Thrifty additions

Real life is seriously interfering with my creative/blogging life. This is the busiest and most exhausting fall I’ve had for a long, long time. I really, super really, want to carve out some time and energy to make some fun décor and clothing items to share with you, my blogland friends. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some recent thrifty additions to the roost.

My parents, knowing my love for all things nautical and paint-by-numbers, picked up with awesome piece at a thrift store this summer.

I gave the frame a few coats of white paint, and now it’s happily balancing the other side of the valance turned shelf.

I think this wall is complete, which means no more paint-by-numbers for me until we build our house.

I’ve been hunting for a globe for almost a year now, so when I found this one at a thrift store for five smackers, I had to bring it home.

I can’t believe how much the bookcases have changed in just a year!

I’m really digging the much improved new look!

Have you found any awesome thrifty treasures lately?

<3

Hattie

Fun at the flea

Over the weekend, I joined my parents and brother for a road trip to the Shenandoah Antiques Expo in Fishersville, VA.

We’d never attended this twice yearly flea market, so the sheer size of exhibit space stunned us. In addition to four buildings, over 100 booths were also set up outside. We quickly discovered that the “real” antiques with the real big price tags were located inside the buildings, while the fun and much more affordable “junk” was outside.

I seriously could have snapped photos in nearly every booth, but that would have cut into my treasure hunting. I did manage to capture a few cool items.

I love the shabby paint job on this chunky dresser. Although white paint will always be my first love, I’m really digging the washed out greens, blues, and greys that lend a beachy vibe.

OK, this porch swing needs a serious paint strip and a fun new stain or color, but how cool is it? I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I could instantly imagine myself curled up on the porch on a fall day with a mug of cider and a good book.

My mom is smiling because she snagged this awesome cabinet. I love everything about it from the blue/grey paint and bead board backing, to the wavy glass and porcelain knobs. The $300 price tag wasn’t shabby either! She’s going to use it to store linens outside her new bathroom.

I didn’t walk away empty handed either - shocker, I know!

The price tag calls it a sage fall gathering basket. I call it gorgeous! The dealer had it marked down from $22 to $5. The best part? In one of the buildings, a basket in a similar color and size was priced at $700! I don’t know if Martha Washington wove that basket or what, but it made me doubly pleased at my five buck treasure!

I also picked up some supplies for fun necklaces. I couldn’t resist a lucky number 7 key and pretty vintage beads.

Finally, I caved and bought more fall decorating supplies. The gourds were only a buck each, and the mini pumpkin was .50 cents, so I don't feel too bad.

I’ve already put the basket and gourds to work in the roost, so stay tuned for a simple fall arrangement, coming soon to a blog near you!

What’s the best deal you’ve ever scored at a flea market? I love a good bargain story!

<3
Hattie

Yard Sale Love

After a very long and insane last work week of school, I’m happy to announce that summer vacation and I are off to a great start – kicked off by some yard sale fun. Yes, I woke up early the first Saturday of my vacation to scope out some bargains – it’s all about priorities people! Be sure to visit Rhoda’s party to see all the goodies the other early risers found.


The first finds of the summer are actually compliments of my parents’ Friday thrifting adventures:

They knew I would love this folding church chair.

I love the lines of the back and the chippy white paint.

I am going to recover the seat and add thicker foam for more cushion. I think this will live in the craft room as my new sewing chair.

My parents also picked up this paint-by-number seascape to add to my collection.

All it needs is a little white paint on the frame and it will be ready to join the others.

My Saturday finds set me back a grand total of $2.00. My heart jumps with glee when I realize items are priced in the 5 to 10 cent range. Like these pretty fabric scraps,

And vintage hem tapes,

And glass spice bottles.

I bought ten of these and plan to remove the labels (a good coating of peanut butter or olive oil and a little bit of waiting should do the trick) and fill them with beads, glitter, buttons, and other fun crafty things.

All-in-all, it this weekend was a great way to get summer rolling. How do you kick off the season?

<3
Hattie

The flea and me

I fell in love with a magazine.

Last weekend I spotted a copy of the brand new Flea Market Style magazine at B&N. We spent a lovely twenty minutes together over a cup of tea. After reading good idea after good idea, I decided I needed to bring this magazine home with me. Once I realized it was priced at $9.95, my bargain loving heart paused. I reluctantly put the magazine back and decided to see if it was possible to subscribe instead. After a visit to the Flea Market Style blog, I learned that it is only available on newsstands, and sales of the first issue will determine if future issues are created.

I nearly cried. I had held B&N’s only copy in my hands and foolishly put it back on the rack. I was certain my frugalness had cost me the chance to own this awesome magazine.

Thankfully, this love story has a happy ending. During a Wal-Mart run, I decided to check the magazine section – just to see. They had at least five copies of the magazine, one of which I gleefully purchased. Side Note: it rang up a dollar cheaper than the cover price.

Although I have never spent anywhere near that much on a magazine, it was worth every penny. Flea Market Style is 140 pages long and has very, very few advertisements. Nearly every page has eye candy and fresh ideas. I’m keeping the whole thing, because if I cut out every idea I want to add to my inspiration book, I’d have to use scissors on everything but the back cover. I feel like a lot of magazines recycle ideas over and over, but flipping through this magazine is like receiving a jolt of inspiration. From drum shades made from funnels, to a crib spring repurpose you have to see to believe, every page had me saying, “Oooh! I want to do that!”

So, take it from a cheapskate, this is a magazine that is truly worth your money. I (selfishly) hope you all buy a copy, because I really want to see a second issue!

Note: this is an unsolicited and unpaid review from a happy fan

<3
Hattie

Goodwill Still Life

What a weekend! A trip to Goodwill yielded quite the treasure trove.

After seeing so many fun projects made from vintage sheet music, I was pretty excited to find my own music book. The candle stick and bowling pin are most likely destined for a coat of paint. I'll probably paint or stain the wood box. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but it was too cute leave behind. I never pass up vintage trimmings, so the pink rick rack will feel perfectly at home with the rest of my stash. I loved the tiny size of this canning jar, and I'm sure it will be a very sweet vase for some wild flowers this summer.

I’m completely smitten with this old picnic or sewing basket. It’s sure to make for some stylish storage around the roost. I’m torn as to whether I want to leave it as is or give it a shabby aqua paint job for a little beachy kick. What do you think?

On Saturday, I also salvaged these vintage items from my Granddad’s house. I’m going to use the band aid tin to copy a brushed nickel container I saw at Pottery Barn.

I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend as well! Did anything fun/exciting/thrifty happen in your neck of the woods?

<3
Hattie

Dollar Tree Treasures

I had to show y'all the treasures I found at our local dollar store!

First, I spotted these chic white pumpkins. I think they look they could have come right out of a Pottery Barn catalogue. I can't decide if I'm going to use them in the living room, kitchen, or hallway.

I thought this little floral pick would be perfect for adding some color to a fall wreath or arrangement.

I picked up a faux pumpkin, pear, and apple to try my hand at the spray paint mercury glass effect that's been all over blogland. I worked on that little project this afternoon. Let's just say, I need to work on my splatter painting skills. My efforts are drying as we speak, so I'll show you how it all turned out tomorrow.

Yay, for the dollar store!

<3

Hattie

Vintage Goodness

My mom picked up a vintage ABC book last weekend at a thrift store. Guess what occupation illustrates the letter "L"?

So, it's stereotyped and goes against just about everything I learned in Library School - but...


It's vintage, it's red, and it features a librarian. That's a triple word score in my book! I want to frame it, but I don't have a place for it right this second. I guess I'll just save the file until I have a library room in our dream house. In the mean time, I might print it out on transfer paper and put it on a tote bag or something cute like that.

I scanned two others that I thought might appeal to some of you.



I guess this last one applies to all of us bloggers, even though most of us aren't men!


Don't you just love those shelves and roaring fire? If y'all have any creative ideas for using these, do tell!

<3
Hattie

Junk Philosophy - Part 3

It's time for the final installment in my Junk Philosophy series. In Part 1 I talked about how to tell the good junk from the junky junk. Part 2 was all about where to go to hunt down the good junk. Part 3 is going to get down to the serious issue of how to get your newly made over junk to play nice with your other furnishings.
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As a degree carrying member of the English major club, I think analogies and metaphors are always the way to go when something is complicated to explain. So, lets think of your furnishings and decor (new and junk) as guests at a wedding. Obviously, you don't want your guests sitting just anywhere, or your sweet, conservative grandma might end up next your profane friend with a habit of telling questionable jokes. You love both of these people, but they just aren't right together.
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Let's look at some possible seating arrangements:


1. Put everyone with similar personalities together - All your Twilight loving friends and family will enjoy sitting together even if some of them have blue hair while others wear sensible heels. Edward Cullen is a great unifier.
As you can see, the furnishing in this room are not identical or even all that matchy matchy - but they have a vintage vibe in common that lets them get along together. If you follow a few guidelines (pale aqua and red always look great together, an interesting textural piece adds depth to any room, clean lined accessories combat a cluttered look) than you can easily create an inviting room just by combining pieces with a similar feel.


2. Sit all the truly quirky people together - You love your friends, but all of your guests might not appreciate a play-by-play account of Mr. Whisker's last trip to the vet, or having small tufts of fur transferred to their wedding attire, or admiring his picture in Aunt Edna's locket.
If you love something, but it's just a little too odd to work with the rest of your decor, gather a small collection of the items in a pretty container. I've seen this work beautifully with tomato pincushions, matchbooks, vintage hankies, etc. Disclaimer: I really do love cats, but we've all been stuck next to someone who is a little too obsessed with something.



3. Some people are ageless. Your Aunt Jane who loves fashion and tennis and facebook, does not want to be stuck listening to the details of Uncle Kevin's cataract operation. She'd be much happier discussing Banana Republic's fall line with your best friend Kellsie.
Some pieces are so classic that they will work together regardless of whether they are brand new or junk hole finds. The spool leg table and boxy sofa could have been manufactured last week or fifty years ago. It doesn't matter that the styles were originally created in different periods, because both have survived the tests of time and become decor staples.


4. You can mix your conservative and wacky friends, so long as they all know how to be genteel. As long as no one flaunts their summer trip to a commune or lifetime subscription to Rush Limbaugh's newsletter, everything will be fine.
The ultra modern ghost table works with this classic straight backed chair, even though they are incredibly different. This look is possible because both pieces show restraint with clean lines and basic colors. The fact that they are in proportion to one another seals the deal.


5. Keep things in the family. If you seat families together, they're bound to survive because they have to love each other anyway.
You can mix styles, go nuts with colors and textures, but your room will still look pulled together so long as all the wood pieces are from the same tree, or at least stained the same tone. The mirror, lamp, and frame are all the same wood tone, so the graphic rug and lime nightstand are free to be wacky.

6. If you have an odd seat left at a table, fill it with someone known for their tolerance and tact.

This is the white paint, like white lies, can cover a multitude of indiscretions principle. In other words, when in doubt, bring on the white paint. It's a great unifier and can bring elements together that would otherwise clash horribly.

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I hope y'all enjoyed my little junk series. I'd love to know all the juicy details of your own junk decor philosophies!

<3

Hattie

Thrifty Finds

I had a super fun time thrifting with my parents yesterday! I found several things I've been looking for for awhile and some other fun items as well. I thought y'all might want to see my junk haul. Thanks to Julia's thoughtful suggestion, I'm linking this post to Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures link party. Be sure to head over there to check out all the awesome finds!



Our first stop was Goodwill. For $3.54 I picked up:
1. A great dovetailed tray that I plan to paint
2. A frosted globe to cover our hallway light that has been naked since we moved in.
3. Small glass bowl that matches a large bowl I already have.
4. Vintage snowman ornament
5. Two red mini clothes pins ( I didn't really need these but they were tiny and red)
6. A few yellow wooden stars with numbers on them.


From the clothing area I found these goodies for $1.39
1. Plaid toddler shirt to cut up
2. Ann Taylor Loft flowered skirt (much too big for me, but I have plans for it!)
3. Birds of the states dishtowel. I have a few project ideas in mind for this.
4. Men's XL patterned shirt to cut up.
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I didn't find anything at our next two stops, but I hit pay dirt at The Good Samaritan Thrift.


I've been looking for several months for the perfect vintage suitcase at the perfect price. At $4.99 this leather number fits the bill! I'm so excited about where I plan to use this in the roost. I'll post pictures as soon as it's all put together.
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Did anybody else find anything exciting this weekend?

<3
Hattie

Junk Philosophy - Part 2

Hey y'all! I'm back with some more junk philosophy. In part one I told you all about my personal theories for picking the good junk from the bad. Today, I have some tips for where to go to find the good junk. While there are many places you can go to find junk, they usually fall into two categories:

1. Junk in the rough: This my favorite kind of junk, simply because the people selling or giving it away do not realize that their junk has potential. This misconception on their part translates into cheap prices or freebies for you the junk lover. The down side to this is that you may have to wade through lots of unworthy junk in order to find a true diamond in the rough.

2. Previously discovered junk: This is the sort of thing you find at flea markets and nice second hand shops. Someone has already done the dumpster diving and estate sale gleaning for you. The upside of this is loads of the good junk all in one place. The down side is that the seller already knows the junk has great DIY potential and has priced accordingly.
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Let's take a closer look at possible junk finding places in both categories:

1. The side of the road/some one's basement/attic/barn.


shabby telephone table previously known as "barn junk"

When it comes to prices, we're all pretty happy with free. Great free junk is often waiting to be found on the side of the road the night before trash pick up. It has also been found when family and friends need help cleaning out their attic/barn/basement. Sometimes it lingers at the end of a yard/moving sale when people really don't want to lug their junk somewhere else to get rid of it. Free junk has even been known to appear on Craig's List. The lesson here: keep your eyes open!
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2. Junk Shops

Vintage paint-by-number coastal scene previously known as "junk shop that may collapse at any moment junk."

There are a lot of fancy vintage/shabby/french country shops out there masquerading as junk shops. I am not talking about those. In a true junk shop, stuff is piled everywhere in layers of dust, rust, and possible health hazards. The building is probably not up to code. You may find a hobnail vase full of dead insects next to a rusty saw blade, behind a classic parsons table. You will emerge from the shop covered in a layer of grime, but you will have gotten a bargain. Take the back roads during trips, or get lost in a remote corner of your state and you may just run into one of these hidden treasure troves.

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3. Yard and estate Sales.

These are a bit tricky. It's easy to spend a Saturday running all over town and find only baby clothes, particle board furniture, and over priced "antiques." It's impossible to predict what you'll discover, but there are a few ways you can increase your chances of striking junk gold. Find out where the old people live. New neighborhoods usually have new stuff and young families, which is great if you're looking for some things, but not that helpful if you're looking for sturdy old furniture. Figuring out where the older neighborhoods are can help you find sales that are more likely to yield the good stuff. Church sales sponsored by congregations with a large number of older members can also be great places to look.

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4. Goodwill/other Charity stores

Fresh kitchen table and chairs previously know as "Goodwill junk"

Not all Goodwills are created equal. Some have a surplus of clothing and newish household goods, while others have a ton of great old furniture and china. In general, I've found that the stores on the older sides of town have better stuff.

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5. Other thrift and second hand stores.

Vintage typewriter table previously known as "Family Thrift Store junk"

There are lots of non charity thrift stores out there. You can find these in the phone book or by googling your city and thrift. They vary in quality, so it's worth figuring out where the good ones are.

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6. Flea Markets/The Big Flea

As you may know, there are flea markets and there are Flea Markets. You are not looking for the tube sock/boot leg video/hemp blanket kind of flea market. You are hoping to find the piles of glassware/heaps of vintage linens/stacks of botanical prints kind of Flea Market. You can find the good kind through our friend Google. Many cities have reoccurring Flea Markets in conjunction with farmer's markets or at the fair grounds or expo center. It is a good idea to go into one of these places with an idea of how much you are willing to pay for something. Prices will probably be jacked up a bit (or a lot) but most dealers are willing and expecting to bargain. I was taught to politely ask, "Is this the best you can do?" or "Would you be willing to take $?" If you find the right kind of Flea Market, almost everything will be good junk, and though the prices may be higher than elsewhere, everything is still loads cheaper than new furniture prices.

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7. Junktique shops

Coffee table previously known as "Class and Trash junk"

Junktique shops fall somewhere in the middle of true junk shops and those vintage/shabby/french country fake junk shops. Almost everything in the store will be good junk, but things still might be a bit jumbled. You can often haggle some over prices, and if you're looking out for something in particular, the owners are usually willing to take your information and contact you when they find something they think you'll like. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between these shops and their high priced cousins. If the area is pretty swanky and the rent is likely to be high, then the shop is probably not going to offer up any bargains. If the shop is in a outlying or more run down area, the rent is likely to be lower, and the prices much better.

I'm sure I missed something, so be sure to comment if you think of other tips. I hope all of you are ready to go out tomorrow and find some awesome junk!

<3

Hattie