"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.

Dumpster Diving... not for the faint of heart

People are scared of the term "dumpster diving," and rightfully so. I am.
I don't know about you, but when I hear that term I think of those reality shows with people so cheap they dumpster dive for food and serve discarded cake to their friends at birthday parties. Come on, people... Buy a cake! It's like $3 for a mix!
Anyway, as much as I hate the way it is portrayed, salvaging junked items is actually a lot of fun. Because I feel I need to speak for all thrifters who "dumpster dive" PROPERLY, I am writing this post to instruct others as to what it entails and how to go about it the right way.
First of all, I never actually dive into dumpsters. I don't get in them. I don't dig through them. I don't touch any trash that I don't plan on bringing home. And if it truly is trash, I don't bring it home. Only once have I actually taken something out of a dumpster, and that was when my neighbors threw out their coffee table, and I took it. It was actually sitting on top of a chair they threw out, so technically it wasn't touching any garbage.
Some people have salvage businesses in which they do literally sift through dumpsters for items they can sell. If that's you and you've got a whole thing going, that's your business. I'm not like that.
What I consider dumpster diving is taking a discarded item (almost always furniture... maybe always... can't think of a time that it wasn't furniture) from a curbside or street next to a dumpster or trash pile. With 2 kids and a relatively small apartment, I don't need the smell or germs of something that's been sitting under bags of refuse for several days.
One method I have and that I recommend is going out on the first week of each month before trash day. The first is when people move (or sadly, are evicted), and items that cannot make the move or that are left behind are discarded. I would say that generally 95% of these things are junk (or will be by the time you find them). But every now and then you find a piece that, at the price of zero dollars and zero cents, is worth trying to rehab.
I have found dressers, tables, chairs, barstools, beds, bookshelves, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. They often need a little cleaning and a lot of love, but it's worth it. I have posted before about my coffee table that was a trash find. I still love it! But it's getting a lot of use by my toddler, and I think I might need a new one soon. You know what's awesome, though? I spent nothing on that table, and almost nothing making it functional again! If I have to throw it out, it won't break my heart - I got more use out of it then I could have hoped.
A few tips, just common sense stuff, must be applied when repurposing trashed finds.
1. Clean, clean, clean it. Even if it looks fine, just run some cleaner on it, just to be sure.
2. If it's been thrown out, there's a reason. Make sure it's not irreparably broken or stinking of pet urine.
3. If it is broken, fix it. Don't just throw a coat of paint on it and call it rehabbed. Take the time to love it. Sand it. Mend it. Buy new hardware for it. Do what you need to do to make it completely functional.
4. Make sure it is safe. I do not recommend salvaging electronics unless you plan to have them rewired (or at least have the wiring tested by a professional. This does not mean plugging it in to see if it turns on. Please please please be safe. Don't use something with broken glass or broken edges. When it doubt, toss it out.
5. Use integrity if you plan to resell. Make sure you don't sell anything you wouldn't use yourself.

Lastly for this post, I will show you an example of a trashed find. These 3 chairs were discarded by a family near my in-laws' house, and I plan to redo them soon. I'll post when I do. In the meantime, let your imagination run wild as to what you might do with them!

Happy thrifting!

A Family Project

I found this table last weekend at Salvation Army for $7. I immediately fell in love! It was a bit rough around the edges, but I saw the beautiful lines and potential, and I knew I had to have it.

So I got it home, looked it over, and right away my mind started racing, pondering all of the amazing things I could do to it. The wood was too rough to save, but I didn't mind. I love painting!
But it seemed like there were too many ideas, too many things I could do, too much potential!
I consulted with some friends who do this sort of thing too, and I even ask the administrator of a blog I've recently fallen for. They gave some amazing advice, and I couldn't wait to get started.
I pulled out the paints and set them out, equipped with the appropriate brushed and bowls. I suited up in my paint gear, pulled up the deck chair, opened up the can of primer, and started priming my new table.
Just as I started, my 2-year-old daughter came over and wanted to help. I thought it might be fun, so I gave her a little brush and she made a sweet little mess helping mommy.
That's when I knew for sure exactly what to do with the table. It became a project for mommy and daughter, and I wouldn't make a chic, robin's-egg-blue table with a distressed finish and fabric overlay on the shelf. I would make a little table for her beloved fishbowl (and my beloved fish).
We painted it red, then took out the white and blue (turquoise actually, but it's the closest we had on such short notice), and went to work.
The love I have for pet fish and for Dr. Seuss are only surpassed by a handful of things.
I leave you now with the finished product. No, it wouldn't be a big seller, but then again, I'm not selling it. I like that I will be looking at this in 30 years, telling my grandkids I made this with their mom on a warm spring night when she was only 2 years old. That means more to me then any money I could have made.
Happy thrifting!