Thrift store finds...or not.

This past weekend, we had so many fun things planned. We intended to go to the park with a friend and her daughter, we intended to go to the pumpkin patch, and we intended to go to the fall festival. None of these things happened, as we all woke up feeling bad on Saturday. Determined to salvage even a small grain of the weekend, I decided to enjoy one of my favorite past times- going to the local thrift stores. I love this- it's like a treasure hunt; you never know what you might find.

It is easy to go into a thrift store, though, and end up coming back out with a lot of things you really didn't need. To curb this problem, I have begun going into the thrift stores in search of certain things only. Right now I'm in the market for the following items: a chandelier that can be painted and used with shades, interesting pictures or art work, plates or dishes, and place mats that can be made into pillows.

I wanted six red or white plates to hang on either side of my china hutch. In the end, I found zero red plates, and the only nice white ones I found were Christmas-y. Bummer. Do you ever go to the thrift store and come up empty handed? It doesn't happen to me often, but it surely did this time :(

I try to avoid "local big box store  that seems to be in every town and starts with a W" for obvious reasons- I overspend when I go there, the quality of their merchandise isn't always what I want, and I can never seem to get in and out of their quickly. I decided yesterday that I would just cruise through their kitchen section and leave.

Have you guys SEEN the new Pioneer Woman line? Holy. Cow.

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Do you see those plates? They want to come live with me at my house. 

I have briefly perused her website and a couple of press releases, and even own one of the coffee cups, but those plates? Just what I was looking for.

I know what you're thinking, And no, I didn't break my "W-store rules." I only bought six of these pretty little plates...and some plate hangers so I could hang them in my dining room. I haven't got them on my wall yet, but I will soon. In the meantime, take a look at some of my "Pin-spiration" from Pinterest.

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I really can't wait for you to see what I do next :)

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

DIY Friday follow-up: The ironstone planter that isn't.

Remember last week's post where I showed you this flower vase and talked about how I'd found it in a thrift store?

Well, two coats of primer, two coats of white spray paint, and one orange mum later, here is what I ended up with:

You'll have to excuse the crappy picture quality, as I was taking it with my cell phone. Also, I know the mum is a little big for the pot, but I do really like this planter painted white. I think I'll be using it a lot in the coming seasons. It's currently brightening up my entry way, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. 

What do you think? I think I want to go buy more mums and plant some of them outside now.

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

DIY Fridays: Making over thrift store goodies

I guess by now you must have figured out that I like thrift stores and antique stores. There are two local stores that I like to drop into at least once a month.

One month, when I went to the thrift store, I hit pay dirt. I came away with several vintage mason jars and a Christmas planter that I really didn't like the pattern, but I really liked the shape. It was only $4 and I felt like it could probably be spray painted.

Another thing I noticed is that the planter originated from Teleflora, so someone probably received some Christmas flowers in it at some point. There was also no hole on the bottom for drainage. A ceramic drill bit solved that problem. 

Tomorrow I will show you what I did with this "planter." I'm really loving the look of it now and I bet you will too. 

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

Bathroom shelving

Our hall bath has a really small vanity and not much storage space at all. Sometime ago, I bought this shelf with a Target gift card my mother gave me for Christmas. I have been using it and enjoying the storage we gained from the shelf, but it needed a little something extra. It also needed some decorating on the cheap.

Thrift store finds

One of my favorite hobbies is going to the thrift store. I go to Goodwill, but there are also two consignment shops I frequent and one locally owned thrift store. I try not to go in more than once a month, as I tend to get myself in trouble sometimes.  I have learned a few thrifting tips, such as going to the shops on Mondays, since most people donate on Saturdays.

I recently went to the consignment shop to find a maternity swimsuit. I found two, but they were way too big. I was just about ready to call my consignment trip a bust when I cruised through the back room where the dishes are kept. I collect vintage milk glass in the paneled grape pattern.

Authentic milk glass is selling for a lot of money on Ebay and in antique shops. Imagine my surprise when I found a small milk glass sugar bowl and a large milk glass bowl, just sitting there. They were waaaayyyy cheaper than what they sell for on the Internet. As I was walking out with my finds, I also spotted a set of Christmas balls that match the ones my mother gave me perfectly. I've been looking all over the Internet for these Christmas ornaments for about ten years. They were marked down a lot, since they'd been in the shop for six months.

When I went to check out, I made sure to tell the owner to call me if she gets more milk glass. I also found out that all of my purchases were marked down and I got all of those things for less than $20. It was definitely a successful trip!

I love these Christmas balls so much. My mom used some in the same pattern for years.

Decorating with thrift store finds

I took advantage of my spring break last week to take a little spring break from blogging as well. I am back now, feeling refreshed, and ready for my next break. I'm kidding. Sort of.

During my spring break, I had a dentist appointment in the next town. While I was in town, I managed to squeeze in a little trip to my favorite thrift store. i love ducking into thrift stores and antique shops. It's like a treasure hunt- you might end up empty-handed, or you might hit the jackpot. You just never know. I didn't find a whole lot, but I did find three really neat things. I found a glass water carafe that looks like a milk bottle, a silver platter, and a darling miniature pitcher and bowl wash set.