Thrift Store Finds ...

I'm on a hunt. For a new living room.

Yesterday, I started my search at Revival Home Furnishings here in Kansas City. It's a great store that mixes consignment pieces with new ones. The best of both worlds. :) Great stuff, but nothing that I just couldn't live without. I then went on down the road to a Salvation Army Store. Again, nothing I had to have. So then I went a little further on down the road to Pottery Barn. Plenty I didn't want to live without, but $1000+ for some of the pieces I was looking at. One should never go there directly after going to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. But I do love to look. :)

After doing my chores today [putting away Christmas decorations], I treated myself to a couple more hours of thrift stores, continuing my search for Living Room furnishings.

Here are my iPhone photos from my little outing today [oddly enough, nothing really for the living room] ...

Libby has a desk in her room almost identical to this one. I got it when we lived in Jacksonville. I paid $5 for hers, but the varnish has worn off in places & it has "Jennifer" carved on the desk part [which I've kept just because it's funny. Adds character.]. :) This one [above] was only $9.98 & is in near perfect shape! I texted a couple people & put this on Facebook because somebody that had seen Libby's was wanting to find one just like hers. I just can't remember who it was. But if you're wanting it ... it's at the Red Racks on Wornall! [*Just realized it's ideal for a left-handed person! Ha! I had to go check Libby's since it never even occurred to me, but hers is indeed right-handed.]

The next shop I went to doesn't look like this throughout the store ... but this was what one of the rooms looked like. Supposedly, it's just sort of a "storage" room. Pretty ... impressive ... little pile.   I think I've done dumpster diving that felt cleaner than this did. But there were some cool little finds, including those 2 armed wooden library chairs [one has a TV in the seat, the other is under the Forta box]. I bought a chair just like these at a flea market last year. LOVE these. NO idea how much they were. But I am certain they weren't much.

I loved this lamp! There was no lightbulb & no outlet for me to test it out [& I didn't ask].  I also don't really have a place to put it if I were to get it. But it was only $11. I adore it. With a new modern shade? This thing would be stunning.

I wanted to buy this. It was $40 ... but needed a lot of work. I would have just attempted to clean it, restain the top & touch up as needed [not paint]. I definitely would keep the knob on the drawer, but the 2 pulls below would have to be replaced [the one on the right was broken].

The piece flips open on both sides & has wooden supports that pull out, doubling the length of the surface. I'm not exactly sure what reason there would be to open it all up like that? Bar? But I would keep it all closed up. I took measurements & will sit on this one. It's by "Thomasville", but looks old.

I was leaving the store & noticed a store window from a room I never even saw. I fawned over the table & chairs ... and knew I'd regret it if I never went in to at least check the price. $300 for the table & 6 chairs [5 side & 1 arm]. Seats would obviously need to be reupholstered [simple] ... but MAN. Is this ever gorgeous. And so well built.               I want it.

I do not really need a new table or chairs. I just painted a buffet & repainted my table & chairs. 2 months ago. But SERIOUSLY.           I kind of want it.                       I do.   If someone were to buy it, fix it up for me & find a new owner for my table & chairs, I wouldn't be mad.

In the end, I walked away with just these things: 4 amber drinking glasses for the kids [$0.99 each] & this green oval bowl for $3.98.

This summer my mom was admiring the flower pot next to my kitchen sink. I bought it because a.) it was mustard gold and matched my kitchen; b.) I needed a cuter pot than the plastic one that came with my aloe plant; and c.) because it was only $0.99. She flipped it over to show me it was a "McCoy" pottery piece & made in the USA, which [according to her] both should have been my clue that it was worth more than $0.99. I had gotten it at a thrift store, of course, and thought I paid too much at the time. So going by the 'vintage American pottery rule', I decided to get this green oval bowl today. Mainly because I like it & hope to use it as a serving dish. It's a Haeger Pottery piece which I later learned is a company that has been making pottery in the USA for 140+ years. No biggie. You learn something new everyday. Today that 'thing' was Haeger Pottery. Now I know. 

For the price of one piece of furniture at Pottery Barn, I could have purchased all this loot today. Crazy. Especially when you realize that most of the things you see in that store? Are reproductions. Made to look like these vintage pieces & originals that you find in thrift stores. Also, in most cases when you buy from a thrift store the money is going to a charity. In the case of my purchases today [4 glasses & the oval bowl], the money goes to Disabled American Veterans. Win-win. Don't be scared. Go on in. Yes, even the rooms that look like a scene from "Hoarders". There are diamonds to be found in the rough, I promise. [*Update: After sleeping on it ... I went back to get the bird lamp. Love it. So happy.]

Dining Room Makeover ...

Thought I'd make up for the long blog break with a long post that will take you 2 days to read! This will also explain what I've been busy with the past couple of weeks - when we weren't spending a week in Orlando doing the Disney thing! :) 

So the make over started when we inherited this buffet [below]. We did what I call "Musical Dressers" - sort of like "Musical Chairs", but with dressers: this one goes here, this one goes there, that will go there ... and that [changing table / dresser] will get listed on Craigslist & sold that same morning to a lovely couple who will turn it into a TV cabinet! :)

We got the buffet from Kyle's parents. The storage was great, we had space in our dining room for it, but the finish wouldn't work. It was way too formal for my dining room and for my personal taste. It was cherry & glossy. We are not a formal family & we have a unique set up for a dining room ... it is an extension of the kitchen. It is where we eat daily - not just on holidays. It is also where we do puzzles, do homework & carve pumpkins. In other words, this room has to be casual enough for daily use, but fancy enough to host Thanksgiving dinner. 

Buffet before with its cherry finish. If you have an aversion to sanding & painting furniture, you can end here. Otherwise ... continue. :)

Sanding. Lots & lots of sanding. Not a good idea probably if just a week ago you were diagnosed with bronchitis - but I was vigilant with cleaning up the sawdust [see the vacuum?]. A palm sander comes in handy for this part.

Rookie mistake ... I should have primed it. I tried to get out of it. I painted 2-3 good coats before I surrendered & got out the primer. Don't make this mistake. Prime first. As you can see, what was left of the stain bled through.

Then paint. I did a combo of roll & brush. This is freak-a-zoid Libby sneaking into the photo. She gets her freak-a-zoid-ness mostly from me, but her mad photo-sabotage skills from her daddy. She's the best of both worlds! :)

Next up on the redo list were my 6 dining room chairs. They had been painted cream right after I got them, but I had never sanded them. I had just primed & painted over the gloppy country blue. Then when we lived in Corpus Christi our kitchen had a little Spanish style thing going, so just for fun I had rubbed some antiquing glaze on the chairs. Between that & a little freak-a-zoid tracing green marker into the crevices of one of the chairs [see? Told you we're casual], it was time to give them a makeover as well. 

I sanded all 6 chairs down, made repairs where needed, then gave them all a fresh coat before screwing the seats back in.

I left the table for last. It had been painted a few years ago, but I wanted to give it a little more attention this time around. [Two years ago I did this post where I had just painted the table. I also wrote about it here where you can see the before photos of both the table & chairs!] There were a couple cracks that I filled with wood putty, then sanded down before painting.

 Ready for its close-up ... but still had one more thing I wanted to do before putting all my supplies away.

In the background, you'll see Davis who while playing games on my iPhone, was there for [an incredible amount of] moral support. But in the foreground, you'll see a pine board getting prepped. The day I bought this table [summer of ... '02?], I told myself one day I'd make a leaf or 2. Only took me about 9 years to do that project. And to think it only took about an hour & a 1/2 to do it. :) Took my measurements to the hardware store & had them cut down a pine 1"x12"x6' board to the width of the table. It cost me just over $7. I already had a wooden dowel [from other projects] that I had tested out in the already existing holes in the table. I believe it was the 3/4" [diameter] size. 

 The table came with 2 or 3 little pegs [but no leaves, they had been lost ] so I used the originals to make more. 

I made more than I needed just to have a few extra & stored them in a drawer of the buffet. I just used a jigsaw to cut the dowel into approx 1.5" pieces, then sanded down the edges. They aren't perfect, but work perfectly fine!

 Original holes, new pegs!

 This next part made me nervous. Very nervous. I wasn't sure how to make the holes in the accurate spots. At first, I marked the ends of the dowel pegs with blue chalk, to see if they'd leave a perfect circle onto the pine board when butted up next to each other. They didn't. So then I traced it with a pencil, which wasn't perfect either. So I used the combination of pencil & chalk markings to guesstimate where I needed to drill.

 Then held my breath & breathed again when it all fit together like a glove. Awesome. Old table from [we think?] the 1930's with some new accessories made for it in 2011. You just gotta love that.

 Above is a pic of the table with the new leaf in place, all primed & painted. We don't have enough chairs to do this, but if needed, we can squeeze 3 chairs on one side now.

 Finished. Less than 2 days before I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner.

 The leaf helped us to spread out, which I think when it's 6 adults [kiddies had their own table], it's kind of nice to be able to do. Love love love. So so happy. 

 And since that last photo was right next to this one in iphoto, I couldn't help but put this one in of our Thanksgiving turkey [recipe found here]. I love trying out new recipes & thought with 200 reviews, a 5 star rating & a blanket of bacon, it was hard to go wrong. :) Hope you & yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Trunk is Open!

Shop found here.

I think these old book jackets would look awesome framed ... [HERE]

 These would be fun to frame as well ... [HERE]

Cute as a vintage button! Love the tomato red color ... [HERE]

 

I snagged some of the duplicates of these wine labels to frame. I love the artwork & colors ... [HERE]

And look out. The "Rosie the Riveter" sheet music [top left] is worth $75 - 80. Set of 3 WWII sheet music, Oma's selling for $75 ... [HERE]

You can only IMAGINE how much fun my mom & I had this past weekend setting up her 1st Etsy shop. :) Playing around with her shop title gave us creative expressions that we used all weekend. Even Oma's 7 year old grandson, Davis, caught on & started using them. :)  'Junk in the Trunk' doesn't even scratch the surface. I don't want to give anything away ... she might use some of them as titles for her items or branding.

All joking aside ... my mom has opened a vintage shop on Etsy, called "Oma's Trunk". My mom has not only taught German, but has lived in Germany for a year in college teaching English. She figured using the name "Oma" instead of "Grandma" helped separate her from the rest & gave a hint at some of her things she will be selling - some of which are German or European.

We went shopping for some supplies that she'd need for packaging & sorting, brainstormed some branding ideas, did research on the worth of some of her items & practiced photographing - including the trunk as seen in her banner & profile photo. That trunk was actually her grandfather's [my great grandfather's]. We were again laughing - that perhaps this trunk has never gotten so much attention. I'm sure it felt like a celebrity as we took probably close to 50 photos of it, different angles, etc. He worked it.

Another opportunity to laugh was when my mom said "I've given you girls [me & my sisters] enough time to take what you want ... now you'll have to pay for it." :) ha ha And by "it" she means her "ephemera" - which she explained to me was just a fancy word for "crap". :) She knows these things aren't crap, however, which is why she wants them to go to a good home.

Some of the items are from her own Garage Sale hunts 30-something years ago, back when she'd take 3 little girls. Who I'm sure complained. Or were so embarrassed [as we got older], we wouldn't want to be seen, so we wouldn't get out of the van. :) Back then, if a purchase wasn't for her own personal use, knowing the worth, she saved it with the thought that some day when she was retired from teaching she'd open up an antique store or booth. Well, back then they didn't have Etsy. :) I think Etsy will be a good fit for her. And my dad now has something to keep him busy during his retirement, as well ... making sure to nail down [or hide] the things he doesn't want sold. ;) ha ha We're just JOKING, dad. Kind of. Are you using that coaster? Going, going, going ...

Anyway, be sure to visit my Mama / Oma's shop. And 'heart' her! Take it from me ... these 14 listings in her shop are only the first 14 of about 50,000 items she is slowly parting with. Oma's party is just getting started. :)

P.S. Don't miss the give-away going on now 'til midnight on 9/9!

Heeby Jeebies ...

Print by ConstantDreamer

"Relax. It's *clean* underwear." is written in the description of this adorable print I found on Etsy. ha! :) But "clean" & "adorable" pertaining to underwear is, unfortunately, far from my mind at the moment.

I like thrift stores. I like yard sales more, but when it's the dead of winter & there is a foot of snow on the ground, no one has yard sales. So every once in awhile, just for fun, I go to thrift stores to see if there's anything I can't live without or anything I can alter & make perfect for me or our home.

But. I get the heeby jeebies. The smell ... sometimes grosses me out.  Touching some of the stuff ... sometimes grosses me out.  I often get out the anti-bacterial gel after getting back into my car. Can't help it.

Libby's Birthday is coming up ... and she wants a unicorn & rainbow birthday!  We got out of the house today to get some fun supplies for invitations & decorations ... and since the craft store is across from a thrift store, I decided to run in there really quick to see if there were any unicorn or rainbow trinkets.  There weren't.  But as my eyes were scanning a high shelf for some pretty treasures, Libby was walking along side of me with her hand reaching up, touching at least 50 pair of thrift store underwear [before I noticed]. Oh but not just the underwear. No. It had to be the lowest part that hangs down, when one hangs underwear up on clippy hangers. Yes. That would be the crotch. Of cast-off underwear. Her little hand set off a ripple of dancing underwear behind us. I didn't know there was an underwear aisle at the thrift store. Or that we were in it.

And that was the moment that I quit looking for rainbows & unicorns ... and we got out of there. And got out the anti-bacterial gel. Because I do believe that was a moment for the heeby jeebies if there ever was one. 

Thoughts on foosball & such ...

[stairs will divide the 'rec area']

[art studio ... my workbench will fit right in this nook, @ left to the closet]

So... here's what we've got so far.  Sheetrock, lighting, plumbing & a whole bunch of decisions on furniture, colors, configuration, purposes of rooms.  I always thought I would love to be an interior decorator.  Scratch that off the dream job list.  It's not as easy as it looks.  Wannabes need not apply.

This weekend, I got the kids a $5 foosball / air hockey table [just needs to buy some parts online].  Texted Kyle a photo of it & he wrote back "Where are we going to put it?  We don't have the space."  I texted him back with the dimensions [roughly 2' x 4'] assuring him it was a smaller one & I got a forwarded text that said "*Duplicate* Where are we going to put it?  We don't have the space."  Handed the lady $5, she helped me load it into my car.  And guess what I find myself thinking?

"*Duplicate* Where are we going to put it?  We don't have the space."

Shh... don't tell him [yet].  Me & my "interior decorator" are doing some heavy measurement crunching.  The "interior decorator" forgot that it's not just the 2' x 4' size of the actual table, but the foosball poles which need an extra 12" here & 12" there [depending on what side of the field the guys are on, of course] ... but also the necessary room for the bodies that need to stand on all sides to play it.

Stay tuned ... on where it goes from here ["here", being the garage].

What a dollar can get you these days ...

I got it for $1 a year ago at a yard sale ... and with wood glue, a screw & paint, it looks a lot like these. But had I paid that price, I probably wouldn't have allowed my 3 year old to go near it with a paint brush. Only in her dreams [or in my nightmares].

Luckily, this one was $1 so she was handed a paint brush. For the 1st coat anyway. :) She had a total blast. I think her little activity made her forget that she was left home with me instead of going with her brothers & daddy to the boys' wet & muddy soccer games [oh & that she was mad about that fact]. She was so careful ... and said stuff like "I. not. get. it. on. my. thocks." The other funny comment she made was "I. wook. wike. I. go. to. thoccer. 'Cause. my. shoes. wook. wike. thoccer. shoes. and. my. thocks [her little knee socks]. wook. wike. thoccer. thocks." [Shin guards] :)

Okay ... she almost forgot that she was left home from the soccer fields. Technically, I think she still had it on her mind. :) Poor wittle baby.

Our Little Secret ...

For Libby's Birthday I got real crafty & thrifty. Thrifty only because I hit the thrift stores to look for teacups & saucers .... little did I know I was going to strike GOLD with plenty of other things. And crafty, well, because that's just how I operate. The results are that you get "something for nothing". Or many things for nothing.

Here are just a couple of those things in a bit more detail. {But keep it all on the down-low. Soon you'll know why.}

Libby's pinafore cost me $1.50 + probably 20¢ for new fabric I used. The ducky pinafore was in perfect condition. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the perfect shade of blue with the white eyelet trim. Had to get it even though it had ducks. I went to the craft store to get some fabric & played around with the combinations. I finally settled on the black & white motif {LOVE} & some sweet scrap fabric I have had forever {from a bandana I made as a "new puppy gift" for a friend}. :) ha ha I cut the strip with the flowers to use as a little trim ... and made a little pouch for Libby's pinafore to cover up the duckies. I thought it turned out really sweet ... and is as "Alice" as I could get with my limited sewing skills. :)

Libby LOVES babies, kittens & puppies. So when I found the high chair & cradle, I had to get them for her. They were $4 a piece at the thrift store. {<-- Click here to see before photos} A little spray paint & they look like new. I also added an already painted wooden cat from the craft store [60¢] & used wood glue [with a bottle of apple juice on top for weight] to attach it. Then it was still missing something, so I sewed up a little pillow with some scrap fabric. Finally, I went up to Libby's dresser [old changing table] & grabbed a cute little nursery rhyme themed receiving blanket we used with all 3 kids. I knew it had "the cat & the fiddle" on it, so I thought it would look precious in the cradle with the little "kitten" theme I had going on. It did.

But when Libby opened her presents ... she did not appreciate the re-gift. Not one bit. She pinched the blanket with her fingers, lifted it up with a look of disgust & announced "DIS. Is NOT. A "pweasent bwanket". DIS. Is OUR bwanket. It is not my pweasent." Oh. I did fess up that I knew it was ours, but thought it looked cute in there. {???} She still wasn't over it at bed time ... when I sat on her bed & recapped her fun Birthday with her, I asked her what her favorite thing was that she got & she said with a big smile on her face, "the chib" {crib}. But then took the opportunity to give me an earful about the regifted baby blanket yet again. She just wanted it made clear that it wasn't a present. Got it. Apologized again. {eye roll for the drama queen / birthday diva ... I didn't think I'd be doing this at 3.}

Something tells me she would not be a fan of knowing her cradle & highchair came from a thrift store. Or her "Alice" pinafore. So ... let's just keep that cat in the bag. :) Zip it.