Gotta Love A Freebie

 When I said I "adopted junk" from family and friends, and even the occasional stranger, I wasn't kidding....but how could I turn down this challenge...it just looked so sad :(

The first step in my "creative process" is to clean. Believe it or not, this photo was taken after a good cleaning.

Next, I decide if a piece can be transformed or does it need to be dismantled.  I do a sort of junk triage.  Although rusty, the frame was in tact and all the wheels still turned.  That's a good start!

 The fabric had disintegrated so basically all I had was a frame.  A carriage without the "bassinet" is really just a cart.  So, I looked around the workshop for a "tray" for my new cart.  And we have a WINNER!  The lid from an old trunk just happens to be the perfect size.  This is why it is important to collect junk and hang on to it.  You never know when you might need it.


After removing the buggy hood and all the fabric, a coat of clear paste wax maintains the metal frame's patina and gives it a finished look.

Because this was a bouncy baby buggy, the weight of the trunk lid lowered and bounced the buggy which is not a good idea for a tea cart.  A couple of pieces of wood cut to the proper length provided support for the buggy frame and locked it at the perfect height for a tea cart.

My standard protocol for sprucing up an old trunk while maintaining its patina is to wax the outside with Fiddes Supreme Wax in Rugger Brown. 

I love the vintage paper liners in trunks; but since I'm usually in the possession of rather junky trunks, the paper is usually in poor condition.  I use Mod Podge to reglue any loose bits and then go over the whole inside with a coat of the Mod Podge as a sealer.

This repurposed little buggy now resides in a good home with my dear friend Jeanne D....so I guess I didn't really adopt; I just fostered.