Monday Makeover

 

 

Okay, I lied. I am going to do a Makeover Monday post anyway because I have calmed down and still need your input.

You may remember that I picked up this ceiling medallion a week or so ago at ReStore…….

I looked at this and thought mirror, not ceiling medallion. With a bit of paint, some lacquer and a mirror we have this

No, I don’t have rocks on my walls. I just haven’t figured out where I want to hang it yet! Total cost on this was $2.50 and some time to paint. It is 16” in diameter total and the mirror is 6”.

Next up- The free headboard. This thing was so ugly, but I loved the lines on it.

This became my first ever spray painted project and I think that I am hooked. Now here is my quandary…..I had planned to paint it a couple of colors to make the inset panels pop out, similar to how it looked above. The problem is that I sort of like it with just one solid color. No, that isn’t it, the problem is that I can’t decide on what the right color should be to highlight the panels!

Anyway, here it is

 

Call this my almost MadeOver Monday! What color or color family would you add to this? The bedding that I already have is a brown tapestry with goldish, almost light bronze, accents. I REALLY want to stay away from straight gold. I know that this is a very “ungirly” thing to say, but I HATE gold.

This baby is ready and waiting for your suggestions. I think that Mr. A is getting tired of some of my unfinished projects, so I need to get this one done. We also have guests coming soon and since this is for the guest room….well you see what I am saying.

Thanks for your help and thanks for playing this fabulous game of life with me!

Also, blame all of this on Kimba from A Soft Place to Land and her tweet. I was ready to call it a night.

An Outstanding Day! I am a winner!

 

     I had a post all planned out today in my head, but as soon as I fired up the laptop this morning, the wheels fell off. No, there was nothing wrong with my PC, I opened my email and found that I had won a contest!

     Not any small contest, mind you. I was the winner of 5 Minutes for Mom and Hebrew National’s $1,000 4th of July Barbecue of Your Dreams!

     My great ideas for a post were thrown out the window because I have spent the day doing happy dances and making plans.

     I can’t thank 5 Minutes for Mom and Hebrew National enough. My 4th of July plans were nil, but now they will be out of this world. Do you think that GW still has some cool 4th decorations?

     Stay tuned though, because once I come down from cloud 9, I need some advice on my freebie headboard and nightstand transformation.

This color challenged piece has been painted, but I feel that it needs more. (below is the before, I am not unveiling it painted yet)

This is where your great advice will come in…

    

Free Thrifty Treasures

     I was cash and motivation poor this weekend, but I still managed to pick up a few things that are just begging to be transformed.

     The first was a CraigsList find that taught me a few things about driving around for free stuff.

Friday morning, I caught a listing on CraigsList that said free old windows. Now, you and I know what we mean when we say “old windows”, but I have learned that not everyone does.

So I jumped into the car, as opposed to the truck, thinking that I was going to find some metal framed windows and that I wouldn’t need the truck. As you can see, I was wrong. There were a total of four gorgeous wood frame windows, all the same height, 4 feet or so. Two were 3 feet wide and two about 2 feet.

Okay, now the problem was getting them into my Volvo….I am new at this thrifting stuff, so I wasn’t even sure if the back seats went down. Still, I didn’t want to go home and get the truck because they might be gone when I came back. I had a heck of a time getting these things in there.

Long story short, one large window and the two smaller ones made it home. I did have to pass up on some really nice cabinets that they also had, but oh well. Why be greedy?

My next exciting finds were from a garage sale where everything was free. The couple had a sale last weekend and now just wanted to get rid of everything that was left.

I had my eye on the silliest thing, a huge wood packing crate on wheels. I figured that it was gone, but it was worth a look.

Well, they still had one left and a bunch of other stuff that I wanted. The only problem was that I still had the darn Volvo and the truck went to work with my partner in crime.  

Picture this, red head, still dressed in her sweats that sort of look like PJ’s, pushing this crate that is on really loud wheels up the very bumpy street at 7 AM Saturday morning. They lived close by, thank goodness, but I am sure that I woke all of the neighbors up and I wish that they had lived downhill instead of up! Man, the things I will do to get something for free.

I still have no idea what I am going to do with it, but it is mine!

I also picked up a large ammo box, some spray paint, a cool mini suitcase and some other crap that no one wanted.

I am sure that with some RustOleum and a cushion, this will be cool a cool little bench.

I know that this post has more words than pictures, but please learn from me……always bring the truck if you have one! I looked like a yahoo, couldn’t get as much as I wanted and probably made some enemies with all of my racket pushing that thing up the hill at 7AM.

Any ideas for the crate? I was thinking huge rolling ottoman?

Thanks again Rhoda, for putting Thrifty Treasures together. Make sure you check everyone’s great finds at Southern Hospitality.

Thrift Store Thursday

 

     It is that time again for Thrift Store Thursday over at HomebodyHolly. Make sure you check out all of the great deals that people picked up this week for pennies.

 

 

I only got a couple of things at Goodwill this week, but stick around, I did get a great deal on fabric somewhere else………

First, was this great sign for $2. I love to laugh and do it often, so this was just meant for me.

 

Then there was this box, which needs some TLC…….

 

 

That top frame needs some repair, but look, you open it up and find a place to stash all sorts of things. (There was a set of matching coasters that came with it) Cost me $1.25.

The last things weren’t from the thrift store, but they sure are thrifty. A local department store, Gottschalks, is going out of business and they are selling everything, including the fixtures.

You know how at some higher end stores they have these gorgeous tablecloth like things that they drape over displays? Well they are selling those too and I picked up four in this heavy shiny silver fabric for a total of $16. There are more than 3 yards of fabric on each and I just can’t wait to start creating with them. (pillows, duvets, tablecloths, napkins, you name it!)

They are sort of hard to take pictures of so I hope that you get the idea. Just one dwarfs my round dining table.

Well, that was my week so far. I hope to hit a few more thrift stores before the weekend and get a few projects done.

Don’t forget to go and look at everyone’s Thrift Store Thursday finds and have a great time!

Thank you Holly

v23xinpt49

Have you used ReStore?

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore is a GREAT resource for frugal home decorators. Habitat ReStores sell new and used building materials/surplus for pennies on the dollar.

Now, hearing building surplus, you may think what are they going to have for me. I don’t need 2 X 4s. They have everything! Need new knobs for that great armoire that you just painted? They have them for 50 cents. Need a low cost lighting fixture that you want to give your own touch too? They have many to choose from. Want a door that you can transform into a headboard? What size?

Seriously, I think that I enjoy going here more than I do thrift stores and garage sales. The donations are always coming in, so there are new things every time.

Last week, we needed a shop light or two for the garage. We were able to choose from many and picked them up for $2.50. We had to go get bulbs at Home Depot and they had the same lights for $39.99. (That is a savings of $37.50 each!)

They also have things that you didn’t know that you needed…..

 

I had no idea that I just had to have this ceiling medallion. I just looked at it and it said, “Buy a little mirror for me and paint me.” So for $2 plus a $1, 6” mirror from Michaels, I will have a great mirror for my wall.(Okay, I have to paint it first, but you get the idea.)

As I scoured the well organized shelves at ReStore, I came across something else that I had forgotten that I needed. One of those toilet repair kits for a whopping $3. My toilet has been driving me nuts, running and running and running. It wasn’t noticeable to my partner in crime, since he doesn’t use that bath, so he didn’t care to fix it. Have you ever tried to take a relaxing bath with a trickling toilet right next to you? Not cool.

I can’t say enough about how much you need to check out the Habitat ReStore if you have one in your area. Where else can you get lighting, a mirror for you wall and finally, a relaxing bath for under $10??

 

 

Technorati Tags: Habitat for Humanity,ReStore,frugal decorating,mirror,lighting,DIY,repair

Today's Thrifty Treasures

I am taking part in my first blog party, thanks to Rhoda at Southern Hospitality, so I hope that you bear with me.

I don't get to go to garage sales often, this weekend though, I was inspired by all of the blogs that I was reading all week. I just HAD to go and am so glad that I did.

The first run out was okay, but not that exciting.......spent $5 for all of this.




I know, nothing really special, but the spray lacquer and the stencil sticky stuff will come in handy.

We took our break and went out again and found two nightstands and a matching headboard for ABSOLUTELY FREE! Yes, the color is ugly, yes it is probably from the 60's, but it was well made Broyhill and imagine all of those beautiful line in blacks and shades of gray.





I think that my partner in crime thought that I was nuts. He should have known that already though. At first, we just grabbed the nightstands for our guest room that needs them. Then we drove around the block and I thought, "I am going to hate myself later if I don't pick up the headboard too" so we went back and got it.

So you tell me, am I crazy? I just love the modernish look with the recessed panels and how hard can it be to paint? Thanks for coming along with me and I really appreciate Southern Hospitality for allowing me to tag along for my first blog party!

Giveaway Alert at My Sweet Savannah!

I am addicted to many designing blogs and one that I really enjoy is My Sweet Savannah. She is having a giveaway, that you should hear about.

Wouldn't you like to win this?



Get over to My Sweet Savannah now and see her amazing blog! (don't forget to check out her Etsy store too.)

Goodbye Funky Yellow Frame

I came across a frame for 50 cents the other day that I knew had my name on it. It has a vintagey tin ceiling look and I have just the place for it.


The only problem was the color. I know that it is Spring and almost Summer, but I am so over yellow. The colors in my home are nothing like this, we are talking black, deep barn reds, rich chocolate browns, etc. There are no pastels allowed here.

In comes my favorite Delta acrylic paint color, Barn Red. With a little help of a rag and some thick silver oil paint for a sheen, this is my new frame.




Now, I just have to decide on a picture.......

The grocery store is a great frugal decorating source!

You read that right and I am deadly serious. Make friends with your grocery store people, especially the people in the back. Just think about some of the cool display stands that they have that only get used for a bit and then it is out to the dumpster.

Some of the things that I have picked up for nothing……





A great potting bench.





See that metal pot? That is actually a tamale cooking thing. I don't know the first thing about making tamales, but I looked at this and thought PLANTER!




I needed some sort of shelving for my garage. Did I mention FREE and totally functional?



I also don’t have a picture yet, but have two small scale bakers racks that I love.





My latest find is this……There are actually two of them and they are a beautiful wood under that Kashi label. This is a work in progress and I will share later. (little hint, art for the wall)

My thoughts on decorating….

Your home is an extension of you and your family. Let is speak of you, to you, tell your story and allow that story to change and grow as you do. It is a statement of where you have been and where you are going and all of the fun that you have had in between. Let it sing!


There are no rules. There are no wrong answers or ideas and just about everything can be redone if your ideas don’t work out. Have fun with it!

My goals with this blog…

*Inspire creativity in others and that “I can do it!” attitude.
*Foster the ideas of REusing, REcreating, REpurposing & REcycling.
*Show that renters can have nice fluffy nests, just like homeowners.
*Help all of us realize that nothing is set in stone in decorating. Just like you are always maturing and exploring, your home decorating can be flexible and ever changing.
*To get readers not just to see a piece for what it is, but what it could be.
*Decorating doesn't have to be expensive.
*Being frugal, creative and crafty is never a crime.

In short, I want you to think outside the box with me. It can be hard at first to see a buffet as a media console, for example, but live with it for a bit. You will love it!

And…..I do all of this on a shoestring budget. Some may call me cheap, others frugal, but I like to think that I don’t let price stand in my way when I am decorating. If I want a look that is over my budget- I get creative with materials, paint, fabric, you name it. The other thing that I have is patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was my home.