Thriftstore Find - Dressers and Chests

I wasn't in the market for a dresser but the Habitat Restore had several that caught my eye. They were all well built, solid wood and had terrific details. Some had a few scratches but that's to be expected with furniture that's several decades old. They all had simple, clean lines and were neither too plain or ornate. It's hard to find new furniture built this well and especially at this price. They all ranged from $40 to $60 bucks. Whether you refinished, painted them or in some cases just gave it a good cleaning they are all well worth the price. 

I love the arches on these two pieces. I definitely would never purchase both. That would be too much of a good thing. 

Check out the unique hardware detail on this chest.  

This is by far my favorite piece. Love the color and the recessed hardware.

Have you recently had a thrifty furniture find you were excited about?

Enjoy your day.

B.

.

Friday's Fascination: Orange Spaces

I suddenly have orange on the brain. It could be because it's only about three degrees today and I'll run with anything that says warm weather is on the way. Orange is a seasonless color that says summer when it's hot outside and fall when it's chilly. It's energetic and not one I would ordinarily have picked as an accent color. That was how I felt at least until I saw how the bright orange trim spices up the crisp white shams in this shot from a bedroom featured in House Beautiful. 

When this vibrant citrus color is paired with white, black or any neutral it adds a colorful twist that can really brighten a space. If you are feeling bold and want to add a real punch of color to a room, step out side the box a bit give this color a shot. Here are a few accessories to might help you get there.

 

1. Dana Gibson
2. Jonathan Adler
3. Zinc Door
4. Bloomingdales
5. Horchow
6. Z Gallerie
7. Overstock.com
8. Tonic Home
9. Lamps Plus
10. Zazzle
11. Barclay Butera

I may have to find a way to incorporate this fun color into one of my rooms. But which one?

B.

Thriftstore Finds - Bamboo

One of my favorite thrift store finds was this gorgeous bamboo console table. It measures 4' 3" wide x 12" deep and was manufactured by the Brandt company in Hagerstown, MD. It has such great detail like the rich color of the wood and bamboo, the three paneled doors, of course the painted leaves on the front and sides and it even has a shelf inside for lots of extra storage. It's in excellent shape except for the top which just  needs a good sanding and re-staining. For $25 it think it was a steal. 

The other piece I found this year was this wonderful bamboo mirror. Ahh yes. Insert deep sigh here. The bamboo mirror. There is a long story behind this mirror but I promise to keep it brief. Let me explain. ARRRGGHHH!!!!

I spotted this mirror at the Salvation Army thrift store and it was marked, get this, $6.95. One look and I said to myself, this baby is mine. I'd been looking for one and definitely did not want to pay top dollar. This was a gift from heaven. Thank you heaven. I also added to my cart a beautiful crystal decanter, a silver sequined box and piece of gray wool for $2. When I got to the register the cashier said that someone had changed the price on the mirror so she couldn't sell it at the price marked and proceeded to rip off the tag. Well that was just completely unacceptable so I huffed and puffed and demanded to speak to the manager. The manger came out, looked over the mirror and again stated that someone changed the price. So now I am not only mad, but I am offended because it sounded as if they were accusing me of switching the tags. Me. Me?? How dare they question my integrity. I then threw a big ole hissy fit, said I don't want any of this stuff and proceeded to walk out. I went home angry, insulted and just a little hurt. I go there every week and they should know I, Miss Honest Every Moment of Every Day, would never do such a thing.  

As I calmed down I began to realize that they were right and the mirror had to be the wrong price. It was very heavy measuring 24x36 and I would guess that it really should be more like $15-20 bucks. I was also disappointed that I didn't get the other pieces that I really wanted. Instead of having a tantrum I should have asked them if they would give me a discount but my feelings were bruised since they insinuated I altered the price. 

A week goes by and I still can't get that mirror off my mind. I've always wanted a bamboo mirror and this was nearly perfect. I decided to go back and get the mirror. I was too ashamed to go in myself and opted to send my beloved son. Sure enough he found and bought the mirror but now we have a new problem. It is written on the back that the price is $22 and the tag reads to me $22. When they rang it up they rang it at $28. Dang it dang it dang it. I can't win. So at this point I ask myself should I go back and tell them to give me my $6 or do I chalk it up to a $6 donation. I decided it's a $6 donation that I am happy to donate. It is after all not just a retail store, it's the Salvation Army. 

By the middle of the day that store got the better of me. At the end of the day I was the better for it. Not only do I have my mirror but I donated to the Salvation Army twice in one day. Once when I bought the mirror and second when I donated $6.

Still love thrifting. Always will.

B.

Inspirational Winter Decor

It took some time but I finally put away all the Christmas and holiday decorations. Now that it's done I looked around my house and my first thought was glad that’s done. My second thought was, now what? It’s easy to forget that although the holiday season is over winter has only just begun. We have at least three long months of cold snowy weather to get through and if you live in the Midwest it could be even longer. 

It gets a little chilly on the main floor in my home so I want to at least make it look warm and cozy by adding a few throw blankets and fluffy pillows. Add a cup of coffee and the latest issues of my decor magazine and all that's left is to curl up on the sofa and stay warm because it's way to cold to go out. 

I checked out my favorite stores and websites like Z Gallerie and Target to get inspired. My brother told me I am into shabby chic because I have a lot of white furniture. I don't think that is quite accurate but I do like a clean, simple look with neutrals and lots of texture. Here are some pieces that I took a fancy to.

1. Z Gallerie candles
2. Deco 79 basket
3. Z Gallerie throw
4. Target pillow
5. Target throw
6. Target throw
7. Z Gallerie pillow
8. Overstock.com candle holder

Before I go making any new purchases I'll take a look around the house and see what I already own and what I can reuse. I'll even take a trip over to the thrift store because I am sure to find something I can use for $1 or $2. It's getting cold and I fear the roads will get icy so off to the stores I go before it's too late.

How did you cozy up your home for winter?

B.

Organizing After Christmas

Christmas is over. It was a lot of fun but man is it a lot of work. It’s time now to put away all our decorations, pack up all the outdoor lights and prep for next year. I prefer not to buy things at full price so I checked out the clearance aisles at HomeGoods, Target and Joann’s. I had hoped to find some deals but was disappointed because the pickings were slim. I'll look elsewhere because it is clearance or bust for me.

If you don’t have containers for your Christmas decorations now is the time to get them. I have large containers that I labeled according to use. My bulb collections seems to be growing so I bought a few extra containers and sorted my bulbs by color which should make it so much easier when I decorate next year. For instance, I used aqua and teal bulbs this year but next year I might go all red. I won't have to sort through all of my bulb containers and can just pull out the one labeled red. 

I also have some special bulbs that I have collected over the years that have more sentimental value. I want to take care not to scratch or break them so I invested in a good two layer Christmas bulb holder. I got this one from Walmart. What I liked about it was that you can customize sections to fit the size of your bulbs, also, you can add additional layers because they just snap together. 

I also dedicated one box for just lights and garland, and a separate one for knick knacks, the tree skirt and tree stand.  

I replenished my stash of Christmas cards and money holders and labeled a small box which included some forever stamps and an address book. 

Next it’s time to take down the tree. Let’s have a moment of silence shall we. 

Now for the tough part. The purge. Let’s face it, you can’t keep it all otherwise someone is going to call you a Christmas hoarder. I bought these teal bulbs and honestly I didn’t like them. My home is not well lit and at times they blended in too much with the tree because they were dark. I liked the aqua blue much better. I kept only the glittery teal bulbs and gave away the plainer bulbs.

Also, I had way too much garland and lights. I prefer lights that have green wires because they disappear on the tree and in the bushes and gave away the lights with white wires. If there are any bulbs you have that you don’t like anymore give them to the Salvation Army. Someone will love them again. If there are any that are damaged toss them.

Now my boxes are all labeled, organized and neat. When Christmas comes around next year I will be ready to decorate and have a lot less stress.

It's too bad I couldn't find any new discounted decorations that I liked. I'll have to keep trying and dig a little deeper. Now that my closet is nicely organized, I have a little more space to fill up. 

B.