What will it be......Basketball Rack!

Hey Peeps! It is time to reveal what that crazy rack was and what it is now. Okay so I guess the photo above kinda gave it away. I have Halloween Hangover so you'll have to forgive me if this post is all over the place.

Julia at It's Always Ruetten guessed correctly! This is a basketball rack! Way to go Julia!!

This has got to be my favorite upcycle to date. Because it turned out better than I imagined through the use of editing and and the help of one of my BFFs Lynn. 

I also love this for one more reason. My husband LOVES basketball. So when he came home and asked "Why is there a basketball rack in the middle of the foyer?" I started my happy jig with full flare. After the thighs stopped moving about 10 minutes after I stopped dancing, I told him I had gotten it from the thrift store for $4 but hadn't a clue what I had bought. (Does anybody else do this?)   

I just knew that I needed shelving and this was going to be it. It warms my heart that this is something that he can look at and chuckle because it can represent him in our house in a cool way.

I also want to give a big thanks to Reclaimed Things from Pittsburgh!!! Jenna and Jeremy make crazy good things from reclaimed wood. I knew I wanted to use barn wood for the shelves but was not having any luck finding someone in the Pittsburgh area until I stumbled on their website. They agreed to sell me the wood for an amazing price and when I went to pick it up, I realized they are no more than 20 minutes away. I think I was nervous for some reason, because they are really artists and not just people who build random crazy things like me, because I think I talked at a rate of about 133 words per second! Then I felt like a complete dork all the way home because I wanted to really ask them about how they got started, what is their favorite thing to build, yadda, yadda, yadda and none of that happened. All this to say please check out their website for inspiration and to maybe buy something from them. But don't tel them you know me....They'll say she's a speed talking dork.

That's just part of who I am.

So this is how it started out originally....

and this is the basketball rack turned into useful, industrial goodness shelves!

I was going to do three shelves but when I was putting the rack back to gather again, I really liked just the two shelves. So then I called Lynn, she came right over, because she is an awesome BFF, and she concurred. So two it was.

It was fun pulling things from around the house to accessorize the shelves. I tried a few looks so see if you can tell what I switched up in the photos. Kinda like a seek and find!

Loved these little ceramic pots that I found at the Goodwill last year for $3.00. They look great against the wood.

"461" for our address.....

 "5" for the number of peeps in our family.....

I like putting these little clues in my decor because people will find them and then I can tell our story. In fact, the story will start off with how these shelves came to be and then they will ask so what does the "461" mean? "why the number "5"? 

And then it inspires people to start looking for things that have meaning in their house and put it on display. Put things in your house or create things for your house because you love them not because someone else will love them or think you are trendy. Trendy goes away so quickly.

Loved on, created things and people are eternal. 

My story is almost always about change. How barn wood changed a rusty old basketball rack into something useful and beautiful. How drop cloth threads were turned into a birds nest. Taking something someone threw away and giving it purpose just by changing my perspective on how to use it.

My story can be seen through my house and through my "things" but also, and more importantly, in how God daily changes me from something rusty into something beautiful and useful

....and sometimes dorky.

Keep you perspective on the One who has all of the perspective and change will happen.

You have a story. Your story is a good one.

Go tell it.

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99