6. Mixing it up: Giving vintage finds a new job description

I thought I'd share with you some of the ways I've reinvented the bits and pieces I've found over the years at markets and garage sales.  I love giving something old and unwanted a new job to do, and when it works you can end up with something really original and fun.

Sometimes it can be hard to think beyond the obvious use for an object so this post will give you some tips on what to look out for on your next bargain hunting trip.

Tip #1 is to look for something that can be used as a creative frame for photos or art

It doesn't have to be a traditional frame, or even a square or rectangle.  We rescued this old hymn number board from a church that was being pulled down near our house. The horizontal slots were used to tell the congregation what hymns to sing by placing numbers on the board that corresponded to those in a hymn book.

The places for the numbers made the perfect space for photos cut down to size.

We can change the photos easily or mix up the order. At Christmas time this year we're planning on putting up some holiday themed shots. Being able to view photos around the house is something I really miss with today's digital photography.

Tip #2 is to look for things you can hang items on












My husband found this metal monkey key hook on trademe and I decided to use it to display my necklaces.

We attached ours to a piece of wood before using a removable velcro sticker to put it on the wall but you could screw it straight in as well.

There are so many wonderful antique key and coat hooks out there and they usually sell for almost nothing.
You could hang anything on them - scarves, ties, belts, ornaments, photos clipped onto nylon with pegs...


Tip # 3 - Look for something you can put objects in

My mum found this little wooden house and thought our daughter would like to keep her collections in it (oh yes, collecting does run in the family!).

Wall space is at a premium in our daughters room so we've taken this house for our own treasures. It's on the wall on the way to my bedroom so that every time I pass by it I glance at what's inside.
In ours we have a slide of me as a baby taken by my Poppa, little things collected from our travels, a cork from the champagne we had at our wedding, and the shell my husband gave me when we were 16.

The key to displaying your special things is to make it simple and surprising.  The wooden house above is painted white and sits on a white wall so the the objects stand out and tell their story.  Just about anything can be used to display things, and it's so much nicer than having them lined up on a dusty shelf.

I'm off to our local markets tomorrow. On my shopping list are Blue Mountains honey and some organic apples. I want to stop by the antique table as always, and each time I go I'm drawn to the man who has a tablecloth laid out on the grass crowded with rusty old farm tools.  Happy treasure hunting this weekend!!