Alley Treasures

One of my favourite past times is hunting for treasures in the alley! I remember as a little girl my parents would load all us kids into the van and we would drive up and down the alley's looking for something to reuse. It must have made a lasting impression because I do it with my own kids now.

Last year I found this gem under a bush in the alley. It had been there for so long it was molded into the dirt. I think at one point it might have been filled with a mirror. Maybe for a dresser. The wood had rotted in places and it was full of dirt.

BEFORE

(horrible picture  I know)

AFTER

I gave it a good cleaning and used whatever paint I had on hand. I think I must have painted it three or four times to get it right. I painted it once more after this picture was taken. It was a little too yellow and I wanted it to be more cream.

I added these adorable fabric brooches. You can change the color of brooch for each season. You can find similar broaches in my Flower Yourself etsy shop

Who knew alley shopping could be this beautiful! I also painted the floor rug. It started out as a bamboo style rug from JYSK. I was inspired by a wall stencil found at Jones Design Company. She stenciled her whole wall!... can you imagine? The rug too me long enough, but I totally LOVE it!