next...

I couldn't wait for the second coat of paint

to show your our current project!

The pedestal had sat in our garage for a LONG time.

(Found curbside, as I recall.)

Last week as we drove to a house walk in West Central Neighborhood of Fort Wayne,

I noticed a round table top sitting at someone's trash can.

I told my husband to back up and check it out.

It fits.

And the paint is a quart of blue we'd picked out for the cupboard 

we just completed.  

We thought of using this color, but at the last minute 

I changed my mind.

I DO think it's perfect on this table,

don't you?

By the way, there were also 4 legs sitting by the round top.

I already have a plan for them!

ready-to-paint

 Just about ready for paint....

the chest above purchased for $5,

repaired/patched on the top left hand corner,

and fitted with some new legs.

This one, I have a plan and a place for in our home.

The desk below was found on a trash pile

covered with maps glued over several - maybe 3 - coats of paint.

My husband rebuilt parts of this desk and added the two legs.

We'll try to sell it since our home is already overrun with desks.

There's always a market for sweet, small desks like this!

tweaking

Saturday, I tweaked!

The sun porch in the back of our house had become the unloading dock

for most everything all winter long.

While trying to get it straightened a bit, 

I came across both the print AND the empty frame (above).

My husband took the frame to the local hardware store and had a glass cut to fit in,

cut in insert to cover the back and applied a hanger.

I have JUST the place for it!

THEN...

he stitched the binding that had begun to detach from one of the rug's (below) back sides.

When surveying the finished product, 

I realized there were roosters in each corner and the middle!

How could I not have realized this?

Having noticed that, the logical place to put it was in front of the faux mantel

in our dining area where the five roosters join

more roosters, swan, geese and a few other miscellaneous fowl.

All items seen in these photos were garage sale or thrift store purchases

or -in the case of the mantel, for example - curbside treasures!

how we roll

Yep!  This is how we roll!

Especially when we stumble on one of those rare, curbside treasures!

Here yesterday; gone today.
We decided to sell is "as is" and dream about what might have been.

price-less

 Priceless!
That's right - no price.

 FREE!

Found curbside on what was apparently Big Trash Day

in a neighboring town.

If my husband had been in the car with me,

we would also have a chest of drawers.

Sigh.

TaDah

I just KNEW it was going to be gorgeous!

can you say "curbside"?

 I didn't let my Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes or the fact that it was missing a drawer
get in the way of loading this gem into the trunk of our car!

There is a mirror, too!  We won't put it back on this piece.

I have OTHER plans for it!

The entire piece will be painted.  

It will be quite the transformation.
(I can hardly wait!)

he's found his niche!

 He's definitely on a roll!

  Creating all of these tables from scraps of wood

and pieces of discarded furniture,

my husband has found a niche!

All three sold within hours of being listed on a few local

facebook garage sale pages!

He's already begun fashioning a fourth!

vanity, vanity

This one was found curbside.

My man stripped it of the varnish that remained.

It sat in the garage waiting a decision to sell "as is" or paint.

Today we sold - "as is".

Before it sold, it was turned down 

by someone who was looking for one for a client.

"Just too large," was the verdict.

I remembered I had THIS one (above) in our spare bedroom.

Its top was cluttered with "stuff".

Since we're downsizing, I asked the "someone" 

if she'd be interested in THIS one.

She was -- and plans to pick it up tomorrow.

I just remembered I have one MORE 

out in the spare-bedroom-back-yard-cabin.

I wonder how much longer I'll hold onto it?

(I can't remember the last time - or ANY time, for that matter - that I actually sat in front of a vanity.)

 How many vanities have you ever had in YOUR house at one time?!?

he did it (again)

 Above - as found curbside...
(It was actually worse than it looks here.)

 Above - stripped down & ready for finish...

Ta-Dah!

we call it HOME

 Yesterday  I had fun setting up the eating area of our kitchen

for a rather informal Salad & Dessert Luncheon.

 In order to accommodate an unknown number of guests,

I slanted the main table in the room and put a tablecloth over the dropleaf

(shown "naked" above after the fact).

 The room looked attractive to me, somehow...

so this morning while cleaning up, I snapped some photos.

 I realize that most people would probably not place three tables in such a small space,
but it's what has "happened" here.  And it feels quite homey to me.

 I'm also aware that furniture in its natural or stained wood state is not in vogue,

but except for our curbside-found mantel and a few picture frames, 

most everything we have retains its original wood tones.

As I look around, I mentally calculate how little money we've actually spent

in this room.  The furniture and accessories have mostly been free, thrifted or gifted--

and we call it HOME.

curbside

Who SAYS you don't find anything curbside these days????

(Oops.  That would be me.)

Well, yesterday, the tide turned and we found THIS enroute home from

a Memorial Day visit with our son and his family. 

new life for old

 Who says there aren't curbside treasures still waiting to be found?

 A repair to a crack across the top,

 the addition of some white pulls,

 and some home-made chalk paint, lightly distressed and waxed

gave new life to this sweet little half-round table. 
Oh!  It looks even BETTER inside!

 

found and finished

 ...found, discarded.

 ....finished (below)

First, my husband patched it a bit...

Then he covered it with  little primer mixed with paint to tint  and

finished by brushing with thinned-down white paint.

Then I took a crumbled rag and blotted it till I achieved the desired effect..

And yesterday, on the way to be with my parents,

we stopped in to one of my favorite thrift stores where I found THIS.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen another sewing cart/side table
quite like it!

inside out

Inside - enjoying the delicate beauty of these padded hangers.

At only  a quarter per bundle of three, I brought all three bundles home!

Meanwhile, outside...

we took advantage of the beautiful weather we've been enjoying 

to steady up and improve this free cabinet.

My husband will place it in the shed behind him

to organize our "stuff" a little better.

What fun it is to improve life "inside and out" with inexpensive "finds"...

patience, skill, industry

Thanks to my husband's patience, skill, and industry!
These qualities are essential to a lifestyle of thrift, I've found.
He's got all three.
I'm still working on a couple of them.

 Much better, too!

big trash day

 When rumors of Big Trash Day in a neighboring small town crossed our radar,

hubby and I headed out just as the sun was rising this morning.

Apparently we were a little late!

The garbage truck had already been through one section of town;

trash cans stood empty with their lids flapping behind them.

 

These two items were all we could scrounge up.

I'm not complaining.  I've already cleaned the four cushions which will

work just fine on a few chairs I have.

The vintage telephone desk will take a little more work.

Someone must have cut a hole in the top to use as a planter.

Since I don't "plant", I'll have to figure out a creative way to treat it.

Any ideas?

thrifty decorating 4 the 4th

Above - a thrift store find.  Small commemorative glass tray.

Below - a wooden folk art heart.

I really thought I was more careful to write down where I stored our 4th of July 

decorations when I put them away last year.  But I seem to have forgotten WHERE I wrote it down..

 So this will have to suffice--what you see is what you get!

The t-shirt I'm wearing today was purchased last year (or the year before)

after the 4th.  $1, if I remember correctly.

(I've tucked a few blue stripes into my jean skirt, so they're not so visible;
and a bit of the glitter has washed away from the stars, etc.
but you get the gist of it....)

I decided I could tuck this flag (thrift store or garage sale purchase)

into the wreath made of old bed springs.

These hang on free shutters found curbside.

Happy Fourth of July to you!

It couldn't get much thriftier here.

Getting creative with what's on hand.