getting back into the groove

My husband had actually finished the vintage sewing cabinet (above)

before my accident.

Today he went out to the garage and worked to repair the sides

of this vanity that we found at a Goodwill Store.

He's stripping one of the drawers to see what it might look like to have the top and drawers "natural"

and the rest painted white and distressed.

I ♥ the maple leaf in the center, don't you?

 Yes, indeed!  This will work.

making do

Some times, you just figure out how to "make do"!

When the glass on the top of this wrought-iron stand got shattered,

I decided to bolt a silver-plate tray to its top.

It will rust, I suppose.

But meanwhile, it serves a purpose.

As they say,

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

How have YOU been making do lately?

color burst

 Nothing more "thrifty" than a can of paint!

I'd bought a pint matched to a piece of furniture I needed to touch up.

Enough remained to paint the shelf my husband cut to add to the bookcase (above).

Now it holds all the children's Golden Books
I've purchased at garage sales and thrift stores.

This is one of the first places our grandchildren head when they come to visit!

I'm not so proud of  this photo of our old radio/phonograph unit, 

but I wanted to show the board my husband painted with the same paint
to fill in the gap at the back.

Some time ago, we "gutted" it,  Now it serves to hold our small boom box
(in the slide-out drawer)

and some magazines and a basket of ribbon below.

I'm enjoying this most recent Color Burst!

parting is such sweet sorrow

In the past, my fascination with tables and chairs has known no bounds!  I redeemed many a stray from their thrift store existences.  This table is a prime example. For at least a year now, it found a temporary home in the garage/workshop where it experienced a bit of abuse as smaller items were placed on it to be repaired.  Finally, desperate to clear the space, its marred (and veneer) top was painted.  Hopefully it will find its way to a new home via Craig's List or an early spring garage sale.

These two chairs will be offered as its companions.  Lovely as they are, I have drawn the line with the thirty-five (or more) chairs I already have in our seven rooms.  I can't imagine changing any of them out with these two.  My loyalty level is too high. 

The thought of parting with them is painful.  Maybe painful enough that I won't be redeeming any more chairs or tables in the immediate future.  (Thanks to my wonder-worker husband for his careful and excellent repair and refurbishing of my "finds".)

well-heeled

I realized I DO have a fashion post in me....sort of.  One of my favorite fashion blogs is Vintage Vixen.  This gorgeous lady is creative, daring, frugal, innovative, and (most importantly) kind.  She has an eye for vintage clothes and accessories.  In yesterday's post she explained that she buys at low enough prices that she is able to sell her clothes on ebay.  She also said about every two weeks, she spends a day repairing zippers, hems, and tears etc.

Today's
silhouette

When I read that she pays her local cobbler 2.50 pounds to reheel shoes, I was a little jealous.  (But then, I'm not sure how British pounds and American dollars actually compare.)

Remember my $.30 brown shoes?  After two wearings, I realized one of the heels was gone.  So it was off to the shoe repair shop.  It's been awhile since I've had a pair of shoes in the shop.  At the price I buy my shoes, it sometimes makes more sense to get rid of them and buy another pair for $1-3.

I really liked the comfort of these particular shoes, and considering my meager investment in them,  I reluctantly paid the $9 plus tax price to have them reheeled.  My husband picked them up Tuesday.

What's the price for reheeling in YOUR town?

was this rash of us?

 

Only "HOME FASHION" today as my face still bears traces of the rash I've been dealing with the past week.  It DOESN'T look quite as bad as the rust rash found on this metal cabinet we purchased at an estate sale yesterday for $2.50.

My husband will be working his magic on this and a few other pieces we've found lately.  

If interested, you can see them here.

rustic treasures

 free

 free

 free (and empty)

 free

little white stand - $.75

 and the prize of the day - $1.00

While thumbing through Mary Jane's Farm magazine later -- behold!!
(Can you see the similarity???)

My husband now has an August project.
Click on the link to seen more angles of the rustic stand. (I'm thinking coffee table???)

Gifts and Thrifts

Ready for a walk, gardening task (deadheading black-eyed Susans), and Saturday surprises....

Gifted red capris

Thrifted top with tiny red roses

Resized belt from my closet

(See Scene in our Garden for the latest post.)

Vintage Dress-- Abby Kent, New York

Thrifted vintage dress
Navy blue, Abby Kent, New York

The details on this dress are amazing. The cap sleeves have a cut away dart in them; the original buttons and belt and pockets give it style. The dress is well sewn and the fabric soft. I recently replaced a hook (eye still there) at the waistline. I wore it on a hot Sunday morning a few weeks ago and will wear it again with a jacket in cooler weather.