By Shelly Thompson

I think days spent making Kleenex roses, nylon netting bridal vales, drying flowers from my grandma's garden for cards...were the beginning of my LOVE of DIY...with anything. I so admire people who take all those industial pieces and make wall hangings and jewelry...but me, I find an old pair of shoes, or a scrap of paper with cool writing, or an old book with beautiful vintage font...and I know I must make some type of DIY item. 

I honestly think I could write a book titled "Why the heck are you saving that?" that's my husband's favorite question, when I find a scrap of paper from the 1800's that makes me gasp aloud with sheer delight in the beauty and history it contains. Later, when I show my husband how I used my amazing find...that was probably discarded truly as nothing, or I paid .50 for it (which he felt was WAY too much for my little treasure!)...he is always amazed. You would think that continual question, "Why the heck are you saving that?" would cease...well, no it does not. But, I am not deterred by it! 

You shouldn't be either. Let's get busy and let me show you some things on the porch of my 100-year-old home that might get you looking through your home for some unique things to amp them up and make them into unique pieces that people can't resist asking about when they come in your home. 

Welcome...to my porch (which also just happens to be the photo on the cover of the November issue!)- 

Before we head to our 100-year-old porch, let's visit the 147-year old outdoor area I created at building in Walnut, Iowa. The brick is beautiful, but the windows in our garden alley way were were just flat windows, with amazing arches above them. When I look at the brick, I am always in awe that is has been there for 147 years. All the springs, summers, snows, blizzards these bricks have seen, makes me love them! I found these old windows on a curb a few years ago. I made my husband immediately pull over to collect them. "What the heck are you going to do with those?", he asks as he's slowly going back to get them. Driving really slow...like he hopes someone else will stop and pick them up...I always wonder if that's how he drives to his Thursday afternoon golf outings :) But, I had a plan! 

The windows fit perfectly over my boring windows. We have a pile of scrap wood I've collected from tear downs and off curbs...so, my husband built these beautiful window boxes, and if you look closely, you'll see I scripted the original name of the bank and date established on the archways. It's so relaxing to sit out there and enjoy the plants and garden decor. And giving a nod to the history of the building makes it even more special. 

My advice...pull over, even if hubby drives as slow as a turtle when you ask  him to turn around to get them...it's worth it!  

Hodge Podge!

I love this no frills, fun, colorful grouping of 'hodge podge'. It contains a small old gardening bucket (with a little garden dirt you can't see...yikes!), a left over roll of colorful plaid material with snowflakes, a pinecone I collected from my yard, two bottle brush trees that are missing the bases...so they make great tuck-ins for the planter and Santa mug, and the final jewel in this hodge podge...a vintage santa mug that is lonely...as all the other ones in this set of four are long gone. But the mug shines here. This is a great grouping for an entry way, on top of a stack of red books, or beside the soap and towels in the bathroom...it would be great anywhere. 

And, it truly is a collection of...hodge podge...that looks amazingly perfect together! 

Shoes...or boots. 

I love tucking a shoe in my decor somewhere, or a pair of gardening boots with a pencil Christmas tree poking out of them. I look for shoes at every flea market, garage sale, estate sale...anyplace. And, here's the really great news...if you see a pair of shoes or boots that you really like, but perhaps the color isn't what you want...seriously...paint them! Dixie Belle or Annie Sloan paint will have your shoes looking any color you want with one coat (don't dilute the Dixie Belle like you would if you were applying to furniture). 
These sweet red gardening shoes are perfect with more pine cones from my yard, and a 12" pencil tree tucked in them. Again, these would be perfect in an entryway with a little wood block by the toe that said 'Hello'...what a fun greeting for guests during the holiday, and these actually look great for Christmas, but could also transition into a winter decoration as well. Who doesn't love less work????

Use what you love. 

Use what your heart loves. This could be a photo of my favorite things I love...vintage tape measures, chippy spindles, bingo cards...these little things just make me smile. Using spindles gives height to bottle brush trees, or you can place a santa mug on top, or a bird can perch on these adorable spindles to bring some nature into your space. Tape measures make great 'trim' for small trees, and with the font's and different muted colors they give that vintage feel to whatever they happen to be placed on. I like to fill some of my old glass coffee jars with an unrolled measuring tape. It just adds some texture and interest. 

Bird Cage blues...

This vintage bird cage, well it's sad and blue because it has no cage, so I guess technically, it's not a bird cage, but it IS an awesome wreath hanger! As a wreath hanger this can go from season to season and it will look adorable! If you don't like the gold...spray paint it the color of your choice. You can even use patina spray to give it a more aged look if that's what you're going for. 

For the Christmas season the JOY cards are hanging on it, but you could add a little sign, or even a boho tie of different pieces of cloth tied to the bottom, creating a boho look! 

The best part...bird cages...without cages...are usually free on a curb, or super reasonable at garage sales! 

Books.

Stamping and embellishing books is fun and fairly inexpensive, especially if you purchase your ribbon and embellishing supplies during garage sale season for pennies. Often you can find bags of little items that are perfect as book embellishments for .25 per bag. The stamps can be an expensive investment, but often Michael's has coupons for half off, or buy one get one half off so you can collect a variety of sizes, without spending tons of money on stamps. 

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One more stamp idea.

So many cute things on this chair...notice the vintage playing cards spelling Christmas along the ledge. But, the vintage black pot is stamped with silent night. Remember, once you have your stamp sets, you can use them for many things. You might have to get a different stamp pad ink for different surfaces, like metal, but it's totally worth it. This little pot would look great in an entry way, or counter top filled with some holiday chocolates for guests to take as they leave, or a few bottle brush trees. 

You'll be singing with happiness at this project! 

I've loved old music rolls literally as long as I can remember. That yellowish paper, the tiny holes for the music to play, the way it rolls, and many have the most adorable little dangle things at the end of the roll. Some music rolls have the words to the song printed sideways. What's not to love about a music roll? It's an inexpensive mini roll of art in sound. 

There are many ways to use music rolls, the easiest is stamping as the one I've got. But, you can also get thin decoupage papers that come in vintage papers and they look stunning in a collage on the music roll. If the bottom dangle is missing, you can get little bells, or dice, whatever you like and glue gun it on. 

Remember to use old photos of your family tucked around with your groupings. I made this old photo pictured into a tree topper. 
I hope you've enjoyed your time on my porch and I've given you some fun DIY ideas. And remember, do not listen when your husband says, "What the heck are you going to do with that?" Pull out your phone and show him these pictures! 

Hopefully, you've found some inspiration in these ideas to get you started on your way to repurposing, salvaging, and loving the fun you can have doing it! ​