Roadside Round-Up

After last week's post featuring our nursery dresser, I started to realize just how much stuff around our house was spotted on the side of the road! I think maybe it's time to take a look back to some of my favorite roadside projects this last year.

It all started with this sweet little desk. My husband didn't see the potential for this desk when it first showed up at our house. Who can blame him since he ended up putting in a lot of the leg work. I was so happy with the outcome!

 

Next came these windows. I had been wanting some windows for a while, and low and behold someone around the corner from my in-laws had thrown out perfectly good windows! They were just screaming for a project. 

 

A few months later this rocking chair caught my eye. It didn't have a seat, but the structure and the color was just too gorgeous to ignore. It now sits in our living room as one of my favorite accent pieces! I can't even imagine replacing it. How in the world did no one see the value in that fabulous craftsmanship? I have to say even though I had to pay $10 for this roadside find, it was WELL worth it!

And of course there is much more to say about the nursery dresser!

 

How have you turned another man's trash into your little treasures? Doesn't it feel good to be thrifty??

Happy Wednesday,

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White Thrifted Shelf

Thanks for all of your great comments on my Thrifty Re-Do Roundup a few weeks ago! (If you missed it, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) I enjoyed looking back through the old projects so much that I jumped onto another.

I saw this shelf at the thrift store and thought it was pretty great alone, but with a little love it could be perfect.

I debated keeping the yellow color and just aging it with a little stain, but at the last minute I decided to go white instead, and I'm so glad that I did.

A whitewash, to be more specific. I got a small bit of white paint, added some water, and dry brushed it onto the shelf allowing some of the yellow and brown to peek through.

I then dry brushed some plain white paint on top so that there were some bright white streaks in the paint. I wanted it to look only slightly aged, so I very lightly ran a lightweight sandpaper along the edges.

One of my favorite parts of the shelf was this fun, knotty, bead board that was nailed to the back of the shelf. I layered on my white paint here as well, being sure to let some of it settle into the cracks, and brush some of it out to help the lines pop a bit more.

It was really pretty and clean looking, but it needed something else. (And you know where I'm going with this.) So I pulled out my trusty Silhouette, found a good font and made up a little number stencil.

I taped my stencil in place and used a dark black coat of acrylic to paint on "No. 4." Why 4? No good reason, other than I thought the 4 was the coolest looking number, so I went with it. If the shelf lands in the baby's room I'll say it's because she's the 4th member of our family, but if it lands somewhere else who knows?

It's pretty though, right?

I typically go for a much more aged look with lots of sanding and aging with a glaze, etc., but I'm loving this clean look for now. And my weary 3rd trimester body appreciates a few less steps as well.

What do you prefer in terms of aging your paint jobs, more or less? I'd love to see any new re-dos so feel free to link them up in the comments section!

In other fun news for this week, I'm so excited to be participating in a new series of Knock Offs this week over at KoJo Designs called The Sincerest Form of Flattery.

Everyone loves a great knock off, right?! I'm excited to see a few weeks worth of projects in this category and am so flattered to be guest posting alongside a list of incredible bloggers (check out the all-star line up here)!! Really, I'm dying to see just what everyone has come up with!! Also, Jess at Craftiness is Not Optional is co-hosting and will has a slew of guest bloggers contributing projects on her site as well, so there will be lots of great knock offs to choose from. Check out KoJo Designs on Thursday to see my project. (I actually like it even better than the original and it was way cheaper, how lucky is that?!)

As always, I'll be sharing my project this week with some great hosts, to please stop by these parties to see what everyone has been working on!

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Thrifty Re-Do Roundup #2

Thanks for all of your fun comments on the thrifty re-do roundup on Monday!! (Did you miss it? Click here for Part 1.)

Here is a smattering of other fun projects that I've re-purposed over the last year and love, and a few easy techniques for getting them to be so lovely! Enjoy!

6.) Add Fabric-Covered Foam Board and Hooks to your Frame.

It's the easiest and prettiest way to display your jewelry, like my Long Necklace Holder.

7.) Freshen Up Trays and Hang.

Looking for a new way to display some old trays? How about adding some hooks and taking them to the wall? I added a little sign and wreath, and instantly loved my "new" trays in this Easy Displays for Old Trays.

8.) Remove Random Glued on Items, Add Paint.

This was my best line of action with my Thrift Store Blocks Re-do.

Much more welcoming after.

9.) Make a Pair Serve Double Duty.

Before these frames were kind of funky.

So I added batting and fabric to one to make a photo display, in my Clothesline Photo Display.

And added place mats under the other for a Tray Centerpiece.

10.) Unify a Random Collection with a Common Color Scheme.

I just recently showed you my best example of this with my Empty Frame Gallery. Random before...

lovely after.

I hope you've enjoyed this mini-roundup!! We love thrift stores around here, so if you're looking for more re-purposing ideas, check out the "Thrifting" label on the right hand sidebar for a collection of all of the contributor's re-purposing projects!

See you Monday!!

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Thrify Re-Do Roundup Part 1

I was so pleased at the start of the month, when we asked what sort of projects you guys were interested in seeing more of, and so many of you asked for item re-dos!! I have incredible thrift stores in my town and one of my favorite things to do is scour them for items that are well below their potential and try to take things up a notch. Or several notches if I can!!

I often hear people make the following comment in some form regarding decorating with items found in thrift stores. "I see things that might have some potential, but I just don't know what I would do with them once I got home." I start thinking to myself about how the possibilities are really endless, but eventually I realize that there are a few tried and true methods that I use again and again. I'd like to share a few with you today and hope that you might be able to put some of them to good use.

I've also done a Thrifty Re-Do Part 2, which you can find at this link.

1.) Add White.

These shutters and a little white spray paint were just what I needed to give my "meh" recessed niche a little pop.

Lovely, easy and cheap.

2.) Find Your Favorite Spray Paint Color and Use It!

My favorite color of spray paint last year was Mediterranean by Valspar, and it made it's way all around my house.

My favorite spot was on these lamps, on my Re-Vamp to a Blue Lamp project.

3.) Add Stain, White and Numbers.

This tiny old desk just needed some rust maintenance and a bit of a makeover. A bit of white, a bit of stain and a cute number.

My sister loves to harass me for numbering and lettering things like this.

Her: Why do you need to put numbers on everything?

Me: Because it's awesome.

If you have someone who doubts the number/letter scenario, just proceed as planned and prove them wrong.

My best example is my Drab to Darling Desk Re-do. I think the number made it. What do you think?

4.) Add Paint and A Font.

I'm not a Longaberger basket collector,

so I transformed it with a different message, and you can why my $1 Welcome Sign is one of my favorite items in the house.

5.) Add Paint and Paper.

This old stool had been loved by it's previous owner, and it showed.

But with a little paint, and some cute owls Mod Podged to the top, My Refinished Owl Stool was ready to be loved by my little guy too.

These are just a few of my favorite tips and some fun end results. I'll be sharing part 2 and 3 soon, so be sure to come back for more!!

What are your best weapons or techniques for turning thrift store trash into treasure?

I'll be linking to these lovely parties, so stop by and see what everyone is sharing! Have a great week!!

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Play it Again!

If you love thriftiness as much I, you will appreciate this effortless craft. This simple record bowl just takes a few moments of your time and a little patience (for the cooling process).

Of course, I was perusing the thrift stores (my weekend routine) when I found myself aimlessly browsing through these awesome record sleeves admiring the artworks on the front and disturbed from the fact no one was using them any longer. So, I purchased 20 or so (for .25, since you really can't find a better bargain).

Have a look at the record labels:



The supplies you will need for this project are items you already have on hand; two glass bowls of different sizes, oven mitts, a cookie sheet, and a drinking glass.

ps.. don't forget the record!



Next, you will want to preheat your oven to 200 like so:


Place your record on the small bowl, which is on top of the drinking glass on the cooking sheet.



I thought it was so neat to watch the record begin to melt. Depending on the amount of "curve-age" you are looking for in your bowl you can let in drop all the way or pull it out of the oven as soon as it begins to melt.



Be careful taking it out, USE your oven mitt of course and place the larger bowl on top of the small bowl to help form the final product!







Once the bowl has cooled just separate the two and viola! A new vintage piece added to your collection (or to someone elses)! Aren't these fun?



Have a great weekend! Be sure to check LTC next week as we approach our one year anniversary!

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