Thrifted Easter Decorations

As the years go by, I seem to be pairing down on my holiday and seasonal decorating. However, that doesn’t stop me from picking up a few new thrifted items when the next occasion comes along.

I recently found a “new to me” thrift store and I purchased the following items which I incorporated into my Easter decorating scheme.

This was in the scarf section but I liked the size and the colors and thought it would be the perfect table runner. It cost $1.00

I found this large pink doily and thought it would look great with the scarf – only $1.00

Of course I needed an Easter basket and some eggs and as a bonus I found a cute little bunny to top off the whole thing. Another $1.50

The napkins were the last thing I bought for the kitchen and they cost $3.00 for four napkins. My total cost for my Easter Tablescape was $7.00 – definitely won’t break the bank.

I put a few other items around the house….the only other new item was the felted sheep.

That little adorable felted sheep was a whopping $0.50

The other items shown are things purchased from past years. I think it’s enough Easter decorating for me for this year.

Have you decorated for Easter this year or in the past? How much do you do? One room, two rooms etc and which rooms? Leave a comment and let me know – would love to hear from you.

Thrifted Easter decorations – it’s A Wandafulthing!

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10 Things to Always Buy at the Thrift Store

You are probably thinking, does she know something I don’t know? (That is if you live in Canada). Alas, no, the thrift stores have not reopened yet (thanks COVID-19) but when they do and they will…you will probably be so excited like me that you will go nuts and just buy things for the sake of buying things because you miss it so much.

DON’T do it, instead, look for these 10 things that you should ALWAYS buy at the thrift store.

Frames.  Almost all of the frames in my house come from thrift stores, unless they were gifted to me. Some are used as intended. You can use them for other purposes, like displaying jewelry, paint them and use as chalkboards, magnet boards or bulletin boards. Here is a lovely example from liagriffith

DIY Antiqued Frame Jewelry Display

Books.  I buy books to read, books to decorate with, and even books that are falling apart.  The pages and spines can be used for other projects such as these bookmarks from the spines of thrift store books by craftsalamode

10 lovely things to do with old vintage books: unique DIY ideas

Furniture. I cannot resist old dressers that are solid wood, especially when they are $15.00 or less, and you shouldn’t either. They just don’t make solid wood, dovetailed furniture like they use to. I’m also a sucker for kids furniture like this adorable child’s table. Showing the before and after. It dates back to the 1960’s and I brought it right into the 2000’s with a little elbow grease (ok sanding, painting and staining)

IMG_3764IMG_3796Baskets.  They are abundant in thrift stores. I look for old picnic baskets. They are easy to paint and distress and have many uses besides going on a picnic. I use one of my many (yes many) to hold blankets and throws. Here is a link to a post on how to paint a picnic basket, just in case you come across one. She is one of my favorite diy bloggers. Confessionsofaserialdiyer

Picnic basket updated with paint and a transfer

Wood Trays.  These are usually pretty inexpensive (under $5.00) and can make quite an impact to your decor. Use them in your kitchen, living room, bathroom (for makeup or towels) use one to serve cold drinks on a hot day. The last one I found, I painted it navy blue and used one of my chalk couture stencils (link to my designer site if you are interested in finding out more or purchasing products) to make it country farmhouse chic. fullsizeoutput_1015

Tool Caddy. I don’t think I’ve ever passed up a little wood or metal tool caddy. I usually paint them and either put a vinyl stencil or use a chalk couture transfer. They are also quite versatile in what you can use them for. I have one holding coffee pods, another holding CD’s and another sitting waiting for a makeover.  The one below I gave as a gift to a friend. You can check that post out here.

IMG_3664

Quilts: I prefer to find older vintage quilts and it doesn’t really matter what condition they are in.  If they are not usable to display at the end of the bed, they can be turned into other types of home decor, like pillows, pot holders, christmas stockings or framed in an old vintage window. I love this one by sadieseasongoods.

repurposing a tattered vintage quilt for my spring mantel, crafts, fireplaces mantels, mantels, repurposing upcycling, seasonal holiday decor

Cast Iron.  It is not always easy to come by and there are some things you should watch out for, like where it is made. If it says made in USA buy it!! The top vintage cast iron skillet makers to watch for are Griswold, Wagner and Lodge. Most people don’t like to use cast iron as they say the food sticks. It’s all in the way you season it. Check out an article on that here.  Aren’t these interesting?2017-05-15 11.29.15Art & knick knacks: You know what they say, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. The same can be said for art and I don’t just mean paintings. You can find some really interesting, unique, quirky or one of a kind things at thrift stores. Don’t overlook the art and nick nack sections, your next piece of home decor could be waiting for you. Even if the piece isn’t exactly to your liking, just remember it can always be diy’d. Check this out, love it or hate it, it’s an example of what you can do.

 

My $2 Thrift Store Repaint

Find some decorative pieces and put them under glass, instant glam and looks high end. That what the interiorfrugalista did and they look fantastic.

DIY Cloche Glass Dome

Salt and Pepper Shakers. Yes you read that right. Salt and pepper shakers are cheap – usually under $1.00. They can be turned into ornaments, necklaces, place card holders and more.  Here is a makeover by Ducttapeanddenim that I particularly love. It even shows a video tutorial on how to make one.

Salt-shaker-necklace-and-statement-necklace-with-chambray-shirt-DuctTapeAndDenim.com_-600x1000

Thrift store finds are A Wandaful Thing!

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A Day Out – Antiquing and Thrifting

There is nothing more a thrifter/vintage/antique shopper loves more than to come across a new place to shop.

My partner in crime couldn’t join me on my latest adventure so I went solo but was instructed to take lots of pictures, just in case it is worthy of a second trip (trust me it is).

The new place I discovered is about an hour and a half from my house in a little town called Pigeon Lake (that’s in Alberta, Canada),  the name of the store is Backstreet. I met one of the owners Maureen and we had a great chat about the business and in particular the second store out back called Backstreet Cottage. It use to be a church, turned woodworking shop, turned furniture/home decor store, which it is today.  She was ok with me taking pics and videos and I promised her I would tag her in my post. They also write a blog and have great information and photos on their website – be sure to take a look at https://www.backstreetantique.com/

 

Check out the giant chair on the roof 🙂

Here is the front store (shown above) with new home decor, fashion, jewelry, candles and a few antique pieces in the mix. There is also another shop and SEVEN, yes seven sea cans full of antiques to browse through – YES, I checked everyone of them out.

Now for a ton of pictures – enjoy!

Feast for the eyes 🙂 A lot of these pictures were taken in the sea cans 🙂 and in the gift shop there was something for everyone (meaning the guys too).

I also took a few videos… Continue reading A Day Out – Antiquing and Thrifting

Primitive Cabinet – Reloved

It’s garage and yard sale season. Those words are music to my ears. Most Saturdays I spend scouring garage and yard sales looking for my next “projects”.

I’ll be honest, I’m not into revamping or reloving vintage items and selling them for the money. I have great appreciation and admiration for those that do make a living doing this. I do it mostly for the satisfaction of keeping a beloved vintage or antique item out of the landfill. It fills me with joy when someone purchases an item I’ve saved or reloved and I must admit I get a little giddy when it happens. I like to recoup the money I spent on the item and the supplies – I never charge for the hours I put into a piece. I know some people aren’t going to be thrilled to read this but this is my hobby more so than a business.

If I can find out a little bit of the history of an item, I’m more motivated than ever to make sure someone else loves it too. Take this primitive cabinet for example (one door was off in this picture).

Continue reading Primitive Cabinet – Reloved

Upcycled Thrift Store Tray

I scored this cute tray with wood handles in the Goodwill Bins last week. I threw it in my cart with the hope I’d get around to painting it the next day and posting about it the next day.  Well that didn’t happen….insert life..lol

(Fast forward one week). The pattern on the tray is cute but I decided I wanted to paint it a solid color and then use my Cricut to make a stencil so I could customize it the way I wanted it.

I bought some Dixie Belle chalk mineral paint called In The Navy, I really love this color, it’s so very rich looking. I also love the Dixie Belle paint line, it covers well, has no odor and comes in 64 colors.

I gave the tray a quick wipe down, then painted it with two coats of paint and let it dry. While it was drying I designed and printed out my stencil. Did I take a picture of the stencil?- NO – I am so bad at taking pictures as I go, especially when I’m creating. Is anyone else like me in that respect?  I used Rust-oleum Chalked paint in linen white on the stencil as that is what I had in my stash.

I decided not to wet distress this tray because I like the crisp look of the white on the navy. I will give it a few coats of wax and a good buff before using it outside on the deck this summer for serving Lemonade. I will share my favorite homemade lemonade recipe in another post.

A recycled thrift store tray with Chalk paint…It’s A Wandaful Thing!

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