I Love Ironing Boards

not because I love to iron but because of the wonderful promise of an empty canvas. I'm not talking about the wooden ironing boards your great grandmother had.  No, save every one of them and cherish them. I'm talking about the ugly metal ones we cover with fire proof pads to help the iron glide while we're breaking our backs.  I personally try to avoid using one at all costs.

I've never heard of one breaking.  Luck came my way.  My daughter had a broken one and was going to throw it away.  No, no, no!  There's a lot of potential in that piece.

There's always a good use for holey flat metal so I took it to the shop.  I beat and banged and twisted until the broken legs were removed.  It could become a tool rack for the shop, a pan rack for the kitchen, hold thread and supplies for sewing...endless uses but I settled on one and began to play.

With paint and brushes I began.  

You can tell the notes aren't true but bear with me.

The term abstract saves me again and again.  Back to the shop I hammered in a cabinet handle then I decided it needed some bolts.  I threaded nuts onto three different funky bolts that fit into these holes and tightened them in place by adding another nut to the back side. So far so good.  Abstract.

Old drapery hooks clipped right into the holes and it became a jewelry keeper (the black circle off the board is a necklace, not paint off the board).  The bolts became a shelf.  A small hidden rolled piece of duct tape keeps Stevie Ray Vaughn's photo safe in a music loving teenager's room. A big bonus is magnets work too so keepsakes can be added and changed.

I added this little display on another wall. The worthless cd's hold the collector albums in place without damaging them.  The entire album with cover can be slipped out when needed.

He may start locking his room!