Hang Up Your Hat and Have Some Tea

I thought I would show you a few things that are currently in my antique booth awaiting their new homes.  First up is this hat rack.

The wood was in pretty good condition so besides wiping it down with some dilute white vinegar, I left it alone.  What I wasn't happy with, were the plastic hoops at the top and bottom.  They were making the entire thing look cheap.

So I removed them and replaced them with brass rings.

The plastic hoops had been held in place with screws.  Screwing through brass rings was not going to happen so we had to come up with a solution.  I can't remember whose brilliant idea it was - mine or Seth's - but we used brass wire to loop through the existing screw holes and around the ring to secure it in place.

And now, the coat rack looks like this.

Not the most dramatic change, but definitely an improvement.  Oh - did I mention that the top section spins?  That's my favorite part.

Next up, is this rusty tea cart that I found on Craigslist.  

I used a wire brush and dilute vinegar (again - yes, I try to be eco friendly and stay away from harsh chemicals as much as possible) to scrape off the rust.

I also used a razor blade to scrape off the faded key design on the glass top.  Can you make out remnants of it in the photo above?

It probably looked something like this during its prime.

The cart also needed a good wipe down.  And then it was ready for spray paint.  I decided to stick with black since the majority of it was already that color.  I focused on the top but gave the entire thing a few fresh coats after covering the glass with some cardboard.

Much better.  

I really love the scallop trim.

The last piece in this series is an amazing carved wood teapot.  It had a spring from an old pen lodged up in the spout which I was able to remove with some hemostats (I highly recommend a pair for your toolbox as mine have come in very handy during numerous projects).  I wiped it down and then I applied some danish oil to make it really shine.

I'm seriously tempted to keep this unique beauty for myself.

So do you like my finds and my tweaks to make them a bit more appealing?  I'll continue to pepper some of these posts in with my regular ones to keep you abreast of what's going on in my antique booth.  I hope you enjoy them!