining chairs one at a time and create an eclectic mix at the dining table!

Lets go outdoors, it is great extra seating when you are setting up for a garden party like the people here at http://www.barnhouse.com/. I did set up something like this in my own backyard last year, but I don't think it looked quite this inviting!

This is my single chair close to my front door. It makes for extra seating indoors and a great place for the whole family to put their library books so that I do not have to search under the beds! Also convenient for Grandpa to sit and put on his shoes! A chair like this is also functional in a bathroom next to the tub or shower. It will keep your towels handy and your glass of wine within reach!

If your chair is in less than perfect condition, why not cut a hole in the seat and pot it up! This adds great interest in your garden! Or, use it at the front door to build a seasonal vignette. If you have cut a hole in the seat, fill the hole with branches, greenery and holly at Christmas. Fill it with branches and pumpkins in the fall! Decorating with one single chair creates a very relaxed style. Your chair is multi functional, easy to maneuver, practical and pretty! So remember, the next time you are treasure hunting, don't pass it up just because there is only one! Sometimes, one is all you need!

IMAGINATION IDEATION - flea market frames

FLEA MARKET FIND PICTURE FRAME

Picture Frames can be found in any thrift store, garage sale or flea market. They are affordable and one of the most inexpensive and versatile decor items. Just look at this collection of frames in all shapes and sizes. They have been uniformed by colour for huge impact. You could frame a collection of family photos or favorite prints from an old calender!


We carry an assortment of frames in the store that are painted and ready to go! Frames are not just for prints! You can have fun and frame just about anything. Here we have hung a bejeweled vintage hand mirror. You could also use an empty hanging frame to display colourful plates, a small shelf, a smaller picture, stenciled wall words or just another smaller empty frame!




I always feel lucky when I come across old gilded frames that look so beautiful just as they are. Here are a few that I have displayed on top of our piano. Another simple project is to add a mirror into your frame.

I found this frame in the back of a local antique store. The picture was one of those velvet bulls and lady in the red dress! Covered in cobwebs, my kids thought I was crazy. It used to hang above my landing in the hall but I have recently moved it into the living room where it frames my tree! It just makes me smile!

With a little bit of spray paint and chalkboard paint, look what you can create. This is also a great idea now that Christmas is coming! Hit the thrift store and make a priceless work of art for someone special! You could also add chicken wire in the frame to make a unique jewelry holder or add fabric to make a bulletin board. You can frame beautiful wallpaper, fabric or vintage linen.

While planning this weeks IDEATION, I came across this photo from http://www.agardentoremember.blogspot.com/. She purchased this frame at a thrift store for
$17.00 and a reproduction Paris map for $20 and it is gorgeous focal point in her family room.
For the kitchen you could frame a favorite family recipe and paint the frame to match your decor. This is also a great gift idea! If your frame is thick enough you could also add some handles to each end and use it as a tray. So, before you put those old outdated pictures into the box for the Sally Ann, take another look...you could probably RECLAIM, RESTYLE & REDECORATE!

I would love to hear about your FRAME CREATIONS, so feel free to leave a comment and share!

IMAGINATION IDEATION - silver trays

SILVER TRAYS

I love silver trays!!! Whether flea market find or grandma's silver; sparkling or tarnished; flat or fancy, I love it all!! Hanging a collection of trays makes for a fun and unique display. You can mix and match your display with beautiful plates or pictures.


Silver trays are useful in every room. Here is a lovely display for your bathroom. You could also use these same items at your desk for your pens and pencils.

You can use your tray to display a special collection. To catch your keys and wallet or to display your jewelery.


I have a small tray by my kitchen sink to keep my dish soap and hand soap neat and tidy. This tray would also look beautiful with two cut glass dishes with candles to create a little sparkle.
Another super idea is to paint the flat part of the tray with chalkboard paint and make your own custom sign!


Janis makes the most wonderful creations out of reclaimed silver pieces. Here she has made a clock from a silver tray, added a few stenciled numbers and is displaying it on an easel. You can also see in this photo her one-of-a-kind night lights created from reclaimed silver teapots. To see more of Janis's creations visit http://www.janisgurney.blogspot.com/


An easy project with big impact! This display certainly makes you feel that you are in a beach side cottage. Use your tray as a starting point to create a seasonal display for your dining or coffee table.

A silver tray can be added to any style decor and be used all year round. Look how beautiful this display looks with the Holiday balls and chandelier crystals. Halloween is around the corner, take out your old silver tray and make an arrangement with white pumpkins and candles!! Or, if you are more traditional, try some black urns, a black cast iron crow and some mini orange pumpkins! Have fun!

2009 GOOD TIMES CRUISE IN

The Langley Good Times Cruise In is one of the largest mixed car shows in Canada and one of the top 10 in North America.

This show happens every year on the second weekend in September. This big classic car show draws in excess of 100,000 people to Langley City!

I think this would be a great opportunity to pull out the old tent and set up a display! The cars are the draw for the day but a girl can try!!

Look at this great little space we set up outside the store in the courtyard area. We did a farmhouse/lake house theme to be attractive to both the male and female visitors of the day!

Loads of vintage charm!

This jelly cupboard is great green colour and would definitely add character to any space.

This little dresser would be perfect for a boys room. We also featured local artist Ilona Fekete with her traditional folk art paintings. Her work is both colourful and fun!

I love to mix colour! The little "laptop" size fir desk is stained in a cranberry colour and looks wonderful with this robins egg blue painted oak chair! It was a beautiful sunny day and in the end it was worth the effort! After all, nothing works unless you do! Thanks for visiting!

IMAGINATION IDEATION ~ old windows

REUSING OLD WINDOWS

Can you not just picture this reclaimed window hanging in a cottage bathroom?? Adding the towel bar to the bottom is such a great idea! You could also add hooks along the bottom and use it for towels or jewelery!!

Here is a reclaimed lead glass window that I use to help separate the two areas in the store. You could also use this idea if you have a pass through in your home or if you have high ceilings and you want to separate two areas in the same space. I have also seen many windows hung together to create a divider/privacy wall in a garden.
Reclaimed and Restyled, I used this window as a table top on an old singer sewing machine base. Put this table out on the patio for plants or cocktails!

Like old doors, windows can be used to build new pieces of furniture. These two windows are now the doors for this custom wall cabinet. Another idea is to hang your found window over your kitchen island as a pot rack, or over your craft table to hang drying flowers or wet artwork.

Windows come in all shapes, sizes and colour and can be used in so many different ways. No matter what your decor, an old window can be revitalized to compliment any style. This one is full of country charm!

Don't overlook the windows without the glass, just look at this organized creation! Chalkboard and bulletin board in one. Great for the craft room, kids room or mudroom!

Be creative and have fun with your ideas! You can display postcards, special quotes, photos or artwork. Use the window frame to frame a poster, a vintage quilt or a painting. Adding mirror into the frame is another popular idea.

Just look how this project shows off family photos!

Indoors or out, an old window is a great addition to any home. Last year we built this pergola in the back yard and hung these lead glass windows for interest. If you look closely, I also have windows hanging on my fence, just to add colour and texture!

So, the next time you see this...don't drive by! This is your opportunity to exercise your creativity in environmentally friendly decorating!

To view some of my customers window creations click http://www.thepassionatehome.com/ and view the "Shared Ideas" page!

IMAGINATION IDEATION - old doors

REPURPOSED OLD DOOR

This old door was a great find! After some serious cleaning, I painted the bottom with chalkboard paint and added the stenciled numbers. This door would look great in an entry to a mud room or pantry. (Old screen doors are great for the pantry too!) You could also just lean it against the wall, add a few hooks and it would be the perfect spot for the dog leash and your favorite straw hat!

I can hear these old doors crying out for attention! I once took a 15 panel door like the one in this photo, added mirrors into each square and stained the door a rich walnut. It looked beautiful! We hung it horizontally in a clients hallway...very nice!

I kept this old crackled door for some time before I decided what to do with it. We attached some barn wood shelves with decorative banister posts, attached an old rake and tin ceiling tiles to make this creative herb door for the garden or sunroom.



Old doors can also be used as functional and stylish furniture pieces. In my den at home, we took two old white and chippy doors and added 4 x 4 posts, painted black, as legs and made one really long desk. We used a small two drawer filling cabinet in between, to divide a his and her space! We topped each door with a piece of glass and we were ready to go!





Here is another great example of repurposing old doors into unique furniture! Just leaning three doors against the wall is a super easy decorating project with huge impact!





You can also have fun with a five panel door and hang it horizontally behind your bed to create a custom headboard.



Another great example of reclaiming and restyling is this coffee table. Doors come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!




What about building these bookcases out of old doors!! A great way to recycle and reuse! The ideas are endless...





You could build a whole room using reclaimed doors and windows! Who wouldn't love this space?? I know I would!! You could use your old doors as a gateway to your secret garden or to your secret garden room!