Distraction in Action

“Look at this Trove, Treasures Untold” –The Little Mermaid, Part of Your World

A while back, my mother offered me a goofy looking three tier basket thingy.

Yikes!

My immediate response was, “Hell yeah I’ll take it!” Now before we go any further in this little saga, I would like to state for the record, I am afflicted with an Island Of Misfit Toys gene that overrides any rational thought regarding saying no to someone else’s unwanted miscellanea. My extra room is full of little junks waiting to be graced by my transformative touch.

“This is a Pickle George!”-Uncle Billy, It’s a Wonderful Life

Usually, I am quite the alchemist when it comes to upcycling and repurposing (I have a rain chain made of old spoons)

It's raining spoons

but the basket thingy proved to be a bit of a challenge. The contraption was not without issues. For one, it was a gaudy bugger; the lack-luster gold plating matched nothing. Two, functionality was nonexistent. The baskets hung too low making them awkward to add and retrieve items. No wonder someone discarded it.

My mistake was attempting to use it as is. I tried it on the bathroom vanity to hold make-up and such –nope. Next trick was to place it on my coffee bar to hold tea bags and packs of hot cocoa – nope again. Ugh! Feeling defeated but not beaten; I returned it to the junk queue as I mulled over its fate. I knew I needed to stop looking at it as it was and start to visualize what it could become.

“I Love it When a Plan Comes Together” -Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith

Every once in a while my basket stand project would pop into my head reminding me of its unfinished state. I continued about my business and then one day I had my ‘eureka’ moment. While scrolling through some old pictures on my phone I came upon photos of a lovely afternoon tea my husband and I enjoyed while on vacation. I found a photo of a stunning array of sweet and savory delights, served on a multi-tiered plate stand!

Tea at the g, Galway Ireland

Home Goods booty

So simple I wondered why I didn’t think of it sooner. All I needed was some paint to refresh the stand and a few attractive plates. Painting the stand would be easy, finding the right plates would be the challenge. Fate stepped in during a random mid-day browse of the clearance rack at Home Goods where I discovered my three perfect plates. I spray painted the stand black and voila, a star was born! I am super happy with my attractive and functional snack stack. Can’t wait to re-visit my treasure trove to find my next project.

Stack of Snacks!

I’ve written about my distractions and sense of purpose

in previous posts. Follow the links to read more and as always, thanks for visiting my blog!