Tag Archives: thrift

Coral Modge Podge Chair

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I scored an orphaned kitchen chair at a yard sale for $2 a couple of weeks ago. It was in decent shape but just plain and boring.

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I deglossed it and did a quick all over sanding. Then I used Coral spray paint. I’m not usually a spray paint girl for furniture but chairs are my least favorite item to paint (so many surfaces, corners and potential drips!) so I figured I didn’t have anything to lose on this piece except a few bucks.

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It took 2 solid coats with a round of touch up but over all I like the color and finish and maybe hate spray paint a little bit less than I did before. I left the chair plain for a few days and pondered on how to jazz it up… it was just missing an it factor. I stumbled upon (okay, purposely) stopped into a fabric sale and hoped to find trim, ribbon or something to make this chair more special. There I found a few options that I knew could further transform this piece.

I narrowed my choices to these two.

Above is a bit more formal and bright.

Below is more traditional but still bold.

Both were only $4/yard for upholstery grade fabric!

II was pretty torn and considered buying both but decided to ask Erica of EH Calligraphy for her input. You know, becaude decision making is not my strong suit. After texting back and forth we opted for the blue damask pattern. Then I traced the seat of the chair and cut the fabric to fit up to the edge of the seat. A few coats of modge podge later I had this pretty lady!

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Its a new take on a classic chair but still super functional. I think it could be a cool corner chair in a guest room or entry area or a fun pop of color in a home office. I will be coating it with some poly to help durability and I think it should be for sale soon.

A walk in Old Milford

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The other day O and I had some errands to run in an area of town that is one of my favorites: Old Milford. We parked in from of “The Mercantile Mall” and decided to pop in a take a peek.   If the store fronts are adorable. And they are the perfect indication of what you’ll be finding inside… charming finds for every part of your life. I knew I was in for some fun. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. I just can’t wait to go back on my own so I can stroll through without a little one hurrying me.             

Garage Sale-ing 

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Thats right, it’s a verb. I had the pleasure of hitting up about a dozen garage sales this weekend with Katie from Nerdy Girl Writes. We met bright and early, coffee in hand and headed out into garage saler’s paradise.


 We filled our first carload before 9am. And my car is pretty roomy.

Katie scored an entire vintage patio furniture set and a solid teak adirondack chair and ottoman for less than $50. She also scored a ouija board fkr the purpose of framing as graphic art. I’m kind of jealous. I’m sure she’ll be posting all about it but I have to admit I was impressed. That girl can negotiate!

We made a few trips back to my garage, her car and her garage as well as swinging by and borrowing a car for more cargo space. Between the 2 of us we filled 5 car loads. But the patio furniture was easily 3 loads alone.

Here are my spoils.


I’m so pumped about the icecream parlor chair I scored. The pillows are outdoor fabric so they well be going on out deck. Liv will love the magnetic chalk board and the wicker trunk as soon as they each get a coat of paint. The smaller wicker box is actually a file box. 1 was relieved to find this because I have out plastic one and haven’t found a cabinet or anything I like for the same purpose. I’m also excited about the jig saw. Every DIY girl’s dream. Haha! Everything else will likely be redone and sold on my Facebook page or etsy shop.

I’m not morning person but I will say that this was a Saturday morning (and like $65) well spent.

Maple Dresser in Chalk Paint

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I recently finished this dresser. It was given to me by someone who knew I could give it a new life and a new home. After quite a bit of elbow grease and lovin’ this thing has a whole new attitude!  And it is for sale! 

Chalk paint in Benjamin Moore Waterfall, distressed and washed in custom mixed Minwax dark stains. Sealed in satin polycrylic (not wax). Solid maple dresser with PLENTY of details and even dovetail joints! I’ve chosen to keep the original brass hardware and repainted it in oil rubbed bronze. Measures 44″ wide, 35″ tall, 20″ deep with drawers at 5.5″ vertical depth Shallow drawers- may be best as a child’s dresser, accent piece, bedside table or even a bar or tv stand! $350 in Cincinnati area! Hurry, price goes up when I list it in my etsy shop at the end of the month! Email hildagotrocks@gmail.com or message me on Hilda’s Facebook page!

             

I Love Lamp

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I don’t know how, but I completely spaced on posting an update on my funky $5 lamp that I brought home from a trip to Bluebird Market ages ago. You can see all about my trip and my haul in my post “A Little Birdie Told Me”.

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I fell in love with this lamp’s unique shape and unusual size. The detail is a funny aged faux wood grain effect. Um, or that’s just the best way I can describe it.

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For a couple of months it sat on an end table in my living room and remained what I dubbed “Scooby Doo” green. Yikes! I grabbed a can of gold pray paint at the hardware store for my ridiculous high heel shoe bookends when I realized that this lamp is just begging for some gold paint. I primed it and painted it right along side the bookends… one can was more than enough for both. Quick pointers for painting a lamp: Use painter’s tape and a plastic bag to cover/seal off the light socket portion and cover the power cord too.

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I had originally planned to use the over-sized shade that it came with. I even when through the trouble of repairing the seam of the shade. In the end, practicality won out and I got a more petite (10″) cream drum shade from Target. The original shade was made of a thick woven fabric and didn’t let off as much light. The cream shade is more modern and is thinner and therefore brighter when lit. I feel like this lamp has a glam art-deco thing going for it now. A coat of paint can transform anything.

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O wanted in on the fun. Note her cow girl pajamas. This kid is obsessed with horses, ponies, cowboy boots and even asked Santa for a pony.

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Ninety Nine Pennies Well Spent

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A while back I found this small dresser at a thrift shop for 99 cents. It was marked down from $10. To be honest, I didn’t believe the price tag at first.  I took the tag off the dresser and took it to an employee to make sure I was seeing it right. I was assured it was 99 cents.

I saw the water damage on the top (see below) and I’m pretty sure it was marked down because nobody wanted to deal with it. But still, it was a solid wood piece with dovetail joints and sturdy construction. I couldn’t pass it up!

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So what? I’m not afraid. I sanded the dresser down and started planning what I’d do with it. Hubby needs a nightstand. He’s currently using a small night stand that went with his bachelor dresser that I transformed for O’s room. It does the job but is a bit small and disproportionate to our new, much taller bed. I noticed that the shape of the drawer details mimicked the design on my curbside rescue dresser. Perhaps they could coordinate in our master bedroom?

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Usually I am anxious to change hardware on pieces like this but I thought the current hardware was unique and interesting so I opted to keep it. Along the way I updated the drawer handles with a coat of bronze spray paint.

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After a coat of Kilz water based primer I started on the base coat. I didn’t doctor up the water damage… I was a little impatient and had no clue what to do to make that mess disappear. I hoped a few heavy coats of paint would camouflage it enough for it to be forgotten. Remember, I was looking to make this dresser coordinate with the larger one I had refinished for the master so I chose the same paint combination. Behr Ashes and high gloss withe trim paint for the details and top. Here is a look at in progress.

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The drawers also got a coat of primer and 2 coats of the gray. I freehanded white detail around the ridges and in some archectual grooves on the chest.

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I should add that all these coats of paint happened over a couple of weeks. You know, when I had time and energy to spare.

The breakdown:

99 cents and a good eye at St. Vincent dePaul

2 pennies found inside when dismantling for paint prep

I already owned primer, paint and supplies

So the total comes to 97 cents. Kids, you can’t even buy a Frosty for that these days.

I’m happy with finished product and I think Hubby is too. It has a much more fresh vibe and doesn’t seem so dark and heavy. Dare I say it might have a little bit of a retro revival feel?

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After a little closet spring cleaning and some accessorizing I will be sure to reveal a final shot of this little dude in his new home.