LIFE AT THE COTTAGE

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Time Travel Thursday #7 - Vintage Window Transformation


"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~



Welcome to the seventh Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!
Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,
and most creative projects? Great!

Then let's do it!
 
Last night...


I took you through the steps I used to prepare an old window
for the latest cottage project.


Now tell the truth!
Have you grown weary of seeing this familiar scene? 
I sure hope not...because it will probably be quite some time before I
tire of using all that wonderful old beadboard we salvaged.

Of course, prior to the transformation, all the boards and the
window frame required a thorough cleaning, a few days of sun drying, 
and a good coat of Deft—to seal in
all that wonderful chippiness.


As I was laying out the configuration of the boards for the frame,
the Yankee asked if I had considered using metal anywhere in my design. 
I had not...but thought it was a great idea.


So...
out came some of our rusty, crusty vintage ceiling tins. 

We agreed that the larger rusted tin would add the best contrast
to the other materials being used.


We had found this antique leather pulley belt at our favorite junkin' spot
and had put it aside, not knowing when,
or how, we would use it. 

My brilliant Yankee came up with the perfect way
to incorporate it into my project.


The boards were cut and glued to the frame.  The corners of the ceiling tin
were cut and nailed in with decorative copper nails.  And the mirror
 was set in the special place created for it when
the muntins were rearranged. 

After the leather belt was scrubbed, rinsed, and thoroughly dried by the sun,
it was given a good coat of paste wax.  Strips of it were cut to frame in the
mirror.  Once again, the decorative copper nails came into play
 to attach the belt to the frame.

Then, more decorative nails were used to secure the part of the
pulley belt that encased the entire outside of the frame.


I love how this eighty-year-old window was
transformed into a one-of-a-kind mirror. 

How's that for a custom update?


I'll be linking this terrific transformation to Gina's Transformation Thursday,

24 comments:

  1. That is really cool! I would love to see your workshop!

    We want posts about Brimfield!

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  2. Wow! What a great transformation! Sandi

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  3. Great post, great job, lots of work but totally worth it! Enjoy your hard work!

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  4. This is the most unique way of re-doing an old window that I have ever seen! Just amazing...
    Visiting from Allison's party.
    ~ Sue

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  5. I am hosting a giveaway over at Sassy Sites. Come on by and join in on the fun! We would love to have you!

    -Marni
    http://sassysites.blogspot.com/

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  6. What an amazing transformation!! I just never would have thought to do something like that. Probably would have just hung up the old window frame and called it a day! The two of you really think outside the box and come up with some amazing pieces of art!
    Thanks for sharing~
    Fondly,
    Ann
    @
    The Tattered Tassel

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  7. What an absolutely gorgeous mirror!!

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  8. Awesome transformation! It was quite interesting to see photos of all those unique elements before and after they were used in your design.

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  9. Do doubt left that you are a very creative and talented lady. That is a remarkable job on that old window. I like the shape of it.

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  10. 1st time here ~ loving the blog and bkgrnd!
    and as a fellow anne of grn gables lover ~
    i lived a year on her island! :) ~
    i'll definitely be back ..

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  11. What a great find and a fantastic redo! Love it!

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  12. Holy Cow! Another awesome project from you two! Thanks so much for linking up to We Can Do It Cheaper! You were missed while on your 5 WEEK (are you kidding me!!;-) vacation. Good for you all!

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  13. Hi Liz! Glad to see your meme up again! I love that window makeover...wow!

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  14. I adore what you did with the window. I just saw a similar window in an online shop here ---http://www.thebellacottage.com/product_details.php?pid=5638

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  15. Wow, that's really neat! Love it :)

    Have a wonderful day! Be sure to visit my blog for a great giveaway!

    Sarah
    ***Visit my blog for a GIVEAWAY and new linking party!***
    http://bloggingwhilewaiting.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-wednesday-party-link-up-giveway-too.html

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  16. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the new Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :) My hope is to share many of the fabulous projects I see everyday with the vast CG audience. I hope you will not only stop by and subscribe to CG, but will tell your friends about the new category! Hope you see some traffic from it!

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/vintage-window-transformation/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  17. I have fallen in love with this mirror! I found you through craft gossip. I think I will have to hang around a bit. Glad I found you!

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  18. Thanks, Deborah, for giving us a link to see another fantastic window-frame mirror. Backing an old frame with a mirror is not a new idea. That's one of the reasons my vintage frame stayed in the barn so long.

    I wanted to create something different, something one-of-a-kind. I've never run across anything like my take on the idea-with its different salvage components. It's uniqueness makes me happy! ;)

    Hugs,
    Liz

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  19. Love this! Great job! Stop on over and see what my hubby made with old barnwood!

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Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to comment.