Sunday Thrift Store goodies

My thrift store finds of the day; a metal wall art $4.99 (still had the price tag from homegoods of $19.99)



Now after a little bronze spray paint:

and a plain white lamp, $2.99


Getting ready to paint, I wanted the hardware to remain white.



Also after a little bronze spray paint, and a lamp shade ($13.97 from wal-mart)



Here is without the light on, no glare.

Now all together:


Pretty happy with my sunday thrift store finds. A nice way to help vamp up the Living room for less than $20. Later this week I will show you a nice before and after.

Another ABC frame

After making the first one, I had a request to make another for a friend. I love the way it turned out and after using Michael's coupons the total cost was $5.22 (minus the spray paint- I had it from a previous project) Not bad for a custom coordinating frame. I am super excited to give this to her.

And here is a close up.

What do you think?!

Hardwood floors under there!!!!

I am so thrilled to find emaculate hardwood floors under our carpet in our Living Room. After the tile in our kitchen we plan on ripping out the carpet and finishing the floors.

Take a look at what I found.

And this is what was underneath the carpet in the hallway. I am hoping that some way there is hardwood underneath that laminate. But probably not.

Once the work gets underway I will update with more pictures and progress.

ABC Nursery Decor

Thought this was the cutest idea for any nursery, just tweaking the colors for gender or nursery decor variance.

I started out with a blank frame from Michael's for $3.99 (I believe), some spray paint from a previous project and some Alphabet letters also from Michael's $2.99. Shown below

After a little textured ivory spray paint...

Then I just placed the Alphabet stickers on the painted frame as shown below...

I then thought it would be more fun the adjust the letters around as shown...

I plan on making different ones with different color schemes for some friends.

Decorative Hemp Balls

I love the look of the decorative balls in either a bowl or basket as a focal point, just not willing to pay $14.99 for 3 at Target or as high as $9.99 a piece at Pier One. So why not make my own!?

The look:

So I started with a roll of twine/hemp from the dollar store, and then bought some styrofoam balls at Michaels for $3.99 for 6 balls.

Then I just started wrapping the Twine around each styrofoam ball, Try to wrap randomly to avoid criss-cross patterns

And tied the ends together and I now have my own decorative hemp balls for a fraction of the price. I did buy 2 different colors for variation. Now I have to find a bowl or decorative piece to put them in.

Next up will be different types of decorative balls. We'll see what I come up with.

Candle Slipcovers

Turn glass candleholders into stylish accessories by dressing them in decorative fabric. Coat natural-fiber fabric scraps, such as cotton or linen, with spray starch, and iron them. Once the fabric is stiff, cut out a rectangle big enough to wrap around a candleholder, allowing a slight overlap where the ends meet. Wrap around the holder, and join fabric ends with a piece of double-sided tape.

Thanks Martha (Stewart) for the great idea, a nice and easy way to change with the seasons or everyday decor.

Bejewled Lamp

Bejewled lamp made from Christmas Ornaments

If your like me you change your Christmas decor often and don't know what to do with last year's ornaments, how about an Elegant Lamp.

A simple drum shade and round acrylic base, both available from a lamp shop, round out this beautiful stack of ornaments. Each ornament was lightly sanded, brushed with walnut stain, blotted while wet, and sealed with water-base polyurethane.

Two 4-1/2-inch silver-color plastic ornaments
Two 2-3/4-inch golden plastic ornaments
One 2-1/4-inch golden plastic ornament
19-inch-long 1/8-inch IPS threaded pipe
100-grit sandpaper
Water-base wood stain (we used Minwax in American Walnut)
Paintbrush
Water-base polyurethane
Purchased 6-inch-diameter clear acrylic lamp base
Three knurled nuts
Lock washer and nut
Bushing
1/2-inch-long coupling
8-inch harp and harp retainer
10-inch-tall barrel lampshade with a top diameter of 11 inches and a bottom diameter of 12 inches
Brushed metal finial

Instructions:Cut holes in ornaments to accommodate the pipe. Sand the ornaments in a circular motion. Brush stain onto the silver ornaments and blot off; let dry. Seal all ornaments with two coats of polyurethane, letting them dry after each coat.

Secure the lamp base to the bottom of the pipe with a knurled nut above it and a lock washer and nut below. Fit bushing onto bottom of the pipe to protect the cord from fraying. Thread ornaments onto pipe. At the top, add coupling, secure the harp retainer with a knurled nut on each side, and wire and attach the socket. Add the harp, bulb, shade, and finial. Our finished lamp measures 30 inches tall.