Mama DIY: Vintage Bar Cart

You all know that I love my vintage bar carts. There is something about the 50s and 60s that I just can't get enough of and these vintage aluminum carts are one of them. Remember this one I updated about a year ago? Well, I was at it again, but this latest one took me a year!

My mom and I found this cart last year while we took a vacation to the river. It was a mess! Rusted out, bolts that had to be cut away from the legs, and completely unusable. It had to be mine! I started working on it last August, scrubbing rust for the rest of the trip, but when we got it home, school started and I just didn't get around to working on it. All of that changed when we had some amazing weather in mid February. I was ready to tackle this potential beauty.

In the beginning, I tried everything to help remove the rust. The brush seen above, CLR which I poured directly on the shelf, steel wool, and lots of elbow grease. Nothing was working. My dad even brought over his circular sander which sat in my garage until February! That's when I got started again. Over a weekend, with amazing weather, I was able to knock off the majority of the rust from the top and bottom of each shelf. I was ready to get this thing painted and back together.

Remember to wear your face mask and gloves! The dust was disgusting and flew all over the place!!

Post sanding! Can you believe how much rust is still visible? However, they were soft and smooth and ready for paint!

My work space for the weekend.

I had picked the color months earlier, a pretty Tuscan gold. Something about the gold made me think late 60s and it was perfect! After three coats of paint per shelf, we were ready to assemble. My mom worked on the legs separately to get rid of as much rust as possible, but I ended up painting those as well. 

I even painted the original casters a shiny black! The only thing not original are the nuts and bolts. There was no way to salvage those. 

And here is the finished product!

It's all dolled up and for sale in our Southern Unique Elegance booth! Want it? It's yours! Just stop by and pick it up! I love it!! If I could find a place for it in my house, I would keep it!! 

I am on the hunt for a new bar cart! I'm obsessed with updating this vintage find and I'm thinking it's my "thing"!! What do you think of her? I think she's gorgeous!

Next DIY project is an over-sized coffee table we found at Savers. It's a Mission Style table that looks horrible! It's going to be gorgeous when it's done. Can't wait to share it with you! I also have some home interior updates to share with you as well. I'm loving home decor and design these days.

XO!

Andrea

Holiday Party Planning Guide - Tablescape

Earlier in the week we talked about picking a theme for your holiday gathering. Do you have one? I do! Remember, I'm going with vintage. A retro cocktail party, to be exact! My love for Mid Century Mod is bleeding pink and avocado green this season and I can't get enough of it. So, we've picked our theme, sent out the invites, and now it's time to start checking things off our master checklist.

Up next is decor. My house is decorated in fairly traditional Christmas flare. Green tree chocked full of Hallmark ornaments, handmade ornaments by mom when I was younger, and now handmade ornaments made by McKinley in school. Those are my favorites! But, I've added a little something old to this years decor. I put up my antique aluminum tree and all the antique Shiny Bright glass ornaments that we've found over the years. It's gorgeous! Oh, and did I mention that I have an old light color wheel? The whole look is perfection!

I have so many pins from Pinterest to share regarding a vintage inspired tablescape. And guess what? More than half are pink! I've never been a pink girl, but this year, I am over the moon for it! Maybe it's the whole Mid Century Mod thing or maybe it's the fact that Michael's has totally fed my obsession. I went in for ribbon the other day and walked out with an entire holiday decor of everything they had that was pink. Okay, not everything because there are still pieces I want, but let's say about 50%! Needless to say, I'm covered in pink glitter and I couldn't care less!

So here are the inspiring tablescapes I found on Pinterest.



 

And here are all the things I bought at Michael's!

I'm sorry, but there was no way I was going to pass up a pink Santa, at half off, wearing white fur! 

 
Isn't my aluminum tree gorgeous!!

So here's what I plan to do. I will add a white tablecloth to the kitchen table and arrange the bottle brushes, church, and a large glass hurricane full of pink and avocado green ornaments in the center of my table. I may even add candles. I have lovely silver candlesticks that hold tealights. And I plan on hitting up my local Home Depot to dig through their evergreen scrape pile like I did last year. The greenery lasted through the remainder of the holidays and allowed for a subtle hint of pine. I will arrange the greenery throughout the tablescape as well.

I will place the serving pieces around the table, black and white Christmas pieces I received as a gift from my aunt several years ago. And it just so happens that the pattern is very Mid Century Mod inspired, even though they came from Target! I plan on bringing out my bar cart, even though it's red, and decorating it as well. I may have to give that some thought regarding the clashing of colors. As Tim Gunn says, I will make it work.

Oh, and I found the coolest website that gives a tutorial on how to give everyday tumblers a little Mid Century update as well. Definitely going to have to give this a try! 

Lastly, here's a little sneak peek into a DIY drink stirrer I found that would look darling on the bar cart!

There you have it! My tablescape inspiration and the pieces I picked to create mine. Now that you have your theme, what would you use to decorate your table? Would you go completely DIY? Scour the amazing sales at places like Michael's is currently offering, or go brand new with your purchase?

I can't wait to hear what you're up to! What do you think of my party so far?

XO,
Andrea

Kitchen Updates: Dressing Up My Cabinets

I have a confession to make. I'm obsessed with vintage dinnerware! And, I am the proud owner of three different sets. I also own four additional sets, all different in pattern, that aren't vintage. And, I have my own wedding china. That's a lot of dishes! But I can't help myself. When I see a really cool pattern, especially one that's Mid Century Modern, I have to have them. And recently, well over the summer, my mom and I picked up a chic set from a boutique in the West Bottoms called Goldie & Myrtle's. They've been in a box in my parents garage and I had almost forgotten about them. Almost!

While helping my mom with a neighborhood garage sale, she mentioned that I needed to take my box of dishes home. And I agreed, but I wasn't sure where I was going to put them. My storage cabinets are full of other dinnerware! Okay, that's not true. They are full of holiday decorations, platters, and other junk! But then I started thinking. My newest set only had a place setting for six, with no glassware, and that wouldn't really fill up the cabinet space. Then I remembered that several years ago, when visiting family in TN, my great aunt gave me my great grandmother's china. Used only on Christmas Eve, this sweet set of china was just sitting in the basement. Guess who brought it home! It is the prettiest design that's incredibly delicate, just like Grannie Helton, and it really complimented the more modern 60s design of the other set. And, it came with glassware! Perfect. 

Then while chatting with my mom about using both patterns, I remembered we purchased pink cocktail glasses years ago and they are a little on the vintage side. Because Grannie's pattern has a hint of pink in the design, we both agreed that pink would make the whole thing pop. So last week I got to it and updated my kitchen with the new to me dinnerware! I replaced my current black and white patterned dishes with blue and white and it brightened up the entire space! I love it! We aren't using them. Instead, I'm now using my Barn Yard pieces. They are darling!! 

Check out my updated kitchen cabinet! This is my cabinet before:

My great grandmother's sweet china!

The blue glasses and coffee mugs were Grannie's and the pink glasses are the ones we found years ago. Such a great compliment to one another.

 

  

My Mid Century Mod find!

 

 

The new updated cabinet!

I love it! The colors are perfect together and that pop of pink with the cocktail glasses is what really brings it all together. I find this to be an easy way to update your kitchen. And if you notice, I don't have cabinet doors. That's not by mistake! My original Pottery Barn dishes were too long for the doors to close, so we took them off. And, after 14 years of living here, I've never thought about putting them back on! A little worried on your end? Replace the cabinet fronts with glass. It will allow the visual presence of your dishware, but you don't have to worry about the dust collection!

How do you update your kitchen? Are you a re-painter or do you just stick with what works? I would love to hear your feedback!

Happy Monday!

XO,

Andrea