Before & After Baby Room

Baby Bed: Craigslist $15

Dresser: Craigslist FREE

Window Panels: FREE from a Friend

Paint: $20

The $2.99 Chair

Just when you thought the $5 chair was the least expensive chair you could find- ha!  I picked up these three from the Goodwill outlet store in Berry Hill.  $2.99 per chair + .99 for spray paint, and you've got yourself a pretty cute breakfast area.

The $5 Chair

Remember high school chemistry class, the wooden swivel stools.  There must have been millions of them, because everyone knows what I'm talking about.  The real question is after seemingly hundreds of years of use (we probably used the same chairs our grandparents used).  Anyway, I found these fab finds on craigslist the other day for a mere $5- what a freaking steal.  Anything that has held up for that long, has got to be sturdy..not to mention a good story. 

Here are my little beauties, I wish I could have bought all 50 of them- oh well.

Oh Bookcase, Where Art Thou

I have been on the prowl for a new bookcase for our office for a while, and I have come up with nothing. Nothing that has the "feel" that I want or the size. Now, I know that this blog is suppose to be about buying things on the cheap, but I did want to point out one thing. It is important to mix in different pieces to your home decor, and by this I mean things that are new. If you continue to add flea market and thrift store furnishings, guess what, your home is going to start looking like a thrift store. Mix it up a bit, add new modern items (think a lamp, picture frame, etc.) with your thrift store decor, and they'll compliment each other.

So today, on my lunch break I'm trekking to Merridian Furniture in Nashville to peek at their bookcases. I LOVE their furniture, and their prices are reasonable, too.

BIG Wall, Tiny Budget

My sister recently moved into a new loft, and while the space is great, there is one huge wall that needed to be dealt with, and of course it needed to be done so on a budget. What's a girl to do...

I suggested that she hang records that run the whole length of the wall to draw your eye to the window at the end of the wall. We bought 50 records from the Goodwill Outlet store, and Velcro to hang them. The result was dramatic, and who doesn't love drama.
50 used Records- $10
1 roll of Velcro- $3

Life and all...

Just a quick update on what I've been doing, and why it looks like I've not been refinishing furniture. FEAR NOT! My husband and I have found out that we are expecting, and I'm due in January. Being that spray paint, and paint in general is not good for an expectant mother, I have not been painting lately, BUT I have my wonderful sister who has been doing my dirty work...and painting.

Here's what I've been working on, my sister moved to Nashville with basically a suitcase, and we have been diligently working on fixing up her new loft and getting a baby's room set up. You guessed it, it has all been done on a budget.

Color Pop

Sometimes an old piece of furniture may not need a total makeover. This chair was bought off of craigslist, in perfect condition. I liked the shape, the fabric, and the size, but something still wasn't right- it still looked...stuffy.

By painting the legs a bright yellow, all of a sudden the chair has a more modern feel. ($0.99 can of bright yellow spray paint).

Keep it simple.

This easy spring/ summer wreath cost less than $5. This wreath was on clearance (left over from Easter) and cost $1.97, I added a simple grosgrain ribbon ($2.38). I looped the ribbon through the wreath, and simply taped the ribbon to the top of the door.

Mid-Century Love on $20

I cannot tell you how long I've been looking for a fabulous vintage sofa. I had somewhat given up, and of course then, I found one...for $20. There she was sitting opposite a torn and tattered rust colored, sorry excuse for a sofa...and I fell in love. The size is perfect, proportions are perfect, fabric is in great shape, it doesn't smell, and as an added bonus...it's a sofa bed. This sofa could not be in more perfect condition. Now the big question, what to do with it....

Be one with nature.

I have recently gotten hooked on houseplants. I say "recently" because I have realized how to actually take care of plants...and not kill them. Houseplants are a great way to add life to a room. They are relatively inexpensive, and make a world of difference, kind of like a mirror. I will preface my next paragraph with, I AM NOT A GARDEN GURU, but here are some things that I have learned.

1. Water plants once a week. For small plants, put the entire plant in the kitchen sink. Water the plant until water seeps out of the drainage hole.
2. Fertilize your plants.
3. Re-pot plants that you buy from the store. (It took me a while to figure this one out)
4. You don't need to buy expensive pots. I buy terracotta pots, and age them. Here is a website that shows you different ways to age terracotta pots. I used the yogurt one, and it worked like a charm, add history to your pots here.

Its the small things that count...right?

I ran across the great article today, and I thought that it was so good, that I would share. Use as many, or as few as you like. Just in case you needed 101 more things to add to your "to do" list. Enjoy 101 easy home makeovers.

When is a floor pillow more than a floor pillow?

Again at Southeastern Salvage, I came across a pile of floor pillows. I am not one to have a stack of floor pillows, but with such great color and size, they have to have another use. I love the pillows, because they are relatively inexpensive, they are over-sized, and they have great shape. Why not get these off the floor and onto your bed, or sofa. What a great way to add a punch of color for the spring and summer.

From Brassy to Classy

I keep kicking myself for not buying all of these at the Goodwill store (they usually have a few, but they had a great selection last weekend). Anyway, this was probably the easiest "makeover" I've done in a while...taking all of about 2 minutes, excluding drying time. Are you ready for the big reveal...I spray painted this plate red...that's it.

Idiot-proof Centerpiece...or Wall Decor?

Keep it simple. My favorite centerpiece? A large bowl or plate filled with a single kind of fresh fruit. My favorites are lemons, green apples, or oranges- you know me, I like bright colors. The plate or bowl is just as important. I found these great plates at Southeastern Salvage, and for $5- what a steal!

TIP: Why not buy 3 or 5 of these large plates and hang them on a wall for a great low-cost focal point.

Art by the Pound?

Is it possible to buy cool art by the pound? I say yes. Check out this cool piece of artwork, about 30"x42", that I picked up from the Goodwill outlet on Saturday. I think it weighs 2 lbs. which would mean that I paid $1.18, because apparently art is considered "housewares". Don't you just love a good deal.

Tip: Buy art that inspires you or is a great conversation piece (like the donkey's stomach in this picture). Please, please, please only buy original pieces of art...pictures of art, framed to look like an original do not count.

Book Stacks Baby

Book stacks. I love 'em, you know why? They make a home look lived in, they ground objects that you would normally just stick on a shelf, they make you seem worldly, and they can add color. On my trip to Goodwill this weekend, I hit the mother-load. Vintage Reader's Digest books. I bought all of them that I could find. I looked long and hard in the big blue bins at the outlet store- all in the name of the coolest 1960's designs... and at about $0.59/lb., who can resist?

Tips: Although I love to read, when you're looking for decorator books, it's all about the cover. Remove the dust covers, and look for books that have good color, and look a little used.

Expensive Taste Meets Ramen Noodle Budget

I really like high quality fabric. I don't like paying for it. My solution? The clearance corner that's in every fabric store. You have to keep an open mind, and can't have anything too specific in mind, otherwise you narrow your options.
Today I walked into an expensive fabric store, in my jeans and "still in college" look, so no one asked to help me, which is fine I would have told them "no" anyway. I marched my happy butt back in the corner of the store, in a dimly lit room, past the bathrooms...basically, a closet. There it was my wonderful secluded heaven. All alone, with a nice variety of remnant fabric. If you have never been to this corner of the store, I suggest you go immediately. The prices vary with the size of the fabric. Most pieces are +/- a yard- great for pillows, chair cushions, or maybe in a picture frame. I spent $15 on about 1.5 yards of fabric...now what to do with them....

Old 1968 Dresser Mirror= Modern Moroccan style

I went to the new Goodwill outlet store today, not really expecting to find that much. I was beginning to get irritated because everything was too new and too organized. I'm used to the old Goodwill outlet store located off of 8th Ave. and tucked behind industrial buildings, in short, a place you were sure to find a bargain. As I'm standing there, pondering if I should just admit defeat, and move on, I spot it. An old dresser mirror, originally marked at $14.99, then slashed to $9.99, and then again to $4.99 (I am so happy at this point). Usually I would paint it a bright color, and then use my black paint technique, but this time I wanted to restore it (I love the dark wood color). This thing was dusty, and looked like it had been sitting, untouched since 1968 (this is the date that was on the back of it).

I took warm water and a washcloth and wiped the whole thing down, then went back with Q-tips to clean the carved wood. Next, I used a product called Restore-A-Finish (Home Depot), which fills in scratches, and brings out the wood. I used a small paint brush to get into the crevices. I think it turned out great, and the whole process took about an hour (including drying time).

Tips for Window Treatments

I would like to post a couple of tricks for hanging window treatments, because I have seen some very bad window treatments in the past.

1. Hang your curtain rod as high as possible. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people hang their curtain rod on the window trim- why?! If you hang the rod in the space between the top of the window and the ceiling (closest to ceiling as possible OR centered in this space), your windows will appear to be much taller.

2. Buy a curtain rod that's much wider than your window. Your window will appear to be much larger.

3. The power of layers. Add depth to your window treatments by adding window panels on either side of your blinds or roman shades. I really like this trick with bamboo shades- talk about texture, and then add a pop of color on either side with drapery/window panels.

"Collector's" plates- Gaudy or Mod?

You know I love Goodwill, so the only thing better than Goodwill, is Goodwill on half off days. My find of the day was a Gatlinburg Tennessee "Collectors" plate. While most would snub their nose at this $0.99 find, yours truly jumped at the chance to own such a piece of Americana history. These kitschy little plates have a million uses because:

1. They're slightly gaudy with gold trim (I just got chills)

2. They usually have a lot of color (i.e. they add a spot of color in any room)

Now that I have these things, what do I do with them?

1. They can be used as a place to put rings, keys, spare change, so put them on any table or dresser

2. You can use them as a focal point on a wall (think your grandmother's plate collection, but with a modern touch because you will hang them in a random pattern, rather than on some outdated wood shelf) in your kitchen, breakfast room, or dining room.

What the hell am I suppose to do with a giant stick?

This was again on my weekend journey to Southeastern Salvage, that I was slapped in the face with a large stick, metaphorically speaking of course, and thought, "What the hell am I suppose to do with this giant stick?". I must have sat there for a few minutes, with the lady that worked there looking at me oddly, and asking if I needed help, I told her, "no, I'm fine...just looking." There are a lot of things that you can do with a giant stick, put it in a tall vase, and shove it in the corner, but that was too predictable.

Then it hit me, this would be so great used as a curtain rod. If you've read any of my past posts, you know that I'm a huge fan of texture, shape, and "who would have thought that you could use that there". Of course, you could always go out into the forest and find a perfectly straight branch and cut it down, but my chain saw is in the shop, and these were already the perfect length.

I'm not too good for the 4 for a dollar basket

Yep, you heard it right...4 for a dollar, does it really matter what's in the basket...surely I can find something to do with these trinkets, I tell myself. Trinkets? These jewels are hardly trinkets, just a stockpile of slightly scratched picture frames. I painted my little man (see yesterday's post) statues on Sunday, so I haven't actually done this project, but here is my idea.

Take all of the picture frames (I bought 16 frames), different sizes, different shapes, different materials, and paint them all the same color (I'm thinking black, white, orange or red, depending on your wall color). The frames should "pop" off of the wall, so if you have a dark wall, choose a light color for the frames and light walls choose a dark color, or if you don't give a crap paint them orange or red, that will "pop" on any wall (this is my choice). Hang the frames in a random pattern, starting at the center point of your wall, and try to keep the distance between the frames the same between all frames.

Four Quarters

So, usually once a week I hit up my favorite local cheap stores, and this weekend I hit Southeastern Salvage...twice. This store is one of the best kept secrets in Nashville, but sometimes you have to look a little harder to find a REALLY good deal. My fab find was these little golfer statues. While they looked a little "old lady" at first, a simple spray of yellow spray paint, and a trio of statues, has a very "mod" appeal. I paid $1 for each statue (because they were slightly "damaged"...nothing a little spray paint wouldn't cover.

TIP: I bought these statues in the "Everything in this basket $1" buggy near the door, a virtual treasure trove of potential.

Got a dishtowel...need a pillow?

I like dish towels, they're relatively inexpensive and they have a million uses (I like to get mine from World Market). I made my first pillow last week, and while I'm pretty crafty, sewing is not my forte, so if you're not Suzy Homemaker, bear with me. Here's what you need:

1. 2 dishtowels or tea towels (get 2 different ones to mix things up)

2. Needle and thread

3. Poly-fill pillow stuffing

Hand sew 3 sides of the dish towel together, and 3/4 of the fourth side, stuff the poly-fill stuffing into the 1/4 hole that you've made. Once you've stuffed the pillow pretty full, finish sewing up the hole. That wasn't too bad, now was it?

Advanced pillow: Try using a thicker, bright color thread, for more of an accent, or add a ribbon around the whole pillow for a different look. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEW AT ALL, USE FUSING TAPE, just iron the two pieces together.

One Track Minds: Get off the track

It's very important to remember to look at pieces in a different way. I try not to "look" for a specific item, but let the item tell me what it wants to be, and by that I mean think out of the box. I try to find a piece of furniture that has a neat shape, color, texture, etc., and then ask myself "how can I use this".

- half of a dresser= a buffet
- a cool glass= a vase or candle votive
- a storage cabinet= a kitchen island, night stand, or hall way table
- funky fabric= new pillow (anyone can hand-stitch a pillow)
- old newspaper- cover any furniture in old newspaper

Sometimes groups of items are better, than a single one. For example, a lot of thrift stores have the white glass vases, these look great in groups. TIP: always remember to group things in odd numbers, 3, 5, 7... it adds more interest. A group of white vases with a single bright bloom in each, is a great centerpiece.

Hip Storage Solutions

Although I don't consider myself to be a pack rat, I have accumulated a sizable amount of kitchen gadgets, dishes, cookbooks, and I was running out of places to put them. A lot of my serving pieces are white, and they have great shape, so I wanted to show them off, rather than sticking them in a cabinet.
On one of my daily treks through Craigslist, I found a 7' tall rusted doctor's cabinet. I paid the seller a few extra dollars to deliver it, and when he did the cabinet was larger than life, and my husband thought I had lost it. A little bit of sanding, a coat of primer, and a quart of turquoise paint later, I have a new focal point in my kitchen.

The $30 table that broke my heart

I've been pretty fortunate to find some really great bargains on Craigslist, but every once in a while you're bound to get burned, and that's exactly what happened with my $30 table. After I bought the table I got home and realized that one side of the table was broken. Immediately my $30 table went to over $100. Here's the breakdown:

$30- table

$89- 1 sheet oak veneer plywood, trim for the edges, mitre box

$10- paint and brush

Total: $110- not such a bargain in my book, but I guess I had it coming...

There's too much stuff: Coping with sensory overload

Face it, people get rid of a lot of crap; from craigslist to the thrift store, to the dumpster and flea market. Here are my tips to finding what you want, for less.

Craigslist
- Search under "free" items first, why should you pay if you can get it for free?
- Use the tool bar when looking under furniture, I typically look at items under $50, that have an image, and are relatively close to my house (this will cut out a tremendous amount of crap)
- I only deal with people that have an email address, it's a time saving issue

Thrift Store
- Some days are good, and some are bad; if its not a good day, move on, don't waste time
- If you're going on 1/2 off or other sale days, get there early to get the best selection and avoid lines

Flea Market
- Bargain, bargain, bargain- never buy something without asking for a lower price (people mark items up for this reason- take advantage of it)
Dumpster
- Keep an eye on older homes that are being remodeled, old doors are a steal
- Find out when trash days are, and go the day before
- Watch for moving trucks, people often throw items out simply because they don't want to move them

Vintage Fabric, Fab Find

One of my favorite things to buy at thrift stores are mismatched chairs. They look great around a table, or as an accent chair in any room. One way to unify a group of mismatched chairs is to paint them all the same color, and re-do the cushions. If you haven't re-upholstered a chair cushion, it's one of the easiest things you can do.
- Flip the chair over, undo the screws
- Use the original fabric as a pattern to cutting out your new fabric
- Use a staple gun, and staple fabric around the edges
- Screw the seat bottom back to the chair, and you're finished
Tip:
- Pay particular attention to the corners, they can be a little tricky. I take the corner of the fabric, and staple it down first, then do the sides.

Don't let peeping Tom see you...

Need a quick and inexpensive fix to cover a window?

Materials:
1. Tension rod (I spray painted this one black)

2. Drapery clips (these came from Target, again, I spray painted them black)

3. Dishtowel (This cute towel came from http://www.worldmarket.com/)

Tip:

Measure your window first to make sure you get a dish towel large enough

Total cost for both windows- $20

Bad Lamp...Good Lamp

You see these everywhere, they're so cheap... and so ugly. I bought this at Goodwill's half off sale (first Saturday of every month) for $2.50. Spray painted it red, and added a funky lamp shade that I already had (which I bought at Target a while back).

Similar lamps sell at http://www.potterybarn.com/ for $139-$219. Save the dough!

Get creative with your FREE stuff

Problem: No kitchen island and no money
Solution: Re-purpose an inexpensive cabinet into focal point.

Since I already had the base cabinet, I only needed to add a "counter" to the cabinet. I wanted something a little eclectic, something that would have the "wow" factor. The idea was to use old newspapers and create a collage. I posted an ad on http://www.freecycle.org/ to see if anyone had any old newspapers. Someone gave me a stack of old newspapers, including some very historic articles. Some newspapers were old, some were not, I found articles, pictures, and even entire pages.

Materials:

1. Old cabinet painted black (this one is from the 1950's, all metal- $30 at some thrift store in Alabama)
2. 2 pieces 30"x42" 3/4" pieces of MDF board (Home Depot/ Lowe's will cut boards for you)

3. Construction adhesive to glue MDF together, and then to glue the boards to the cabinet

4. Old newspapers (again www.freecycle.org)

5. Mixture of 1:1 white glue and water, mix together and cover newspaper onto MDF board

6. Apply 4-5 coats of polyurethane to protect newspapers

7. Add some funky stools, these came from http://www.ikea.com/ ($17 a piece)

The $20 Dresser...word

Dresser- $0 (under free posting on http://www.craigslist.org/)
Paint- $15
Paint brush- $5
Old dentures left from times past- $0

1. Wipe down the remnants from 1980 with damp cloth, lightly sand any imperfections, remove hardware
2. Apply base color of paint, then repeat (make sure to take drawers out and paint separately)
3. Mix black acrylic paint with water (2:1 ratio)
4. Take a soft cloth (think used t-shirt) rub black paint mixture into grooves of wood, immediately wipe off excess.

5. Spray paint hardware black

6. Re-assemble

7. Watch all your friends drool because your furniture kicks more butt than there store-bought pieces, and you paid a ridiculously less.

If you can't hit up a dumpster...what's the next best place?

Here is my TOP 5 list (in a particular order) of where I have found the best deals:

1. http://www.craigslist.org/ (all time favorite)
2. Goodwill Outlet stores (basically you buy everything by the pound)
3. Goodwill Stores (1/2 price everything first Saturday of the month)
4. Salvation Army (sometimes a little pricey for furniture pieces, but still a great place)
5. Thrift Stores
6. Garage Sales (ALWAYS bargain for a lower price)

Tip- If you see something you like, buy it right then, you can always post it on craigslist (possibly for more than you paid) if you decide you don't like it later. If you don't buy it, then chances are, when you go back to get it, it won't be there (trust me on this one).

Love thy bulbs

Bulbs are a great and inexpensive way to add drama to your home. These paper-white bulbs were 10 for $1. I bought 20...how could I resist. Place them in any bowl you have lying around. I put these in small plastic cups, with a little dirt in the bottom, then covered them with moss.

Total at the Thrift Store $6.50

On my latest trip to the thrift store, I am intrigued by the magic of books, and an old basket- my grand total $6.50. You can never have too many baskets. This one, which I bought to use for laundry, has found a better way to live, by housing rolled up blankets in a guest bedroom.

Now, for one of my old tricks. I can't deny...I love books. Old books are a great way to add drama to your decorating. The books that I bought were $0.50 a piece. If I'm looking for books to decorate with, I usually try to look for these 3 things: (1) Classic novels (2) Books that I would like to read (3) Books that have an interesting cover. Always look for books of different heights, thicknesses, and color, they will add instant interest. Here are the books that I bought from the store, and how I used them to add interest. Books are also great to give a small lamp more stature, or to "ground" an item.

The Power of Re-Purpose

Forget "it is what it is", and make "it" what you want. For example, I needed a hallway table, and couldn't find one that I liked. After stalking craigslist for the better part of a week, I kept coming across a cute "sewing machine". I can't sew, what am I going to do with a sewing machine...nothing. However the cute little table (in its perfect mid-century modern form) it came in...well, that would be the perfect size (and shape) for the hallway. A little black spray paint ($0.99) and my $15 sewing machine table was an instant success. Added bonus: if I decide I want to sew, there it is. Again, I always like to run sandpaper along the edges of anything I paint, it adds character, and doesn't necessarily look like you bought a sewing machine table, and sprayed it black. You could also dress it up a little (and protect it from people who like to leave glasses without a coaster) with a coat of polyurethane.

What can I REALLY find in a dumpster?

I try to look for items that I can transform into something else. Go into older neighborhoods, that are revitalizing. I once found and old door. An antique door can have a plethora of uses. Two of them are a new table and a headboard. I found this old door in a dumpster, and turned it into a table, that can stand alone or as a sofa table. In order to keep with the antiquated look of the door, I spray painted it black, then took a piece of sandpaper and scuffed up the edges. I then went to my local home improvement store, and bought a 4x4 post, which I got them to cut into four equal pieces. I simply nailed the legs to the bottom of the table. This table costs me roughly $20 (0.99 black spray paint and the 4x4 post). Not too bad, for a brand new table.

The wonders of paint

A pint of paint goes a long way in making old pieces look great. For pieces that I've done, I like to wipe down the furniture with warm water to get all of the remnants of time past off. Then I lightly sand the piece quickly (think 10-15 minutes) with a fine grade sand paper, and then maybe some steel wool. Then I'll wipe it down with an old rag and water one more time. Then its time to paint. I don't prime, and typically use 2 coats of paint (latex- easy clean up). Most people would stop here, they've painted the piece, and they're done. This last step makes all the difference in the world. So you've painted, and to me the furniture now looks a little "too new", so what I like to do, is take some black acrylic paint (think craft paint about 2 tablespoons) and mix it with 3-4 tablespoons of water. Next, take an old soft t-shirt, an put it in the paint and rub it onto the furniture. Pay particular attention to the grooves of the wood, next gently wipe off any excess. This will leave a nice patina on the furniture, like its been painted for years. I love this technique, it adds a more expensive look to pieces.

Lets talk about furniture character

The main thing that I look for in a piece of furniture, is shape There needs to be something unique about a piece of furniture. For example: wood carvings, tapered leg, mid-century modern feel, anything that sets a piece of furniture apart.

This is a dresser from the 70's or 80's (you remember these, they came with the matching mirror, night stands, headboard, tall dresser). They were ugly as a set, BUT take one piece of the set, and it has great features. It has wood carvings, which gives it depth.