Sometimes in decorating, when you’ve got a good thing going, you don’t have to recreate the wheel with each new season. I loved the “Easy Yarn Ball Centerpiece” I had come up with for winter on our coffee table. And I was sad to have to switch it out (though not sorry to see the snow outside the window go). I decided to recreate the same look for a new season. That’s how this Vintage Toolbox Centerpiece for Spring came to be!
I picked up this old, black dovetailed toolbox years ago in a curbside junk pile {“Curbside Junking Adventures and Tips“}. I’m always a sucker for these clamshell hinges! I split the top from the bottom and now have double the enjoyment around my home.
The bottom half with the handle got treated to some feet and lives on our kitchen counter for some of life’s essentials {“Toolbox Half, Repurposed”}. This other half gets recreated as the seasons change, because it’s the perfect size for any of my tables or the kitchen island. It’s basic black outfit can be a chameleon for whatever I put in it. I think I’d maybe grab this vintage toolbox if I had to get out of my house fast;)
Last year, it got the prime spot in the center of the Easter table, filled with antique lamp globes and fake veggies. {An Organic, Vintage Easter Table“}. Of course, I can never do the same thing twice, so this year it got relocated to the living room coffee table for this variation on a theme. I guess you could say this vintage toolbox centerpiece for spring is the child conceived by the winter yarn ball centerpiece and the Easter organic centerpiece!
Vintage Toolbox Centerpiece for Spring How To
Fill the bottom of the toolbox with books
I layed a few old books in the bottom of the toolbox to fill the space. Then I stood 3 pink candlesticks down the middle. All around I amassed vintage fabric balls I’d made years ago from a thread-bare trove of old clothes someone had given me. I’ve still got a bag of these beautifully vintage old clothes to feed from!
Fill toolbox with old rag balls
Every time I see the old, wonderful fabrics on these rag balls, I’m reminded of the musty, barrel-full of vintage clothes a former church member had given me for free. They were her parents’, who didn’t have trash service and never threw anything away. I had so much fun dumping them onto the summertime grass and soaking and line drying all of them! They wore these clothes for as long as they could; they were full of mended spots and mis-matched buttons. The fabric was thread-bare and had holes in many places, but the vintage styles and patterns were wonderful!
Once they were clean and fresh, I kept my hands busy on a family road trip to Washington D.C., ripping the clothes and winding them into balls. I sold quite a few at my former store, but am glad I still have enough left to keep. I never tire of these old fabrics!
Tuck fake veggies in open spaces
For variety and a garden-inspired touch, I tucked fake veggies in here and there. The little cabbages are napkin rings that match placemats. Who says napkin rings have to only be used for napkins? I placed 3 on the top of the candlesticks to finish them off (I simply pulled the round ring off the back, so they’d lay).
The whole spring centerpiece is set off by 2 of the cabbage placemats, just like I did for the yarn ball centerpiece in winter. The organic, green sets everything off nicely.
The “Old Window Chalkboard Spring Display” is a fun backdrop for this happy spring centerpiece!
I hope you can see you don’t need to totally reinvent every nook and cranny of your home each season. If you like a certain vignette, you can switch up a couple elements to usher in the new season! You can also use some foundational vintage elements, like this toolbox, over and over in different places and give them a whole new look! Did this Vintage Toolbox Centerpiece for Spring spur some of your decorating ideas?
Sharing at these lovely parties:
Love it Lora! I love being able to repurpose something you like that way, that’s why I’m so excited about my tiered tray! I’ve decorated it for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter and used a lot of the same elements both times! Can’t wait for the 4th of July to see what I can come up with!
Tania
Yes, it’s good to have some chameleon pieces you can style for each new season, Tania!
Cute, cute, cute! I love the rag balls! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thanks, Cecilia!