Weekend Thrifting

Hubby and I were out shopping for bargains again this weekend.  He spotted a great coffee table that I had seen several weeks ago, but thought was overpriced.  It finally got marked down…so it’s mine now. 

My initial intent was to clean it up, cover up the scratches, and flip it.  But once we got it home, we both fell in love.  So out goes my old coffee table (which was purchased with the intent of being temporary anyway) and in goes my “new” retro table.  I’m thrilled with it! 

I’m sharing a few shots I took.  I’ve been working on my sofa pillow arrangement too. You can compare these pictures to the ones in  my previous blog to see the old table and old pillow arrangement.

      

 

 

 

 

 

      Love the brass leg accents!

I also spent some time this weekend breaking out the spring/summer accessories.  Hello sea shells, driftwood and baggies of sand from last summer’s trip to the Gulf. I added a few shells to one of my vintage ashtrays that I’ve been collecting (here). The ashtray brings a touch of coral to the coffee table without screaming matchy matchy.

Busy Busy Busy

I recently finished another “batch” of furniture and I wanted to share it. 

BEFORE AFTER 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

This table actually started out a light honey color.  I was going for a bright, glossy finish.  But it just wasn’t happening.  So plan‘B’consists of breaking the chalk paint out and covering up all my boo boos. After quite a bit of sanding and adding an industrial style pull, I was pleased with my result.

AFTER

AFTER (I have no before shots !)

Fringe Benefits

The best part of giving new life to sad old castoffs is that I’m ALWAYS shopping for “that special find”.  Sometimes that “special find” never makes it on the market…I fall in love and it stays with me!  I thought I’d share of few of the treasures I just couldn’t part with…

I hit a thrift store at least two days a week, usually more.  I drive right past the Good Will on my way home from work and it takes me less than five minutes to cruise through the furniture section. And if I’ve got the time, there are three other thrift stores within ten minutes of the Good Will.  NO TWO VISITS ARE THE SAME!  I can come up empty one day, and bam, the next day I find something fantastic!  So persistence pays off!

I found this great lamp on a day when all the good pieces in the entire store had a sold sign on them.  I was so bummed out.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this dusty, dirty metal pole leaning on a box.  A closer look revealed it was one of those floor to ceiling lamp thingys.  The pole has tension on it like a shower rod, and it stands on the floor and goes to the ceiling.  Those dark tips on the shades are actually wood!  So I felt triumphant, for one day at least.

I usually take a quick walk through the house wares department just to see if any little vintage thing has been thrown in with the mismatched Tupperware, chipped up glasses, and skillets that have no Teflon left on them. These are a few of the things that I’ve found:

Vintage Pyrex is always an exciting find.  I don’t save it for special occasions, I use it everyday. I love serving pieces too.

 
I bought this single aluminum canister because these are the ones my mom had when I was a little kid.  Such a blast from the past.  I store dry goods in it and keep it in my pantry. 

 

 

 

 

This little carafe holds eight ounces.  I gave it to my daughter to steep her tea in.

 

And then there was my “lucky owl day”.  I think that someone must have been cleaning out their dear old grandma’s house, because why else would there be this many owls sitting on the same shelf on the same day?

 

 

 

 

 

I know they don’t look like much, but I painted them all white and now they look like these at West Elm!

And then there’s my set of tacky table/floor lamps.  They were pretty ugly, but I thought they had sleek, modern lines.  Nothing that a few cans of white spray paint can’t handle.  And the shades had been sitting in a closet for two years.  I’m planning on covering them with burlap. 

And now I have found myself collecting something that to some may seem disgusting, but I am in aw of the funky design and color of these mid century ashtrays.  They make a great dish on the dresser for hubby to empty his pockets into.  I have several groupings of them.  Throw some shells,  pinecones, or acorns in them, and you’ll forget all about their previous life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So th

So there you have it.  One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure!

Mission Accomplished

I mentioned in a previous post here about the lovely, high quality buffet I picked up for half price at a local thrift store.  Well, I successfully sold the bench that was in my dining room, so I was able to move the buffet into its old spot, guilt free.

I had to get to work on it IMMEDIATELY because I couldn’t stand looking at this…

The first thing it needed was to grow a few inches.  It felt way too low, and was sitting several inches below my chair rail.  So I picked up some five inch screw on legs and mounting brackets at Lowe’s.


After those were attached, I slapped on two coats of paint (no priming).  After a little sanding/distressing, I was happy with how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blue is fairly bright, closer to the color below.  I wanted the buffet to resemble an old, primitive, Mexican antique.  I’m still debating on glazing it to bring the color down just a notch.

And while I had the paint can open, and the brush dirty, I painted this “work of art”. It’s actually a four paneled door I purchased for $5.  I took the hinges off and used a pattern I had been admiring here on Pinterest.

 

Ahh…now time to relax.  Until we pick up our little travel trailer this afternoon from storage…it’s not finished yet!