Retro Renovation

Odd and pretty things

pam kueber — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:30:57 +0000

Charming… odd… funny… gorgeous… sentimental… inspiring… colorful… beyond the main… stuff you can really truly use in your Retro Renovations: These are the things I look for on ebay and to showcase here for you. If you click on a link and end up buying, I make a spiff, that’s part of how I earn money on the blog. But, please, don’t buy stuff you don’t need, it’s fun, too, just to look, and to be joyful about all the beauty around us, including stuff made by and used by people trying to bring more beauty into their worlds.

Tip to using the ebay carousel: To go to a particular item, click on its photo (NOT on the ebay logo) — then, click on the lime green “View and Bid” box, which will take you to ebay. Disclosure: When you buy anything from these ebay carousels or after you click into ebay here, it nets me a teensy commission.

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DIY Valentines Day candy Sweethearts® sculpture

pam kueber — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:55:10 +0000

Changing planes on Southwest Airlines last year, I spotted this super creative — and super ambitious — DIY Valentines candy Sweethearts® sculpture at the entrance to one of the gates in Baltimore. Supersize me: This thing is like 12′ feet tall. The creator seems to be Colleen — see her name on the ‘box’ that’s pouring out all the heart candies. As you can see, she’s written clever Southwest- and airline-related messages on them, including “Bags Fly Free.”

What would it take to do this project? I’m thinking: Very smooth, tight-cell styrofoam… an electric carving tool to shape the hearts… a digging-out tool to carve the messages, spray paint and acrylic paint to paint the hearts and then the red message… and a hot glue gun to glue the hearts together. A less ambitious plan, of course, would be to do just few hearts — but I think that for impact, yes: Glue them together and make a little “installation.” If you want to do the box, too, you will need cardboard and more paint.

I love Southwest, it is hands down, my preferred airline. It’s so civilized that they let you changes flights without a rigamarole. Yup, two bags fly free; now, in comparison, when I step up to other other airline counters and am charged $25 a bag, I am angered. I think their customer-friendly policies help Southwest’s attendants stay in a good mood — which keeps us in a good mood — so it’s all a virtuous circle. It really helps make flying more fun. Yes, it is still possible: Luv Is In the Air. Want to read more about Necco Sweethearts®? Click here for the history of this iconic American candy.

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Upcycled birdhouses and bird feeders from Gadget Sponge

pam kueber — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:30:18 +0000

Put a Bird In It!

You know how I love my upcycled chippy hippy house things. Our hoard o’ vintage surely is destined for: Art. I also love birdhouses — so sculptural… and useful. Put vintage + birdhouses together and you get: Clever upcycled birdhouse creations from Brian Carlisle aka GadgetSponge on etsy.com. I asked Brian some questions about his birdhouses and bird feeders, so that I could show lots of pictures and Get Inspired.

How long have you been making these — and what got you going?

I’ve been creating the upcycled birdhouses and bird feeders for almost a year and a half now. It all started with a vintage copper coal bin. The handle, the front handle, the slope of what would be a roof all began to come together in my head and I just went with it!

What is your background? Did you already have the welding skills, etc?

My professional background is Graphic Design (for almost 20 years now). It definitely helps with the creative side of things. I’ve got lots of tools in general, but my background of stained glass work also helped get things rolling with the soldering of the materials.

Where do you get all your its and bits to use for the items? Is your garage/storage a vintage hoarding nightmare?

My garage is by definition “a hoarding nightmare”! At least once every couple of weeks, I’ve got to stop and unhappy clean the whole area back up to have a clean

surface and area to start over with. I find most of my parts, pieces and general junk through family and friends out and about coming across things, garage and estate sales, and antiques/collectibles stores.

Are the enclosed birdhouses really livable?

The upcycled birdhouses I create are actually livable as long as the new owner keeps them out of direct sunlight (hot summer) and out of cold, exposed winds (winter). But, honestly, most of my customers look at me like I’m crazy when I ask where they are going to put them outside. Most are used for decorations and accents around their homes.

These are just so cool — and the last photo is just a small example of Brian’s bird photography. One talented guy! Thank you, Brian!

Links:

You can buy Brian’s birdhouse creations (there are lamps, too) from his GadgetSponge story on etsy.com.
Read his blog here.

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