Repurposed Ironing Board

My friend, and felter extraordinaire, Kathleen Gerdes, recently had a "Yard Fair" at her home - half Yard Sale and half Craft Fair.  My big purchase? A vintage wooden ironing board! I had no place for it, and no use for it (I'm downsizing, remember?,) but couldn't seem to leave without putting it in my car. I'm so glad I did!

It was leaning against the side of Kathleen's garage when I first spotted it.

Kathleen had planned to paint sunflowers on it but, like most of us, had just too many projects going and never quite got to it.

I loved that the original label was still on the underside of the board. And it was made right here in Portland, Maine. 

 I couldn't find a date on the label but, judging from the clothes and hairstyle of the lady ironing her husband's shirt (Wow, this really is an OLD ironing board!), it's  probably from the early 1900's.

Did they really iron back then?

Did they really iron in heels back then?

After moving my "new" ironing board all around the house, I decided to check the Internet for inspiration. Other bloggers always have great ideas! These two are from Floriane at Floriane Lamarie Blog. Designer Floriane writes in French but the blog has a "translate" button which works well. (Any way, I think "vieille table a repasser" sounds a lot better than "old ironing board", don't you?)

This one is from Anita at Cedar Hill Farmhouse.

This ironing board image is from Pinterest. It caught my eye because I have the same sign (thought I was the only one!). It reads simply, "Work Hard and Be Nice". I haven't really gotten into the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign trend but this one really speaks to me so it now lives in my kitchen to remind me of what's important. I love how this vintage ironing board is styled.

 And here's mine. There were so many places I could have used it but it has finally settled into my dining area, right off the kitchen. It will be great for displaying seasonal vignettes as well as for serving when I entertain.

DH just cut back the hydrangeas for winter. They dried right in my vase. Aren't they beautiful?

And if you happen to find a newer ironing board at a yard sale, how about this idea for your laundry room, again from Floriane Lemarie?

Even though I refuse to think about Christmas yet, I had to share this ironing board from Becky at Beyond the Picket Fence.  How about the "tree lights" coming through the steam vents?

Who thinks up this stuff?

 For now, I think I'll just stick with my old wooden model.

Yours in repurposing . . . 

A lot more fun than ironing!

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday #284 at Dwellings

Talk of the Town #144 at Knick of Time

Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle

Share A Cup #310 at Mrs. Olson blog

Share Your Style #178 at The Red Painted Cottage

Farmhouse Friday Link Party #78 at The Painted Hinge

Wash, Dry, Decorate: Laundry Room Update

When we moved to our retirement condo on Applegate Lane, there was a stackable washer and dryer squeezed into a small closet in the first floor bathroom.  You could actually see it from the living room . . . definitely not a good look, even if I tried to pass it off as steampunk!

 

Our house is a 2-story with a gambrel roofline . . .


So we found wasted space under the eaves . . .

and moved the laundry room upstairs next to the master bedroom. 

Here it is!

Under the sloping wall, we added an area for folding clothes with lots of storage underneath, hidden by a fabric "curtain" threaded onto a length of heavy wire secured to the underside of the counter top by small eye hooks.

 

This space is also really handy for wrapping gifts and laying out fabric for sewing projects.

I love some of the photos shared by blogger Miss Kopy Kat in her recent post entitled  How To Transform a Laundry Room.  Her fabric treatment under the counter is similar to mine and also hides a storage area.  Her laundry room even includes a coffee station and wine bar!

 

If I had wine in my laundry room, DH and I would have the cleanest clothes in town!

I hot-glued brightly-painted clothespins to a yardstick and mounted it on the wall between my dryer and folding area to hold those mystery socks that always seem to exit the dryer without their mates. The paper towel holder is handy for spills and a framed pattern envelope from the 1950's adds a little color and whimsy.  (How about those hats?)

 

On the opposite wall, I found room to hang a miniature clothesline to display a collection of vintage dolls' clothes.  

 

 An old apple ladder holds an antiques child's dress and an assortment of vintage wooden coat hangers. It's useful as well as decorative . . . I hang newly-ironed clothes on it until I put them away.

And the piece de resistance? A chandelier we rescued from the original porch of our former 1830's home. It's so unexpected in the laundry room that it just makes me smile!

Extra craft storage is hidden on a shelf unit behind the door where I can get to it easily. And there's room to leave the ironing board up all the time for quick touch-ups as clothes come out of the dryer.

 

 This room works perfectly and makes good use of formerly wasted space in our home.

 

Who says doing laundry can't be fun?

 

 

This post is linked to:

 Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home