Wooden Spoon Love

I love wooden spoons.



Not only are they a kitchen essential, they're also inexpensive to

 craft with and if personalized, make great gifts for cooks, 

moms, friends, from kids for teachers, the list goes on...

Take a look at the examples below and I think you'll agree!




Wooden tasting spoons

 Wood burned wooden spoons from Parizadhe


 Scandinavian style carved spoons


 

Ombre

Silverware Upcycled & Repurposed: Crafts With Spoons & Forks

What do you with extra silverware and old orphaned spoons?You create something awesome with them, of course!

Check out these unique creations crafted from old silverware, forks, spoons and knives...








Silverware flowers by Salvage Gallery







Hooks made from forks







Bell chime necklaces made from antique hollow dinner knives by Dishfunctional Designs 

(above and below)

Creative Crafts To Make With Bandannas

I love bandannas! 
Why?
Because they come in a wide variety of colors, 
they are inexpensive, and they usually have 
a paisley design on them (I am partial to paisley!)

Bandannas are great for craft and home decor projects 
for all of the reasons above. Check out the photos 
below for some creative uses for bandannas. 
I think you'll be impressed!







Using bandannas to frame artwork from 

DIY Twig & Tree Branch Peace Sign Wreath

Hello my beautiful, creative friends!
Ready to spread a little peace today? 







This DIY peace sign wreath is:easy to createrequires little crafting skillscosts nearly nothingis awesome and coolMaterials needed:

One wire wreath form- costs a few bucks and is available at most craft stores. I bought this old one that I used for this project at my local Goodwill store for 50 cents!

Autumn Maple Leaf Roses

It's still summer, but before you know it autumn will be

upon us and the leaves will be changing colors and 

falling from the trees.



Why not create a beautiful bouquet of maple leaf roses? 

Craft a bouquet centerpiece for your dining table, or my favorite:

 an autumn wreath of leaf roses for your front door to 

welcome in the season.



Check out these unique leaf to rose creations

Vintage Glass Insulator Crafts

Vintage glass electric insulators are so cool!Check out what these creative folks below have made with them...







Threaded insulators. Read all about them at Glassian







Check out this fabulous outdoor chandelier made by Vickie at Ranger 911








Glass insulator sconse from Conant Metal & Light







Insulator hanging planter (above) and luminaries (below) by Mark Kintzel

Egg Carton Flower Crafts

Flowers made from recycled paper pulp egg cartons are nothing new - As a matter of fact, I remember them from grade school! (certainly not going to give away my age here, but let's just say that was well over 3o years ago!) 



In any case, egg carton flower crafts are a great way to recycle paper pulp egg cartons. The cartons can easily be cut, shaped, and painted to look like a variety of

School Supply Shopping: It's Not Just For Students!

It's that time of year again, when our newspapers are filled with store circulars displaying ads for back to school clothes and school supplies! 


While the deals are hot, why not stock up on some back to school art supplies to keep in your own craft cache? While you are shopping for all the things your kids need for school, be sure to pick up some extras for yourself and take advantage of

How To Make A Vintage Key Necklace DIY

A while back I posted some information on how to make necklaces with vintage and antique skeleton keys and since they are so popular I wanted to share those directions again for those who might have missed the original post and for those who have requested more information on how to make them. 



These directions are for how to make a necklace with a vintage key that is hung

DIY Stenciled Nature Wall Art on Canvas

Creating your own wall art can be simple! 

All you need are a few basic materials and a little bit of inspiration. 



Now that summer is in all its glory, why not take to the great outdoors for some of the materials needed for this project? 



You probably can find plenty of leaf and flower specimens in your very own backyard or garden. 



Or, take a nature walk with someone special and

Solar Light Crafts: Ideas & Inspiration!

What is a solar light?Solar lights are outdoor garden lights that collect and store energy from the sun during the day. The collected energy then powers a light bulb at night.






How do they work?Solar lights are made up of solar cells, a small battery, and a light bulb. The solar cells transfer and store the sun's energy into the small battery. The battery then powers the light bulb. The

Jeans & Denim: Recycled, Upcycled and Repurposed

While perusing the world of recycled and upcycled denim and repurposed jeans, I noticed that there were some really dated recycled jean skirt projects floating around out there on the internet! People have been recycling denim for ages, cutting off jean legs to make shorts, making skirts, pot holders and the like, but it takes ingenuity and a sense of modern style to create something fresh and

Gypsy Chick inspirations

I'm a chick Obsessed. As with any new adventure, I DIVE right in. I usually come up for air later on with just a few scratches...  Being this one has been a long term dream, it casts an even more surreal glow effect. Many thanks to Small farm Girl for her comment to my last post on the dilemma of contrasting decor themes. As to the subject of the Vintage camper decor, she suggested "Why not do both!". I began to think intensely upon those words and realized, if I change the Blue of the one choice into Turquoise and add some reds, rustic oranges and other desirable's in there to POP- I could mesh it together for the balance I sought. So the hunt began as I embraced my admiration for the Gypsy interior using Turquoise but keeping things middle road enough for The Captain.

I have contemplated some solar light self made lanterns to use with the camper being MANY candles in such close {and OLD} quarters is a bit scarey. Our local dollar tree has the landscape spike ones for $1 a piece which I knew fit perfect for my plans. the lanterns can be hung on the canopy or set on the ground in the sun during the day to charge & placed about for their evening enjoyment. I'll share a tutorial if you can wait that long but there are plenty of similar ideas on the net.

I am SO making a few of these knotted rope holders but a trip to the flower factory will produce much nicer glass vessels then mason jars {no proper gypsy chick would use Mason jars when they could be holding gems from the garden bounty~ unless of course they were tinted...}

Tutorial found over here at marthe Stewart living:

http://www.marthastewart.com/900270/knotted-hanging-lanterns

Speaking of tinted jars,I do believe this is pure WOW!

Who knew something as simple as GOLD puffy paint & food coloring dyed Modge podge would transform jars into Moroccan inspired lanterns! http://www.designsponge.com/2011/03/diy-project-moroccan-lanterns.html

Maybe not as perfect as the real thing but close enough! and boo coo bucks saved in the process.

Now how about a Moroccan inspired rug.Oh, the bust the budget price tag making you TRY to ignore the want? Then why not try out this tutorial using a shag rug and Rit dye!! Yep. Over at gorgeous & shiny things, you will find yourself in awe over the transformation you can create.

http://gorgeousshinythings.blogspot.com/2011/07/make-it-beni-ourain-rug.html

Has me turning the wheels on how I can transform a colored rug using bleach in place of the rit dye for some "milk thistle lily damask" Gypsy designs. Now where's that Bleach gel pen.....

Little brother Army brought me some very pretty scarves/shawl pieces from his time in the Middle East. He also made the mistake of showing me the bounty he still has filling rubbermaid containers when I helped them move from across (or is it diagonal) the country. I may have to seek out his willingness to part with a few more textile items in my color palette.

 Over the last 6months I have noticed a few similar scarves with the gold thread woven in at the thrift stores. Of course at the time I resisted snatching them without a clue what i would do with them. Now? I'm smacking the forehead with after thought. while making mentals to start snatching away!

Picture & tutorial via American Gypsy

Over at American Gypsy {whom has inspired today's post}, has shared a way to get those exotic pillows using scarves. Of course, you could use throws or other large pieces to make pillows for the bed or floor lounging. Luckily I found her as I mooned over exotic pattern pillows, rugs and blankets. Scarves run a whole dollar at the thrifts here and textiles all run under $4. Now if I could only find the color scheme I desire, I would be set!

http://www.americangypsyliving.com/2009/08/goodbye-scarf-hello-bolster.html

Now as for a piece to use on the outside of My Gypsy Chick caravan, an AWNING! Over at "This Montana life", you will find a very helpful {and again boo coo buck saver without the reduction in Glam}, easy Awning tutorial!  http://thismontanalife.com/make-your-own-awning-step-by-step/

One must have something, after all, to make shade as well as hanging those solar lanterns upon.

I truly have not a single idea on what color route to go with {burgundy? green?, ?,?} I am leaning to a solid color top with Indian influenced shape scallops. This is the Mediterranean scallop found via four seasons tent masters:

 Yep. That's the shape I want hanging from the edge of the awning. Thankfully I have all winter to tackle that project.

Thank you for all the encouraging words & sharing in the happiness of my newest adventure. As you know, I'm all over the map.  Now you can throw in some Vintage Camper remodeling to the mix.

I go this Friday to measure her tires and HOPEFULLY find a used pair before bringing her home. otherwise she will be riding a landscape trailer. Who knew camper tires would be such an ordeal PLUS cost more then car tires? Gently Used tire shopping at boat yards & RV repair shops is in my future.

Sweetest dreams,

~Tammie

Vintage Costume Jewelry: Upcycled & Repurposed

Vintage costume jewelry is one of those things that's really fun to upcycle into something new. Why? Because...well, they're pretty, and sparkly, and girlie... and if you're lucky enough to inherit some from your family, the pieces have a special meaning, since they are a connection not only to the past, but to the past of someone you love.

Enamel flower pins, rhinestone brooches, orphaned

Glass Bottles: Upcycled & Repurposed As Home Decor

Glass bottles - whether milk bottles, wine bottles, beer bottles, either new or old - whether recycled into one of the clever ideas shown below or just simply displayed on a sunny window sill - are one item that has stood the test of time and are still very much popular in home decorating. 

Take a look below at these photos of what some creative and innovative folks have done with bottles and I

great idea

I love this idea from Pam of Simple Details blog!

A chalkboard bucket list of what fun the summer will be!

Swanky Spray Paint Transformations

Ok, time for a cool post!Spray paint transformations! 
Yes, that's fun things you can do with spray paint to transform an object and give it an entirely new look.
 Awesome? Of course it is! 

First off - are you the type of person who walks right past the old glassware and knickknack figurines at a flea market or at the thrift shop without giving them a second glance? Check out these photos

Vintage Lace & Doilies: Upcycled and Repurposed

Don't know what to do with all those old remnants of lace and inherited doilies? Check out these unique and fun ways to recycle and reuse these fading treasures. 





Don't have any doilies of your own? Check your local thrift shops and yard sales and I think you'll be surprised at how plentiful (and inexpensive) these beauties are.





Lace doily curtains




Tablecloth embellished with

Queen of the Pallets, strikes again!

This month in the land of The Unusual Farm Chick, we are playing Pallet Queen. Yes. I declare myself Queen of the Pallets. The Captain has brought many a truck load of so called "broken" pallets home from work to use as fuel for weekend Bonfires. I have been eyeing his piles for some time and finally have the opportunity to attack. I drug out every pallet piece, laying them out for size comparison as well as quality before the dew had even dried from the grass blades. The Captain came walking out to see where I had disappeared to. Most husbands would have the look of bewilderment to come upon such a scene. Not my husband. He gets that look of amusement throwing in a statement of "I wondered where you were so early this morning. What are you making now?". yep. My King has only amusement for my antics throughout the years.

"I'm building a couch. Here, hold this up for me", as I try to size up two pallets. Like a good King, he does what he asked and does it with a smile holding back his laughter.

I know what some of you are thinking. A couch? Really Farm Chick? Have you gone bonkers? Yes. Well no. I guess when people think couch, they think of the soft indoor seating pieces. This is an outdoor couch. One that will have cushions custom made from even more upcycled items. A couch my Captain can enjoy sitting back in as he sits by his most enjoyed Bonfires. So I guess you could call them Bonfire couches... complete with cup holders... Far more comfortable then a bench. It's all a part of the Bonfire area remodel. My gift to him for his summer enjoyment.

The first couch in RAW FORM:

 I'm not the first to build such things from pallets, nor am I the last. There are so many being wasted, thrown to the landfills because of a broken slat or company disregard. Some people have even made a business of remodeling these free to cheaper then a cup of coffee pallets, making furniture or other useful items. Albeit, the pricing is not even close to a budget minded individual. A simple engine search using the words " pallet furniture , Pallet chair , pallet couch , pallet projects , etc will produce MANY sources of inspiration & how to's. The hard part on working with pallets, besides being a pain in the Arse to dismantle the pieces, they come in many sizes and shapes. Rarely ever being exact in size to similar pieces. Creative Problem solving is very common when utilizing Pallets for recycling.

I have utilized a few various kinds of pallets. Most think of the typical square shape with slats. I have found a source for 3 tier shipping pallets at a local Garden nursery, which is the source for the framing of my Potter shed last Fall.

 Now I have 2 Fireside couches using pallet wood and a few additional pieces found in the scrap cart of Home Depot for 51 cents each. I still have some paint touch ups left before I do the cushions.

The almost finished Pallet couch ensemble:

Including the price of screws as well as the scrap lumber, I made these two pallet couch projects for under $12. The screws were $10 a box and I still have a small amount left to utilize in this next project.

A Fort Club house for the kids, in the woods!

Another shipping 3 tier pallet found at the Garden Nursery Free wood spot. Even has a poly roof piece:

You'll need to stay tuned for the this next project's finished look. Little Man & I are busting out the tools to take on this next pallet remodel as soon as he gets home from school. I have a most adventure inspiring style in mind and can not wait to get it out. I'm hoping to incorporate their Zipline into this but I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to clear more between the trees as well as rip away the poison oak I have found twining around a few trees. I'm the only one in the family who does not break out in ugly blisters when dealing with these things, so you know where I'll be in the morn. Playing in the woods!

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

Embossed Tin Ceiling Tiles: Recycled & Repurposed

Who doesn't love the charm and character that an embossed tin ceiling provides?  Once found only in historic homes, these wonderful architectural details are the perfect way to add some vintage personality to your home. 

You don't need to install an entire ceiling or wall to get the look - adding just one single tile to your decor - either as is, or configured and upcycled into something