Turning Vintage Junk Into Farmhouse Pedestal Stands
Hi there! I hope your week has gone well. We had some troubling news in our family. My my sister’s husband Bob was diagnosed with an aggressive, late-stage cancer. I know. That terrible “C” word. It can be terrifying. But they are people of faith who have served God sacrificially, including several years in Uganda, training nationals and ministering to orphans. [I wrote about them here.]
They only recently moved to Atlanta, bought a home, and were just getting settled in to a new stage in their ministry, when they received the news. It’s been very sobering, but the doctors feel his chances of beating it are very good. And so, as a family we believe that God is good, and we have entrusted Bob into his hands.
If you would pray for him as he comes to mind, we would appreciate it very much. If you feel led to make a donation for his medical expenses (he will not likely be able to work while receiving treatments for the next year), we’ve set up a fund for him that can be accessed here or on my sidebar.
There’s no easy way to transition from this news to today’s blog post, is there? Buying vintage and decorating my home no longer seem quite as relevant as they once did. But sometimes tending to “small” things in life that give us pleasure and make us feel whole, helps us through the hard times.
So we are living life as “normal,” while keeping my brother-in-law in prayer, supporting the family however we can, and hopefully, visiting them, soon. So read on, if you will, and find out more about how I took a pile of junk and turned it into some farmhouse pedestal stands—
As you can tell from this close up, I didn’t even bother to scrub away every last bit of baked on crud from this cake pan that I ended up using for one of the stands. It simply added to the rustic charm of the whole piece.
Over time I had collected a number of candle sticks and cake/tart pans for the purpose of one day mixing and matching them to create some pedestal stands. Before starting this project, I pulled them out and began placing pans atop sticks to come up with the best, most balanced, combinations. Make sure you’re pan isn’t too large for your base and vice versa.
I paired an old silver plated candlestick with a medium-sized aluminum cake pan, using contact cement to adhere them together. Before gluing, I sanded the surface of each piece a little to create better contact. After gluing, I placed a weight in the center of the pan and left it overnight to cure.
The beautiful color of the pears has begun to prepare me for fall, my favorite season.
They are the composite stone pears I bought a few weeks ago.
For the second stand, I chose a wooden candle stick and painted it black. After lightly distressing it, I gave it a coat of wax.
I topped it with another aluminum cake pan.
I made the third stand by putting together a pewter candlestick and a tart pan. Because the tart pan came in two pieces, I glued them together before attaching it to the candle stick.
I think I like this combo best. How about you?
I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, it’s so satisfying to turn vintage junk into home decor that is both beautiful and functional. Am I right?
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Other pedestal stands I have made:
DIY Pedestal Stand
Thrifted Finds Into Pedestal Stands
Bye for now,
Pin me for later 🙂
Those are great, Diana. Very handsome looking!
Love your pedestal stands. I am so sorry to hear about your brother in law. When I saw it on FB yesterday I did not realize it was your family that lives in Atlanta. We do have some of the best Oncology specialist here in Atlanta. My husband was treated at Piedmont and had a group of wonderful doctors, nurses, and nutritionist. Once Tom’s nurse was so concerned about me she put us in beds side by side and brought us nice warm blankets until they could secure a bed in the hospital for Tom. It is hard on the caretaker, so encourage your sister to take care of herself too. Your family is in my prayers.
Am collecting spindles, candlesticks and cakepans to make some. Made little ones with doll sized cakepans. I like your tart pan one best.
Will pray for Bob and family. Years ago Duke University did a study on heart attacks patients. Pts. who were prayed for: 1) had a lower mortality rate; 2) recovered quicker, and 3) needed less pain medication. Didn’t have tto spend big bucks o convince me! As Sharon said, the caregiver needs some spoiling, too! Too bad they don’t live next door.
I love those and the idea of turning junk into attractive and useful things. I definitely like the pewter candle stick with the tart pan on top. I like the black candle holder, too, but somehow I don’t like the cake pan on top so much. Too much contrast, I think. I was wondering how it would look to dry-brush the outside of the cake pan with the black paint to tie them together a bit more. Just an idea.
Now I’m inspired to do some of those stands myself. Maybe even for a gift or two.
Great tutorial! Always love your posts, Diana!
P.S. Diana, I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your brother-in-law, Bob’s diagnosis. It’s so stressful on everyone–patient and family–to have a loved one diagnosed with a serious and life-threatening disease. I think the most you can do is say lots of prayers and minister to their needs as much as you are able. Keeping a positive outlook for them such as imagining them healed can do some good, too. I will keep Bob in my tho’t s and prayers and send healing thoughts his way. Do he and your sister have a family? Children, I mean.
My blessings for healing for Bob and family. I appreciate your willingness to share this situation with all of us.
So sorry to hear about your BIL. Sending prayers to your entire family. I love all of the pedestals. In times of strife in your life, it’s the little things like this that bring us comfort. Your home should be a comfortable place that embraces you and brings you peace. You are not only helping yourself, but your blog with all of the beautiful photos and great ideas is helping all of us deal with the issues we all have in our lives. Thanks again Diana.
I too have made some of these fun pedestal stands, it is really nice to create things, isn’t it? We will be praying for your family. We too have had a cancer diagnosis in our family. We are helping take a relative to chemo as she fights. God is good and we are all learning to grow closer to Him in the hard times. Life on earth can be a bumpy ride, but there is heaven to gain in the end, after all the bumps. Momentary light affliction, the apostle Paul called the trials he endured. Oh, to have his attitude and longing for heaven. Bless you all as you take this journey. God is right there with you.
So sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, Diana.
I have always loved your junk pedestal stands and I’ve pinned these! Thanks for sharing @ Vintage Charm!
I have always loved these DIY pedestals. I began collecting the pans to make some myself and then decided to give them away because I had had them for so long and had not done anything with them! Agh! I was also feeling like I had too much “stuff” in my thrifting stash. I would proudly display yours, though:) Prayers have been going out for your BIL and sister. We have a very close family friend going through a similar situation (with young kids) and we have pitched in as best we can with other friends to help them out. But ultimately I think it’s our prayers that help them the most. Hang in there.
xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
We can’t keep it ALL can we?!! I’ve been enjoying the stands, but they’ll be going up to my shop soon 🙂 Thank you so much for your prayers, Kathleen–they are so appreciated. My BIL and husband had a nice long talk yesterday. Looks like insurance will completely cover all of his medical expenses and the church they attend has given their daughter a full scholarship to their 3-day a week school (my sister had previously been homeschooling her). Wonderful blessings for them!
Thank you for the idea! I love vintage, and I love repurposing! I am sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, and will keep all of you in my prayers.
I’ve been playing catch up reading my favorite blogs. I’m so very sorry to hear about your brother-in-law Diana. We will hope for the best and believe his doctor’s opinion that he will beat this. In the mean time, I hope you are doing well.