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

Faces of Fiber College, Part 1

I've been away from the blog enjoying camping on Penobscot Bay at beautiful Searsport Shores, the home of Fiber College of Maine. One of the best things about Fiber College is the chance to make new friends from different backgrounds and cultures. Here are some of their faces . . .


Waiting patiently while Mom & Grandma cook our Somali feast

"Fiber College of Maine is an annual fiber festival whose sole reason for being is to celebrate the fiber arts in all forms. Maine is particularly blessed with artistic energy and inspiration from the flow of the tides, the rolling hills of the blueberry fields and the stars in the night sky."
 ~Fiber College website


Phoenix making a ceramic button

At the beach bonfire, I met three very funny women who had come to Fiber College together from Massachusetts. Somehow we started talking about the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and our tendencies to hoard materials for whatever our fiber passion is. (Somehow, that seemed hilarious at the time.) After we parted, I worried that I never find my new friends again. . . we'd been talking and laughing in the dark!


Hula Hoops on the Beach

But, the next day, they found me. 

And here they are, the self-proclaimed "Three Hoarders"!

 

On Folly Beach

Desperately needing a break from the snow, we snuck off for a couple of weeks in South Carolina.

I never get tired of Charleston.

I feel so at home in the area that I sometimes wonder if maybe I lived there in a past life!

 

When we got home, some of the snow had actually melted here in Maine.

It's beginning to feel as if Spring might be around the corner.

Kennebunk to Charleston

We had to drop tax documents off in Kennebunk last week. Our accountant's office in is the old Kesslon Shoe factory, which has now been renovated into offices and shops. I was happy to have a quiet hour to walk along the main street of our old home town.

 

I vacationed with my family in this area as a child, worked the summer hotels here as a college student, and raised my children in this town. Memories are everywhere I step.

Although businesses on Maine St. come and go, much of the architecture of the town remains as I remember it.

 

Some things are new . . . like this covered ice skating rink where the old Mobil station used to be.

It sure beats the little rink we used to make by flooding the back yard of our old house on Cat Mousam Road in the winter!

And I discovered "Camp Wool", a little shop on Main St. that's new to me. It's filled with wool in all its forms,  displayed with antiques, fiber books and supplies, penny rugs, patterns, and so much more.

 

Felting Class 201

On Wednesday evening, six of us got together at my house for another felting class with local fiber artist Kathleen Gerdes.

In November, we learned to felt 3-dimensional figures;  this time we learned to make wall hangings. Here's our inspiration piece, Kathleen's "Dancing Lady.

 

DIY Felted Christmas Ornaments

Since I took my needle first felting class in September, I've been trying out some new projects. This one is fun and EASY, even if you've never felted before.

It's from the book Artful Christmas, which I love. It contains tutorials for 30 different holiday projects using a variety of techniques and materials.

You can read more about the book at this link.

You only need a few supplies to make the ornaments:
A felting pad
A #38 felting needle . . .



Styrofoam craft balls, whatever size you prefer
Scraps of yarn or wool felt
(the felting multi-needle tool pictured is optional . . . it just makes the project go a little faster) . . .

And wool roving in your choice of colors; I used red, green and white.

The directions suggested wearing leather gloves to protect your hands when in a frenzy of needling. I found them hard to work in and took them off. As always, you just have to keep your eyes on the needle!

To make the ornament: Spread a layer of wool over the styrofoam ball and needle it on until it is felted. For embellishment, needle on swirls of yarn or wool felt designs (I did polka dots). Each ornament took about a half-hour to make,

 

That's it! You can felt yarn hangers onto the ornaments for hanging or leave them off to display the balls in a bowl or basket. 

 

While I was at it, I finally finished felting this little Santa Gnome.

 

Felting friend extraordinaire, Kathleen Gerdes, taught a class on making these a my home last week.

 

We had a great time and proved, once again, that crafting goes better with wine!

 

 

Yours in wool,

 

This post is linked to:

Show & Share at Coastal Charm

Sunday Showcase at Under the Table & Dreaming

Make It Monday at Distressed Donna Down Home
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

In the Pink

It's been a very pink week here on Applegate Lane!

 

I started the week sewing a batch of reversible pink chemo scarves to donate to local cancer charities in my sister Nancy's name . 

 

 

I also purchased a big bag of wool roving at Port Fiber 

and started on my first solo needle felting project . . .

 

 

A pink pig!

 

 

The rest of the week was spent helping a dear neighbor and friend repaint her house. Luckily, DH offered to help and we finished her living room, bedroom, master bath, hall and an accent wall in  the kitchen. It was a big job but the results were worth it!

 

Here's the color we used in the bedroom. It really fits the personality of my friend , a woman who loves fashion, jewelry and bling. It also compliments the hand-made quilt she plans to use on her bed.

We painted all day for most of four days and, by the time we finished each evening, our hands were so covered in pink paint that we could just barely hold our martinis!

 

Now I'm off to visit your blogs and see what I've been missing . . .