SYTYCD – Week 8, Junk

by | Apr 18, 2010 | Miscellaneus | 42 comments

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As a fond farewell to the SYTYCD contest, here is my “junk” entry for week eight.  Enjoy!
I am a person who is a magnet for free stuff.  Mostly stuff that other people consider junk.  You would not believe what people have offered to me for nothing.  I am fortunate to have ended up with neighbors who are hunters and sellers of things that are cool and old and they’ve given me many bargains.  A few weeks ago they offered a rusted iron bed frame for free and I couldn’t say no. 
I immediately saw the potential in the footboard.  It would make a perfect towel bar.   The bed frame had clearly been left in the elements for a long time, so it first needed a good cleaning, sanding, and a hose down.  I then coated it with two thick layers of polycrylic to make it useable.  If you’re going to try this with a similar piece, make sure you do this outside and wear a mask.
My husband helped me hang it on the wall using some long screws and wire to prevent it from falling on someone.  I love the look of the rust and chippy paint on it, but the finish is smooth and clean from the protective top coat.
I even kept the original wooden wheels on to show off its former life as a foot board.
I hung some linen towels on it and a sign I hand painted on a piece from an antique crate.
And it looks perfect over the antique wash stand, which was a roadside freebie. The total of this arrangement (not including paint) was less than $25.00.  Almost all of it was free.
Miss Mustard Seed

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    42 Comments

    1. fleurcottage

      neat-o! is the coating applied by brush or spray (i'm a newbie @ that)?

    2. Becky K.

      It takes an artist's eye to see that. You are amazing!!

      I love it!

      Becky K.
      Hospitality Lane

    3. Heather@PixieDust

      very sad to see you go 🙁 that is a great project!!

    4. Pat Harris

      this is beautiful! Great save for a beautiful old piece of furniture.

    5. Magic Brush

      The closeup of the finish is just stunning!!!!! I could duplicate that with faux if I tried… that's the beauty of real rust, real crackle, real weather! What a great idea!

    6. Laura PARING DOWN

      Thanks for the polycrylic tip. I'll be using that on one of my "rough" projects.

    7. One Life Many Journeys

      Maybe one day I will be able to have such vision at first glance. Mine appears to blossom mid project?
      Absolutely Beautiful!!!

    8. Denise Marie

      OMG, this is totally awesome junk!!

      Love what peeps can re-imagine.

    9. Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek

      I LOVE this and I will definitely miss you in the competition! But you'll still be here posting wonderful projects, and I'll still be reading!

    10. Ann On and On...

      It's true, one person's junk is someones treasure.

      You have an amazing talent! I love coming here for inspiration.

    11. Ruby’s Upcycle Designs™

      You are absolutely brilliant! That footboard on the wall as a towel rack is beautiful…gorgeous! So creative!!!
      I love it!
      Beth

    12. KimW

      That looks great – hope you show your neighbor what you did with it – I think they would enjoy seeing that. MMS's Mom

    13. Stephanie

      You find the best stuff!!! AND, you're so good at turning them into fabulous treasures.
      Love it,
      Stephanie

    14. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions

      Very cool idea! I love the sign you added too! Donna at Funky Junk is going to be drooling over this one! : )

    15. 1 Funky Woman

      Wow, that is amazing! What an eye you have! It looks perfect!

    16. Nancy @ Live love laugh

      A page out of Country Living!! As always such great ides! I passed on a Beautiful Blogger award to you on my blog. If you'd like, come on by!
      ~Nancy

    17. Tamra

      we are sisters of a kindred spirit.

      Lovely idea!

    18. Blondie's Journal

      This really is magazine worthy!! I love it!

      xoxo
      Jane

    19. Christine ~ JAZ Creations

      I Love it! it turned out perfect for linen towels!

      So am I understanding correctly that you kept the rust and chipped paint as is and just put a protective top coat of something on it? What was your top coat? I LOVE rust! (and cardboard)

    20. Cara Moran

      Oh WOW! nice way to add the cute lil sign and domesticate it.

    21. Rose @ Confessions of a Curbshopaholic

      The whole thing is amazing, but I have to say, for me it's the original wooden wheels that make it a grand slam home run! Great repurpose!
      Rose

    22. Linda (Nina's Nest)

      That is unbelievable! Wow! Great vignette – so cheap – so gorgeous! Linda

    23. littlethings1

      I love junk & free is even better ! Your towel bar is perfect !

      Eunice

    24. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here

      What a neat idea for an old bed! I have enjoyed so much all your creative ideas on SYTYCD.

    25. Molly @ A Bit O' Shine

      That looks fantastic! Art and function in the same piece.

      Leaving SYTYCD? Noooooo! Your projects were consistently awesome! Not awesome one week and the next week not-so-much. Sad. Well I'm already a follower so I guess I get to see all your great ideas all the time anyway.

    26. Kelly

      Wow.. just simply stunning.

      Now, if I can find people to give me free stuff, I'll be a happy woman! 🙂

      Thanks for sharing!

    27. Linda

      Looks fabulous- I just love it!

    28. The Little Red Shop

      What a cute idea, Marian. I love it! Congratulations on a beautiful job well done in the competition!

      : )

      Julie M.

    29. judi

      this is incredibly creative and magazine worthy for sure! thanks for sharing such a unique find and diy idea. the road side find…wow! i never see such treasures for free!
      judi 😉
      the1829farmhouse.blogspot.com

    30. Sarah @ The Pumpkin Patch

      Everytime I come to your blog I am in awe of what you are able to do. Thanks for stopping by and looking at my crochet flowers. I don't really like directions either, so most of the time I crochet I just wing it and see what I come up with. I love it when it actually works! 🙂

      Thought you might like to know I've started a Messy Monday link party and would love for you to join! Come check it out at http://www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com

    31. Lisa

      That is definitely magazine worthy. I'm a big fan but I think this is one of my all time favorites of your projects. The picture with everything put together really should be in a magazine somewhere. Great work as usual.
      Lisa

    32. Bird

      Marian, everytime I come here I just drool…sorry but it's true!

      Hope you win, cause it's a cracker! And almost free!!!

      Love,
      Bird

    33. vignette design

      Great idea to repurpose this old headboard as a towel rack! Hope you win!

    34. Morning T

      I love love love it and yes, it kills me every time you 'hand paint' something. 🙂
      Bravo!!
      T

    35. Ann @ makethebestofthings

      Love this! The texture and the way you saved it is wonderful. So clever.

    36. Proper Prim

      This is amazing. I love, love, love it. This would have been the winner by far.

      Hugs, Deb

    37. Marianne@Songbird

      You are out of the competition?! Gosh I am not around for a week and look what happens. I was so sure, you and Donna were going to be the finalists!
      That towel rack is so good, it went straight into my Tumblr file.

    38. Pink Rufflez

      Love, love, love this project!!!!

    39. Pam

      This is a wonderful reuse! I enjoy old metal items and preserving them with a little cleaning and some satin polycrylic spray too. You are an excellent rethinker of things it looks like; yeah! Pam @ Sallygoodin

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    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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