A walk on the wild side

The other day, bored with my situation and desperate for a furniture piece to redo, I was ecstatic to find a slate-top end table for $6 online.
The picture appeared to show a quaint little table with wood that needed a little help (no problem - that's kinda what I do) and doors in front, showing potential for plenty of storage. For $6, yes. Yes, I would take it.
When we got to the apartment of the woman selling it, it ended up being much bigger than it seemed in the photos. It was a little over 2 feet tall and about 2-1/2 feet on each side. Also, I had no idea how heavy slate was! So, I borrowed my brother's truck and came back for it the next day. I was not gonna let this baby go.
So there she was, sitting on my porch, looking at the duck pond behind our house and watching the ducks. And I was watching her. She was so pretty, or at least she would be when I got done with her.
I knew I wanted to work with a new color, so I chose a magenta-ish color from the ReStore paint aisle. Once I applied it, I fell in love with the color.
I removed the doors, not only because it makes painting around them easier, but because I had bought a can of white spray paint I fully intended to use on them. I also removed the hardware, hoping to give that a fresh look as well.

I applied the first coats of paint (it eventually ended up taking 4 coats, plus touch-ups).

 

As far as the top went, I would have used the slate it came with as it was, but it had been discolored. So I painted it. After looking for inspiration, I thought I would try a pattern. Zebra seemed to be the most appealing one.

After applying the tape, I spray-painted white, then after removing the tape, painted stripes the same color as the wood. If I'd had black paint on hand, I probably would have used that, but no regrets.

Finally, I painted the doors white, and I painted the hardware silver.
Behold, the finished product!

I love her! She will be my coffee table for now, but I'm thinking I might start selling soon, and I may just start with her. Not sure yet!
So, this is my most recent project. I look forward to more!
Happy thrifting!

How exactly does one get coffee stains on a lamp shade?

No idea. But it happened to me.
A couple years ago, I got these really cute lamps at Marshall's for $20. For me, it was a bit of a splurge, but I fell immediately in love and brought them home. It was my reward for keeping my Christmas shopping well under budget.
They have been sitting dutifully atop our bedside tables for almost 2 years now, and they have served their purpose well. They still make me happy, and I still think they are just absolutely stunning. But several months ago I noticed that one of them had a stain on it. I can only assume it's coffee, or else it is pop, but whatever it was I knew I had to get rid of it.

So I thought to myself, "Great. I have to buy a new lamp shade." Actually, I thought I should probably buy 2, since they were matching lamps. I am not someone who think if you have a set of lamps that they all have to look alike - I myself have a pair of stainless steel lamps in my living room that have slight differences (pictured on this blog in an early post). But these were clearly a set, and I wanted them to match.
So, look I did. I went to all the stores, even new ones, and everything was either way too expensive or just didn't go with the style of the lamp. Then someone suggested buying fabric flowers and covering the spot by hot-gluing them over the spot. A great idea, but as you can see, the stain was pretty much almost half the lampshade.
So I decided to use fabric paint.
Fabric paint is incredibly fun and easy if you do it right. Especially with lamp shades, the proper strokes and amount must be applied, since the light shining through will expose any mistakes. I found a mustard yellow color of fabric paint on sale at Wal-Mart for $2.50. When I applied it, I knew it was the best choice. I loved the color!

Please excuse the cluttered workspace.
The process does take time, and for this kind of job, I needed to apply 3 coats, plus touch-ups in any patches I missed or somehow painted lighter than others. It is also washable after 72 hours.

Voila! Lamp perfection!
Be crafty, think outside the box, and remember that sometimes you can be thrifty by choosing to put a little elbow grease into a project rather than spending money to fix it. Based on the average prices for lampshades, I figure I easily saved about $50 by doing this project myself.
Thrifting is more than thrift stores. Being crafty can greatly reduce the amount of money you spend on things like home décor and even your wardrobe. I plan on learning how to sew so that I can make some clothes for myself!
Happy thrifting, and happy crafting!

"Take a seat!" - "What'll I do with it?"

This is a line from the 3 Stooges, repeated by Abbott and Costello and used by many comedic teams over the years. Finally, after 80+ years of this question existing in the atmosphere, I have found the answer!
I love to have fun. Many times when I am choosing the décor for a room, I throw in a little whimsy. For example, in my kitchen I have a framed illustration from a very old book (the title of which I do not know) that has a picture of a young boy comforting his even younger sister, saying, "Do not cry, dear sister. I will say that it was I who broke the plate." It is simple, it is odd, and it is fun! I always smile when I see it. And I think people get so caught up in trying to make their homes look like Architectural Digest that they forget to add a little personality.
Today, I found a sweet little chair at ReStore for $2.50. It was marked at $5, but it was in the "curbside sale," so it was half off.

I didn't immediately know what I wanted to do with it, which is often what happens. I couldn't pass it up for that price, though! So I looked up some ideas on Pinterest. Among other ideas, I found an office chair makeover I really loved.

I wasn't going to upholster, so I decided to just paint my idea! Voilà!

Personally, I love it. So much personality. And so simple! Again less than 5 dollars (and yes - that includes paint!) to makeover a fun little old chair. Not looking so old anymore, eh?

Happy thrifting!

 

 

The ten-cent box

Twice a year, Our Lady Of Grace in Highland, Indiana has their semi-annual rummage sale. It's a decent sale, but like any rummage sale, it's hit or miss. But they always have really great prices, so it's totally worth looking, even if we don't find anything.
This year, there wasn't a whole lot, probably because we got there a little later than we planned (Hey,  two kids 2 and under - it's hard to leave on time!). But I went straight to the homewares and even though there wasn't much, I did find a simple wooden box that I felt had potential.

 

 

Obviously, it's plain, probably handmade, definitely a little rough around the edges. It's a little hard to tell, but it's a good-sized box. I just knew that with a little imagination, this baby could be beautiful.

I had a lot of options, but I decided to keep it simple. A simple white base would be a great way to start.

I used 2 coats, but restrained myself after that for 2 reasons. First, I wanted a job that wouldn't take a million years and that would dry fast. Second, I thought it looks kind of cute like this... sort of shabby-chic.

Next, for the top, I decided to experiment with making Chevron stripes. Man, I had no idea how difficult this could be! Totally worth the effort, but you have to be very precise and pay close attention. I found that using a ruler (a small level might work even better) helped me keep the points at the same height and the lines straight.

 

 Then came the easy - and fun - part. Painting! I ran a bright yellow along the exposed parts on top, making the cutest little zig-zags ever!

 

The I realized I needed to do the sides. I would have don't more chevron since I just loved the way it turned out, but decided to mix patterns... it's a big trend in clothing that I thought I would incorporate into this piece and see how it looked. Fantastic! I loved it!

I leave you now with the finished product. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'll use it for. Maybe I'll even start selling stuff! But it will be awesome, whatever it is.

Make your own awesomeness!

 

Happy thrifting!

 

 

P.S. If you're intimidated by the time and effort that goes into this, start easier. This Nate Berkus piece (have I mentioned I'm in love with him???) is very stylish and cute. And it would be SO easy to make!





My favorite place to thrift

Every year (And by that, I mean last year and then again this year), my husband and I take the kiddos on a road trip vacation. We go through Indiana, stopping at the Indy zoo, visit his grandparents and aunt in Kentucky, see the sights, and this year we threw in Cincinnati and went to see the Reds. We do all sorts of stuff along the way, but the reason I go is for the Peddler's Mall.
It's an amazing place. It's Heaven. Well, it's my heaven. It's full of such wonderful things, old things, cheap things. It's so awesome and I'm in love with it.
If you are ever in Louisville, KY, I highly recommend you visit. There are actually 2 we went to (the one with the 2 floors is better, but both were good). Also there's this flea market called, "World's Most Awesome Flea Market. I think that's what it's called. Anyway, it is awesome. I keep telling my husband that one of these days, we're taking a truck down there and just buying a bunch of furniture for me to fix up. Below are some pictures... also soon I will show you a project made from something I bought down there... it's a surprise for now though.

So this is the one I'm in love with.
Peddlers Mall, LLC
11310 Preston Hwy
Louisville, KY 40229

This one was new to us this time around. It was really awesome and really cheap.
Outer Loop Peddler's Mall
5718 Outer Loop
Louisville, KY 40219
This is where I found stuff like this...

At only $50, this deco-era trunk is a steal!

Ok, my mom is Catholic. Very Catholic. She collects vintage icons and religious pieces. This was $2, so I got it for her.

 

Ava with my cart full of loot and a toy we got there. It was actually for Dominic, but she claimed it, as she does with all his toys.

This is the Flea Market. Wish I knew the address or what it's really called, but when you go to KY for the Peddler's malls, you can ask anyone about it, and they'll tell you. It's the south, so they're nice down there.

Here, Ava is pointing to a woman who was toting her Yorkies around in a stroller. It was adorable, but I was trying to take a picture without seeming too obvious.

Dom on the train Ava was too scared to ride.

$2 - for my mom, of course.

 

 

I got a couple other really cool things, but I guess I haven't taken pictures of them. I will. Consider this part 1 of 2...

Happy thrifting!

Ok, I'm giving in...

So I had mentioned yesterday that I had found some other things at the antique mall, but that one was a big project I was keeping a surprise, and that the others I didn't take pictures of. Well, I took the pictures, and I am stumped as to what exactly I want to do with the project piece, so here are some pictures:

 Obviously, this window is the project. It was $7.

Vintage shoes for my Dominic - $0.99

Antique road flare - $2.50. I plan to get rid of the rust and use this as a beautiful industrial piece of home décor.

And finally, the antique half-and-half can for $2.50. It's a great piece for an accessory shelf in the kitchen I think.

 



So that's it. What do you think? Great prices, right? Wish I had taken pictures of the souvenirs I bought for everyone, but I didn't. Great stuff there, too.

Something Extra

I had $80 in my pocket today, and I was determined to get some new clothes. New. Not thrifted. Not ordered used online. New. My husband and I decided we would stop by Ross or Marshall's or Burlington or TJ Maxx and get something new. We headed out to the stores and I immediately checked the clearance racks... out of habit. There were some very beautiful things, but nothing in my size (XL), at least not anything I liked. I did something I never do - I shopped in the plus-size section. Everything seemed to be either too big or made for women who want to cover themselves all up. Now, I'm no slutty dresser, but I like to show a little skin - some cleavage at least every once in a while. There was nothing there for me! I must have looked for over an hour, searching for something - ANYTHING - cute in my size. Nothing.
Frustrated and slightly depressed, I decided to just peek at the home goods. Oh. Em. Gee.
I saw more beautiful things than I had seen in one place in a long time. It was like a dream. I came to the store for clothes, and I ended up walking out with 3 vases and a monogrammed wall plaque.
I only spent $22, so we went to a thrift store I rarely go to anymore - Village Discount Outlet. It's so crowded all the time, but that only makes me determined to find a better deal. I wanted to find something fun to rehab, and after picking up a few more vases (I'll explain what I'm doing with them later - it's awesome), I peeked at the tops. Right off the bat, I found 2 I liked. One of them fit me. I had bought something cute! My day out was not in vain!
This is just another example of why thrifting is the best.