Sometimes, there are not too many great finds from the weekly jaunt to the thrift store. I picked up a few trinkets here and there but nothing like finding a Van Gogh this month.

I did however take care of a project that needed some updating! My beside table was looking, well, dull! Since I decided to get bold with the new duvet, the table was fading into the background.  I am sad to say that I totally forgot to take before photos but I hope you like the after!  I used semi-gloss black paint from Ace’s Clark + Kensington line and spray painted the original handle gold. The mirror, elephant and lamp are all thrifted items I have found over the past year. Very happy with how it turned out!

I am an avid thrifter and the one thing I complain about the most is the damn stickers they put on the merchandise! Not just thrift store, but just in general. I have passed up plenty of good “trash” just because of those damn stickers.

I came across this pin and thought I would give it a try. I have used the goo gone products for the stickers but I do have a concern on what is in it and quite frankly, the stuff is nasty. Get’s all over everything! This mixture is quite simple, one part coconut oil to one part baking soda. (I used one tablespoon). It’s gritty and does have to sit for a good five minutes. I have to endorse this one, it worked really well on a transfer-ware plate I found while at GW. The sticker didn’t slide off, it still took some patience. Once removed the gritty baking soda worked on the residue and it came out clean after a good rinse in hot water. I have a few other finds I am going to try this one but I am impressed. You can find the original post here.

Couple of good finds this past month at the thrift shop. First had to be the Mascaro shoes I found at the local consignment shop called Turn-Style.  Original price tag was $29.00, I was able to purchase them for 75% off. Oh hells yeah! A quick search and I found the maker’s shoes start around $200 US. They will look sweet with a nice pair of slacks!!

Then there is the $5.99 chair that was 20% off at GW. One of numerous projects at the Redwood Homestead is to purchase four distinctive table chairs and then paint them in four different colors. So far, we have two of the four chairs.  There is a bit if repair work to one of the of the slats but otherwise it is a fairly comfortable sturdy chair.

You have all heard the stories of someone going to the thrift shop and finding some long forgotten masterpiece…well, I ain’t that lucky. I found something I thought was too cute to pass up and my $1.99 purchase turned into a $40 collectible.  Not a Monet, but a monkey!

It’s from a collection made from Mark Roberts. I am still doing some research but from what I could determine, he’s valued around $40.00. We also found never used, never opened french cold-pressed watercolor paper (11x14ish size) for $3.99. Sister says something like that starts over $20. Not bad for the finds of the month!

my monkey has wings!

To embrace some new traditions I decided to start the new year with the Seasonal tree. In her book Mrs Sharp’s Traditions Sarah Ban Breathnach illustrates the use of the tree to celebrate the year and all it’s various traditions.  Not just for Christmas but for Valentines, Easter, Summer Solstice, Autumn and Thanksgiving.

I found a “wintergreen” tree at my local thrift haunt and added miniature battery operated lights ($3.99 at a hobby store). With a snowflake punch I added a few snow flakes here and there.

Seasonal Tree for January

Nice way to continue to celebrate the winter season.  Looking for some vintage inspired items for next month!!! Let the treasure hunt begin!

Ha! Laundry is a every person bane! It multiples, like those crazy Tribbles on Star Trek!! This has become one of my favorite projects this far. It was a fairly easy project but it did break the $20 limit for the challenge.

• I found the Black & White contact paper at Marshalls for $5.99. It became the basis of the color scheme. With my kitchen being red & yellow and the laundry being right off the dining, it complimented each other without being overwhelming.
• I purchased the decal at Dalidecals.com for $10.00 (plus $6.50 for shipping). I added the smaller of the design to the dashboard sections of the rented washer and dryer, these can be removed when I move.
• Several of the baskets were purchased at my local thrift shops and average in price from $1.99 to $4.99
• One can of black matte spray paint $3.99 ~ this was a huge mess. I learned to wear latex gloves and purchase more than one can. A future project will be to respray the baskets for more uniform appearance.

I will let the collages below speak for themselves.

au revoir!

Before: Clutter and unorganized. Tools overflowing the boxes…total mess!

Clean and Uniform! Everything now has its place

Every once in a while I need something…like a wine stopper. Or craft supplies. Whatever it is, I can generally find it at the thrift shop grab bags section. These are the bags with bits of odds and ends lumped together, small plastic animal toys. I have indeed found a wine stopper, glue sticks, and whatever I can’t use will usually wind up at the next thrift store. I generally keep an eye out for scrapbooking supplies, small items for the kitchen and quirky picture frames.

Take a look next time you visit a thrift shop…you never know what you will find.

au revoir!

See what you can find at your local thrift shop!