12 Uses for a Vintage Washboard

When my friend, Mary Elizabeth, decided she was Moving To a Schoolhouse last month, she had to downsize in earnest. One of the (very few, honest!) things I rescued from her trash pile was a rusty old washboard.  And it didn't always look like this:

Here's how this little project started out. It was dirty and had so much rust on it that the interesting old lettering at the top was impossible to read.

I Googled " natural rust removers" and chose to try white vinegar and lemon juice. With the help of steel wool, a wet sanding block, and lots of elbow grease, they worked. I left on some rust just because I liked it! It was a messy job and it's freezing here in Maine right now so I did it at the kitchen sink after lining the counters on both sides with thick newspaper.

After most of the rust was removed. I rinsed the area well and set the washboard to dry overnight in front of our fireplace. The next day, I "prettied it up". The first step was oiling, and adding a little color to, the dry wood. I used Old English (Dark) for that. You apply it with a damp cloth and rub your brains out until you get the finish you like!

I let the Old English soak in and dry for an hour or two before completing the piece. I found this little wire basket at TJ Maxx for only $3.99 and purchased it to attach to the washboard (somehow!) to make it more functional. These baskets are pretty easy to find; I've also seen them at Home Goods and online.

I attached the basket with two small brown nails which I hoped would show - they didn't.

Then I just played around adding things that I thought would give this little project more uses: two antique coat hooks,

a wire across the front (you could use twine instead) to clip things to with mini-clothespins, and  two small screw eyes and wire across the back for hanging the piece from the wall.

And Voila! Done!

Now for the fun part: Staging it. I had so many ideas for how to use this little washboard turned wall art that my head was spinning! 

So here you go: My "Top Twelve" Ideas for Using a Repurposed Old Washboard (I bet you'll think of lots more!):

#1.  Storage for Hats, Mittens, Scarves in the Mud Room

(I'm writing this the day after the Super Bowl and we live in New England, so "Go Pats!")

#2.  Dog Accessory Organizer in the Mud Room

No staging on this idea because we no longer have a dog. But since we did have a Beagle, here's a cute one! My idea was to hang leashes from the coat hooks and use the wire basket for dog treats, a roll of doggie "poop bags" etc.  You'll have to use your imagination!

#3. In the Laundry Room

A great place for lost socks and odds and ends of laundry supplies. Plus - how cute would this be on the laundry room wall?

#4. In the Guest Bathroom

(Heck - why not spoil yourself and hang it in your own bathroom!)

#5.  To Organize Your Greeting Cards  & Mailing Supplies

#6. To Display Plants, Inside or Out

I love this idea!

#7.  As a Reading Corner Next to Your Favorite Chair

#8.  To Display A Hobby or Collection

#9. In the Sewing Room

#10.  In a Farmhouse Kitchen

                            #11. To Display Favorite Dishes in the Dining Room

#12. And, of course, As a Message Board

I like all of these ideas so much that I think I'll have to hit the dump and flea markets and find myself eleven  ten (no dog!) more old washboards!

I can't wait to hear your washboard ideas. 

Leave me a comment?

p.s. My friend and felter-extraordinaire, Kathleen, just sent an e-mail comment on this post which included a photo of what she does with old washboards: felt on them, of course! Here is her latest creation, "Chloe". A work of art. Wow!

This post is linked to:
Inspire Me Tuesday #487 at A Stroll Through Life
Amaze Me Monday #300 at Dwellings
J & J Link Up Party #178 at Plucky's Second Thought
Homestyle Gathering 4 at My Wee Abode
To Grandma's House We Go Link Party #125 at Chas' Crazy Creations
Thursday Favorite Things at Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Best of the Weekend link party at Calypso In the Country
Flaunt It Friday #434 at Chic On A Shoestring
Farmhouse Friday Link Party #92 at The Painted Hinge
DIY Salvaged Junk Projects #464 at Funky Junk Interiors
Vintage Charm Party 169 at My Thrift Store Addiction

Moving To A Schoolhouse 1: Small Living Room on a Budget

My dear friend, Mary Elizabeth, is strong, creative, and never indecisive. Within a month, she decided to sell her home here in Applegate and downsize even further, to a new Senior Living complex just a few miles away.  In a matter of weeks, she has listed her home and moved to a newly renovated schoolhouse here in Falmouth.  We've enjoyed helping her.

This is Plummer School. It was built as Falmouth High School in 1931. and then served elementary students until a few years ago. As in many communities around the country, these beautiful old school buildings are finding new life as senior apartments.

It's kind of sad to see old school buildings giving way to modernization and yet, as a retired teacher, it makes me happy that they are not being torn down. In fact, Plummer School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Here it is just before renovation began. I can almost hear the ghosts of students past, gossiping between classes before the bell rings.

Each classroom makes a perfect-sized apartment for one or two people. Mary Elizabeth chose a small one bedroom unit , only 612 square feet. She looked at larger ones but liked the view hers has; it faces west and overlooks the old playground, which has been updated with flowering trees and walking trails.

So # 204 it is! Home Sweet Home!

Mary Elizabeth's living room is only 11 feet by 15 feet and has to do double duty as a dining area.

There were many challenges to decorating this room including : 1. Mary Elizabeth has a piano,  2. She wanted to bring her little electric parlor stove with her, and 3. Mary Elizabeth is on a limited budget. 

Although this is a work in progress, here's what has been accomplished so far. The walls are a warm beige; the woodwork is off-white. Neither can be changed.  I love the huge old school house windows and high, high ceilings. Both make the room look larger than it is.

We haven't spent much on this project so far (or should I say Mary Elizabeth hasn't; she always says hanging out with me usually costs her money!).  I love the curtains. We found them for only $12.99 a pair for 84" at our local Rhode Island Job Lots store.  Total cost to dress two huge windows" $26.00!

Mary Elizabeth loves both farmhouse and coastal styles and already had a lot of accessories we could use. I love the arrangement she did on her blue shelf above the stove. We updated further by adding the 24" tobacco basket which we found at T.J. Maxx for only $12.99. As you can see, there is still "stuff" on the floor to the right of the stove waiting to be unpacked . . . eventually.

While we were at it, we added a few accessories to Mary Elizabeth's front entrance. Since she spent her career working for AT&T, the wall phone was a must. The distressed chalkboard for messages and phone numbers was a Goodwill find (new) for $11.00.

And behind the door, we repositioned Mary Elizabeth's coat rack from her Applegate home, along with her "Falmouth" sign.

This is the living room before she moved in, taken from the window wall and facing the kitchen.

Mary Elizabeth found this adorable table and chair set for only $50.00 at one of her favorite antique shops. It's perfect here!

Today, DH and I went over to Plummer School to help Mary Elizabeth hang shelves and bedroom curtains. There's still a lot to do but I look forward to updating the blog with progress in the bedroom and storage areas of this cozy little classroom turned home!

So . . . can we live comfortably in smaller spaces as we age? Yes! 

Can we do it on a budget? Absolutely!

Can it be fun? For sure!

This post is linked to:

Homestyle Gathering 3 at My Wee Abode
Best of the Weekend Link Party at Calypso In the Country
Blogging Grandmothers Link Party at Grammy's Grid
Amaze Me Monday #300 at Dwellings
J & J Link Up #178 at Plunky's Second Thought
Flaunt It Friday #435 at Chic on a Shoe String

How To Bring a Bean Bag Back to Life

I bought this HUGE bag of "Bean Bag Filler" awhile ago for yet another ill-advised  DIY project. I left the bag in the garage until I was ready to tackle "reviving" the two "poufs" DH and I use to rest our feet on when watching TV in our bedroom. I paid $100.00 for the two poufs a couple of years ago and wasn't ready to give up on them yet. "I can do this," I told myself, as I handed the clerk at JoAnn's Fabrics my 40% off coupon for the "BIGGIE" bag of pellets.

Every time I walked through the garage to my car, I had to pass this monstrous-looking bag of styrofoam pellets. It seemed to grow larger and more ominous by the day, in my mind at least. The directions on the back warned of the potential for "static electricity" and suggested one might want to use these little pellets "with a friend".  That scared me enough to put off the project for a few weeks more. But, as I procrastinated, my poufs were shrinking and slowly becoming unusable.

Once I finally dared to open the bag, I realized that the role of the friend would be to keep me calm as the pellets literally flew around my craft room, sticking to rugs, curtains, lampshades, fabric, yarn, and my pile of half finished holiday projects.. In moments, these little styro-UFO's took on a life of their own!

That's when DH walked in and found me not only covered in styrofoam pellets, but in tears.  Actually, a few "bad words" might have been slipping from my mouth as well.  Quite a few actually.  But DH saved the day, and the project. 

Here's what he came up with. DH taped the vacuum cleaner tube from his shop vac to the bag of pellets . I held the other end into the slit I had made in the side of the bean bag, and VOILA . . . gravity did the rest. It worked perfectly. We filled both poufs in minutes with no more styrofoam UFO's!

Here are  the finished poufs. Good as new! Actually, even better.

Hopefully you'll never need to fill a bean bag. But, if you do, remember this little tutorial. It'll save you time, a BIG mess, a few tears,

And lots of wine!

$4.00 Goodwill Chair Re-do

We have a little thumbback chair in our kitchen that was originally in the old farmhouse in Virginia where DH's father grew up. I've been looking for another one of similar size and style to pair with it. I found this one yesterday in a quick "walk through" of Goodwill. For $4.00, I grabbed it.

The chair was solid but the wood finish needed some work. 

The chair seat was woven with old men's ties. Remember when that was a popular DIY project?

When I have a new project in mind, I can't wait to get started. Within an hour of getting home with the groceries (and chair!), I had given the wood frame a good cleaning and used MinWax Wood-Sheen on it to restore the finish.

I cut a pattern out of brown paper so that I could sew a new seat cushion to cover all those ugly ties!

I had enough fabric and batting in my stash to make matching cushions for the "new" chair and the one we already had. Another hour and they were done.

Here is the finished chair.

I didn't even replace the men's ties; just placed the new cushion right over them.

By late afternoon, this project was done.

Just in time for a cup of tea glass of wine!

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
The Farmhouse Friday Link Party #51 at The Painted Hinge
Salvaged Junk Projects #422 at Funky Junk Interiors