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

Jell-O Girls

I found this book, wrapped tightly in its corrugated Amazon sleeve, peeking out of the snow on my front porch one day in early January. Upon opening it, I saw that it was from a very old friend (and former sister-in-law!) of mine who is now an Open-And-Affirming UCC minister. We are both Boomers who grew up in similar somewhat dysfunctional middle-class households, went to college together, and became family a long time ago. We both endured difficult childhoods and have spent years trying to figure our respective mothers out. I knew the minute I read the back cover why Carolyn had sent this book to me.

I've been dealing with some personal issues since last Fall, so I put off opening the book. I wasn't sure I was emotionally ready to read it, or anything potentially autobiographical, just yet. The book, you see, is a memoir ("memwah") - the story of three generations of mothers and daughters. Somehow that is all woven into a feminist version of the evolution of Jell-O that actually makes sense as the story develops.   
    

I had no idea that I was about to be pulled into a narrative that would make me cry and haunt me for days. Nor did I realize as I grabbed my yellow highlighter to mark a sentence I wanted to remember, that I'd be underlining so many sentences that it would eventually border on ridiculous. I had intended to highlight the parts of the book I didn't want to forget—which turned out to be almost everything.

"I have read many feminist tomes in my life, non-fiction and opinion. I have read family stories linked to true history. Never before though, have I read a book that deftly combines American history, family love and trauma linked to that history, and all wrapped up with a social malady that affects everyone. As an aging second gen feminist, I thank you Allie Rowbottom, from the depths of my heart." ~Vicki L. Burnham

"Beautiful, brave and poignant memoir. I read the entire work in a single sitting. I was riveted and heartbroken by the patriarchal parameters that suppressed the women of Rowbottom's maternal line, but uplifted by the positive, if gradual change that occurred over the generations (interwoven with and mirrored by Jell-O's marketing and how the company depicted women and the work of meal preparation over the decades.) The author releases her mother and grandmother -women with stories they burned to tell- from their oppressive silence, by sharing the truth of their lives." 

~Francis Fairman 

The fact that this book mirrors issues in the lives of Carolyn, myself, and many other women "of a certain age" is made even more ironic by the fact that Carolyn and I have always had the tradition of one of us serving her mother's "Jello-O Salad" on every holiday we share. Here it is - I kid you not!

It was my turn to make it this Christmas.

 (It seems that we were "Jell-O girls long before the publication of this book.)

As a retired English teacher, I've always dreamed of writing a memoir. I've actually started a few and never finished. Maybe now I won't have to. Because, although the details are not exactly the same, the soul of Mary's story is mine. The theme of my memoir is here, in Jell-O girls.

Maybe Carolyn's is too.

The Jell-O Girls

This book knocked me over. 

This post is linked to:
Happiness Is Homemade Link Party # 256 at  Bluesky at Home
Best of the Weekend Link Party at Calypso In the Country
Amaze Me Monday #300 at Dwellings
J & J Link Up #178 at Plucky's Second Thought
Inspire Me Tuesday #487 at A Stroll Through Life
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

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

The Fat Trap

Since I last wrote about the "150 Project" back in April of last year, I really fell off the "healthy lifestyle" wagon. I just wasn't motivated. As a result, between then and now, I've gained at least 15 pounds -  and I wasn't tiny then!

 Christmas was the final straw.  I thought I went to a party looking like a foxy "Mrs. Claus" and then I saw this photo. Seeing it was a reality check, for sure.  Look at those boobs! Look at those arms! Look at that invisible waistline! I have to face it:

I'm fat.

So three weeks ago I rejoined Weight Watchers ("WW")  to work my way back to my goa weight of 150. It was a relief, actually. My eating had gotten out of control with travel and the holidays.  And, (Tada!) it worked: I lost 7.3 pounds my first week back!

I also went way out of my comfort zone and joined Planet Fitness.

Which I love because it's a "no judgement zone". 

There are people working out there of every age, shape and size.

My kind of place!

I always hated gym class in school, which is probably how I ended up fat. Running the track was my idea of hell. But as of week #3, this gym isn't so bad. I can exercise, or not, and work at my own pace. I usually do 2 miles on the treadmill at a fast walk (3.0 mph) and then some circuit training and stretches.  I'm lucky here too: DH is my personal trainer!

I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week for the past three weeks and finally eating right - lots of chicken and fish. Tomorrow is weigh-in day at Weight Watchers. I'll let you know how I do.

Meantime, hope springs eternal!

Do you have to work hard to maintain a healthy weight or does it just come naturally for you? Have you found that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight? Or, like some of my friends of a certain age, have you reached the point where it just doesn't matter and you've accepted yourself at whatever size you are?  I'd love to hear how others cope with "feeling fat". Is it just me?

Yours in Bumble Bee Snack Packs!

This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday # 485 at A Stroll Through Life
Amaze Me Monday #300 at Dwellings