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

Giving

It seems as if we've been "downsizing" forever!  But, the closer I get to the end, the harder the job has become. Because . . .

The "easy stuff" is gone.  Now I'm coming to the really hard stuff:  Family keepsakes, toys from when our kids were little, handmade items, items loaded with memories. What does one do with the dress your Mom wore on her honeymoon?  Grampa's violin case from his time in vaudeville?  Your sister's favorite dolls?

I've used about every method known to man woman to pare down from a 3500 square foot farmhouse to our little cape cod retirement home.  My copy of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is dog-eared and my little Mini Cooper could find its way to Goodwill by itself.  But the things that are left seem too special for any of  my previous methods. 

So I've come up with an unexpected solution for the "hard things":
I'm giving them away.  

To people I don't know.  No strings attached.

Here's my first gift:  My late sister, Nancy's, Ronald McDonald doll from the 1970's. 

The long-time manager of our local McDonald's was thrilled to get it. He's so touched that he plans to display Nancy's doll in a shadow box inside the store for everyone to enjoy. Nancy would like that. Score!

Next:  The vintage child's John Deere tractor and cart from the 1960's that all of our grandchildren have played with. Now even the youngest one has outgrown it.

We considered selling it on Craigslist - until we went apple-picking last weekend and saw these! It turns out that the farm, which is located in the town I taught in for years, collects John Deere tractors and artifacts. They display them in this barn,  outside among the apple trees . . . 

And in a little farm museum they've created on the property.  This farm has been in the same family for four generations and I have happy memories of taking students there to pick apples over the years.

We knew immediately that this would be the new home of our little antique John Deere. 

DH got it down from the attic and we brought it back to the farm the very next day. 

The owner of the farm was a bit reserved when he first got out of his tractor to meet us.  I think he was probably a little suspicious:  Were we trying to sell him something? Ask for a donation? Get him to make an offer on the tractor?  "No", we said "We'd just like to give this to you."

Slowly, his face brightened and he shook our hands, thanking us repeatedly. He wanted to give us apples, cider, pumpkins, whatever we wanted, but, having picked two pecks of apples just the day before, we declined.

Because we got some things even better than apples or cider from our gift to the orchard.

We made a new friend, "paid it forward" in our community, had fun, and left with good karma and full hearts.

What could be better than that?

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday #283 at Dwellings

Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle

Talk of the Town at Knick of Time

A Pottery Barn Inspired Bedroom Update

My sister and I spent the last two weeks of August decluttering, reorganizing and redecorating much of her home as she prepares for retirement in January.  We started with her new downstairs family room and "Andi room" and then moved upstairs for a living room re-do.  

 

All that was left was the Master Bedroom. We just finished that and I thought I'd share what we accomplished.  I think we learned, once again, that "Less is More".

 

Less Is More: Budget Living Room Re-do

If you've been following this blog, you know that I've been helping my sister prepare for retirement by decluttering and updating her newly-empty nest. She's been reorganizing using the KonMari method of keeping only "what sparks joy" in her home. Andi started with a major purge and the determination to "Collect Moments Not Things".

 

 

Now that her home is drastically decluttered, Andi is finally able to see the "bones" of her rooms and decide what she wants to put back, replace, or eliminate completely. This is the fun part!

 

Here's a peek at the newly-decluttered living room and a look at how we re-did it.

 

Collect Moments Not Things

“ While you are alive, collect moments not things."   

                                                  ~Aarti Khurana

I've had a great time this year helping friends and family members declutter, reorganize and redecorate their homes. I've always loved to organize (my spices were in alphabetical order long before Fly Lady and Marie Kondo!), never pursued it as a career, but look forward to being asked to help others "spark joy" in their homes.


So far, "The Accidental Organizer" (me!) has had great fun this year helping to "reclaim" the homes of  BFF Mary Elizabeth, niece Katy, and (the current project) my sister, Andi. Andi and her DH both had homes before they were married so the first step was a major decluttering. We had both learned a lot from reading (repeatedly!) The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Andi was determined to keep only those items which "sparked joy".

Hobbling Through July

No dancing this month for me!

 

I've been limping around on crutches due to a torn hamstring and it's slowed me down (which is usually a pretty hard thing to do). Maybe that's what I get for assuming that, at 67, I can keep up with Michelle Obama at the gym! That said, my crutches aren't a very good excuse for ignoring my blog so today is my valiant effort to catch up.

10 Tips for Organizing All That Bling

Still inspired by Marie Kondo's little book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I decided to go through my stash of costume jewelry. It was everywhere . . . some in an official "jewelry box", some in a junk drawer, some in the bathroom cabinet . . . you get the idea.

I didn't even know what I had.

Here are some tips I learned during the process.

"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up"

I love to organize and declutter so when I heard about a new book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I had to run right out and buy it. 

Translated from Japanese, Marie Kondo's little book is already #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list for non-fiction. This is pretty exciting stuff for compulsive organizers like me. As a woman who is teased by one and all for keeping my spices in alphabetical order, I was skeptical. Maybe this book would be just another "how to" repetition of the same old techniques. 

Not!
The "KonMari method" is the polar opposite of what we've been taught. Ms. Kondo tells us to take each item in our homes in our hands individually and ask, "Does this spark joy?"
If it does, keep it.
If it does not, discard it.
It's that simple. 

Home Staging 101

Selling our home in today's real estate market was difficult and frustrating. After  months on the market with no offers, we decided to enlist the help of a home stager, something still fairly new here in Maine.

I thought it would be fun to show you some of the "before & after" photos. Here is our family room before staging...

And after. The stagers removed all wall coverings and even window screens to maximize natural light. They replaced my patterned rug with a simple sisal one and accessorized using a combination of my things and theirs. We helped by cleaning, touching up paint, decluttering, and removing personal items like family photos.

Here is the living room before...

 

The house was built in 1830 and the stagers wanted to make it appeal to younger buyers. They explained that, even though it is an old house, Gen Xers prefer a simpler "Pottery Barn" look and that is what they tried to accomplish with staging. I really like the results (and I guess the buyers did too!)...

And finally our master bath. (What was I thinking when I painted it red???)

The stagers suggested a softer color palette. We did the painting, bought a few new towels at Target and voila! New paint color is Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments. I love the results...

Like many of us who love to decorate our homes, I thought I was pretty good at it. Working with  local stagers Elizabeth and Monique was a little bit humbling but worth it because it taught me a lot. As I decorate our home at Applegate, I'll remember what they taught me:

• Keep it simple - Eliminate clutter; less is more.
• Consider lighting - both day & night
• Use a few big (really big) accessories rather than lots of small ones
• Take risks - go ahead and try that antique spool cabinet next to a Crate & Barrel chair

I can't wait to show you more photos of Applegate as we continue to settle in and decorate. In the meantime, here's proof that I'm trying to apply what I've learned: a BIG accessory!.

 

Happy decorating!