DIY - Grateful Picture

 I have this thing about pictures in my house having meaning for our family.  There are no random prints on our walls.  Everything has a connection in some way.  So when I saw this great DIY project on Catherine's Creative Corner, I knew it was going to make an appearance on my fall mantle.

She does a great tutorial on this here.  I am not going to repeat it.  Check her post out and then stay awhile.  She has a lot of eye candy you will enjoy.

This is my version.  I am so very pleased with how it came out.  Here is what I did differently.  My frame came from my stash of thrift store frames,  After measuring, I went to my computer and created a document that was 11 by 17 (knowing that I would be cutting the end off to fit the frame.)  Then I selected my font and started typing away all the things I was thankful for.  I cut down a piece of tan construction paper to 11 by 17 and put it in the printer.  I printed it off and then stuck it in the frame.  I used by Silhouette digital cutter to cutout the word grateful.  I used white contact paper.  It is much cheaper than the vinyl sold to go with digital cutters.  I stuck the word to the glass on the front of the picture and there you have it.  

If you don't have a digital cutter, you could easily print out the word and place it under the glass.  Then you could trace over it with glass chalk paint.  Same effect, different method.

 I must say that I am totally in love with my mantle this year.  From the pumpkins we got on our family trip to the pumpkin farm to the masterpiece that reminds me of all that I have, this mantle screams family.

I hope you have blessing in abundance this season.

Patty


I am linking up to

Cheap Laminate to Mid Century Glory

We saw this in a Salvation Army.  It was marked $11.  It was cheap and ugly, but Thrift Chick has a record collection that is bursting at the seams.  I saw possibilities.


First step was to replace the legs with something a little more mid century.  I removed the old legs (they were simply screwed into the base.) and purchased new ones at Lowes.  You can buy the plates and legs pretty cheaply at any home improvement store.

Then I roughed up the outside of the cabinet with my sanding block.  Since mid century aqua is one of Thrift Chick's favorite colors, I bought a sample size of aqua at Lowe's (less than $3!) and gave the outside a couple of coats.  When I finished, I noticed the handles did not stand out at all.  I made a trip back to Lowe's for replacements only to find out that these handles were not standard size.  So it was back home for plan B.  I grabbed the leftover silver paint from Thrift Chick's diy project and gave them a quick spray.

Now they pop out!  Quite a difference from the sad little cabinet at Salvo, isn't it? Start to finish it was about two hours....minus the trips to Lowe's.  A pretty easy redo.

I am guessing by Thrift Chick's reaction when I finished it that she did not see my original vision.  She must have been humoring me when she agreed that it had potential.  She is a believer now!

Patty

Thrift Chick's Apartment Part 2

You know school has started when there is a long time between posts!  Sorry for the delay in part 2 of Thrift Chick's apartment -- Patty

I realize it is a small apartment, but when you and your mother have a hard time saying no to a good deal, you just amass a lot of stuff...thanks for coming back to see the rest of my stuff!

We left off in the living area, so now we will turn to the dining room which is probably my favorite place.  It is loaded with tons of both mine and my mother's junking, thrifting and antiqueing finds.

 Let's start with that table shall we?  I got that table at the very first estate sale we attended when I was a freshman in college.  I paid a whopping $10 for it at the end of the sale.  It originally had large ugly nubby chair backs and seats, but I replaced them as soon as I was out of college and earning a paycheck.  It was probably this purchase that started me on the road of vintage home decor.  Yes that is a lot of pyrex in the back.  You can read about it here.  However since that post a month ago, my mother has acquired numerous new pieces....can you say obsessed?

 This is the other of the pair of mid century chairs we found at an estate sale for $5 several years ago. My mother made me sit in them while she kept looking so no one else would claim them...estate sales can be vicious places! That is the second pillow made from my map handkerchiefs.  The bookcase is from helping my aunt downsize...it was in her musty old basement.  A little aqua paint and it has a new life!

 My mother has a tendency to pick up old thermoses when she sees them at rock bottom prices.  She also has three different picnic baskets.  She says it is because they remind of things in her youth....things seldom seen these days.  She took her lunch to school every day in her lunchbox with its matching thermos.  Her mother would pack a thermos of kook-aid whenever they would picnic.  Personally I just think it is another obsession.

I just love aqua and red together.  I first found the red pitcher.  Then we saw the rooster glasses for a quarter each at a Goodwill.  I didn't think I needed them, but my mom insisted I would love them (and of course she was right.)  The red Pyrex hostess dish is her pride and joy.  She also has the five smaller dishes that come with it.  It will be mine when she downsizes!

This is the other side of the room.  My grandfather made the hope chest for my mom when she graduated from college.  It is one heavy sucker....it is not going anywhere so it is a part of the room.  The ugly green bar chair is part of a pair and hopefully will be a diy project soon.  I am always on the lookout for things for my wall..not sure if these will remain here or be changed.

My kitchen is a pretty ordinary kitchen...stove, microwave, refrigerator...you get the picture.  However there are two things I want to share with you.

 This awesome paper towel, wax paper holder came from this tiny junk (and I mean junk) shop my brother found.  It was marked $1.  I know....it is not even red or aqua....but there was no way I was passing up that rooster.  The enamelware utensil holder was a gift from my mom.  She has a sixth sense when it comes to finding cheap, cheap enamelware pieces that are awesome.

This is my diy project for the kitchen.  I bought letters from Hobby Lobby and sprayed them with galvanized silver paint.  So simple.

My bedroom has not changed much from how it was when I was with my parents.  In case you missed the post about its redo, you can read it here.

I have a passion, obsession, mania for vintage jewelry.  I will have to do a post about it someday.  Just know this is a mere portion of the jewelry I own.

I hope you enjoyed the tour.  I am sure by next week I will have changed or added something.  Some teachers from work want to go junking with us.

Blessings,

Thrift Chick

Thrift Chick's Apartment: Part 1

Hello all! It's me, Thrift Chick! We have done lots of posts about the treasures we find while thrifting, so I thought it would be fitting to show you where a lot of those treasures find a home...My apartment!

After college, I moved back home to pay back loans and save some money.  I currently live in the 2 bedroom apartment in my parent's house.  Considering the amount of "treasures" I have accumulated over the years, it is perfect for the time being.  It is larger than the apartment that I lived in with three other girls in college, so I am in heaven! 

My entry has a shelf that I snatched up when helping a family member downsize.  All it needed was a new coat of paint!  The cork board is actually a sample cabinet door that was with a whole bunch of sample doors at a random garage sale. I added painted cork and some cool knobs. 

                                             

Here is a close up of the vintage pennants that I found in an antique shop.  I love travel and maps (as you will soon see!) and these fit right in!

My living room is a random assortment of unusual objects that have been collected over the years. This floor lamp is something my mom found at our very first estate sale experience.  My favorite thing is the pillow. I found two handkerchiefs with Chinese maps on them and my mom made pillows out of them for me.  Maps, postcards, anything with a travel theme is a bit of an obsession for me.

My most prized find is the 1970s pull down map that I hung on the wall.  The best part is that it was completely FREE! I don't know if you have priced wall maps lately, but the prices will make your head spin!  It was part of the pitch pile that was in my classroom that I inherited from a retired teacher.  I bought the trunk as a birthday gift to myself from an antique mall's bargain room.  (That's right our local antique mall had a bargain room...we were seriously bummed when they took it out.)

My side tables are another half off estate sale find ($7 for the pair.)  That weird lamp??  Mom rescued it from my uncle's donate pile years ago...way before mid century became popular!  I know it is ugly, but isn't the shape awesome? I love it!  As for the tub chair, it's original home was in the girl's staff quarters at the camp in Michigan where I worked at for 4 summers!  My mom saw it when visiting and asked if we could have it. My friends at camp thought she was crazy, but into the car it went at the end of the summer!

Not to brag or anything, but my couch is quite possibly the best couch in the world! It was bought by my grandparents when they were first married in the 1954.  It was in their home until they downsized and then my mom claimed it.  She said for years it was dark nubby brown, but in the eighties, my grandmother recovered it...unfortunately in eighties mauve and baby blue.  However it is nine feet of comfort that you just don't find in stores today and in a family of giants that is worth something.

Music is my passion so I devoted a corner of my living room to music.  The chair is another find that I picked up when helping my aunt downsize. (if you are willing to clean, dust and move people, you get a lot of random, but awesome stuff!) The cushion was in bad shape, but nothing a little dye can't fix!  I collect vinyl records and have amassed a lot of them over the last couple of years.  I found a really cool record holder that I spray painted light green and put some of my records on.  They have since overflowed to my bookshelves.  The cabinet holding my record player is a recent addition that my mom redid for me.  We will be posting on the redo soon!

I collect vintage cameras and own 27 of them.  In the post about my family's surprise redo of my bedroom one summer, you will find the history behind the shelf and the postcards.

The last wall of my living room is the bookshelves that hold the rest of my records, books, and a random assortment of interesting objects that I find while thrifting, junking and cleaning out other people's homes!

Since this post is getting a little long, I will save the rest of apartment for another day.

Blessings, Thrift Chick

Party, Party, Party! Part 2

If you are a regular reader, you know I had two baby showers the last week of school.  The second party was for our school psychologist.  Since she did not know the gender yet, she had not yet picked a nursery theme.  We decided to go with a bird theme with a vintage flair.  Okay, I confess, I have been dying to use some of my vintage pottery...but the theme really did fit her....I promise.

This teacher's lounge is quite a bit older and a bit more in rough shape.  We needed to cover a lot of tables cheaply so we did end up using plastic...not my favorite, but I have to be realistic.  We also did repeat the waffle and yogurt bar idea because it was a nice change from our usual breakfast casseroles. (Plus, I am a terrible caterer and had waffles  and yogurt coming out of my ears....who eats just one waffle???)

 All the dishes and vases are thrifted or from estate sales.  The yellow batter bowls are actually from that same 60% off sale at Michael's from the first party.  I am telling you, we made off that day with a huge pile of loot.

 I paid $1.50 for the green vase at a recent estate sale.  (We go on Saturdays when things are marked half off.)  I am really falling for pottery that has a thirties and forties feel.  From the muted colors to the awesome unique shapes, there is just something nostalgic about how they look.

 This sugar and creamer as well as the bowls and plates from above came from a lot of Vernonware California Pottery I picked up at an estate sale a couple of years ago.  It was an impulse buy.  I paid $50 for ten dinner plates, ten dessert plates, five cups and saucers, the sugar bowl and creamer, salt and pepper shakers and some assorted cereal bowls.  They are in pastel colors in the muted vintage tint I love.  I love all the little details.  I have been looking for other pieces and just don't find them.  There are a few online, but they are pretty pricey...turns out I got a great deal.

Besides the nesting birds, we made centerpieces out of cupcakes.  My daughter-in-law is a talented cook and she made me a beautiful bouquet of cupcake roses for Mother's Day.  I asked her to make some more a little smaller.  She did a great job, don't you think?

For this shower, we showered her with books....fitting for a school!  We also created a book for her.  Each teacher completed gave her advice on what to teach your child before kindergarten.  My favorite was "Before kindergarten, be sure to teach your child that the cookie found on the playground should not be eaten, no matter how good it looks."

I must say, the teachers ate more at this shower than the other one....but I still have three boxes of waffles in my freezer and four large containers of yogurt in my refrigerator.  Anyone have a great recipe for toaster waffles and yogurt?

Patty

Party, Party, Party!

The last week of school was party central!  We had two baby showers...one at each of the elementary schools I serve.  Of course, I couldn't use the same theme and decor at each school...they were two very different girls!  Thrift Chick said I always go overboard, but it is so fun to decorate for a party.

Party number one was for my clinical fellow SLP.   Her nursery is going to be navy and lime with a woodland animal theme.  Her husband loves to hunt and wanted a hunting theme, but like any good woman who cares about decor, she said, "No way!"   Cute woodland animals was as back to nature as she was willing to get.

So woodland animals it was.  The teacher's lounge at this school is very nice and new.  We didn't really need table coverings or anything.  I used my Silhouette (stay tuned for a post about this fantastic tool) to create some adorable creatures.

I texted my assistant to see if her dad "could cut some logs like a vase and drill some holes in them for the centerpieces."  That is all I said.  She said they read and reread that text trying to figure out what I meant.  They finally just cut them randomly and added holes.  She gathered twigs with berries.  Isn't it amazing....not at all what was in my head, but so much better!

Sorry for so many pictures, but they are so stinkin' cute.  I just used a bunch of random scrapbook patterned papers in navy, green and browns.

For food, we did a waffle bar.  This was the simplest food I have ever done.  We used toaster waffles and then brought all the fixings that people love on waffles.

The circles garland took me all off 15 minutes to make.  I cut circles using the die cut machine at school.  (Seriously, if you are trying to make some decor, check out your local school, they probably have a die cut machine that will cut out letters, shapes and all kinds of objects.)  Then I simply sewed the circles on my machine.  I just ran the circle through the machine and counted to four between circles.  For a tutorial, check out here at Positively Splendid.

 The peanut butter and sugar ceramic jars were found 60% off at Michael's.  They have brightly colored ceramic lids as well. I stole them from Thrifty Chick's apartment.

 The ceramic berry baskets were from Michael's as well....the same 60% off line as was the granola glass bins.  I paid just $2 for them.  Needless to say we snatched up all they had.

To stay with the waffle theme, we had ice cream waffle bowls for yogurt parfaits. With vanilla yogurt, fruit and granola we had a nice alternative to waffles.

 I got the white pitcher at "garage sidewalk sale" at our local antique mall for $7.  It is one heavy sucker.  I have this love of milk glass....it just calls out to me!

No one really used the straws, but I couldn't resist because they added such a fun pop of color.  The vase is one I find all the time at thrift stores.  It must be very common because I now own about five in various sizes...why you ask?  I don't know...they are super cheap and I love their clean look.

Seriously, this was really a fun one to do.  I think I liked it so well because the colors are so clean and bright and those animals....they are just so cute.

Patty