For over 30 years we’ve had mixed matched chairs around our kitchen table. I”m fortunate in that I have quite a large table and can easily fit 8 chairs. 

I don’t like to be limited to  a particular color and style or maybe it’s just that I’m indecisive….not sure.

As a result  myself and  my family and friends have often brought home rescues on trash day from the roadside…PEOPLE THROW AWAY GOOD STUFF!!!

I’m simply amazed at the variety of designs there are out there…and take great pains in choosing which ones will have a place around the table.

Awaiting makeovers presently in a heap…legs and backs intertwined in a tangled mess in my greenhouse.

What is it about chairs?…I don’t know…maybe it’s the fact that I do most of my projects at my table. As a family we spend most of our time in the kitchen…eating…laughing…playing games.

 When friends and family visit it’s the place of choice. I love when a guest pulls out a seat and discovers  fun fabric that was unseen tucked under the table.

Often times I believe people select a particular chair…not always randomly…they may be saying to themselves…I am going to sit in that lovely blue chair…or no…maybe the mustard one.

Earth Gatherings in Millville

Because of my love for chairs in 2006 when I opened my little shop in Millville I decided to offer some for sale. We call them Hares chairs…which is our last name.  

Riverfest in Millville

First my husband checks to see if they are wibbley…if so…they have to be taken apart….reglued…sanded…and then primed and painted.

AFTER

Vintage bark cloth is my favorite fabric and so I use it on most of my chairs

BEFORE

AFTER

Once again this summer Earth Gatherings will be offering chairs at the Millville shop.

Prices range from $25 to $45 depending on the work that goes into it and the price of the fabric. 

They will be in my Etsy store….but I’m sorry to say they are so costly to ship…so  are available for pick up only.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66888256/deep-gray-upcycled-chairlocal-pickup

for shop hours and more info. 

Barbara Hares at 856-3322815

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Earthgatherings

earthgatherings@comcast.net

NEW AT THE SHOP….darling single stemmed button flowers in every color imaginable.

 0oh la la!…I love the yellow and  oranges!

whites…add a bit of lace…so pretty for the spring bride.

just a couple of these whimsical little beauties are sure to bring a smile…mix and match to your liking for just the right touch on that special gift package or a dainty posy bundled with a ribbon.

single stemmed flowers are priced from $1-$2

sorry etsy friends only available at my store in Millville

in the month of March mention this post and get 3 free single stems with any purchase of button flowers.

Wandering about the field we noticed a tent. Spilling out around the tent were beautiful buttons… in boxes..bowls…tins and all sorts of containers….it really was truly overwhelming…seriously.

I HAVE AN ETSY FRIEND WHO TOLD ME SHE ONCE HYPER-VENTILATED OVER HANKIES AT A YARDSALE.

A perfect description of what I was experiencing in Rising Fawn. After some deep breaths and calming myself down…I gathered myself and stepped inside the tent.

THERE THEY WERE!…hundreds..upon HUNDREDS!…pretty buttons twisted a top floral wire….a sign read “Button Flowers”…….the owner’s name was Miss Em.

She was a friendly southern woman who was very interesting to talk to. All the single button flowers were separated by colors in vases….ready for the picking…they were so beautiful.

She also offered button flowers for sale in bouquets. They were in cute little vases or in salt and pepper shakers.

It was love at first site….I was HOOKED!

After a long chat and some purchases I thought I best not hold my weary companions up any longer and decided to say goodby.

She gave me her card and told me to stop by her store in Cleveland Tennessee next time I am down that way…..gosh her shop must be amazing!

The last three days of the trip Miss Em and her flowers where in my thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about the projects I would undertake when I got home. I could  put them all over my shop…and oh…I could put them on ETSY!  The etsy folks would just love them! Something so darling would surely be a hit!A few days after our return I was listing ribbon on etsy and just out of curiosity I looked up button bouquets….WHAT IN THE WORLD?!!….where had I been?…aparently everyone but me  had  known about the button flower!  Several etsy shops were selling them.

Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44163298/blushing-bride-button-bouquet-shades-of

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66240053/hmmit-looks-like-a-planet

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57331858/custom-wedding-button-bouquet-xlarge

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66641207/jewel-button-bouquet

All kinds…some so AMAZING!  gorgeous bouquets for brides and some full of  color and whimsy.

Totally inspired I began…I spent about 3 weeks making nothing but button flowers. They are very addicting.

My fingers and arm were aching from twisting the wires but  I ended  up with a bountiful supply of  beautiful posies..single flowers…and bouquets.

I introduced them at  the September Street  Festival here in Millville. They were a hit!…like me..my customers had never seen them before.

Since then I’ve shown several  of  my customers how to make them..it’s so easy!

Supplies you’ll need:

22 or 24 gauge floral wire.

wire cutters…jewelry pliers and of course BUTTONS.

coming up from under the button put the wire through the button-hole and then bend it and put it back down the opposite hole.

take the pliers and twist it around underneath the button….that’s it!

buttons with shanks… just put it through the shank and bend and twist.

you can also stack buttons in layers to make it even more interesting.

for this one I used an old bee hive as a filler at the mouth of the container. I sold it on etsy!

OH SO PRETTY!

For more pretty button flowers you can visit my online shop at etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/Earthgatherings?section_id=6907402

or stop by my store in Millville.

While scurrying around to estate sales, flea markets and such I rarely say no to a basket of sewing treasures.

 There’s nothing like digging through an old sewing tin full of notions and supplies.

 I find all sorts of curious objects.

 As a result I have accumulated lots of knitting needles.

In my younger years I tried my hand at knitting, only to discover it was not my cup of tea.

This summer while cleaning out my garden shed I came across a bucket full of  them.

For years I used the needles for plant markers.

 After examining and admiring all the pretty colors I decided to see what kind of crafty thing could be done with them.

I googled “crafts to make out of old knitting needles”

To my delight I discovered the bangles.

How fun!

Surely I could do that!

DIRECTIONS:

wash the needles

bring a pot of water to a boil

drop in a couple of needles for 5 minutes or so

when they are soft and pliable pull them out with tongs and wrap them around something that is approx. 8 inches in diameter

hold them in place for a few seconds and then take them off and  let them cool for 20 minutes

SOUNDS EASY….RIGHT?

I cleaned all my needles and dropped a few in boiling water.

After about 12 minutes they were ready to come out.

Using tongs I lifted them out one at a time and wrapped them around a glass tumbler.

Very difficult.

They harden in seconds when removed from the water.

Burning my fingers the entire time while trying to hold them in place was really frustrating.

Most of them had to be thrown back in the water and re-boiled several times until I got the right shape.

I also noticed that after a few hours some of them were un-curling.

Later with very sore fingers I decided to call it a day.

Next day

RUBBER GLOVES!

Seemed to work great, until I noticed after they cooled I had yellow rubber marks on them!

I tossed the needles back in the boiling water.

Some had to be thrown away.

This time I used clothes pins overnight, holding them in place so they would keep their shape.

Day 3

Determined to master the bangles I used tea towels along with the rubber gloves.

It worked much better.

The clothes pins worked also but I had to be very careful to make sure that they didn’t leave marks on the soft needles.

By the end of the night I wasn’t feeling well and was a bit dizzy.

REALLY!…how stupid!

What in the world was I boiling in my kitchen!

I had no idea what materials the knitting needles were made of and I had been breathing in the fumes for hours!

At the end of the 3 days I had made about 56 bracelets that were sellable.

They turned out quite pretty.

At $5 each or 3 for $12 I sold most of them.

 I still have about 23 left at my shop in Millville.

Since then, I’ve  found some absolutely lovely bracelets on etsy.

 This lady has mastered melting down needles.

Her shop is amazing.

I’ve never seen such beautiful knitting needles! http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewnewthings

I’ve retired the tumbler and rubber gloves.

Like I said…….. KNITTING NEEDLES make nice plant markers.

So many chairs are tossed in the trash along the roadside…I have difficulty passing them by.

The lovely legs…the amazing backs!…I just can’t allow them to rot in the dump…it seems to be such a waste.

Some of the chairs are in such bad condition that they are no longer suitable to sit on…so Ihave to get creative and find other uses for them.

That’s how I came up with the doll bed.

About 30 years ago I made two doll beds for my nieces…they loved them…for some reason I didn’t make more…not sure why.

  Recently I got the hankering to try my hand at it again.  First I brake the chair into pieces to see what can be used.

Sand, paint and build the frame of the bed…my husband does much of this for me.

After the frame is assembled the fun begins…I love making the bedding.

Both the sheet and pillowcase are made out of muslin.

A delicate featherstitch with french knots along the pillowcases edge.

Lovely golden yellow and cream bed spread trimmed  with pretty vintage fuzzy pom-poms.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!

Baby Doll Chair Bed #3 is for sale in my store in Millville and at my etsy shop at www.earthgatherings.etsy.com

I didn’t get photos of the upcycling process…as this was before I had the idea of recording it.

I had to remove his hair and beard for washing and touch up some of  his paint. I changed the color of his crown and the base that he stands on.

Vintage buttons…beadcaps…sequins…glass beads and fuzzy dark green trim adorn his crown.

His shoulders are topped with shiny gold metal buttons.
Repurposed  golden vintage drapery fabric becomes Lenny’s cape…on the back is a metal tassel.
Royal cape is edged with fuzzy green trim on top of vintage blue scrolled gimp.

Boot buckles are gold snowflakes to match the points on his crown which is  fitting apparel for this time of year.

His embellished  waist has green trim.. an orangey kingly patch..jewelry findings and a metal horn

He  has a wort on his nose.

Lenny is a wonderful gift for the collector. He is one of a kind!

Found Leonard in the  summer of 08 while on the hunt..I happened upon 158 NUTCRACKERS from a church sale in nearby Bridgeton…FUN!FUN!…many are in need of recovery so I have been upcycling them giving them a new chance to be admired.

Leonard the King is 15 3/4 inches tall

He is for sale in both my Etsy shophttp://www.etsy.com/listing/34808643/leonard-the-kingembellished-nutcracker  and my store in downtown Millville.

He retails for $38.00

Wendel

His hair and beard had to be removed and soaked in oxi clean.

Also had to remove his hat

Because his legs were so loose and his feet were missing…I decided it would be better to pull him apart and start from scratch.

He needed to be sanded and repainted anyway…so it would be easier if he was disassembled.

Poor Wendel

UPCYCLING

A New Coat

new shoes

I drilled a hole in his hat and inserted wired buttons bursting with whimsey….added poofy red yarn…brass dangles and  an old jewelry finding hanging on the side.

8 gold plated buttons adorn his double breasted coat. I painted the center of them red.

 He has a felted wool belt with old jewelry findings and a snowflake at his waist.

Dangling from his fist he carries  a pine cone…snowflake…zebra…brass and sequined jewelry findings and bells.

The story of  the finding of Wendel and my other Nutcrackers is in my post entitled 158 Crackers Found.

Wendel measures 16 1/2 inches high including the wired buttons and  is for sale both in my Etsy store www.earthgatherings.etsy.com  and at my shop in downtown Millville.

He retails for $72.00

We were drawn to a table were a local church was selling a woman’s lifetime collection of nutcrackers.

I was spellbound…heart racing in the thrill of the hunt! My daughter had to calm me down.

 While I was paying for 5 of them and being captivated by all of the other stoic faces…I had the brilliant idea of purchasing them all.

At the mention of my intentions to buy them all and asking them to give me a price…the church folks began whispering…counting….adding…and looking really unsure of my suggestion to carry them all off.

The table was beginning to be surrounded with interested buyers and I knew the church would make much more money if they sold them individually.

I asked them to call me with a price and a head count at the end of their day and I would buy whatever was left if the price was right. It was!!!

the days leftovers.....158 nutcrackers!!

what a find!!

We have had so much fun repairing and upcycling them. Many had missing feet….noses…crowns and other parts. 

Last Christmas my shop in Millville looked so pretty

I’ve sold over 60 of them so far!

I have several for sale in my store in Millville and a few for sale on line in my etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/listing/63284770/upcycled-wendel-the-nutcracker

For awhile we kept it in the greenhouse  and I used it to organize my planting needs..gloves..seeds..plant markers and such. When the vines began  growing in the drawers this past summer I decided it was time to tackle my refinishing project.

So PRETTY!!