Easy Vintage and Repurposed Home Projects

If you've been a Lovely Adventurer for a while you probably could have guessed that I'm obsessed with most everything vintage (particularly maps... they are my Kryptonite).  We just recently moved into The Lovely Yellow House in August and slowly but surely I've filled the walls with all my treasures.  

Our First Home! Hooray!

I am not a patient person.  Especially when it comes to crafting or making things. I like my projects to come together quickly and I like for them to be easy. Baking and measuring all the things precisely? no. Sewing intricate items of clothing and following patterns?  no thank you. (Thank the Lord for those of you who can because I benefit from both baking and clothes making a little too much) 

So, when decorating my home with vintage repurposed projects I want them to be easy and fast so I can get that instant gratification that ruins my brain for all other things that require patience and hard work. Below are a few of the projects I've completed in the last few months and with enough imagination and creativity you can easily create something similar with your vintage treasures! 

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Project 1: Repurposed Vintage Fabric/Handkerchief Wardrobe 

We have limited closet space in our bedroom and so I needed something to hang my ridiculously embarrassing amount of clothing in.  I wandered through Target (my other home) and found this beauty: 

or should I say... not so beauty.  It kind of looks like a spaceship or something I should be quarantined in when I'm sick.  So, I stared at it for many days trying to figure out how to make it much more lovely and turned it into this: 

Isn't it SO dreamy?  It makes me happy every time I walk in our room.  

The back and sides are covered in a vintage sheet I've had for years with a pastel floral pattern.   I pinned it at the top with safety pins (I can't see the top from anywhere in the room) but you could also certainly hot glue it if you wanted.  I told you... I'm all about fast and easy. Safety pins for the win. 

The front is made of all my vintage fabrics / handkerchiefs / doilies and ribbons I've been hoarding for years.  If you don't have your own hoarding stash... try thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales. You'll have one in no time! I believe in you. 

I cut up strips of the fabric and different lengths of the ric-rac and ribbon to add some texture.  The vintage handkerchiefs are strung together with... you guessed it... safety pins and some I was able to tie the corners together. 

Each strip I straight pinned to the top (so I could move them around if I wanted) and later would safety pin them.  Some I tied in knots in different places and others I left straight for a messy romantic look.  I love messy and eclectic so get creative and try what works for you! 

Once I was finished and had seriously diminished my pile of hoarded fabrics and ribbons (hooray!) and I LOVED the end result.  I can easily hang up the fabric strip curtain over the corner and get into the wardrobe when I'm getting ready for the day.  I love this, it was so easy and also, so fun! So, if you're a fabric hoarder like me and have a wardrobe or something similar that doesn't match your vibe... try this out! 

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Project 2: Painted Vintage Couch

You guys... Estate Sales for President.  This couch was $12. For reals.  It was not wanted by anyone because well... it was kinda ugly in color.. but its bones were awesome and it is so well made.  I love the gold fabric on the cushions... but I wasn't crazy about the medium dark wood stain that was all over the base of the couch.  I new I needed to change the color but I was not about to sand all those spindles in the back. oh heck no. 

I went to Lowe's and found this miracle paint: 

I wanted a rich blue green color and they had the perfect one called "Stained Glass"

I DID NOT SAND THIS COUCH. it truly was a miracle. I went over it with about 3 coats (my patience meter almost emptied... but I made it) and it dries so beautifully and doesn't show brush strokes.  I was amazed. Valspar Furniture Paint for life. I know there are some surfaces that required light sanding before using this... it's all in the tiny instructions on the back of the paint can that I barely had the patience to read. But I just love how this turned out and I love the contrast of the cool green blue and warm rich gold cushions. 

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Project 3: Repurposed Vintage Map Wall 

I have boxes of vintage maps. Like, an insane amount of them. So... I'm always trying to find ways to repurpose them or put them on display.  I found this awesome world map at an estate sale and knew it needed to be on the center of one of our Lovely Yellow House walls.  

I dug through and found all my favorites and then literally just started putting them on the walls and layering until there was no wall left to see. I knew I wanted this world map to be the center so it was the very last to go on. 

Learn from my mistake, dear friends. I naively thought that sticky tack would hold all of these up.  It doesn't. at all. not even a little bit.  I got so frustrated as I would be pushing down the corners as hard as I could and then an entire piece I just finished with would fall down.  Just don't. Sticky tack not for the win. 

So I bought these lovely gold thumb tacks (because I love gold everything) at home depot and started from the beginning.  So far it is still standing and it's been 2 months... so I'd say the map wall is here to stay. Which is good because I love it. 

So whether you have maps or vintage prints, sheet music or book pages... repurpose and make a feature wall in your house!  I get a little giddy every time I look at our map wall. It's just awesome.  Maps were great for me because they are so large and it look maybe a few hours to hang them all up.  I loved it. 

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Do What You Can…

At the end of most blog posts I love to give you a little inspiration so here is a little design I created…

I hope you enjoyed these ideas... please tag me on all the social medias if you ever try them!  I'd love to see and comment with alll the heart eye emojis! 

Know you are loved, sweet souls. 

Love,

The Lovely Adventurer

Cookie Jar Turned Planter!

This post will be short and sweet... mostly because this project is so easy!  Hooray! 

My husband is an Aussie and so when my family finds anything that resembles a Kanagroo or says "Made in Australia" it comes to our house.  I love it. My grandma volunteers at a thrift store and so when she found a cookie jar shaped like a Kangaroo it obviously had to be mine.  The only problem is that we don't keep cookies long enough after they've been baked to store in a cookie jar. So.... I had to think of some other way to use it. 

One day the idea just hopped (see what I did there? Because... Kangaroo? yep.) into my head to use it as a planter!  So I wiped it down and prepared it for spray paint.  I forgot to take a before picture because I got too excited... oops.  But it looked like a Kangaroo. And it had a bandanna on.  All the cool kangaroos are wearing those these days. 

I sprayed several coats of Valspar Outdoor Color in White that I got from Lowe's onto my kangaroo friend. (I promise this isn't a sponsored post or an ad... I went to Lowe's because it was next to Hobby Lobby, where I wander away most of my afternoons.  And I chose this paint because it had a plant on it... it was all very scientifically thought out.)  

I think any white spray paint would work but I liked that this one claimed to be all weather protection so that I can keep it outside in the shade.  It took me about 3 coats and once it was all dry (soooooo haarrrrd to waiiiiiitttttt....) I was ready to re-pot my succulents! 

Many succulent lives have died in our home.  I'm seriously the worst plant owner... ever. Don't tell the Kangaroo yet, he doesn't know. I'm going to try doubly hard this time.  They will stay alive! 

That's it!  I think these would be so cute as housewarming gifts or just gifts in general.  Great for porch/patio decor.  I love it!  If you make one you MUST send me a picture!  I want to see how adorable it is!  

You're the best,

The Lovely Adventurer

A New Lovely Adventure

Well, in case this is your first time reading about my lovely adventure I'll give you the really really short version of my life....

I'm Andrea.  I was born and raised in near Kansas City, Missouri.  I went to college for a degree in Psychology (which I do not use unless I am working my part-time job as a people watcher).  In 2007 I spent my first summer at Heartland Camp (my favorite place in the whole world) as a counselor.  I fell in love with camp and with my now husband, Russell.  He's Australian and I married him mostly for his super cool accent ... and I suppose for other reasons like his heart of gold.  

After college we got married and I began working full time for Heartland Camp as the Assistant Program Director.  God showed me who I was and revealed gifts I never knew I had.  We lived at camp with our two pups for three years until Russell's dream job called from Colorado.  Now I'm here in Grand Junction, Colorado learning again who I am and why God planned this place to be a part of my Lovely Adventure.  

So, for those of you who have spent months requesting pictures of our little rental house, today is your lucky day.  And for those of you who haven't, just pretend you have so that today can also be your lucky day. 

I love this little house and it's been the perfect distraction to being in a new town, having a traveling husband and being so far from family.  I've spent almost every weekend at estate sales and garage sales slowly collecting a lot of the things you'll see in these pictures.  I love to repurpose and buy second hand.  I'm learning that curating my style takes patience and waiting for that perfect piece that just glows when I look at it.  P.s. Glowing furniture/home decor is a thing.  

Welcome to The Cronin's...

This is the view as you walk up the stairs from the front door.  It's my favorite and makes me smile every time.  I think it is those curtains... they melt my heart.  And the sweetest old lady sold them to me on my birthday a few years ago... I love that so many things I have come with a story. Our house also has the best light... big windows make me happy.  

The view from the living room area to the dining room/office.  I feel like I should win an award for fitting this much stuff in a small space, people!  Those chairs though... so so comfortable.  I searched f..o..r..e..v..e..r.. for chairs or a love seat and these were glowing at me... really, they were. 

My little desk area... I searched forever for a desk too and cheered when the owners helped me fit it in my tiny car.  I dream of painting it one day.. but for now it fits perfectly in my little space and is big enough to hold the world.. sooo... it's pretty great. 

These are the shutters that pretend not to be placed directly in front of all the wires and cords that come out of the wall for our internet...and also they hold all the love we receive in the mail.  So, if you send me some... it gets a pretty high profile spot... just sayin'. 

These are my dogs that are pretending to be good.  Minion is the biggest and Phnowphlake (like snowflake with a lisp) is the little one. They are only the worst sometimes.  And this is the spot that is sort of a "catch-all" when we walk in the door.  It looks very lovely and clean right now... don't let it fool you. 

My favorite spot where all the light streams in.  Our giant table also has two leaves... like for when we have a million people over at our house which has happened approximately twice because we are professional introverts.  And that gallery wall is a collection of all of my favorite things.  Our house came already painted with my favorite colors, it's the best. 

Decorating our table is my new favorite thing. And fresh flowers.  And apparently collecting glass vases... don't tell my husband. 

Our GIANT kitchen that I love.  If you ever come over I'll probably take you to the Chinese place down the street (seriously, so good) because I can't really cook but I pretend to cook a lot of things in this kitchen and my husband pretends to like my cooking.  

Down stairs... our house has all these marble shelves everywhere... it's a hoarders dream.  All my little trinkets and things I don't have wall space for get set on these shelves. Obviously I have a thing for maps. 

It feels really weird posting a picture of my bathroom on the internet.. but I know all you nosey people will ask me about it.  And I probably would have also asked me about it so, you're welcome. These "Hot Baths" hooks are my favorite thing in the bathroom.  

Our bedroom is probably the room that has been least loved by the decorating fairy.  She's been waiting for the perfect bedside tables to glow at an estate sale and for the crazy lady that lives here to stop putting everything she owns on the dang marble shelf that goes all the way around the room.  Also, I spared you a picture of our dressers because I have yet to paint them... one is still neon orange, blue and green from when it was in my sister's bedroom back in 1999 when she was in 3rd grade... I sanded it and then I got distracted by glitter or something... 

Behold, my craft room.  In all its cluttered and creative crazy glory.  It looks like this for about 1 minute before the human tornado (aka me) starts doing anything in this room.  

Yes, that is a Lisa Frank calendar. I may be 27 but I am still riding on the feeling of being super cool while walking into my 2nd grade classroom with brand new Lisa Frank folders.  You know... don't act like you don't. And if you seriously don't know... just ask anyone in their 20's... they can't fight the Lisa Frank love. 

I'm even showing you a picture of my Pinterest perfect closet.  There are some mind blowing oranizational techniques going on here.  Go ahead, pin it.  It's pretty great.  And if you haven't noticed, sarcasm is my second language.  I inherited it from my father. I'm pretty sure he invented sarcasm. 

aaaaand we'll just end with this pretty picture so my Pinterest worthy closet isn't the last thing I leave your memory.  

But, all sarcasm aside, I really do love this house.  I'm learning a lot about myself, falling in love with Grand Junction and Colorado.  I'm so excited to share pieces of my little lovely adventure with you.  Thanks for reading.  

You're the best, 

The Lovely Adventurer

DIY Ring Bearer Sign

Matrimony Monday: Ring Bearer

Today's Matrimony Monday is short and sweet...

My cousin Aidan was our ring bearer (and a pretty dang good one at that!)... this is him walking down just before me:

I loved it.  We made the sign with a piece of wood we covered with chalk board paint and glued a ribbon to the back.  We hand wrote the message.  so simple.  And the pillow he carried was the pillow my parents used in their wedding, which was just a really special touch.

And that's it!  Know you are loved. 

DIY "Guest Book" Bench

Matrimony Monday: Guest Bench / L.O.V.E. update

When planning our wedding I thought of so many different ideas for guest books.  I'm not one to be too traditional and so when I found a pin (of course) of a bench that all of the guests signed I knew that would be my "guest book".

My daddy is pretty much my hero.  I have always been a daddy's girl.  (sorry mom :) ).  So when I asked him if he would make me a bench, of course, he agreed.  And let me tell you, It turned out so beautifully.  I could be biased... but in this instance I think you will agree that my dad's bench making skills are pretty impressive.


So this is the bench (drum roll please):

it's beautiful.  i love it.

My beautiful mama painted the tree and the birds in the middle along with our initials.  She is a beautiful painter (my sister inherited that). We had sharpies sitting out by the card suitcase and my two beautiful friends Julie and Liesel showed people where they could sign.  There are so many cool personal notes.  Some people were serious, some people were ridiculously silly, some signed under the bench others signed on top. There is just love every where you look on that bench.  It makes me happy.

And forever, we will have a bench that my father made for our wedding.  A bench that everyone who attended, Australian and American, signed.  It will sit at the foot of our bed as a reminder of the most beautiful day of our lives.  That, friends, is beautiful and probably more than I had ever thought this bench would be when I found the idea.

There are so many awesome guest book alternatives out there.  Puzzles, jenga pieces (a recent favorite find), mad libs, thumbprint trees... so many.  Find one that will remind you of the most beautiful and perfect day of your life.

and as always, I hope you have found inspiration to do what you L.O.V.E.

DIY Photobooth Style Invitation

Matrimony Monday: Invitation

So usually when introducing wedding ideas if you were going to do the invitation you would have already posted the "Save the Date"... but I'm just not your usual gal and I really love our wedding invitation :)

I must admit that the idea didn't just come to me in a dream... while I wish it had.  I found it as I have found most of my ideas... on pinterest :)

This pin was my inspiration:

I just loved how casual and unique it was.  They looked like they had so much fun making it.. and because I am a cat lady, I loved the cat at the very end.

So Russ and I went to work on our own version.  We had an awesome photographer (my mom), some poster board and markers that cost us all of 10.00 and my very very minimal skills on Microsoft Publisher.  It was so much fun to create!  Here is our result:

 While adding our own personality, some "planking" and keeping the design pretty simple I'd say we were pretty successful.  We got so many compliments and it was so easy! Despite what all those fancy magazines and wedding shows say... your wedding DOES NOT have to cost a fortune, friends. 

To add a little extra we included an "R.S.V.P." card and kept it with our "photo booth" theme...

(they printed two per page.. and I'm not quite sure how to just upload one.. so I apologize for the duplicate)

We laughed, we cried... we had an invitation unlike anyone else and that is what I love the most.  Take the time to be creative and make things personal.  You will remember those things so much more and they will be remembered by others.  Happy Matrimony Monday, friends.  I hope your day was beautiful and you are inspired and feel encouraged to be unique in all that you do. 

L.O.V.E. what you do.