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...