This Table Goes Full Circle

The NEW (but made from Reclaimed) Sellwood Trolley Line designed by Shannon Quimby!

The best part about reclaimed furniture is not only the amazing designs but the stories behind them.  This story begins with a dear friend, Shannon Quimby, a talented designer, who is working with Endurawood to design furniture. Her new furniture line is called the Sellwood Trolley Line (salvaged timbers from the century old Sellwood Street Car Barns).  As she was telling me (and my daughter, Gabrielle) about the history of the wood and her new line, she mentioned, she needed some salvaged train spikes. The back of our property in Vermont, butts up against the train tracks and Gabrielle found a bunch of old metal spikes in the woods near the tracks. So the beautiful table you are looking at is a combination of Shannon's creativity, preservation of vintage wood, a company's willingness to make a difference, and a young girl's collection of spikes :)   ENJOY! Congrats Shannon.  My best, J

Short Trip to Key West Florida

Steve, Gabrielle and I are enjoying a few days in Florida with family.  Steve and I decided to head down to the keys for a short outing! Just a few pictures from our trip! Of course, I managed to find some salvaged goods. My best, Joanne

Walking around Key West, besides me...is a bunch of proud roosters!

Of course... I find the lunch spot that is built totally from scrap material, B. O.'s Fish Wagon.

The Naked Artist shop! Great rooster paintings on salvaged wood by the one of the owners, Beth Darras.

Mike Darras, of the Naked Artist, makes lamps from salvaged crab pot buoys!

Another great painting on a salvaged fence and a tugboat made from recycled metal.

Some of the best things in life are free!  The sunset off of Key West on Sunset Pier.

Love this Lion fish -- my hair looks like that when I wake up!

Painted salvaged wood that is part of a reclaimed wood dresser.

The historic 7-mile bridge that was built between 1908-1912 for railroad and converted for automobiles in 1935. Now is serves as a walking bridge to Pigeon key. Great walk!

Our walk  on the Historic Bridge to Pigeon key, round trip about 4 miles.

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Your Family

I am so thankful for many things.  My family, my friends, the opportunities that I have come my way through people who believed in me. My blessings are many.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
My best, Joanne

Thankful for a daughter with a big heart. 

Thankful for my parents and spending the holidays with family.

Finding beauty in everything.

Finding joy in the simple things in life.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Easy Arm Chairs Slipcovers Painter's Tarp I Made for DIY NETWORK



Click through to DIY NETWORK to see my step by step for these shabby chic linen looking chairs.

So excited to see that my easy (and very affordable) arm chair upholstery looking slipcover is now live on DIY NETWORK website. So much fun making projects for them. On their site you'll find step by step instructions with lots of photos on how to do it yourself. I love that french linen look they have from the natural color cotton painter's canvas I bought at the hardware store.  I just recovered the chairs right over the original fabric.  Hope you like them.
Ciao, Joanne

One of the pictures in this story by story in Country Living about Lauren Ross's
home that gave me inspiration for my Do-it-yourself slipcover chairs.

Portland Bazaar and the Wellesley Marketplace Fair

I love holiday fairs, bazaars and craft shows.  The gathering for so many talented people in one place is incredible. That's why I was so excited to learn that Design Sponge is putting together a Portland Bazaar with fellow artisans. First I love Portland, Oregon -- my old stomping grounds --and still the stomping grounds of my twin sister and best friends. So I'm there often.  I wish I could go to this Bazaar -- I'll do my best to get there!  It is December 10 & 11th. To learn more about exhibiting, bring your food cart or just attending click this LINK.

This Cream of the Crop Bella Buckle is made with a vintage pin and a recycled pearl necklace. We'll be at the Wellesley Marketplace Fair this Saturday, November 20th! 

Another one that is happening THIS WEEKEND, Saturday, November 20th, is the Wellesley Marketplace run by the Junior League. (Massachusetts) It is so popular! Over 130 talented artisans have been chosen to be represented out of the hundreds who applied. Guess what? They asked Bella Buckles to be there -- so Tina and I will be there with our smiling faces and hundreds of our buckles made with recycled, salvaged and vintage material.  Hope you can come by and say hi!

Making Cards

I take a lot of pictures -- a few of them are kinda fun -- I'm not a professional -- but that doesn't stop me. :) So for my thank you cards and note cards I create handmade photo cards from things that have inspired me over the year. You can find blank recycled paper cards online or a crafting store near you and just use a glue stick to attach. Here are few of the pictures I've used for cards this year...

Bowl of vintage crystals from chandeliers I saw at an antique show.

Painted British Flag Dresser at the Barn House Sale.

Flowers at Cannon Beach Oregon -- so bright!

Farmer's Market Flowers

Business card holder for an antique's dealer.

Aprons at a B&B at Mt. Hood.

Lighting display at the same Bed and Breakfast.

Gmone in a friend's garden. One of my favorite pictures.

I also love packaging a few handmade photo cards with twine and giving them as hostess gifts. On the back of the cards I write the place, date and information about the picture -- making it very personal.

The Beginning, Our Cabin in the Woods

This week I was interviewed by Rebecca Ittner for an upcoming article for Romantic Homes Magazine. Thank you Rebecca.  It was really fun to chat about how it all got started for me and hearing stories about what she does with salvage stuff in her home. 

First...I've always been interested in salvage, vintage, basically...old stuff or used stuff. Even as a kid I was digging in the backyard for bottles and in the "junk" room trying to create things -- crazy kid I was.  Anyway, when I meet my husband he was building a cabin in the woods.  It was love at first sight (both the guy and the cabin). I joined in helping. The 700 square foot cabin butt up to a national forest--a magical place. It was powered by a wind turbine my then-boyfriend had put in the backyard. We spent our dates sanding old doors to uses as cabinetry, tiling, hammering...and once and a while we would take a break and read all day on the couch surrounded by vintage diamond paned windows or cross-country skiing.  I miss that cabin, especially on beautiful days like today. It was a very special place. Incredibly romantic, a wonderful place to start our relationship. The memories will always be there and it was just the beginning of designing with salvage and our family's journey.

Look at that handsome guy working away! He misses the old Land Rover as well.

Check out the vintage windows and the beams made from trees from the land.

Almost done. The cabinet doors are made from old doors cut in half, vintage sink and old windows. I still have that antique wood bowl, it now sits in our entrance way of our new home.

Salvaged Concrete Blocks, Why I Love Them

Concrete is the most commonly used man made object on the earth! Crazy, I know. The cement in concrete blocks is also very energy intensive to make so when you get a chance to reuse concrete blocks, do it. I love the look and feel of concrete especially when it is brought into a design and made as a feature not the background. In one of my drawings in my book, Salvage Secrets, I designed a vintage tub to sit on a concrete base with a crystal chandelier -- it's a great look. Here are some other ways you can use concrete blocks (also called cement blocks). And if you are not using your extra concrete blocks, bring down to your recycle center -- they'll use them :)

Make your own BBQ firepit. Of course, it doesn't have to be as large as the one at The Place in Guilford, Connecticut, but should be just as cool!

Can you just taste that grilled corn? Look how simple that is with salvaged cement blocks.

I have got to get here. This place called the Little Water Cantina, in Seattle, is filled with salvaged goodies, including a concrete bar and recycled wood top. Design Wire did a nice review about the design of the place. Check it out and get my drink ready.
Photo by Valentian Vitols. 

Love this creative garden display. The ways to use salvaged cement blocks in the garden are endless--borders, walls, displays, and even as planters.



Love this California cabin owned by Dave Allen of Artefact Design and Salvage,shown on Design Sponge. This is just one of the many cool pictures they show. Concrete counters made with salvage material -- a show stopper! Keep up the great work Dave.

Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel

I love changing out my mantel. It is the one place in the house I can take apart and put together every couple of months -- how fun. Today, I was inspired by a Better Homes and Garden tweet for fall mantels. Then I went crazy and started looking at all sorts of great mantels decorated with vintage, salvaged and repurposed goodies. Armed with ideas, I got down to work and dug through my boxes in the basement and came up with my own creation using a mirror I had stored away, branches, pine cones, beautiful glasses I picked up at the recycle center, candles, vintage books and owl and some sprigs of green berries. Voila! Instant mantel decor.

I love the Lettered Cottage mantel ideas...you have to check them out.

This blog, Stone and Rose, was a new find for me. Very creative mantel.


Better Homes and Garden always has a variety of ways you can decorate your mantel.

My mantel -- the before picture.



Can't wait to see it with all the candles lit.

Salvage Secrets in Architectural Digest's December Issue

Salvage Secrets is listed as a gift idea in Architectural Digest.

Wow! The December issue of Architectural Digest is out and it's as stunning as ever. The Aspen ski home, the St. Bart's villa and the rustic Hampton's home are all inspiring. They have some amazing gift giving ideas as well, and I'm honored to say that my book, Salvage Secrets, is one of them. A big thank you to the team at Architectural Digest for your support. I am truly honored to be a part of your magnificent publication.

For the Eco-Conscious -- Gift Idea.