American Furniture and House Design

Showing posts with label thrift find. Show all posts

A Burst of Sun

It seems that sunburst mirrors
are all the rage now in interior design.

You can imagine my delight
when I happened upon this little beauty in the thrift store.

It looks like it may have been a school shop project.

With a fresh coat of paint it is the perfect addition
to the bare wall in our guest room.

Desperate Blogger

in: spray paint thrift find

What is a blogger, who has a list of things she wants to create but no time for creating and is desperate for a new post, to do? Well that's easy!

Grab the latest thrift find, in this case a garden armillary,
and give it a fresh coat of paint.

Then to complete the gratuitous post she can add it to previously shown vignette.

Hooray! The temperatures here have finally reached near the 40's! And even though the spray paint can directions say ideal painting temps are 50-70 degrees, I ran outside with a thrift project in one hand and shaking a paint can in the other.

The project I chose was a large metal tray that had an original finish of a mix of greens, browns, and rust.

It's a subtle change but I think it looks much nicer painted metallic charcoal

with the details highlighted using silver Rub n' Buff.

It looks great sitting on my kitchen table corralling all of the pretties I like to keep there. I try to have a candlelight dinner whenever we eat at the table---even though my boys question why. Isn't it a momma's job to insert a few feminine details into the lives of her men? Besides, it makes me happy to be surrounded by beautiful things and if momma's happy then everybody's happy, right?

And another thing that makes me happy is to be able to use my favorite makeover tool again!

Granny Or Great

in: Home Decor thrift find

There she sat at the thrift store lonely and rejected.

I watched her as another customer picked her up, examined her, then put her back after deciding that she was made by and belonged in a little granny's home.
I too picked her up to admire her handmade qualities; a floral pattern surrounded by diamonds on one side,

and a geometric pattern on the other. I wondered how her maker had so seamlessly tucked a pillow form inside.

Her one dollar price tag did not reflect the effort and love that had gone into her creation. It was then that I determined to adopt this little orphan and bring her into my home.
She now resides happily in my living room with my other thrifted orphans, each adding to the beauty and greatness that is my winter couch.

Magic Before and After

in: design tip thrift find trash to treasure

A few months ago I purchased a couple of candlesticks at the thrift store.

They were a beautiful shape and size but the finish was a bit confusing. Were they tarnished brass that resembled silver or were they silver plate rubbed down to the brass.

Either way I liked them so they came home with me.
Then I stumbled upon an article proclaiming the wonders of an inexpensive product that could easily be found in the automotive aisle.

This stuff really is magic-----that is if you can get beyond the horrendous odor of ammonia. I wore my paint mask while scrubbing away with an old towel that quickly turned black as I rubbed and rubbed.

But all of the odor and rubbing and elbow grease was worth it when the results are as dramatic as this little before and after. The new finish is a silver-ish with a gold undertone---a really beautiful combination.

Now my thrifted treasures are a real treasure find!

Never Say Never

in: Home Decor simple pleasures thrift find

Lately I find myself drawn to the warm tones of aged brass and antique gold.

Funny thing, I distinctly remember writing the words "I'm not a gold kinda gal" in a makeover post about two years ago after I gave a gold item a fresh coat of black paint.

Now, while others are relieved to send their "outdated" brass to the thrift store, I'm giddy with glee when I pick up a beautiful piece like this owl bank.

Isn't it wonderful that, just like design, we can evolve, change, and reinvent ourselves! And even more wonderful, we can do it despite the choices of others.

Proceed With Caution

in: Home Decor spray paint thrift find

My husband loves his nightstand but it has only
a teeny tiny drawer for storage.

I tried to solve the storage problem with a collection of boxes
that I painted and numbered.

But they ended up looking too big and clunky for the space.
So I went to Plan B.

I had this great, vintage basket that was a thrift store find.
It was nice, but not all that masculine.

A nice coat of gray spray paint helped, but it still needed a little more.
Since my husband did service in Germany in his youth I asked him to pick a German word that he thought would be appropriate for the basket. I printed off the word in a font that resembled one found on old shipping crates.
Then I cut out the letters to make a stencil. Next I sprayed the paper with adhesive and placed it on top of a piece of scrap wood that I had already painted the same gray as the basket.

I spray painted the stencil and when the paint was dry I aged the sign with a little sanding and a light top coat of stain. Then I attached it to the basket with wire.

I love that the basket now looks like it came from an old ship, complete with the German word for CAUTION.

It fits perfectly under the nightstand and is a great storage solution for hubby's odds and ends.

His Favorite

in: Home Decor thrift find trash to treasure

It all began with a piece of slate that was destined for the garbage dump. I found it in the corner of my in-laws storage room as we were de-cluttering and packing for my MIL's move to a smaller home. It was a piece left over from the entry floor of the house that had been their home for several years.

"Why do you want that?!?!" my hubby asked as I carted it to his truck (you would think that he would have learned by now that his wife has an eye for good junk).
He rolled his eyes as I gave him a list of reasons.
When we arrived home I hauled my newly acquired piece of slate into our home and plopped it on top of another junk find, an old sewing machine cabinet that hubby had picked at the thrift store. Amazingly the slate piece was the PERFECT size!

We cut and nailed molding to the top of the cabinet so the slate would rest inside. I painted it the same blue-gray as the slate.

It's now my husband's night stand and his favorite piece of furniture. It's a beautiful reminder of the family memories made in the home of his youth.

He Said I Should

in: diy Home Decor spray paint thrift find

I spotted this huge tray at the thrift store for $1.

When my husband questioned my choice I told him that I wanted a big tray for our coffee table and we could either build one or I could invest in this one for a dollar. He said I should spend the dollar (I'm sure he just didn't want to have to build anything in this summer heat.)
The tray is over two feet wide---it's an ugly old restaurant tray that it's previous owner gave makeover using contact paper.

That's one way to improve it's appearance.
But as any good DIYer knows,
spray paint is really the ultimate fix!

Now that dollar tray looks at least ten times the price!

A Thrifted Nook

in: Home Decor our home thrift find

I have an unusual little nook in my family room. It's a small spot in between the fireplace and the hall. One of my first furniture thrift store purchases for this home was this bookcase. I fell in love with it's shape and size the moment I saw it.

It was the perfect piece for this nook.

I filled it and topped it with more thrifted items.

Yes, everything you see here (with the exception of the large finial)
were thrift store bargains costing no more than a dollar or two.

Even the beautiful framed photograph of doorways
was a thrift treasure.

It just proves that
it doesn't have to cost a lot to decorate
even the most unusual spaces in your home!

What 50 Cents Can Buy

in: thrift find

My passion for thrifting has had to take a back seat lately with finances so very tight. But the other day I had a design appointment in the big city and thought that it would be nice to browse through a few thrift stores on my way home. After venturing up and down the aisles with nothing wonderful to be found, I spied a little package wrapped with cellophane and tape. Upon further inspection I noticed that it contained two small white ceramic quail, with a price tag of fifty cents. I laid down my change and adopted them.