You all know I’m a little different and get excited about the littlest things and of course the day I found this scratched up, missing-handled dustpan on my lunch hour was no exception. You gotta love me! Lol! I like anything that’s green and metal, and well, scratched up and broken too!
Living in a world that's turned everything into plastic, how could I let this little icon of the past possibly end up in our local dump? No, no, no! It was coming home with me! I was sure I could find something to use as a handle and fix it up as good as new.
I believe my Grandma had one like this when I was a kid, only I think it was a copper color with a Dutch scene on it and it had a metal handle. Yes, I found a picture of one! Remember these?
By the way, this one’s for sale on Etsy if you’re looking for one.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/40255516/vintage-metal-dustpan-folksy-motif
Well, I knew after bringing this little guy back to life I didn’t want it to ever have dirt swept into its face again, so I thought long and hard as to what I could do with it.
At this stage of a project I like to ask friends and relatives for ideas and I got some great suggestions that included using it to hang and grow herbs (good idea and may be what I do with the next dustpan that crosses my path!). Sometimes I just need to let a project sit for awhile and study it, and sometimes it’s a very long sit. Believe me, I have several projects right now begging for my attention as I pass by. Each time I walk past and look at them, my creative juices start circulating and then one day, BINGO – just the right idea comes to me!
One chilly fall morning at a church tent sale I came across some antique wiener roasting sticks. They were unique and interesting with the wire twisting all the way to the prongs. One of them had a shaft that was slightly bent so I decided to use this one to cut and use as the handle to fix the dustpan. It was just the size I needed! Okay, the dustpan has been cleaned and shined and has a handle – now what should I do with it? Hmm, back to the “studying” stage.
Not too long after the church tent sale I was browsing through an estate sale and came across an antique whisk broom in perfect condition. It had beautifully aged a deep brown color and as soon as I saw it I knew it was the “missing link” to my dustpan project! It was so pretty I tied a bow around it and stuck it in the dustpan! Now I was on a roll. . . I hung the dustpan with some strong magnets, and filled it with a couple of memo pads, a pen, and note clips!
Voila!
All of a sudden it became a media center –
who would have thought?!
Sometimes projects turn out better if you just let them evolve over time.
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If you liked this story, you might also like The Little Blue Box and American Flag Project.
Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed your company!
If you liked this story, you might also like The Little Blue Box and American Flag Project.
Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed your company!
My gate is always open, Jeri
