Re-purposing old Sea Charts

If you haven’t guessed it yet… I love old things! While I hope my house doesn’t look like that of a hoarder… I do have trouble parting with things (particularly if they’re old, unique and have character).

I recently acquired these old sea charts from my Dad. He and Mum lived on a yacht for quite some time in the 80’s so he has a large collection that are now going to waste. Some are from the 1950’s so as you can imagine they’re not the most reliable anymore, especially with the wonders of today’s technology. But they are beautiful and aged, some are browned, others have flecks of colour to distinguish the islands, they have that old paper smell; they’re really something!

I’ve got lots of ideas in mind on how to use some of these charts… but I thought I’d try something simple first. Thus, I give you… ‘The Sea Chart Caddy’.

I used a jigsaw and cut out pieces of timber to construct the caddy. I have a similar shaped one that we use in our kitchen so I traced around that as a template. Then nailed it together and used an aged tree limb  that we keep in our timber pile out the back for the handle. It fitted perfectly and added a bit of character to the project.

Next was time to paint. I used a fresh white to coat the caddy, leaving the handle to be varnished so that the grain would show and it’s character would remain. I only did one coat before sanding and weathering the sides and edges to enhance the aged and rustic look.

It was then time to cut the Chart to fit. I covered the two larger side panels to make the Charts stand out. I sanded the edges to help it bind and blend in with authenticity. I gave the chart a light stain to help distinguish it from the white and varnished over the handle.  Tadarr! I filled the caddy with nuts and biscuits, it can sit out on the back table for ready tea and coffee breaks… or maybe a nice gift. What do you think?

See recipe for Mini Choc Chip Cookies here…Mini Choc Chip Cookies