Thrifty Monday

Well, I didn't make it to the yard sales this week! My partner in crime is under the weather! (Hi Mom - Love You!) So, I thought I would show my fireplace. It's chocked full of thrifty treasures!



I have kind of a nature/bird theme going in my family room. The tile, brick and paneling were all recently re-done when we moved in. They were well thought out and look really good together. Unfortunately, they have a bit of a pinkish tone. That's not exactly what I would have chosen for my Autumn color scheme. I decided to go for it anyway and I think it still works.

Here's the rundown of what I have on my fireplace starting on the mantel going from left to right:


Oops...left a couple of candles on the mantel, didn't mean to do that! The topiary has a match on the other end. I got one of them at Michael's with a coupon and the other I found at a yard sale shortly after! Bird house art from Hobby Lobby - when they had one of their framed art 50% off sales! The green pineapple candle holder was from a yard sale. I love the yellow bird candle holder! I got that at a thrift store for $6. I thought it looked good with the pineapple 'cuz they are the same kind of metal.


Okay, so confession time...see the little metal sign that says FAMILY? Well, it's hanging on a big fat nail that I can not take out! I didn't want to do a traditional centered piece of art, so I just had to find something to hang there. That's what I came up with for now. Got the FAMILY metal sign at Hobby Lobby when metal stuff was half off. I love the mini topiary and white iron bird! Those are from the thrift store, paid a couple of bucks for each of them. The LIVE-LAUGH-LOVE is from Kirkland's. I bought it with a gift certificate I got as a house-warming gift. They still sell a similar sign with those words, but they changed the design a bit right after that. I like this one best.


So I really like things made of wire, like little chairs, birdcages, baskets...I've had these a long time and I don't remember where I got them or how much I paid. The lamp was a gift from my mother-in-law, she couldn't use it anymore. The metal square art is from Hobby Lobby (50% off) and the "C" was a gift.

That is a one-of-a-kind original watercolor painted by my Mom! It's one of my favorite things and it is in a place of honor so I can look at it every day! Thanks Mom!
More little chairs, bucket was a gift. I just stuck some fake Hobby Lobby grass and berries in it. Those are extra pillows from our sofas.


So, that's a peak at my family room! I wanted to do it now, because I've started decorating for fall. It's all different now!

I'm joining Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality! Let's head on over and check out all the treasures and transformations!

Thrifty Monday & Transformed Tuesday!

Hey everybody! My little project is just some cheap melamine doors my stepdad found in the dumpster! They look like they were from a kid size cabinet. He thought I might be able to do something with them. I had these cork squares that I got from a yard sale for 25 cents. The doors were already white and I thought I would just stick the cork inside the frame on the front of the door. I used some ribbon to hang them by the doorknobs. Easy peasy!


I just covered the seams with how I put the stuff on the cork board. Now I have a place to put my inspiration photos near where I sit to do my blogging - which is at one end of our sunroom.

Here's some more bargains from my home office area:


I love the framed art from Kirkland's that I got at a yard sale for $2!!! It still had the $69 price tag on the back!!! Birdhouse on a stand and metal bucket are both from yard sales, too! The cloth napkin is another bargain from Pier 1!

I'm joining my favorite Mr. Linky parties:
Met Monday - Between Naps on the Porch
Today's Thrifty Treasures - Southern Hospitality
and Trash to Treasure Tuesday - Reinvented!

I love seeing what everyone has come up with this week! Please head on over and check them all out!

Thrifty Monday and Met Monday

One day my hubby and I happened into Furniture Row just looking around. I noticed this sweet thing in the clearance section! I got so excited! Then I noticed one of the doors was just leaning against it. I proceeded to ignore that, because it got in the way of my excitement over this bargain in front of me! They had a price tag of $89 on it! Woohoo! I really wanted it and I had no idea where I would put it. Hubby didn't think I was serious and wasn't sure it would fit in our Honda CRV...I let him talk me into leaving with out it.

But, after we got home and he left to run another errand I figured out EXACTLY where I would put it! So I called him and talked him into running up there at 10 minutes before closing! He's such a sweet guy!

Long story short - he soon found out why that door was leaning against it and not installed. It seems there was a problem with the way it was made and it is missing one row of grooves. So, the door can never be installed. I thought about it for about 10 seconds and I said - let's get it anyway!

After getting it in place and all accessorized I decided you really don't notice it. It kinda looks like it was made that way!

I even found a place to use that missing door...

I stuck it on the side table in my dining room! Maybe someday I will get over to Hobby Lobby and have them cut me some cute mats and stick some photos in the window panes! The table is also full of yard sale finds and bargain roosters! I will post more about them for the Rooster Party on August 28th over at Bella Vista.


There are plenty of thrifty treasures on the black bookcase, too...

From the top:

• Little wire basket that I put my coasters in: $2 at antique mall
• Candle dish under brown candle: 25 cents at yard sale
  
• Green placemat and beige placemat: $1.50 at Pier One on clearance
• Bird on a stick: $1 at yard sale
• Cute vintage picture frame holding my precious Penny: 25 cents at yard sale
• Cloth napkin under photo: $1.50 at Pier One on clearance
  

More bargains from the dining room:

• Black metal shelf and letter "C": Hobby Lobby on 1/2 off
• White metal basket on the wall: 25 cents at yard sale
• Green berries: 25 cents at yard sale
• Chicken: $1 at antique mall
• Red vases: Hobby Lobby 66% off sale
• Leafy little framed art: $1 at yard sale

Thanks for looking! Please check out what everyone else is showing over at Between Naps on the Porch and Southern Hospitality!

Transformed Table

This is my favorite day in Blogland! I love to see the transformations! It is just amazing how a can of paint and some imagination can work miracles!

This is one of my favorite bargains/transformation stories. I got this little home-made table and the 2 Pier One chairs from a sweet little lady for a grand total of $50! She had them in storage, packed in with a ton of other things that she needed to get rid of.

Sorry I don't have a before shot of the table, but it was stained a medium brown. It was definitely needing some love! She had decoupaged some ducks on the top - remember the ducks in the rain holding umbrellas thing? I loved the chairs just as they were - I couldn't believe it when I got them home and turned them over - Pier 1! They are very well-made - no wobbling!


All I did was sand it a little. Then I painted it blue - I think it was just some craft paint that I had. Next I just dry-brushed some white over it. Then a little more sanding on the edges...


I could have/should have put some sort of protective coat over it when I was done. I didn't want it to come out shiny, so I just didn't do anything. It has held up really well and I thought it wouldn't matter too much if it gets a little more wear and tear on it.



It doesn't "live" outside! I have it in our breakfast room/mud room area. I just couldn't get a decent photo in there, so I asked my "men" (hubby and son) to move it outside for me!

Please check out other DIY projects over at A SOFT PLACE TO LAND and THE SHABBY CHIC COTTAGE...

Beachy Bargains

I posted about my Master Bathroom Re-Do here. I had too many photos on that post and I didn't want to overwhelm everyone! I wanted to share my bargain accessories, too!
In the photo above:
Blue Wooden Tray - TJ Maxx ($3 or so)
Wicker Basket - Yard Sale 25 cents
Blue Fish on a stick - Hobby Lobby (Clearance 66% off!)
Candles - Hobby Lobby (got them when candles were on sale)
Floral thingy in the background - Michael's (cheap!)


The best part about this collection is the 2 shelves that I got at a Yard sale for Six bucks for both! I priced these at Target and they would cost around $50 in a store! Woohoo!
The framed art was from Bed Bath & Beyond and I waited until it was 40% off! The 2 small canvases are Hobby Lobby - also 40% off. I grabbed some sea shells while I was there. The Star fish are from Michaels - cheap!

The aluminum LOVE sculpture is an original by the artist Robert Indiana. I bought this years ago at a store in Dallas called Millenium. It is the real deal and I love it. I would never part with it, although I have checked it out on ebay and I could get a nice chunk of change for it!

MORE BEACHY BARGAINS FROM MY BEDROOM:



Chair and ottoman from Kirklands. I wanted this look when I first saw it in the Pottery Barn catalog! But, I couldn't afford their prices, so I was so happy when I saw it at Kirkland's! And even happier when I went to the store and saw that it had been discontinued! They were selling the last chair off the floor (the ottoman was new in the box). I even got him to lower the price because it was a floor model. I can't remember the exact price (it was last year) but both pieces together were less than $100! That's not bad!



This is just some things I have on my dresser. The basket is a bargain I picked up at Hobby Lobby when they had a sale. The table runner is from a yard sale. Round wicker box is a 25cent yard sale find, as is the thing with the wooden planks in the background. The vase and the greenery is from Michaels, too (on sale of course!)





I loved these little beachy things on a stand when I first saw them at Hobby Lobby! I bought one with a coupon and then went back and got the other when they went on 66% off.



Lastly...not my most brilliant decorating move, but I got these frames for 50cents each at a yard sale. I didn't have anything to put in them, so I printed off some photos from the internet. I will change them out someday with something a little better.

That's the end of my Beachy Bargains tour!


EDITED TO ADD: I am participating in Trash to Treasure Tuesday over at Reinvented! Please go on over and check it out!

Saturday Yard Sale Finds

Joining the party over at Southern Hospitality! Everybody's talking about their yard sale finds from this weekend!

Another successful Saturday morning for Mom and I! We found 22 yard sale ads in the paper and made it to them all! We always start by looking in Friday's paper for the Saturday only sales. We don't like to waste our time on the sales that started on Friday. Mom highlights all the Saturday only ads and then she comes over and we start printing out maps. We print a page for each address, if we have several that are in the same area then we list them on the same paper. When we are done printing out all the maps then we plan our route! We start at 7:15 or so and go until around noon. We do have to stop and take a sausage biscuit break around 10 o'clock - you know, to keep our strength up!

I usually take around $20 in cash. This time I found some pretty cool things! I like to buy plates, candle holders, art, seasonal stuff, foliage and baskets! I also try to find something neat for the kids. I picked up a Star Wars Monopoly set for our son for $1. I got the cutest bowl and plate with colorful cats painted on them for $2.50. They already have a hanger on the back and I plan to hang them in my sunroom.

I also scored a glass Christmas cutting board for $2. I can just set it out on my kitchen counter out during the holidays in place of my current clear cutting board. I thought that was pretty neat. It is definitely something I wouldn't normally buy in a store.
I got these wire chicken shaped baskets filled with real eggs that I am going to use above my hutch. Not sure where that cute fat cat is going to go. I guess he is meant for the garden, but he is cute enough to live in the sunroom, too.
The fall mums are a matching pair. I will find a good use for them, maybe as a centerpiece on my dining room table.