Upcycled CD cabinet

Upcycle is a buzz word which has been around for a few years now. For those unfamiliar it means turning something that is now waste or considered outdated into something of use, like when I turned vintage doilies into a bathroom curtain the other day. You can read about that here. My post today is about an upcycled CD storage cabinet which will find a new life.

Here is the original CD storage cabinet. In its day...which wasn't that long ago, it was a very nice piece of furniture. This one is well made from pine, is quite heavy and I would imagine it had a hefty price tag brand new. I however managed to pick it up at the auction last week for a bargain price of $20. Such is the downside of technology changing so quickly...lots of landfill in the making!

Now I need to make it clear...this is not my original idea. I think I first saw this on Pinterest, but I haven't been able to find it again. If you know who originally had this idea please let me know so I can give credit to that person. My first job was to remove these plastic inserts which actually held the compact discs in place.

Looks easy enough...sounds easy enough...just remove the screws...oh wait, and the staples, hadn't noticed those, actually the easy part was the idea, the removal of this plastic was much harder than I imagined. If you have lovely small dainty hands you'll probably do this part much better, but I struggled working in the confined space of the cabinet. I had to stop after 30 minutes of struggling to go to the hardware store and buy a Philips head screwdriver with a short handle ($10) so that I could fit it and my hand inside the space to remove the screws. It didn't stop my hand rubbing against the plastic on the other side however...this was the result.

So about now I was contemplating giving up, I guess sheer determination and that $30 already spent kept me going! After all the screws were removed, I used a chisel to pry the plastic away from the staples and then pliers to remove the staples.

Seriously I thought this would be a fifteen minute job, may thirty minutes tops, but after two and a half exhausting hours (not counting my trip to the hardware store) and sore and aching hands, all plastic was finally removed! ( I did recycle the screws).

So with that job out of the way the fun was about to start!

There were lots of small holes from the screws and the staples that needed filling, and then a light sand all over was in order, thank goodness the mouse sander was small enough to fit inside the cabinet!

All ready for painting.

I chose Blake & Taylor furniture paint. I had the same issue with the painting, as I did with removing the screws, it was so hard to get my hand and the brush inside the confined space. I'm very pleased that I had Blake & Taylor paint because it doesn't require a primer and was easy to apply even with the difficulty of getting inside the cabinet. I love it!

First coat done. The interior is Kettle Green, the exterior is Old White.

The finished product, with its intended use illustrated. I used two coats of green paint and three coats of white then finished it off with one coat of wax.

I am so totally happy with my finished toilet roll storage solution! It is perfect for my very small bathroom/toilet room. The paint came up beautifully and I am very glad I persevered when the going got tough...would I do it again? Probably not. The amount of work involved in this project makes it a perfect once in a lifetime do-it-yourself project, which is well worth doing.  Lisa xx

Vintage Wooden Storage

Most homes never seem to have enough storage options and while big, cheap plastic crates on wheels have their place, what is more endearing than a vintage storage option. Thinking outside the normal applications for these old wooden treasures turns them into attractive displays while also providing that all essential storage. I hope you enjoy browsing some of the storage options that I have sold over the past year.

If you do find a wooden crate, box, shelf or similar in your travels...snap it up, 

I can almost guarantee it won't last long! Lisa xx

Abbotts Cordials - an old Tasmanian company

Vintage School Sewing Box

Vintage Veterinarian's Medicine Carry-all

Vintage Cutlery Tray

Vintage Wooden Crate

Small Vintage Tasmanian Oak Shelves

Old Shell Motor Oil Crate

Vintage Sewing Machine Drawer

Vintage Laurel Kerosene Crate

Vintage Red...enough said!

Red is such a standout, make a statement, look at me colour that you only need a few key pieces in your home to brighten up your surroundings. I have just a few vintage red pieces in my home and I just love them! Have a look at a small sample of what red vintage items are available from other Australian Etsy vintage sellers currently, click on the link of each photo and have a closer look at their vintage shop, I'm sure you'll find something to love! Lisa xx

Little Flea Vintage

Rosy Random

Sparrow Finds

Fox and Thomas

Laughing Duck Vintage

Albert and Grace

Button Broker

Rosemyne Vintage

Vintage Doilies -Idea Number 1

I am a big fan of vintage doilies! I love all different types from the crocheted ones to the lovely embroidered flowers on linen, I even like the old machine stitched ones. The care and attention lavished on these pieces by their makers amazes me, and I can't help but think that those marvelous women who have gone before us knew a thing or two about just slowing down every now and again to make something pretty.

Speaking of pretty...okay...so this is not pretty at all, it's my toilet door at home...we have a small weatherboard home built in the 1950's and it has the one toilet, but that one toilet has an interior door...and an exterior door???? I know, sounds crazy today doesn't it! But I don't think it was all that strange back then. I've tried to think of why and perhaps it was a way back in the 50's to send the kids out to play but to leave the exterior toilet door open for the call of nature...saved all those footprints from being traipsed through Mum's newly cleaned floors perhaps? Whatever the reason...ideally it has to go, BUT the family budget is not in a position to do anything about it at the moment, and truthfully it's right down there on the priority list.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been soaking, washing and ironing my doily collection...here is a small sample of what I have. I have quite a few ideas for them but on Friday when I was spring cleaning the bathroom/toilet area I decided something had to be done with this window. Initially I had thought that perhaps making a roman blind would be the go, I had even bought the fabric for that, but the more I thought about it the more I realised that the blind would look lovely at night when it was closed...but in the daytime we need the light and so the seriously ugly bathroom and toilet windows would still show, yes I have more than one...I'll save the rest for another day!

You know where I am going with this don't you? Just by pure coincidence I had six lovely rectangle doilies that when all joined together give a lovely coverage of the toilet door window...yay!

So late Friday night...after the spring clean, I quickly pinned and sewed the doilies together. Saturday my trusty husband screwed some hooks above the window and attached some curtain thread. I could have done this myself of course, but I could see he was just getting comfortable dying to help so I thought...why not!

Here is the toilet window now. You may be wondering why I didn't bunch up the curtains a little more to give more privacy, but privacy has never really been the issue. The glass is already privacy glass and I thought if I bunched up the doilies then they would just look like net curtains...which I didn't want...this way you can see the prettiness of doilies. Can't wait to show you the other windows.

 Lisa xx

Buying at Auction - Part Three (Final)

In the last couple of weeks I have shared some of the early processes in buying at auction. You can read about viewing days here and registering to bid here. But it's time to get to the most important fun part of the auction process, bidding for an auction lot, and hopefully winning.

Tullochs Auctions

Most general auctions may be made up of a combination of items that either have a reserve price, or don't have a reserve price. A reserve price is a price set by the seller that they do not want the item sold under. If the item fails to reach the reserve price at auction then the item is 'passed in' or in other words isn't sold and may be offered again at a forthcoming auction...more about this after!

Tullochs Auctions

Often items that have no reserve price may be lots that come from a deceased estate where the family may just want the items sold or where the expected value or interest in a lot may not be considered high enough to warrant a reserve price attached.

Armitage Auctions

You need to pay close attention to the auctioneer who will explain the terms and conditions of the auction. Read more about buyer's premiums here. Auctioneers will also generally speak quite fast and so you need to be listening for your lot number to be called. Fortunately the numbers are usually called sequentially so that makes it easier. The exception to this may be if a particularly desirable item has been advertised to auction at a certain time. The auctioneer might interrupt the sale to conduct the bidding on that item and then return to the regular lots.

Armitage Auctions

Auctions can be crowded and may or may not have seating. Put yourself in a position where the auctioneer can have eye contact with you, and be prepared to raise your hand or call out to bid, especially in the first instance. Once the auctioneer sees your interest they will keeping looking back to you for bids. Generally the auctioneer will start the bidding at a price that is hoped to be achieved. If no one makes a bid they will drop the price until someone starts to bid.  Bids will then go up in increments until the highest price over the reserve price is achieved. If no-one bids at all the lot will be 'passed in'. Bidding increments can range from $5 to $10 or to $50 or even $100 depending on the value of the item and the interest shown. Increments can also be changed midway through the bidding if the lot is showing a surprising amount of interest from bidders.

Armitage Auction

Rule of thumb is that you generally wouldn't offer a bid at the auctioneer's opening price, but will let the price drop. This is probably the standard procedure but there are times when it can work in your favour. Sometimes putting in a bid at the opening offer can silence other competitive bidders, they may assume you really want the item and are prepared to pay top dollar, and it signals to everyone immediately your interest in the item. This move is not without its risks though, and you need to be fairly sure of the items value and what you are prepared to pay. 

Armitage Auctions

On the other hand waiting for the auctioneer to go to bottom dollar, while in many cases would serve you well, can often also lead to the bidding going beyond what you would expect. Say for instance you were after a small vintage chest of drawers, and you were hoping to get them for around $30. If you wait for the auctioneer to drop the price to $20 before you bid, then someone else may well make a bid after yours at $30, which means you will then need to bid $40 to have a chance at being the successful bidder. Often if you had bid at the $30 mark there would have been no subsequent bids. It's a bit of a strategy game!

Tullochs Auctions

Remember you will be bidding against other interested buyers who are present and 'book' or 'absentee bids' buyers, these are the people who couldn't attend the auction in person and for whom the auctioneer is bidding on behalf of. You can read about this process here. 

Tullochs Auctions

If auctions are new to you then you will see many confident bidders or bidders to whom the auctioneers seem to turn to, to see if they are interested. These bidders would be regulars at the auctions and are probably buying for their own businesses, be it antique, second-hand stores or market stalls. There is no need to feel intimidated by their confidence, the auctioneer is just as happy to accept your money if you show the interest. In fact you can learn something important from these buyers and that is, that there will always be something similar down the track so don't bid beyond what you can afford to pay.

Armitage Auctions

So take a deep breath, raise your hand, speak up, nod your head all in direct line of the auctioneer...whatever it takes to get noticed, and keep bidding...until either it goes beyond your price and you gracefully drop out, or until you're the winning bidder... yay! It's then just a matter of raising your buyer's number (don't forget that!) for the auctioneer to record.

Armitage Auctions

The final step is paying for your item at the office, which can often be done before the auction finishes, just give them a little time to process your lot number. Then collect the item. If it's small you can often take it with you before the auction ends. If it's very large you may need to wait.

I said I'd mention lots that are 'passed in'. You can go to the office after a lot has been 'passed in' and usually make an offer on it. The auctioneer will get back to you if your offer has been accepted.

Armitage Auctions

So there it is...the mystery of auctions. I hope you can get to enjoy an auction in the near future and that these tips will be helpful. Lisa xx

It's Not Easy Being Green

Green is the colour of spring, and green can be cool and friendly like...I think Frank Sinatra and Kermit the Frog had it right, green is the colour that we all long for in the middle of winter. If you're like me and are missing the freshness of a new green spring day then console yourself by taking a look at these lovely vintage green treasures from other Australian Etsy sellers that I found. Click on their link and have a look around their shop. I'm sure you'll love what else you find. Lisa xx

Modeak

Teddy and Tottie

Chomley Street

Albert and Grace

Ice Cold Goods

Atelier 51 The Annex

TriBecas Vintage

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