Thrift Store FINDS

It's impossible to predict if you will find anything 'good' when you go thrifting. There is always lots of junk to sort through, and usually, very few things that you would actually want. Like I've said in earlier posts, go with a shopping list of things you would like to find, or potential projects you have in mind. This will help you as you dig in!

Today, at my local Goodwill, I found some great stuff for a good price!

Some plates, and candlestcks. I have a project in mind for these, so stay tuned! The plates are real china, and were only .99 each. Not bad!
I thought the plates had interesting details.

I also found this cute melamine platter. I saw them at Target a few months back. It will be great for outdoor entertaining this summer. It was .79 cents. Also, a great deal.


I found this random metal Santa Clause sign for .99 cents. It's pretty big, and has a metal stake. It will look cute in my big flower pots outside next Christmas. AND, it still had the price tags attached. I love finding new, unused stuff for ridiculously cheap!

Remember how I said it's impossible to predict what you'll find? Well, I made an AWESOME find today. I was jittery I was so excited about it! Best of all, it was not something I was looking for, so that made it even more fun.

What is it you ask?

A brand new, still in the box, Monster Tent! (remember, my kiddos are 2.5 and 10 months....perfect for this!!!!!)


I was nervous....would all the pieces be there?? Surely this was too good to be true.....


Yep, it was as good as I thought. A never used monster tent. To say Miss J is thrilled out of her mind is an understatement. She is even talking about sleeping in it tonight. (great......)

What a find! I Googled the tent while at Goodwill (to make sure it was the killer deal I thought it was) and it retails for $35.99 at Target or $29.99 on Amazon. Awesomeness!

You never know what will be waiting for you at your local Thrift Store!

Frame Makeover

I love to find funky frames at thrift stores!
A few tips for finding a frame worthy of a re-do

• Look for a real wood frame. Plastic will still look like plastic, even when re-painted
• Make sure the price is right! More than $2-3 is probably too much
• Find a frame with real glass that is in good shape
• Look for a frame with a good backing on it, and a way to hang/display it. You don't want a cool frame with no backing. It will be pain. Trust me!

I found a great frame last week on my trip to goodwill. LOVE the details! (the artwork....is hideous!) I knew I wanted something....BLUE this time! I've been feeling a little overdosed on black lately. Is that possible?

I LOVE this color spray paint. It is Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze. It is FABulous.

So, I just gave my frame a few, LIGHT coats of spray paint. I let it dry completely (the hard part, I know....)The color is GREAT!

Next, I wanted to use a black glaze. I've been seeing them used a lot in blogland lately, but didn't have any on hand. I read a tip somewhere (don't remember where) that you can make your own glaze by watering down paint.

TIP: a glaze makes your frame look especially good if you have details you want to bring out. It doesn't do much if you just have a plain frame. I wanted a glaze for this frame b/c of the interesting lines it had.

To make my own glaze, I grabbed my black acrylic paint and added a little water. I made it pretty runny. I used a foam brush to apply it to the frame, making sure to get in all the cracks. I then wiped off the excess with a paper towel, until I got the amount of black on there I wanted.

I repeated the brush on/wipe off thing a few times.

Turned out pretty sweet!
I cleaned the glass before I added my final touches. EWWW!

I added some burlap for a background. Like in this post.

I printed off a cute black and white photo of Miss J, and called it good!


Here's BEFORE:

Here's AFTER:
Go find a frame to re-do! It's so fun to make something fabulous for cheap!

I'm linking up over at Domestically Speaking
and
A Soft Place to Land and Finding Fabulous and Craftaholics Anonymous!

Distressed Candlesticks

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I am a HUGE fan of thrift stores! If you ignore the weird, used clothes smell, and dig in (literally), you can find great stuff! A little paint, some time and effort, and you can make over so many things to decorate with. Frames are my favorite thing to look for.

Some tips for thrifting:

• Look for objects that are real-this means real wood frames, real china plates, real silver/gold, etc. Plastic and plastic composite stuff really doesn't look good made over.
• Look for things with nice lines and pretty details (these details will come out when you re-paint or re-finish)
• Go to thrift stores with a list of things you would like to find, to help you focus as you weed through a TON of junk
• If you see something you really like, but aren't sure about (a cool side table, a neat frame), realize that it will not be there if you come back in a few days. Stuff gets cycled out fast at thrift stores!

Now, moving on with this post....I found some great candlesticks this week....you guessed it! At Goodwill!

They had nice lines
interesting details
and were a really weird brown/red/gold color! (this is a before shot of them-the picture doesn't show off the odd color that well)

I gave them a quick coat of black spray paint, and used some sand paper to distress the edges. They still had quite a bit of that odd red paint showing, but it actually goes great with the red in my kitchen.
I am encouraging all my readers to go to a thrift shop! You will find treasures!

Happy 101 Award

I got this cool award from one of my readers: Thank you! I am honored!

Here's how it works!

List 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

Here are 10 things that make me HAPPY!

1. My family-my husband and children are simply THE BEST! They make me so incredibly happy every day. My life would be so empty without them!
2. The random ramblings of my 2 year old princess.
   
3. Slobbery, drooly kisses from my favorite little charmer (my 10 month old son)
   
4. Reading a good book. It has been way too long since I have had time to do this (I should stop blogging so much....)
   
5. Cooking a good meal. I love food WAY too much.
6. Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. Yes, it gets a spot on my top 10 list :)
   
7. My little sister Mary. She is such a sweet heart. She calls me every day after school, just to see how I am. I love her!
8. Good friends. The world is a better place when you have friends!
9. Decorating, sewing, crafting, and creating. It is so therapeutic to me to create something
10. Blogging/cruising the internet looking for cool ideas!

10 Bloggers that brighten my day (in random order)

1. Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick
2. Shanty 2 Chic Girls
3. All Things Thrifty
4. Living with Lindsay
5. MADE
6. Homemaking Haven
7. Room to Inspire
8. UCreate
9. Lettered Cottage
10. DIY Show Off
    

Featured at Tip Junkie

This is such a great blog! There are TONS of cool ideas. Check it out!

Decorating with.....Salt

Salt-everyone has it in their pantry! It is a very cheap ingredient to buy. Why not decorate with it? Using salt as a jar or vase filler is easy, and cheap! (and it looks so much better than those fake, glass marbles....)

There are different kinds of salt. They each have a different "look". Decide what kind you like, and then use it in your favorite jar or vase!

Table salt is very fine, and almost translucent. Sea Salt is very coarse, and chunky looking.

In this picture, sea salt is on the left, and table salt is on the right.

Epsom salt is very white, and flaky looking. It reminds me of snow. It is not as translucent as table salt.

In this vase, I used Epsom Salt; it has been a great filler for me!

Chic Throw Pillows

Reason #1,000 not to buy throw pillows from a store: They are ALWAYS cuter when you make them yourself.


It will be CHEAPER to make them!


Chances are, any pillow you buy will not be exactly what you want. Making your own throw pillows gives you so many more possibilities.


Think about it......take the plunge and make your own pillows!!

TOTAL COST for 6 throw pillows: $30.

• I bought $15 in fabric (I bought niiiice fabric!)
  
• $15 for 3 pillow forms
• I RECYCLED 3 old, ugly throw pillows, and just re-covered them. (this is a great way to save money!!)

Check out the price of a cute throw pillow next time you are at Target, Pier 1, or Pottery Barn. Ummmm.....expensive! No way could you get 6 cute pillows for $30!

If you don't know how to sew, and want to make NO SEW throw pillows, check out this great tutorial here

If you want a tutorial on how to make your own pillows, leave me a comment!

I'm linking up at Get Your Craft on!