Slightly less sophisticated

Today we go from Candice Olson to the thrift store. Um, slightly less sophisticated.

I had a ball (really!) piling up the kids in the ol' mini van and making the trek to a few favorite thrift stores. On the way there I told my two boys if they were good (no screaming, no running, no fighting) then we could go to McDonalds. Worked like a charm--for once! ha!

I ended up spending $60 on this craptastic-ness.

What did I get? Two upper cabinets ($30 for the brown one and $15 for the white one).

A couple baskets ($2 each) and a frame ($4).

A pretty little vintage rose painting ($2), a heavily tarnished silver dish ($2), and that white strip that isn't photographing well is vintage wallpaper (thrown in for free when I bought the cabinets!).

Here's a better view of the wallpaper. The outside is heavily battered, but unroll it a bit and it looks great.

I think it's quite modern. I actually really like it! I won't be wallpapering with it, instead I'll use it to line cabinets.

I bought the baskets at a separate store than the cabinets, but was happy to discover they fit! WOO HOO

Going to try to polish this dish. I thought it'd be a perfect spot to rest jewelry. Maybe even a soap dish? If it doesn't polish well I'll spray paint it.

So what do you think? Trash or treasure!?

PS. good thoughts to all dealing with the aftermath of the tornadoes. Be well.

Antique Outing

Are you having a happy holiday? We're heading over the hill and through the woods to grandmother's house. My two grandmothers are still living--at 88 and 89 years old! Now that's something to be thankful for. So while I'm stuffing myself silly, enjoy some pictures from a recent shopping trip.

It's a potentially dangerous situation, but I have an antique mall within walking distance of my house. I try to limit my trips there for obvious reasons. But I hadn't been there in awhile, so one Saturday on the way to get groceries I stopped... just to... see. Yeah that's it.

I wasn't disappointed. Lots of lovely things, and some bargains too!

I talked about these Asian dolls yesterday. So pretty.

Loved this coat rack for $11! (hmmm, do I have a spot for this?) I am so in love with this pear green-ish color.

Simple, but lovely mantle.

I think this toy soldier was meant for Christmas decoration, but he'd be SUPER cute in a boy's room too. So hard to find cute boys stuff. I think he was on sale for $21!

One thing I didn't take a picture of... four cute children's folding chairs. I went back the next day and bought them. I put two in the boys room. I'll show you soon. $12 each.

Of course it wasn't all inexpensive. LOVE this vignette. Especially the mirror.

A bit out of my price range though. OUCH.

Do you have a favorite place for unique finds?

Dressing up the Dresser

I went on an antique outing the other day just for fun. Sometimes I'm guilty of thinking you can't get many good deals there, but that was definitely not the case!

Soon after walking in I stopped dead in my tracks. A Korean doll. Worn, but still beautiful. Wearing a hanbok (traditional Korean dress, worn on special occasions). I don't know that much about traditional Asian dress, and the differences between cultures, but in this case the striped sleeves were a dead giveaway (not that all hanboks have striped sleeves).



Just $12. Mine.

OK. Delaney's. I knew she'd look outrageously gorgeous in Delaney's room.

She had some lovely companions too, although I don't know their origins.





Even a little baby being watched over by Santa! ha!

I also found these baskets.

Already pink for $8.95!? Mine.

I mean Delaney's.

I thought it'd be perfect for hair pretties.

Look how pretty the doll looks in her new home, atop Delaney's dresser.

Turning out to be a perfect room for a Korean princess.

Does that green frame look familiar?

I bought it on my Thrifty Outing for 99¢. More on what I did to it later.

And how about those paintings above the dresser? I love how they turned out.

Here's a before.

Just one thing I'd like to do yet. The jewelry box looks like a big white blob with all the pretty patterns. So that will just have to change.

Do you have a pretty girl's room to share?

Linking to some of these parties.

Thrifty Outing

My mom offered to take Zack last Friday for a special "Zack-Grandma Day". It was strange only having one child that day! I decided to take advantage of it and do a little thrift shopping.

I love thrift stores. Go in with an open mind and you never know what you're going to get. Here is my stash from Friday (bought at Goodwill and Salvation Army).

1. An old picture. I actually didn't even care about the picture. I just needed the glass because I broke the glass in another picture I have here at home. The frame is kind of interesting though, so maybe I'll use it somewhere. Or maybe not. $4.99.

2. A hat for Zack. $3.99

3. Two melamine Mickey Mouse plates for the boys. 49¢ each.

4. Snow suit for Delaney. Warm, cute. Looks brand new! Could you just die?! CUTE! $4.99 SERIOUSLY.

5. Rice cooker. I have been thinking about getting a rice cooker for months. I didn't know if I'd like it or use it enough. For $4.99 I figured I can find out.

6. This was my "splurge". I had a project in mind when I bought these. I wanted some small square frames, and here these two sets were! I like that they have mattes too. $7.99 for each set of three. I think I might have overspent. I could probably get small frames for around $2 retail. I haven't looked though, so maybe not. Oh well.

7. Picture frame. $1.99, uh, scratch that. Looking at my receipt it must have been 50% off. 99¢.

8. Rattan charger. I went back and forth to whether I would use this. I think I have the right spot for it. $2.99

9. Wooden spoons. I actually use them in my kitchen. Only 49¢ for the set!

What do you think? Did I find treasure, or is it junk?

Stay tuned because I'll show you how the decorative items were used as I finish their respective projects.