Another thrift store score

I haven't really been doing much thrifting lately, but recently I've had some great thrift store scores. The kinds that are legendary and reaffirm your commit to the pursuit of that once in a lifetime awesome find! I finally got a chance to shoot some pictures. This is one of my most awesome scores EVAHHHH! These chair were $9 each ( I bought all 6) at one of my favorite thrift stores. They are Edward Wormley for Drexel's Precedent line. I could have squealed with glee when I found them. One chair sells on ebay and etsy for upward of $400. They are in awesome condition and although I'm not a huge fan of the fabric it's completely livable for now.
I also purchased yet another sewing machine, lol. I got a singer 15-91. Now that I fancy myself a quilter I need the right tool for the job. After much research I learned that a singer 15-91 is one of the best machines for free motion quilting out there. It was a bit more than I usually spend at $58, but it had a cabinet, a manual, all the original attachments, buttonholer and tons of notions with it. I figured it was probably worth the money just for the cabinet and attachments. I also found a bunch of great vintage crafting books. I love a good book.
I will have to rehab the 15-91 to get into topnotch order, but it's a longterm project and right now it works just fine.

Thrifty Chic Living

Recently I was talking to you about personal style. I consider my self a restylist, a secondhand rose, a thrift store diva. I love to shop at thrift stores for many things. Like many of you I've been thrifting well before I got my first apartment at 20, and over the years I think I've perfected it down to a science. First you have to go in with an open mind and a critical eye. Don't be discouraged by an ugly color or some weird detail on the item, those things can be changed very easily. Try to think outside the box. What other uses could an item have, can you change it into something you can use? I'm very big on lamps and mirrors. If I find a lamp in a shape I like at a great price, I will buy it. I believe you just can't have enough light sources. Plus you can change it, rewire it, pop on a new shade and have a little masterpiece. Have you priced lamps lately? They're kind of expensive. Mirrors are always great in a space. You can group a bunch of smaller ones together unifying them by color and have a bit of art and interest for your walls. Old books and calendars are great. Some books have really nice bindings and once the dust jacket is removed you can create a nice little grouping for your shelf or a table. Sometimes the illustrations in old books are stunning. You can frame a favorite picture for one of a kind art work for your walls. Be on the look out for little knickknacks for your home. Again, if you find some weird retro thing from the 1960's, but you like it except for the color...well Sherwin Williams can help you change that. Textiles is another area that is just waiting for you to go crazy. Frame some fabric or make a pillow for a favorite chair. You don't even need to know how to sew. Furniture, ah how I love furniture. You can definitely find that diamond in the rough in this category. Look beyond bad paint jobs, roughed up finishes and hideous fabrics. You can change that lickety split without too much effort or expense. I've painted lots of pieces. The key is time. You really need to let the piece dry well between coats and take your time to get good full coverage. Several coats is better than one thick coat any day.







Case in point. I purchased the little cabinet above ages ago for the tidy sum of $18. I love that it has simple lines, a glass front and is in great condition. What I don't like? The faded blonde finish. I'm a dark wood person. So after thinking on it for months (I was originally thinking paint). I'm going to stain it (using minwax special walnut). I'm hoping it will turn out well and come close to matching my beloved mid century buffet that it sits on top of. I also plan to either paper or apply fabric to back of the shelves for an added pop. I've thought about painting my buffet too in a moment of boredom, lol. But there's something about it's original finish that I adore. Besides it's in great shape. I did switch out the knobs a while back to coordinate with the chest of drawers I painted. So, I'll be spending some time sanding the cabinet down and then staining it in the next few days. Then I will finish it all off with some rub on poly. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Flights of fancy!

So, I've been on this major spray painting kick. Wondering about all the things I could tackle with my trusty can of spray paint. Just yesterday I was dropping off a donation at the local thrift store and I wandered in to check out the offerings. I hit pay dirt. Coming out with 5 sweet little bird figurines that I promptly painted white. Five tropical colored fish plaques that will get hung in my newly painted powder room. A Longabergerish basket to corral the many shoes we own and best of all a nice solid wood collapsible craft table. The top is not in the best condition, but since I plan to place a cutting mat on it. I won't bother trying to paint or refinish it. I scored all this along with a huge zippered canvas tote bag for under $30.
Check out some of my loot below.

Here are the birds prepaint redux. I have to note that O. was disappointed in the monochromatic scheme of my make over, but M. declared that they looked great!



Fabulous craft table. It's got wheels and it folds out to 48" of work surface. Score! Like I said there's some water damage or some such to the top, but who cares? Not me.




Talk about the perfect accessory. After we finished repainting the bathroom M. observed that it was just like being underwater and that we needed some fish on the wall. When I saw these little plaques I knew it was meant to be and M. was thrilled as punch.



Our old shoe collector lasted about 10 years. So finding this Longaberger knockoff for $3 was enough to have me singing a happy tune. Especially after seeing just how hefty the price tag is for a basket of this size.

Thrift Store Love!

The past few weeks have been awesome thrift store shopping weeks. I got a bunch of shorts for me and the boys for next to nothing. Some great sewing patterns for $.25/each. A great vintage book on clothing constructions called The Bishop Method of clothing construction. I found a wicker hanging file storage basket to store my home management binder in. I found 2 awesome barrel lamp shades ($2/each) that I gussied up with black grograin ribbon. I found a bunch of assorted clear glass vases that I will spray paint with various colored glass paint (scored for $.99 a can at Ollie's). I'm contemplating purchasing a buffet of Craigslist for storage by the front door. I really want to have a place to put all those shoes (they are driving me nuts). I'm on the fence though, because I've sort of been on this use what you have, repurpose it kick. I also found a nice sized ceramic mixing bowl and a tall square glass storage jar to put my coffee beans in.
All these great finds are inspiring me to do a bit of rehabbing. I have to laugh, I mean I'm always in a constant state of home rehab. I wonder if I'll ever finish or be satisfied with it. Probably not. There's so many things I want to do. I wish I had a bit more time. The latest thing I want to buy for myself is miter box. I really would like to do some crown molding in the dining room and if I could do it myself I would save a ton. I also need to make curtains for all the bedrooms. We've had miniblinds forever...but I think I'm over that look, fabric is where it's at. I just need to finish painting the bedroom first. Oh and I've been thinking of doing a tufted headboard in our bedroom. I wouldn't have to start from scratch. I have a headboard from IKEA that I can repurpose. Also I have a rustic table in my kitchen that I'd like to do a high end fakout on. I have some ideas, now to find the supplies inexpensively. I'm still thinking about the end tables. I found something close to what I had in mind at thrift store for $22/each, but I think I'm going to hold out for the exact ones I want. Or who knows I might just use what I have and redo it. I mean after all a little paint, a little fabric, a little glue can make for an amazing transformation. Plus who knows, I might find a better deal to boot. Where to start? Where to start?

What $6 will get you

A whole new look. Check out these barrel shaped lampshades I got at the thrift store for $2/each. Paired with a bit of black grosgrain ribbon bought on sale at Micheal's and I've got a whole new high end look. The shades were actually pretty nice to begin with, a nice quality linen and solid hardware to boot, but I still couldn't resist a little change. I feel like I scored big time! Just check out this similar style lamp & shade from Ballard Designs. . It can be yours for $300 clams, or if you're budget minded you can get this one from PBTeens...or you can just make one. I already had a lamp that I got for $1.98 + tax some time ago. It's ceramic, but done in this hideous faux wood treatment complete with the wood grain. Initially I antiqued it, but I had a yen to paint it white. Still not 100% sure about the white though, I may go back and paint it black instead. That's the beauty of paint, if you don't like it, you can just paint over it.
So what do you think?
P.S. Ignore my posing "assistant" in the last picture, lol! She just had to be in the picture.

I heart the thrift store!

Love, love, love thrift stores in case you don't know that about me. Today I had a few minutes and happened to be in the neighborhood of one of my favs. I pop in and I feel like I hit the vintage craft book mother load. I love books and vintage craft books are so cool because many times the explanations they provide for a technique is so much more complete. Anyway I was super excited when I spotted a bunch of books by Barbara G. Walker. If you don't know knitting, you wouldn't know this, but she is one of the Goddesses of the knitting world and wrote many books that are still very much in demand today and fetch a nice little sum on ebay (if you were to go that route). Anyways, take a peek at my haul! Woohoo, super score...all for $7. Can't beat that with a stick!

Oh and excuse the sideways pix. I couldn't get photobucket to load to edit it.

Thrift Scores

I love a good thrift store and I hadn't been in a few weeks so I thought I'd run by a couple of my favorites this week, plus one new one. I've found some great stuff. I found a Coach bag...it might be a knockoff, I don't know...but it's a pretty good one if it is, I paid $4.95 for it. I found one of those yarn project folding baskets for $2.99. I found three sewing patterns for $.75, 2 yds of cotton fun polk a dot fabric for $2. A wonderfully seasoned cast iron skillet (not as big as the one was hunting...but perfect nonetheless) for $10 and a ton of clothes for O. and the boys. Sometimes I can find clothing so cheaply that it doesn't even pay to sew them...although I do like to sew still.
The thrifting brings me to mind that I'm going to have to tighten my belt significantly. Our tenants just gave notice last night and I don't know how long it will be before I will find some one to rent the place. I'm so sad to see them go. They were tidy, quiet and not once did they pay the rent late. I had one last hurrah before I knew they were moving out. I was at Tuesday Morning yesterday where I scored a ton of yarn and a Boye needlemaster set, but today I'm feeling like I should return everything. I'm not loving the needlemaster set and even if it's cheap, if it's not fun to knit on then it's not a bargain right? I'm used to addy's and knitpicks and the needlemasters don't seem very smooth or fast. I'm knitting a scarf for O. out of 100% wool and it's so grabby. I'll try a bit more and if I'm still struggling I'll return them this afternoon. I belong to a co-op and I was saving up for some Hiya-Hiya's, they are suppose to have an interchangeable set coming out.
I guess this a great motivation to continue with the deal a friend and I struck. We are pledging to shop our own stash for craft project. It's very reasonable for me to do so...in fact I don't know why I keep buying more stuff. I have so much yarn and fabric it's really insane. So...I'm saying it here, I'm on a moratorium. I have 2 co-op buys outstanding, but then no mas...I'm shopping at that exclusive boutique Chez Sabrina, lol.

Thrift Store Redux

I love a good thrift store and while my mother was visiting this week she was admiring my living room redo. As I was pointing out where I had acquired everything I realized that about 95% of everything in my living room was thrifted. I'm really proud of the fact that my home is comfortable and homey, yet didn't cost me much at all to put together. I'm always on the hunt for new and interesting pieces and as any true thrift store devotee knows it's all about the hunt. You have to frequent stores regularly. Sometimes it's hit, sometimes it miss...but it's all an adventure. So, I thought I'd take you on a little tour of my living room. First off you see the coffee table. That came from a thrift store in Fayetteville, NC. Awesome place to go thrifting because of the military presence. Frequently rather than move stuff they will donate it. The table is from "This end's up". It's one of those cargo style furniture stores and the table is nearly indestructible. As you can see the kids have painted on it and use it as there train/activity table. Talk about the distressed look, lol! I have the end tables too...but use them in other places in the house. The love seat came from my mom, who bought it off a friend who got it out of her physician husbands office. It used to be electric blue. I've had it reupholstered in cream...which was not at all kid friendly, so now I have an inexpensive slipcover from Surefit. Although not pictured, the couch is a very high end find from a local thrift store. Since I live in the state that is considered the furniture capital of the world sometimes they have to do something with samples and store models...lucky for me I scored a classically shaped, down filled couch. It's the best and oh so comfortable. The buffet, I just adore. Scored from craigslist (also a great place to find stuff). It's circa 1960's from what I can gather and has an immense amount of storage. I also got a 1970's storage wardrobe to use to hide away all the kids toys. Even the art work and mirror are from the thrift store. The curtains I made myself. I found a 33 yd bolt of Waverly upholestry fabric at a thrift store for $50. I had originally planned to make slipcovers for the couch and loveseat, but I think the little splash of red throughout the room is a better use of the fabric. The winerack bar in the corner is a really cool iron work piece picked up from Goodwill. I just love it for it's uniqueness and the fact that it can store 40 bottles of wine too.
So there you have it, my thrift store redux.

Thrift Store bonanza

I'm a bonofide thrift store junky. I get a thrill and such a deep sense of satisfaction by using something from the past and finding that diamond in the rough. My decorating aesthetic leans heavily toward the 60-70's.I guess it's because I was born in the 1960's and remember the 1970's fondly. I love low profile, dark wood, clean line retro looking stuff. My home is decorated in a mix of my finds with a few contemporary pieces thrown in for good measure. You'll never find a matching suite of furniture in any of my rooms and I like it that way! As far as where and when I find stuff it really varies. I can go months and not look or if I look not be able to find anything that strikes my fancy or I can have week like I'm having where every time I turn around something awesome is waiting to come home with me. It literally started on Sunday when I read an article in Parade magazine by Jacquelyn Mitchard who wrote the book "Deep end of the Ocean". In the article she writes about how she loves the idea of decorating with inexpensive found items and how it just doesn't make sense to her to spend a ton to have style. I say preach it sister! That's exactly how I feel. I love that my home can't be found in any magazine. That when my dd drops her pizza on the couch, well...it's okay (sort of). I love that I found 2 matching crystal lamps at different stores at different times and didn't pay more than $5 for either one.
My latest acquisitions have me reenergized for thrifting. I've been looking literally for months for the perfect buffet. I knew I wanted something retro (1960-70's) and dark with lots of storage. I've been prowling thrift stores, posted on freecycle( you never know)and haunting Craigslist and yesterday there it was. The perfect piece had been posted on Craigslist over the weekend and it was Tuesday. Surely it wouldn't still be there...but it was and the best thing, the lady selling it literally lived 3 miles from me. I went to pick it up last night. It's in awesome condition, weighs a ton and has a gaggle of storage. It surely is circa 1970's and was from Drexel(before they had Heritage, lol) so I'm guessing it was a spendy piece in it's day. The wood is thick and solid, no pressed wood here. I love it! It fits perfectly along my short wall and I added my 2 lovely crystal lamps atop. Today I thought I'd run in to the Goodwill near my home and low and behold I found a solid metal round wine rack/bar combo. It's about 6 ft tall, heavy and just incredible. I can't believe I scored it! I've been looking for a wine rack for ages and now I found something even better. I also found a little leatherette storage bench to go at the foot of our bed. It'll be a nice place for sheets and extra blankets. I found a large mirror in a baroque style frame to hang above our fireplace. All total I have spent about $200, you got to love the prices!

Strawberry Fields , a thrift store score and a bit of sewing

Yesterday O. and I went strawberry picking. I did most of the work since 1. O. hates bugs and was worried that one was on her, lol. 2. She said the bucket was too heavy. She's a riot, that one. It was pretty fun though and the berries were beautiful, big and sweet. I froze some to enjoy later and I have some in the fridge that I will make some strawberry bread, jam and strawberry shortcakes. I just love baking and especially when the ingredients are fresh and of a good quality. Good butter, great chocolate, fresh fruit and you have the makings of something fabulous.



Oh and I wanted to share my great score with you. If I haven't said so before I love thrifting. It's the best. I love finding the hidden treasure and the super score! Yesterday was one of those days. For $34 I got 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of slacks, 4 shirts, 2 books and a brand new coach bag that is the perfect size for my camera ($8). I was stoked!!! Gotta love the thrift store.




Last but not least, here's one of the outfits I made for the boys when I was having my day of "clothes for the boys". I think it came out pretty cute and I used my coverstitcher on the shirt (the neckline is fine even though I realize that it looks a bit wonky lying flat for the photo). I also did an applique for the first time. It was completely unintentional, but a happy mistake. Originally I was just doing some embroidery on the tshirt front and I guess I didn't pay close enough attention when I was hooping it because it wasn't until the last color change that I noticed that the shirt was hooped upside down. Never fear...I finished and then cut it out as a patch and put it on the jean shorts. All is well. The raglan tshirt is from Ottobre 3/06 and the jean shorts are from the Kwiksew for Children. I love that book and use it constantly. I think it's a must for any sewist sewing for her children. It gives you master patterns that you can mix and match to create much of your children's wardrobe. Even though the photography is dated, the designs are classic and easily adapted to todays styles.

On Thrifting

I don't know if I'm a throw back to another era, but I'm extremely frugal. I can sniff out a bargain and create something from nothing better than anyone I know. I love the idea of finding something that is flawed or considered trash and turning it into a treasure. I'm like an idiot savant if I must say so myself, I can look at something and see the hidden potential in it. I can envision it as something fabulous. Well, my home is decorated in early American thrift store and I think it's time for a little polish to some of my rooms. I mean there's a fine art between your place looking like you bought everything at a thrift store and looking like bohemian chic...I'm going for bohemian chic. So, while I'm on vacation I plan to give my home a little makeover and polish. So we're heading out to 2 of my favorite thrift stores today. They are a virtual treasure trove, but like all thrift stores they are smelly and full of stuff nobody would want. You have to take your time and really look. The perfect thing will find you. What am I looking for? Vases, cool pictures and frames, lamps, fabric, kitchen ware and anything that catches my fancy...oh and a mid century looking buffet. Wish me luck! I love the thrill of the hunt. Stay tuned for pictures.

Frenchy bag from thrifted fabric

I really like the Amy Butler patterns. They come together so easily and make cute trendy bags. I got all the fabric at the Dorcas thrift store so the total cost aside from the cost of the pattern which I got through a co-op was about $1. WooHoo. I do think next time I will use peltex or something stiffer at the top portion...I don't like that it sags a bit. Otherwise it's cute,cute, cute!

A good thrifting day

So after freecycling 3 green trashbags full of too big (woohoo!) clothes I needed some new stuff. So I've been hitting the GW's and various thrift stores trying to find some suitable items. I went to Dorcas today and it was a great score. I found 4 pairs of pants priced as $2/each and a nifty sewing basket that I have already repurposed into a more "me" look, a vintage pattern for an mom and me coordinating aline dresses and a book for O..
On another note I'm almost finished with the mama made gifts for the kids. I made 2 cinch bags. A backpack for O. and I'm going to make a pillowcase and bag for M. And I'm finally ready to start on "The Quilt", lol.