#SwapItLikeItsHot. Weaving and TV Dinners.
Psssst… this post *might* contain affiliate links: see my disclosure here.
After Christmas, Thanksgiving, the Anthropologie 40% off sale and the Academy Awards… this is my favorite event of the year: #SwapItLikeItsHot.
The premise? A rowdy group of bloggers goes tromping off to the thrift store or flea market or yard sale and each person finds $10 worth of *stuff*. Said *stuff* is then mailed off to another blogger to fix up and post about. I mean, it’s SO simple, but SOOOO fun! It always cracks me up to see A. what craptastic stuff people find to send to each other and B. the unbelievable imaginations that this group of DIY bloggers have!
Shop my favorites!
Enough… ONTO the fun!! I received my care package from the lovely Michelle of Weekend Craft. Random trio of thrift store items? Check. Her mission accomplished.
For #swapitlikeitshot, I used two of her items. I didn’t want to rush into my idea for the leather scraps so those are tucked away for another day. Sorry… But what I DID use, I love. I started with the candle holders. I thought about pulling apart the leaves and using them for some sort of fall decor, but it was easier said than done to make clean cuts. I’m LOVING all the textural wall hangings I’m seeing in design these days so I decided to try my hand at weaving. Once the candle holders were removed, I had a nice metal frame to work with!
I used my Dremel
to clean up the rough edges of the metal frame and then sprayed it with my favorite gold
spray paint. (Affiliate links included for your convenience.)
For the weaving, I’ll give a full tutorial at some point, but I worked on them at night when I couldn’t take pictures. This tutorial from A Beautiful Mess was what I followed and it’s perfect.
These are smaller, but I’m so pleased with how they came out.
As for the tray. I picked up a delicious TV dinner and gave it some thought over a good Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. And theeeeen, I got busy bringing this floral beauty into the modern era.
I was in the middle of my DIY planters so I used my favorite reactive paint on the tray also. It actually looks more like chalkboard paint on the tray, but I like it! (And looking back at how it was in the beginning… might not be such a radical change!)
Just to be cute, I painted the underside of the tray with this neon fluorescent spray paint. Surprise! The legs stayed as is… I liked the gray metal.
To add a little flavor to the top, I drew on it with a white paint pen. (Varsity bloggers would probably figure out something to do with a Cricut or a Silhouette, but I’m still on the J.V. sometimes.) TV tray ready for its modernized close up!
I sent a handful of randomness to the phenomenal Corinna from A Designer at Home and you will NOT believe what she did with her stuff. Why are people so freaking creative?!
Also, keeping following the trail of imagination bread crumbs to see what the other 6 bloggers did today!
Evey’s Creations / Dragonfly and Lilypads / Weekend Craft / Ciburbanity
A Designer At Home / Polished Habitat / Blue i Style / Addicted 2 DIY
If you’re curious what I’ve done in the years past…
Finally, as promised… here’s the lineup from earlier in the week.
MONDAY
That’s My Letter / DIY On the Cheap / Run To Radiance / The Gathered Home
Two Thirty Five Designs / Chaotically Creative / Decor Adventures / Homemade By Carmona
TUESDAY
Thoughts From Alice / Reinvented / Confessions Of A Serial Do-It-Yourselfer / Restoration Redoux
Always Never Done / I Am a Homemaker / Black and White Obsession / Windgate Lane
WEDNESDAY
Town and Country Living / brepurposed / The Charming Farmer / 58 Water Street
Designer Trapped In A Lawyer’s Body / Year of Serendipity / White House Black Shutters / Desert Domicile
THURSDAY
Two Purple Couches / Like A Saturday / Finding Silver Pennies / Artsy Chicks Rule
Something to Be Found / Shades of Blue Interiors / Simple Designing / Our Southern Home
What a great idea, Charlotte!!! I absolutely love the weavings within their gold metal frames – they are perfect!!!
Thanks, girl! I want to seriously weave an entire wall treatment!
Love it all- but especially those weavings! so pretty- can’t wait to see where you put them!
I had them on the porch for these pics and they actually kinda work out there! But with weather I might pull them into Martha’s room somewhere! xx
Ahhh, gold makes everything better! 🙂 Love the tray too!!!
Thanks so much for organizing!!
xo
Nancy
Right? Gold for the win! The tray wasn’t much of a makeover in hindsight, but it’s so much more fun for displaying things! Thanks for being part of the madness! 🙂 xx
I love what you did, Charlotte! The weave art that you did is so pretty!
Thanks, girl. I’m officially obsessed with weaving as a result. I want to weave all of the things! xx
So creative to weave!!! Thanks so much for coordinating this FUN event Charlotte.
Thanks, Melissa! Who knows where the ideas come from, huh?! 🙂
Charlotte,
You have outdone yourself. The ideas you have are crazy good. I love the pop of red, the weaving is gorgeous, words never come back, and what girl doesn’t love gold. Thank you for including me in this round of “Swap It Like Its Hot.” It is no small feat to wrangle 40 people yet creative bloggers. You did it with grace and precision. Kudos Darlin’!
Happy Creating,
Karen Marie
Thanks SO much, Karen Marie! Everyone made it VERY easy this go around. I love all the creativity and craftiness!
Creatively gorgeous as always! Those weavings are fantastic! Thanks for including me in all of the fun!
Very cute! You did a great job. What a fun little tray, and now I need to learn to weave. Thanks for organizing this fun swap!
Love your weaving, Charlotte! And that stand-up tray is adorable!!
Thanks, Jen! Turns out weaving is a very relaxing activity! :0! So pleased to have a little standing tray too! Ain’t #Swapping great?!
Man oh man, the quote on that tray just kinda took my breath away. #ain’tThatTheTruth
Anyway, I have three of those trays in my “I will do something with this someday” stash because as kids, me and my sisters got to use our ET ones in our beds when we were sick so when I saw them at goodwill I snatched them up. They are still untouched with ugly teddy bear pics on them but whatever…..I now have inspiration 🙂
My 7 year old loves to weave, I have put her masterpieces in frames before but I never thought to do something like this.
Thanks for putting this all together, you totally rock and I am so so glad I finally got to meet you, can’t wait till the next time! AAAAND now I get the award for the rambling commenter. xx
Isn’t that a great quote?!?! I remember when TV dinners were like a special treat for us! I googled it writing this post, and man… they look so nasty. But we LOVED them. No ET trays though… that’s a whole new level of expertise. 🙂 SO glad you could be part of #Swap… and your 7 year old is genius… frame that action! xx
:::picks jaw up off floor::: Charlotte, these are ahhhh-maaaaa-zing!!! You now have to host a weaving lesson via Periscope while we all enjoy a TV dinner 😛 But seriously… those. weavings. Incredible. Gorgeous. I love them! Also love the phrase and arrows you added to your tray – I like the hand-written element 😉
Haha! I’m afraid a live weaving session might not ‘grab’ people as much as you’d expect. 😉 And thanks, girl! Always fun to have you part of the #Swap madness! xx
Love the weaving! What a genius idea! Sooner or later, I’m going to have to jump on the weaving stuff bandwagon; it’s such a pretty bandwagon 🙂
It’s so fun! I think I wove stuff back at summer camp so it’s one of these fun throwbacks! I want to do one on a bigger scale now!
So crazy good! Love everything you did Charlotte and thanks for letting me join in the fun again!
Thank YOU for joining! I love this creative corner of the interwebs every few months! It’s always a nice chance to see everyone’s skillz! xx
Such a brilliant idea to update the candle holders, so much better with the gold + weaving! Bravo!
I mean… EVERYthing is better in gold so I can’t say that was too much of a genius decision. 🙂
You are a miracle worker and my idol. LOVE these! I’m taking up weaving next. In fact I have all the supplies and my grandma’s vintage Speed-o-weave loom from the 50’s. Don’t be jealous 🙂
Thanks for organizing the Swap and see you on the next round!
HAHA! I am supremely jealous of your loom. Like I’ve looked online to order one. I love them. Thanks for joining the fun! Can’t wait for the next go in a few months! xx