Make new from old

Hi you all! Greetings from freezing cold Rhineland, I never expected it to be like this at the end of May, so I have been crafting to keep myself warm - better than going out at the moment!

It's time for Paint Party Friday again, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin.

I have been busy painting a little spice-rack, which I found some months back in the paper recycling bin - where it shouldn't have been, as it's made of wood!  But anyway, thanks to whoever threw it in there! I painted it black, then gave it a coat of crackle varnish before painting again with white with a touch of green in it, and it developed lovely, big cracks! It wasn't quite green enough, so I distressed it with various shades of green DI.

Then the fun work began. I stamped some paper with flower motives from Crafty Individuals, using a little less ink than usual to give a faded look. I painted the flowers with a water brush and DIs in shabby shutters and crushed olive. I wanted it to look like old-fashioned wallpaper. I used various stamps to decorate the edges and the sides, using Archival Olive. Then I looked for scraps, bits and bobs and small creations to fill the shelves and decorate them. The rack is 9x7".

A view of the side panel showing the stamped script

The front edge stamped with a tiny flower motive

Crackle varnish on the watering can

One of my mini books and a tin

A heart from crafty emblies, painted, distressed and crackled for another project, and then not used, fitted here perfectly. The flower was on a present I got.

A little jar which held a free-sample of jam was pressed into action. The lid has been painted and then stamped, and the jar filled with little beads etc.

(The green thumb is not part of the decoration!)

A ribbon flower fitted perfectly on the top of the lid

A little die cut bird keeping an eye on things, and a vintage lace trim

The cameo has been mounted onto a bottle cap, which I painted black and distressed with distress EP

I really had fun altering this piece, and it will look good on my kitchen shelf (when I have tidied up a bit!)

I am linking to Fashionable Stamping Challenges (alter it)

Sugar Creek - use scraps and what you have (rack, background paper, glass jar,  mini-books etc)

Simon Says Stamp and show - use your favourite ink (Archival and green)

Pan Pastels - new beginning (for an old spice rack)

Have a great weekend, and thanks a lot for coming by!