Tuesday, May 29, 2012

50's Metal Hamper Make Over!

Today's Tuesday Tale is going to be about a plain vintage metal hamper with great 'bones' and how it became a great beauty and found a new home where it was wanted and loved.  When I found this hamper it was a little plain, even boring, as seen in the before picture to the right.  The touch up paint had left it randomly mottled, and not very attractive.

I found it at the Acorn Antique show a couple of weeks ago for a mere $20, and admired its roomy size.  The hamper I have been using in my bathroom, was anything but roomy.  Of course I was also charmed by its wonderful metal mesh design.


Now all it needed was a good coat of paint, which was accomplished while watching a romantic DVD with my DH.  And then, since I have roses as an accent in my aqua bathroom, I thought roses decoupaged on top would be perfect.

And speaking of perfect, the perfect place to find such a bit of art, is at Graphics Fairy.  (You can see the graphic I used, before trimming, at the bottom of this post)  After decoupaging the roses in the center of the lid, I drew a line around the edge with a ruler and a pink permanent marker.  In the fifties, when this hamper was likely made, this sort of 'pin striping' was very common, and after seeing it completed, I thought it looked very fifties.  A coat of spray varnish is all it needed to make it water proof for a happy life in the bathroom.



Here it is as an element of my bathroom.  I was charmed with how it turned out.  Thank you for coming along and sharing my little project.


9 comments:

  1. Very sweet.. love the color and I always love roses.
    Cindy

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  2. ABSOLUTELY one of my favorites of all the projects you've done! Just beautiful, every detail of it. Wish you were selling it :)

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  3. Your bathroom makes me want to "cry with greed"...an expression one of my daughters uses when she really likes something. =D Perfectly perfect hamper!

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  4. Paula,

    I met you are the Acorn Antique show in Ogden and fell in love with your style, then fell in love with your blog! I am planning a fundraiser flea market in Centerville June 16th. The booth fee is only $60. I would love it if you would come join us. Please contact me and I will get all of the info to you. Sorry to contact you this way, I couldn't seem to find an email address for you! I hope to hear from you.

    Sunny
    expressionsbysunny(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Nice hamper Paula...but then again, YOU refinished it so why wouldn't it be?! (*_*)

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  6. This looks great! Perfect graphic choice... visiting from the Graphics Fairy!

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  7. Love, love, love it! I see a lot of these hampers at estate sales and now I know what to do with them. =)

    Jeanine

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  8. What a beautiful makeover! I love the color- and the pinstriping is spot-on! Visiting from GF. :)

    http://underthebeetree.blogspot.com

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  9. Hampers are something that always remind me of growing up -- I don't think they even sell them anymore! I think they're just charming and I've never seen a metal one like this -- your makeover/restoration is just perfect! Love the roses you added!

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