US mailbox

Wherever I have been, mailboxes have always been of my interest.  Their symbols are very similar on any of them: enveloppes, clarions, blasons or crowns when the country is a monarchy like Spain, Belgium, Denmark, etc.  Private mailboxes are usually regulated by law and most of them feature Post Office symbols. They use to be identical and gathered at the same place in apartments or group of residences. 



So it is where I live: all the mail is delivered at the same place and not door to door so it appears useless to have a mailbox at my entrance door... 

However, here are some pics taken along the road during my last trip across New England which actually gave me some creative ideas...

Chalk room workshop

Very interesting day in an excellent atmosphere at the Annie Sloan Chalk Room today; try to attend these lessons if you can as those painting techniques make great results.

Vintage in New England III

Following previous posts about New England, be my guest browsing an amazing country and coastal lifestyle. I added a few shots of covered bridges which are very popular in Northern America.

Vintage in New England II

Click here and come back to one of my previous post regarding pictures taken in New England states. It is all about vintage inspiration. 

Following this point, I hope you'll like these additional ones pertaining to antiques shops along the road not too far away from an old gas station. Enjoy...

Old chemistry jars

Real treasures found in a chemistry family business. Taken one by one from the cupboard these beautiful jars still have their genuine labels as well and their contents remain intact.

Repurposed wooden panel

Trash can sometimes be a treasure... Waiting for a 2nd life, these wooden pieces are now an awesome outdoor vintage panel. 
 

Reuse wine crates

This is my "wooden boxes" section... 

I don't know if you remember when I mentioned I was given a few wooden wine boxes a while ago... I have plenty of them now so I took a few for decorating my living room and a few more for my bathroom storage. They all have their stamp from the winery they are from (Spain and France) so I definitely decide not to paint them in order to keep their character. However I used asphalt to distress and age them a bit.

My dining table

Here is the makeover of my dining table. This asian red wood had been varnished industrially, hence the shinny effect.  The idea was turning the "blink" aspect into a rustic vintage tone as well as enhancing the brightness in the room.
 

My outdoor table

I've thought about a simple and very customised design to replace my outdoor table: two scaffolding planks of woods and a basic steel base. I was pretty much inspired from TV shows where rubble materials are necessary.
 

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AFTER

Vintage in New England I

North American aesthetics leads considerably on decorative and creative vintage projects as they are made from natural and simple materials. 

Check out these pictures I took in New England states: VT, NH and ME...

Spool table

A functionnal table from a cable spool...

The wood was in bad shape when I found this electric reel. The entire piece had been exposed to the moisture and was a bit damaged. 

However after a long and hard sanding/painting work/wood treatment coating, I could finally obtain a very great table for my outdoor.
 

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Maria's organizer

Hi, 

Following inspiration after the Carolina's earrings organizer, I did one for Maria adding more hanging options for jewelry. 

You will need: 

• wooden panel
• empty frame
• chicken wire
• fabrics
• hanger
• hooks
• rice paper

Anne

My old trunk

Using asphalt and a Tiffany blue paint, I could give a wonderful makeover and use it as a great decorative piece combined with the reclaimed door for the entrance hall. 

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Carolina's earrings organizerd

Hi to @ll,

For Carolina, I used the same system as mine but this organizer has a piece of fabric in the background. 
 

You'll need: 

• empty frame
• chicken wire
• any piece of fabric (linen fabric here)
• nails or thumbtacks

Anne

The blue door

Reclaimed doors

Here is a recycling project from an old door I got from a demolition site. 

The same day I bought the old Spanish window, I got this old door too for free (the one behind). Like the window, it was in a very bad shape: weather exposed, woodworm everywhere; the worst was the bottom part.

Once the woodworm removed, I applied a wood putty all over the damages from moths and humidity. After huge restoration and painting works I turn an old door into a great panel for my entrance hall.

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My earrings organiser

Hi,
This is the easiest way to have your earrings organized and it took me less than an hour to do it!

Spanish window

Antique flavor recovery

Booming in Spain, demolition materials are all the rage! You find a lot of stuff that can actually be recycled. So I went to the nearest carpentry in an industrial area and discovered these wonderful Spanish windows. In spite of their very bad shape for being exposed to the weather, I saw their potential and purchased one for 50€...

Everything was in very poor condition: not only the frame was damaged but woodworn was beginning to affect the shutters.

After a long and extreme makeover I can finally enjoy a beautiful recycled piece on my terrace wall.
 

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AFTER

Repurposed doors & windows

Check out my board on Pinterest about reclaimed windows and doors which by the way was a source of inspiration for my Spanish window. 
 

Repurposed doors & windows

My craft room

I've always wanted to convert one of my bedrooms into a craft space, an inspiration room where I would be comfortable to invent, create, transform and decorate... This room was for me a retreat where I used to read a book or watch TV. A few years ago I had painted one of the wall in an old pink color but was long time thinking about turning it into a bright color so I simply chose white. This is how it was before the makeover: 

Flea Market finds

Hi, 

The other day I went to a flea market with a friend of mine. I so much love these markets! I came back to the car with a great vintage stuff. Every piece has genuine character. 

I am so happy this week as I've been given a lot of wine crates! This is gonna be a great re-use project for my home deco!