My Projects – Through a vintage Door

Posted on May 13, 2020May 13, 2020 by throughavintagedoor · 8 Comments

Knock-off Challenge Dough Bowl

Who doesn’t love a Dough Bowl? And who doesn’t love paying $100 or even $199 for it ? ME!

Right at the end I’ve posted pictures of the two Dough Bowls I love ( but couldn’t afford) from Pottery Barn

The challenge!

Our host Terrie from decorate and more with tip decided that we should have a knock-off challenge this month and rounded up eight of us And straight away I’m like hec yes!!

Im definitely in for this , why?

1. Because I was a bit scared to change the colour of the bowl … And that’s a challenge in itself….

2. It got me moving on my decision to just go for it and paint it (my mind was saying , don’t be scared)

Ya see , I bought this dough bowl at a thrift store a while back for only $10, and when I bought it I knew I wanted to do something with it , but didn’t know what to do!

So for a thrift store challenged last year I just styled it and left it !! Heres a few photos of it… It’s really nice, but it needs something else , I think…

You know that feeling , the one where you know it’s time to do something with it! Well I was flicking through the pottery barn website and stumbled across a white / bleached dough bowl and fell in love with it . At the same time Terrie put it out to us that we will be doing a knock off challenge! Straight away I knew I wanted to be in this challenge …

So I got to sanding the bowl with a wire cleaner, over here , we call them Brillo pads!

It was proving to be harder than I thought, so I just kept scrubbing all the wax and stain off .

I kept bringing it into the other room , checking it out in a different light and bringing it back to the wire pad and water

Finally I’m getting to where I need it to be.

So I put it outside to dry in the sun and then put the first coat of white paint on it and kept rubbing it in circular movements to try get the paint into the grain of the wood!!

Then I would rub the paint back off and just keep doing the same process of painting and rubbing off ..

I kept using a wet rag to try and take away some of the white paint and when I finally got to the point I wanted it to be ,I just stopped and left it to dry!

After a few days it went pink, not a chance can I leave it like this!

boy was I frustrated so I gave it a coat of Dulux white primer adhesive! I remembered I had some left over from when I repainted my bathroom and bedroom doors…

Yay this looks better…But I still want it to look like the one I seen on the pottery barn website…

Just some info, this is the Dulux adhesive primer.

I then gave it a coat of rustoleum linen white

So friends!!

Here’s the Pottery Barn Dough Bowls

And here’s mine

I had all the paint on hand and the bowl costed me $10 from a thrift store last year.

Next job!

Once it’s all dried , I just simply styled it!!

Well friends I hope you where inspired with my Dough Bowl..

And there is a lot more inspiration for you down below.

Don’t forget to hop over to all my blogging friends below , you never know one of them may just have something that will inspire you to go create!!

My moto , don’t pay if you can create!!

Stay safe and be blessed all!

Teresa!

Posted on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 by throughavintagedoor · 24 Comments

Spring Wreath

April Challenge!

Hi friend’s!!! Welcome to my April DIY challenge! I’m so excited ,yay!! because it’s a wreath!!

You have most likely arrived here from CD Living and what a beautiful wreath she has created!

Who else is in love with wreaths?

When our host Terrie from Decorate and more with Tip presented the monthly challenge (decorate a grapevine wreath and do anything you like with it) there was just no way I was backing out of this challenge,. Only thing was , I was unable to find a grapevine wreath in our shops so I had made my own !!

As usual, I’ve teamed up with some blogging buddies so don’t forget to check out all the other participants at the end of the post 😊

Before I go any further , if you haven’t checked out Terrie’s blog , you need to go follow her. I can’t express how much I adore this lady , she is amazing at everything she does ( no joking here) I can truly guarantee that you will find something that you will love and can create from her blog… You can find her here >>>>> http://www.decorateandmorewithtip.com

I’m a little OTT when it comes to wreaths . my house is full of them and peeps I mean FULL of them! Wether it’s a proper wreath or a picture with a wreath on it , I’m either gonna buy it or make it 😀

Ok on with the challenge !! After starting the project, I did discover that spotlight stores did stock the grapevine wreath but it was $20.00 and I’m sorry I’m not paying that for a wreath that has nothing on it , I just refuse!! So I decided to carry on with my own hand made one! You can check out the full details on how I actually make my wreaths in the link here How to make a wreath from scratch >>

Ive been making my wreaths out of grapevine fencing panels , they usually retail over here for $60-$70 or more but I picked up two for $6.00 at a garage sale years ago and at the time I had no idea what the hec I was buying them for. Most likely I bought them for fencing privacy in our last property. Then I found another alternative for them, yes, wreath making !!! You can see from the photo I was coming to the end of the fencing panel , so I hadn’t got much to work with as the end was getting thin and scrawny but how and ever I made it work…

I started to tie it together by bunching it an and squeezing it tightly together I was able to use the tie wire that was already on it but I also liked the look of the twine as it just adds a rustic look to it

I don’t like to waste anything so as I was shaping it I decided not to cut the ends , so being Easter I was going to slightly shape it into an egg shape .. After Easter I can easily change it out.

So here’s my wreath which costed nothing and below is the one from spotlight. To be honest I think I prefare my own

When I started making this wreath , the stay inside and don’t go out unless you really need to policy had hit us. I always have plenty of faux flowers on hand so used some of what I had in Stock !! I always have plenty of greenery etc because I make a lot of wreaths and florals etc . Here are the florals I used.

Greenery x 1
I’ve no idea what the greenery is called
I just remember loving it when I seen it!
Anyone else with me on that one ???
As you can see I’ve devided the whole stem in half . I didn’t want to cut the stems into individual pieces because I actually like this piece and I’ll reuse it in another project later on!!

I also divided one of the floral stems in half and didn’t cut that either!

Twine
Quick hack!
Don’t throw away your natcho dip jar…
Wash it out , cut a whole in the lid and simply feed your twine through the hole..
This is a favourite hack of mine..

Sissors x 1
Don’t worry if it doesn’t have the added glue all over the handle , like mine does…
It won’t affect your project at all ( wink wink) added pun!! 😜

Ok, so let’s get moving on!

The first thing I did was added a twine tie to the top, held it up to see how it would hang. Then I laid it flat.

I divided the trailing floral stem into various sizes (as shown)

I proceeded with the first step of the wreath and positioned the floral garland were I liked it! It’s totally up to you how you do this!!

I tied the floral garland with the twine ( once it was in position )

Second step . I got the trailing floral stem that I cut up into various lengths and used the single flowers and positioned those in random places around the wreath.

I then took the floral stem the one in half and simply place it in position , slightly at an angle to the left

Once I positioned the floral stem I tied it .
Can you see how dividing the stem and not cutting it , leaves a gap in middle? You will see how this will come into play later on in the tutorial!

I did the exact same thing with the greenery stem as I did with the previous floral stem , halved it positioned it and tied it in place!!

I added the second floral stem but didn’t divide or bend it in half . I left it whole Nd just placed it above the greenery on tbd left hand side of my wreath!

Next step , I took the egg nest and the tie wire and cut a long enough length so I could feed it into the nest and then straight into the wreath to tie it in the desired area .. I did this with the three nests .. I did have to play around with this for a while.

I positioned the eggs!!
Remember the gap that I made from bending the floral and greenery stem? Well this created a little kind of of ledge so I could place the nests on .. Just perfect!!

This is an example of the length of the trailing floral I used for the bottom of the wreath .. I liked the length of the trail here!

Once I had the three little nests in place , I added some of the pieces of trailing floral that I previously cut up , and again I just placed them in random places but just at the bottom of the wreath!!

Then I placed the eggs in Random places on the wreath!

I hung the wreath to see how it looked before I did anymore to it!
Then I decided to add the egg sprig to the top left of the wreath!!

So guys below is the finished project!! Usually I make a more subtle wreath but this time I wanted to go larger than normal.. I wanted this wreath to be full of life and sprig time. I wanted it to represent a woodland feel and what spring would look like in the middle of a woodland with the little nests hidden away in a cluster of beauty and sunshine!!

The Theme! My favourite bird is a Robin red breast, have you ever seen how they build their nests? Well one year my neighbour had a flower planter on her front window ledge, it was just beautiful. In the very center of the clusters of blooms was a little robins nest with its little eggs!! A sight I’ll never forget!! In this challenge I wanted to replicate that in my wreath and I think I simply did this here!!

I moved the wreath around the house to see where I wanted to keep it and I think this spot works best !! I’m forever doing that now lol!! Moving things around!!

Take a look at Patina and paint below how elegant is that wreath?

So guys as usually , make sure and check all the links below!

Be blessed all!!

Teresa!

Posted on January 20, 2020January 21, 2020 by throughavintagedoor

Thrift Store Find January

Well hello friends , this is my very first challenge for the new year January 2020

Wow! It’s hard to believe that a year has went by so fast, Yikes!!!

I’ve teamed up again with some of my blogging buddies hosted by the beautiful Tara from Stilettosandshiplap and Emily from LeCultivateur. If you haven’t already checked out Taras and Emilys blog’s , you need to go and check them out. These ladies have tons and tons of great diy’s that you will just love! I have also linked all the participants who I’ve teamed up with below so be sure to check out there finds!!!

The Challenge!

A few years back I purchased some louvred doors that I used in my bedroom, but hid a couple in the shed, as one does , well me anyway, ( I have to hide everything from my hubby)

Sooo after Christmas while pulling the shed around obviously to make space for the new Christmas decor I purchased , ( quote quote ) my hubby spotted the two louvered doors and said “ok its time for them to go” I’m like “noooo , I can use those” He’s like “where” I’m like “oh somewhere” “He is like scratching his head at this stage as he is reminding me of the New Years resolution that I just made two weeks previous and I’m already ready breaking it lol!! Oh well!

When Tara and Emily set the challenge date , I had something completely different planned for this challenge … So today I decide to get cracking on those two doors and prove my hubby wrong, not that I’m out to get him or anything because he is just amazing and is willing to help me at a drop of a hat!! But sometimes he is right I keep onto things forever and a day!!

Here are the louvered doors in their original state.

I used two part Rustoleum white linen chalk paint to one part water and then rubbed it all over with an old damp cloth added paint and taking it off until I got my desired look… You can’t go wrong or over do it , this is actually for the ameture, just keep working it until you love it..

Chalk paint drys in minutes so you can decorate it straight away, yay!!! Just be a little careful as to not scratch it if your your working on it straight away.i usually recommend that 72 hrs is best because it’s starting to really cure but it does take a few weeks to properly cure. I didn’t wax theses pieces or seal them because I love them as is!

Decorating the doors

Adding the Cupid wings

My favourite part for sure… I decided to use my little Cupid wings that I had in my bedroom as it’s drawing near to Valentine’s Day , well I really don’t care as I think I’ll be keeping them right here!! 🙂

Adding the wreath

Then I put on the wreath that I hand made myself. The wreath is made from scratch out of stuff in my garden but the flowers are faux , I’m not at the stage of making my own flowers and I had mom to dry out!! You can find the tutorial on how I made this here >>> How to make a wreath from scratch

Adding the corbols

I purchased these for wooden corbols two years ago and never had a place for them. So I decided to add here !! These also came out of the shed.. So I recon my hubby will be happy with this! ( two less items in the shed yippee! More space for new stuff. Wink wink ) 🙂 I just tied them through the louveres as the corbols had a little hinge on the back of the so it made them easy to hang…

Adding the candles

I added some battery operated candles , you know the wax ones with the flame effect!! These are awesome and I purchased tons of these from TK Maxx .. these are handy when you living in a hot country which I live in Australia .

The finished product

So guys I’m so happy with the outcome I’ve achieved here! And it’s completely made the room look cosy… I’m going to have my lounge recovered but that’s after the new kitchen goes in and the tiles come up.. (imagine the dust) So bad idea to have hat done before the messy works … I think it’s going to blend in well when I do get the lounge reupholstered and the new rug!! What I love about this as well is that the doors have seemed to take away the ugly look from the brick wall that has been partially removed. We could never do anything with it as we knew it was a matter of time before we fixing up the kitchen so we didn’t want any extra expense,after all this a renovation that we never planned to live in…

So for $10 each door, I think I’ve transformed the room. Here is the finished product and the second picture below is the original way it looked…

Before

So previously I had these two metal wall decor pieces which I do still love.. I’m just going to have to find somewhere else for them or just put them away until we move to our new home!

Well folks I hope you all enjoyed my simple DIY . It’s so simple to turn an ugly piece into a focal point and snazzy up a room for a few bucks.. Don’t forget to check out all the links below for some talented inspiration.

Teresa!

https://thisfulllife5.com/2020/01/20/antique-hutch-makeover

https://wordpress.com/view/sweetsoutherngrace.blog

https://barnhousemess.wordpress.com/2020/01/19/thrift-store-challenge-vintage-chest

https://clochesandlavender.com/

https://wordpress.com/post/clochesandlavender.com/12411

https://LeCultivateur.com/2020/01/20/thrifted-treasure-January/

https://www.thehousehouse.com/thrift-store-finds/thrift-store-challenge-january-pub-table-makeover

Https://www.colorjoyinteriors.com/vintage-desk-makeover/

Posted on December 5, 2019December 8, 2019 by throughavintagedoor

DIY Dollar Tree Challenge by

Hi all! I’m so excited with this months challenge because it’s all christmassy yay!! I can’t believe that a year has gone by so fast , I mean as fast as zoom!!! Rather shocking really .. I’m not a lover of the saying that my grandma used to say ” The older you get the faster time goes by” naw!! I’d rather just pretend I’m not ageing and time is just flying by lol!!! But I’m not getting a day older, yep I’m sticking with that one!!!

Christmas has always been my favourite time of year and our beautiful and talented host Terrie has once again come up with a wonderful challenge for this month which happens to be a tree from the Dollar Tree store.

If you haven’t already checked her out , you need to go and you will find her here http://www.decorateandmorewithtip.com ….you won’t be disappointed!!!

Don’t forget to check out all the other participants which I have linked at the end.

The Challenge!

Purchase a tree from the dollar store… Unfortunately we don’t have a dollar store in Australia but we do have a similar store but it doesn’t sell the trees that Terrie wanted us to use for the challenge. Terrie allowed me to use one that I thrifted so I could be in this challenge.

So my tree costed $5.00 , not very much hey!!!

So here’s my tree below in its full glory before I got to work on it. I used the tree on the right for this project because it’s a little less fluffy…

I wanted to use the idea from an instagramme account I love and follow. But mine is a dressed up version of hers as she didn’t decorate hers at all .. She titles her her project , Skinny tree

The first thing I do to make my tree skinny is start by cutting all the branches .. I kept mine to approximately 1/2″inch as I didn’t want it to look like a scolded cat!! but you can go as skinny or thick as you wish!! I just used an ordinary sissors for this and had no dramas… It took a bit of time but I got there in the end and it wasn’t that bad!!!

Just before the cutting stage I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do but somehow I manage to put the tree right beside a basket that was destined for the shed !! The reason it was going to the shed is because I purchased it two years ago and never used it but when the tree landed beside it, I said what the hec! I’ll use that!

In the bottom of the basket was some rope that I purchased last year as I was going to use for a shelving idea I had but didn’t get around to it so low and behold my project was unfolding before my very eyes!!! Oh and a bonus was that this rope has lights on it 😊

As I’m looking around the house to see what else I could use to dicky this project up I noticed a box of maybe 20 poinsettias which I usually use as a shirt for my tree!!! But because I’m getting my house ready for a sale I didn’t want to clutter the house up with lots of Christmas decor.. At the moment I have some off market people viewing the house…

I’m such a lover of poinsettias and literally would put them everywhere in my house…I really didn’t want to put these back into storage so what better motive did I have to keep them out , hey , just use them on my project !!!

So I needed something to give my tree some height, so I used a bowl from my cubbard.

I used some baubles that I had on hand

And I used three little poinsettia flowers. And a small pine cone as a tree topper!

So firstly I put the bowl in the basket for some height

Then I add all the poinsettias ( I used five) I put them around the bowl and they fitted perfectly…

I then placed the tree in the middle!

I started to decorate it with the rope… I used two ropes for this tree ..

Then the baubles and tree topper went on! And whoopa!!! My project was finished!! Simple but effective and I had everything on hand all I purchased was the $5.00 tree…

Hope I have given you some if only even a little inspiration today!!

Don’t forget to pop over to the other participants just click on there links…

Be blessed all and Merry Christmas!!!

Teresa!

First I want to show you this tree from Jessica isn’t it just so cute and elegant and would fit in to almost any space

Jessica – Jessica Welling Interiors

https://jessicawellinginteriors.com/decorate-a-dollar-store-mini-christmas-tree/

And then there is this pretty project from Michelle from blessings by me.. who would ever of thought of turning a tree into something so pretty!

Michelle – Blessings by Me

https://www.blessingsbyme.com/?p=4491

Terrie – Decorate and More with Tip

https://decorateandmorewithtip.com/dollar-tree-tabl…p-christmas-tree/

Kelli – K’s Olympic Nest

https://olympicnest.com/blog/dollar-tree-christmas-tree-hack-creating-a-farmhouse-buffalo-check-christmas

Shae – Sweet Southern Grace

https://wordpress.com/post/sweetsoutherngrace.blog/1001

Rebecca – Rebecca Anne Home

http://rebeccaannehome.com/?p=315

Dayna – Just Another Farmhouse

https://barnhousemess.wordpress.com/2019/12/02/diy-christmas-tree

Christine – CD’s Country Living

https://cdscountryliving.com/diy-rustic-mini-christmas-tree-centerpiece/

Dani – Welcome to the Taborhood

Http://www.thetaborhood.com/blog/mini-tree-diy

Tammy – Patina and Paint

http://patinaandpaint.com/diy-challenge-dollar-tree-mini-tree

Carol – Bluesky at Home

https://blueskyathome.com/3-ways-to-style-a-dollar-tree-christmas-tree

Mary – Shady Oak and Sassafras

https://shadyoakandsassafras.com/dollar-tree-thrift-store-christmas-tree-challenge /

Jessica – Jessica Welling Interiors

https://jessicawellinginteriors.com/decorate-a-dollar-store-mini-christmas-tree/

Teresa – Through a Vintage Door

https://throughavintagedoor.com/03/12/diy-dollar-tree-challenge/

Michelle – Blessings by Me

https://www.blessingsbyme.com/?p=4491

Jessica – Jessica Simmons

jessicabsimmons.com/decorating-a-mini-dollar-tree-christmas-tree

Posted on August 6, 2017May 16, 2018 by throughavintagedoor · 2 Comments

Another great find for a DIY job I did a few months back

Well guys I picked up this beauty at a second hand shop and it was pretty much scratch up. It wasn’t as cheap as I would have liked but it certainly had potential. I knew it was a genuine piece and when I got it home there it was right in the drawer the stamp that I wasn’t expecting to see. I googled the maker and the item popped straight up, in fact one link took me straight onto gum tree and the item was for sale second hand and selling for $550, wow $550 how cool was that! . Im not sure if i’ll sell this or just hold onto it in the new house.. Oh dear, what to do what to do. Decision time again I suppose folks. I have such hard time with deciding what pieces to keep and what pieces to let go and then theres what pieces am I going to use in our new nest, oh and then theres whats going to fit and whats not. Going from a four bedroomed one office two sitting rooms two dining areas and two bathrooms to a little three bed house with one bathroom is going to be a real game changer and a challenge for us. It will definitely be one step at a time and one room at a time. Well I suppose i’ll just go get a cuppa tea and think about this piece keep or let go.

Posted on July 17, 2017May 16, 2018 by throughavintagedoor

Little DIY Project

Isn’t this just adorable, I love this little printable that I got from littlevintagenest . I’m using it so much in various places in my home , I must say it does move around quite a bit. It just seems to want to fit in anywhere I place it . So if an item can do this for me then it’s a bonus

Posted on July 15, 2017July 15, 2017 by throughavintagedoor · 7 Comments

How to make a wreath from scratch

How to make a wreath from scratch.

THROUGH A VINTAGE DOOR·TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017

Hi guys the first thing I do is buy as much flowers and folliage as I can when they are on clearance. Don’t worry about over load as you can use them all over the house and when you start making stuff , believe me they will disappear very quickly.

I bought a basket , chalk painted it then placed all my flowers and stems in the basket and just used that as decor on a table. ( I just take them out of the basket and use them as I go) Though you will find yourself wanting to replace them quickly, just so you don’t run out and this is a great way of storing them if you don’t have space , just use them this way , bonus they will brighten up the house too

🙂

Try and buy flowers and stems that have good quality, these will look far better and will look more expensive especially if you are planning to sell the wreaths. You can see the quality of the Orchids i’ve used here in the photo below . You can pay anything from 5 bucks to 16 bucks on a stem depending on how well you want your arrangement to turn out. So keep your eyes peeled for clearance items.

Items you will need for this project.

Artificial Hydrangeas and their leaves , Orchids, Roses, and some sort of white flowers (name to follow)

Vine Screening

Glue Gun and glue

Tie wire

String

Wire cutters

Secateurs or pruner

Scissors

Cuppa tea or Coffee.

Lets begin the project

🙂

Unroll your vine screen so its laid out flat. depending on the thickness you want your vine wreath to be will depend on how you like it. I like it to be heavy and thick . I usually end up with four vines out of the roll. Get your wire cutters and start to cut the vine screen into sections of your choice.

With one of the sections you just cut, start to roll it together , but don’t put pressure on it if you have decided to go for a more lighter weight wreath. (quick tip) > Sometimes the lighter the wreath then the easier to bend into shape , but I like them thick and heavy

2. Once you have rolled the vine grab your wire or string and tie from the centre first , then keep tieing towards the ends . You will use maybe 5 ties in total ( I used string in this project)

3. When its tied and secured with the string or wire just bend it into shape , but do this very gently or the vines will just snap. Then tie the two ends together making it into a circular shape . Your two ends should over lap. You can make this as small or as big as the you like by pulling it into shape and no need to worry if its thicker on one side than the other , the flowers will hide this. You may have to keep bending and squashing it into shape.

4. Shape it until you are happy and tie it securely

5. When you are happy with the look of the wreath get your flowers and arrange them to your hearts desire. (Quick tip) play around with this , you will be surprised at how many times you will change your mind so don’t just settle on your first arrangement.

6. When you like the look you have created start to glue your stems in place. If you don’t have a glue gun or don’t want to glue them, just tie them with wire or string , this will be a bit more time consuming because if your doing two matching and you tie them wrong, it means you have to keep redoing them till they match up the same . But the overall effect is the same wether glued or tied

7. Last thing to do is hold your wreath up and decide which angle you prefare , then centre a piece of string or wire in the centre of your wreath.

8. Finding a home to hang your project …..Hang it in your desired room

🙂