I found an old bird cage in an vintage market & turned it into reading nook – people are amazed
THEY say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that is certainly true of one creative homeowner.
A woman shared how she spotted a rusty old bird cage at an antique shop and turned it into a beautiful reading nook.
Carolynn, who posts under @newlife4oldtreasures, shared how she got the inspiration from the moment she saw the large cage.
She explained in a video: “A few years back I bought this huge rusty bird cage from a vintage market.
“I had the vision the minute I laid eyes on it… a reading nook.”
She then showed a photo of the day she bought the six foot-tall cage, with her granddaughter lying on her front inside.
Carolynn then shared how she added numerous shabby chic items inside to make it cosy, from a chandelier, to cushions, book shelves and flowers.
Describing the DIT project, she said: “Rusty, chippy roses and sparkles, antique books and birds.”
The finished result looked comfy and pretty, and the ideal way for a book-lover to spend the afternoon.
Sadly she didn’t get to keep her creation.
Carolynn added: “When I listed the house for sale I had to let it go.
“I moved in a much smaller home and it also wouldn’t even fit down the side of my house to get to the backyard!
“I think a piece of my heart went with it.
“I ended up selling this on my Etsy shop to someone a couple states away that came and picked it up.
“I got a little teary as it drove away in the back of their truck.”
Speaking of her love for interior design, she said: “I miss my shabby chic era. I decorated my home in rusty, chippy, distressed items before it was a trend, I got it from my mama.”
Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, with her clip racked up over 88,000 likes.
One person wrote: “You are a legend to the Pinterest girlies.”
Another added: “I’m insanely jealous, this is GORGEOUS.”
And a third commented: “Your granddaughter is going to have great memories from her childhood with this. This is amazing.”
Gen Z have recently rediscovered the trend of knowing your colour type.
And Fabulous‘ Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale, goes back to the original colour consultancy to check hers out.
“My wardrobe looks like a rainbow has exploded in it. You name a colour and I’m pretty sure I’ll have something that shade in there. And while I do like a neutral, I’m certainly not afraid of going bright.
That said, I have no clue what colours actually ‘suit’ me. So with colour analysis filters now popping up all over TikTok, I am intrigued.
But this is far from a new phenomenon. In fact, the trend first exploded in the late Seventies with Colour Me Beautiful, the seminal book on the subject by highly regarded colour consultant Carole Jackson.
Decades later, the Colour Me Beautiful movement is still going strong, with 220 consultants around the country, though they now categorise people as light, deep, warm, cool, clear or soft.
I make an appointment (£160 for 90 minutes) with colour consultant Angi Jones to test it out, and I found the whole experience great.
She tells me gold is my go-to for jewellery, blush pink, ruby red and warmer blues are my winning colours, and to steer clear of cooler tones as they emphasise the bluey undertones of my under-eye circles.
Getting your colours done is an investment that will last decades.
Once you know yours you will never go wrong again.”