New Thrift Furniture Finds

I always get so excited when I run into some amazing thrift furniture -- at a steal.  I turn into a kid in a candy store and it's crazy.  And it was no different with these thrift pieces of furniture! They were posted on craigslist for $75.  Not a bad price for such nice pieces...they also came with a headboard and bed frame (not pictured).  I took these guys home for $60 when all was said and done.

Normally I buy thrift furniture with the goal of redoing them and selling -- but I'm not selling these.

The long dresser is going in my daughter's bedroom and for the first time she will have an actual dresser. It sort of feels like a new chapter in her life...hahaha.  The tall dresser will probably end up in my craft room as a storage piece. 

Stay tuned for their "redo-reveals"!

Red Painted (and Stained) Dresser Redo

This cute red painted dresser wasn't always so pretty. In fact, she was really scary when we picked her up (for only $15 through craigslist.) You can read about that thrifty day here.  I will spare you the gory details today but think lots of cob webs and a bad odor.

Right away I knew her home was going to be in my living room, underneath my TV :)

At first, there was some flack about whether or not this was going to be the best choice of color for the space.  Butttt....it looks really nice and I'm glad I kept with my vision for the piece!

How did I do this transformation? Keep reading to find out!!!

I had a small pot of red paint I wanted to use but I knew it wouldn't be quite enough.  So I mixed a tad of white paint with it.  Of course what we have here is a pink dresser.  Now THAT would have been a bad choice for my living room :)

But once she was dry, I took a rag and some wood stain and got down to business turning that pink into a deep rustic look.  This part is pretty fun and not as near as hard as distressing with sandpaper.  Can you tell the difference after the stain? 

Here is what I used.

Just a bunch of old paint and stain I had laying around.  I'm pretty happy this stuff is getting used up.  I think I've been storing it for two years! 

The Mr worked his carpentry magic and made some shelves for the two drawers I was taking out.  This stuff is pretty cheap at your local Menards or Home Depot.

He also drilled out the holes for my new hardware. Without this guy I would get nowhere with my furniture projects...no joke!

And....here is my new TV stand.  I absolutely love this thing. There is a ton of space to store DVDs, remotes, and other electronic accessories.  

The hardware was purchased at Hobby Lobby -- and the most expensive part of this project.  Totally worth it though.

Stay tuned for a future post on what I did with the two drawers I removed :) 

Linking to these parties....
Funky Junk Interiors
It's Overflowing
Savvy Southern Style
The Crafty Blog Stalker
Live Laugh Rowe

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

French Country Cottage

Nifty Thrifty Things

Three Mango Seeds

Antique White 9-Drawer Dresser

This dresser was found on craigslist a few weeks back. It was really beat up, but still solid and functional. I got the vibe that the owners were a little embarrassed of it's condition. They seemed somewhat surprised when I said, "OK, let's load it up."

I keep forgetting that most of the population just want to get rid of their junk. It amazes me that they can't see what their junk could be. BUT -- better for me, right? lol. 

I posted about finding this dresser here.
Her before...well.... I guess it's not that bad. Surely not something I would buy to use "as-is".

But....she's pretty now....

Everything was hand crafted on this piece. I used homemade chalk paint and also made the color by mixing some that I already had.

I started by sanding the top down to get all the bubbling imperfections smooth. I didn't bother sanding anything else. That isn't needed when using chalk paint.

I proceeded to apply three coats of my homemade chalk paint concoction....

Once the paint dried, I got out the sand paper and sanded by hand (no palm sander, no electric sander...just me and the sandpaper).  This process gave me blisters on both of my thumbs. I may decide to go with a palm sander next time...

After sanding I applied Minwax Clear Gloss Laquer to give it a heavy duty protective coat. I've found this to be the one protective coating that really does hold up.

The knobs were given new life with a rubbed bronze spray paint.

If the old owners could only see her now. I bet they would be a little embarrassed.


Linking to:
Elizabeth & Co
Savvy Southern
Domestically Speaking
A Stroll Thru Life
The Vintage Farmhouse
The Crafty Blog Stalker
Live Laugh Rowe
Finding Fabulous

New Thrifty Finds & A Present To Me

The last few days have been super exciting....and let me tell you why.  I was able to score a few items that were better left for the road -- or so their owners thought.  Aannd I was also able to score a little something else for myself.... keep reading.

Here we have two dressers that I found on craigslist.  

Not too shabby. Right?  

Both were gotten for a total of $40. And in decent working condition. The second one would be perfect for a TV entertainment stand. Wouldn't you agree?

And a little side table that a family member didn't want. I'm getting this more and more now that the word is out that I take in crap no one wants. lol.

I have ideas for all of these pieces. They are also going to be my first items that I sell at an actual consignment shop (more on that later hopefully!!). 

Aanndd.....my biggest news today? 

My fiance no longer has to be at my beck and call to pick up roadside finds with his truck.  I can do it myself with this handy-dandy HUMMER! Ooooo how inlove I am with this machine.  So glad I took the leap and got it. It's so fun to drive :)

Do any of you other thrifting ladies out there drive a big tank? I'd be interested to hear what you think of them :) 

Happy Wednesday everyone! Till next time!!!!

Jessica

Old Storage Trunk Redo

This month has been a crazy busy month around our house. Between work and school, it’s all I can do to fit in “normal” time for myself and with the family. Not to mention, we were supposed to close on our house yesterday and….well….that didn't happen. It’s been one thing after the other!

I was super excited to share photos of our new house with all of you today too. But it looks like we are closing on April 12th now. Sooooo…..we’ll have to continue to wait. I tell you one thing, I hope everything goes smoothly with closing now because I do NOT want to go through this again with another house. I give total props to realtors because I would be in the nut house if I did real estate for a living!

Anyhow, onto the real reason for this post. My old trunk redo! It’s been my mission to find a nice coffee table for our living room.  I found the perfect piece while surfing Craigslist a couple weeks ago.  Turns out it wasn't a coffee table at all….

This trunk wasn’t so pretty from the start. In fact, it took me two weeks of pondering how to bring it back to life before I did anything with it. It was THAT bad.

I’ll spare you the pictures of the inside. But visualize old wallpaper lining and mold…

The outside wasn’t too bad. But you’ll notice that there are parts missing. I immediately knew what to do with that large hole at the top…

I put a door knob on (actually D did, but what's the difference right? lol) and she was good to go. The knob is my favorite part of this trunk now. Isn’t it great?

I was going to distress this into an antiqued look, but after applying the paint and adding the door knob, I really liked how it looked as-is. What do you think?

The side pulls were in good condition and I liked how they brought out a slightly rustic feel, so I left them original.

And there you have it. We have a unique “new” piece to show off in our living room. The best part? I was able to score the trunk on Craigslist for only $15.

So what went into this piece?

Anne Sloan Paint in Pure White

Home Depot Clear Door Knob

Minwax Polycrylic Clear Coat

Linking to these parties….
Funky Junk Interiors - It's Overflowing - Too Much Time On My Hands - Coastal Charm
CRAFT - Mod Vintage Life - Between Naps On The Porch - Alderberry Hill - Lolly Jane
Cutesy Crafts - Elizabeth & Co - Savy Southern Style - Primp - Someday Crafts
Seven Thirty Three - Fluster Buster - The Shabby Creek Cottage - The Crafty Blog Stalker
The Shabby Nest - 504 Main - Miss Mustard Seed - French Country Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating - My Romantic Home - Whipperberry - I Heart Nap Time
DIY Showoff - Nifty Thrifty Things - Flamingo Toes - Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Craigslist Lamps Get A Makeover

A couple months back I became the proud owner of some gigantic lamps I found on Craigslist. I had originally planned on them being about half their size, but I made do with what I had.

You can read the purchase story here if you like :)

They were pretty ugly before.

Now they are a real statement in my living room.

 

And I really like them. Thanks to my little girl for picking out the fabric. Who knows what they would  look like if I had picked it out :)

Craigslist Tip {and the lamp purchase}

I recently had my first Craigslist oopsie {if that’s what you want to call it}. I like to stalk Craigslist daily. I do so just in case I find the perfect…something for super cheap. Generally furniture. A couple of weeks ago I found a decent set of lamps for $15. I figured…for that price I couldn’t lose. I’ve been wanting some lamps to go with my living room redo {check that original post out here.} I actually ended up getting the pair for $10!! Can you believe it?? Have you looked at lamp prices lately??? For $10 if they don’t work out…not a huge deal.

Now just because I stalk Craigslist daily doesn’t mean I know what the heck I am doing when it comes to making a transaction.

I’ll show you what the picture looked like in the listing…

Not too bad huh? Nothing out of the ordinary…just old.

The wooden base was what sold me. I can do a lot with that…AND they would be perfect for my TV stand…on each side of my TV.

When I went to pick them up, the lady got out of her SUV carrying something that was half the size of her. After a second glance I realized it wasn’t her child it was the lamp…only one might I add. My first words were, “wow those are really big”. But I decided to continue with the transaction because I could still use them…AND they were only $10.

I had to put one in my trunk and the other in my back seat. Both would not fit in either spot together.  I laughed the whole way home at the thought of what D would say when I walked in the door with them. They will for sure NOT be going on the TV stand as they will not fit together. 

Plan B is in order.

So….note to self {and any Craigslist beginners} for future Craigslist purchases. ASK for dimensions!!! Let that be a lesson to me…

Now to find the perfect fabric for the lamp shade and the right paint for the base. I’m sort of leaning towards this look….

Kimba at A Soft Place To Land did a great job with this lamp! You can read all about that here. I love it.

I also love this lamp by Anthropologie…

In general, it looks like I’m drawn to white and brown :) This will be my first lamp redo so wish me luck :) And if any of you seasoned crafters have any tips…please share!