nose to tail with croquet sets

It's been years since my croquet set addiction, errrrr, collection got started, and I have finally gone nose to tail and used every part.  

Those of you that have been following along will remember the first revelation, that croquet mallets could be sawed in half, drilled at the top, and turned into candlestick holders, like this:

Then, onto the balls.  These were easy, photo holders when paired with scraps of barnwood and gussied up with decoupage paper:

The sticks challenged me until this summer, when it finally hit me that a simple treatment with bolts and butterfly nuts were all they needed:  

And finally, the stands.  First I had to pull them out of the basement, where they had been gathering dust, just like they had been before I rescued them from various barns, flea markets and auctions.  Gus "helped" clean them:

I had the simple idea of turning them into side tables by securing a thick piece of glass to top and bottom.  A friend and fellow crafter upped the ante:  wine racks.  Because what could be better than wine and repurposing?  Certainly I drink wine while repurposing....  

And so it was:

room for glasses underneath!