How long will it survive?



So much waste!

Do you recycle?
Do you consider packaging when making your purchases?

I love auctions!

With spring comes city wide cleanups, garage sales and auctions. City wide cleanups are my favorite, lots of stuff for FREE. Who doesn't love FREE?

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to go to an auction. There is something about bidding against someone else for and item. I guess it's the competitiveness within me. Here's what came home with me:

Lot #1: This was my steal for the day. The office chair is in perfect condition and is one of those old chairs that is heaaavvvvyyyyy. I needed another office chair in my studio.








They grouped the chair with this vintage hard side suitcase. The inside of it is in great condition. Can't wait to redo it! But that's not all!

PLUS this brand new 5 piece set of Jordache luggage. It may be an older set, but it's only been used once. There is also a hanging garment bag. The two largest cases have wheels on the bottom and locks with the keys.





All this for.... drum roll please..... $1! The office chair alone would cost me more than that at a garage sale! I've been looking for a couple of those hard sided suitcases for a project I have in mind and the cheapest I have seen them (in good condition) is $20 at the antique flea markets.

Lot #2 These two lamps. I love this white glass lamp. Look at the little white ball finial on top. It will go wonderful in my bedroom and I can get rid of the ugly lamp in there now. The shade will get a make-over.

The other lamp is, well let's just say it will no longer be a lamp. I will save the harp in case I need one for another lamp. The wood base will be repurposed, the shade will be saved in case I need it and I'm not sure what will happen to that eagle. lol

This lot of two lamps was $3. It's hard to find lamp shades in thrift stores for $3.


Lot #3 A clothes basket full of material. Also there was 2 burlap bags! I paid $5 for the basket. {forgot to take pic}

So my total at the auction was $9 and a lot of fresh country air. Made for a great Saturday afternoon.

When I stopped by my mothers her neighbor had left this baker's rack for me when he moved out. I love FREE. And the little white enamel cabinet that the lamps are sitting on, hubby brought home to me out of the trash.



Be sure to check out these sites for other great thrifting.

Second Time Around Tuesday
and Coastal Charm

How to Frugally Antique a Mirror

I found a mirror in the trash that had a pretty frame. The mirror's frame was this color:


(I forgot to take a pic)

I used black spray paint and sprayed it:



For me, it was too flat and plain. It needed to be softened and all the detail on the frame needed to stand out more.

I decided to "antique" it. There are many ways to antique things and just as many products on the market now. I used a technique I used in ceramics years ago using what I already had on hand....Watered down paint.



The most common ratio to use is a 1:1. Half water/half paint. For this project I used a 1:2 ratio, or 1/2 cup water to 1 cup paint. You sponge, rag or brush on your mix and then rub off with a lint free rag.

Easy peasy! And it didn't cost me anything for a glaze. I used white house paint I had on hand.

For other great projects head over to Transformation Thursdays hosted by The Shabby Chic Cottage.

A Turquoise Table

I have always loved and am drawn to the color turquoise. Jewelry, clothes and anything for my home.

A couple years ago I found this little bistro set in the trash where I worked. I thought it was the perfect size for the corner in the man cave for extra sitting.



In January when I was hauling Christmas decorations back downstairs I notice my bistro set had been moved from the man cave's pool room to my holiday closet! Apparently it wasn't manly enough with the heart shaped chairs. lol I thought to myself "Well poohey on him, if he doesn’t want my bistro set in his 'man cave', I want it upstairs in my parlor!"

I went to my stash closet and started pulling material out. I decided on these turquoise pieces I found over time at my thrift store for the tablecloth. They sell material as "panels" for $1.49 each.

A couple weeks ago I found these awesome dessert plates for .49 each. And the little 4 piece porcelain espresso set at another thrift store for $3. It was still brand new in the package.



The rescued little table dressed up in turquoise makes me happy. Why would anyone want to throw it away?

What color makes you happy?

Join the Single Nester for Turquoise Tuesday!

and dont miss the party at Cottage Dreamers!

Show Me Your Repurposed Baby Crib Projects

I have the baby crib both my sons and one grandson used. All but the mattress. :(
None of the thrift stores around here will accept used cribs (or any other baby furniture such as high chairs and playpens) due to new safety regulations and liability. Not wanting to throw it away but not wanting to just keep it in storage as a keepsake I decided to figure out a way to repurpose it and have found some great project ideas.

To use the springs, I found these great projects:

Photo display by Cottage Elements:


A kitchen command center/message board by Funky Junk Interiors:


Candy Ellen's Weaved Wall Art:

Candy can also be found on her site Junk Sophisticate.

Country Home Office Wall Organizer Inspired by Cottage Elements:



To use the end panels and/or side rails:

Jenny Lind Crib Bench



To use the mattress:

Shabby Nest's Seat Cushion:


I want to see more projects! Use this cool new inlinkz to link up your project! It's fast, easy and fun! You will get to show a thumbnail of your project right here on the link board.

Pottery Barn White Pillar Candle Holder Hack

I spied these pillar candlesticks at Pottery Barn and fell in love with them. They were just what I wanted for my mantel.

Their description: The curving forms of a grand balustrade were re-created by artisans to form our hand-turned white candleholders.
Crafted of mango wood that’s painted and distressed for rustic style.
Dramatically sized for a mantel or console.
And the price: $34 each. (ouch!)

So I started thinking about what I had around here in all my junk that I could make into candleholders. I wanted them to be "dramatically sized".

Here's what I came up with:
2 old ugly gold lamps!













A $1 can of white spray paint later and this is what I have:



Tell me what you think about them, would they work for you?

Be sure to stop by these places for other great frugal decorating & diy projects:





Transformation Thursday

Thrifty Thursday







A Soft Place To Land

Reinvented: Trash To Treasure Tuesday

My Frugal Family: Talented Tuesday

Decorating With Plates

Finally! After moving these blue willow type china plates from one home to another and from one shelf to another they have found a home.

One of my problems deciding where to put them or what to do with them was I have very little area to display anything like this in my kitchen/dining room. Either all walls are windows or has appliances on them. Also blue is not my kitchen/dining color.

I went to work on the guest bedroom. I've had everything collected just sitting in different areas of the house.

I pulled a cute little nightstand from the garage hubby gleened from curbside trash for me. The lamp was in the storage room waiting to be put back together and have it's harp replaced. The lamp shade was one I had removed from family room a couple months ago. The little vase (given to me from my mother as a gift a couple years or more ago) sits upon an extra plate that did not go on the wall.

This heavy iron headboard is an antique salvaged from the trash a couple of years ago and has been hiding behind my craft room door waiting for someone to help me carry it downstairs. Did I mention it is hea-veee! The quilt and pillow shams were also salvaged from the trash and washed up beautifully.



Now for the plates. Plates are fun to decorate with all over your home. I've seen them used in every room. They are cheap when you need to purchase them and can be found at thrift stores, garage sales, or even in your own china cabinets!

I chose to hang some of mine over the bed. The hangers for the plates were also found (brand new, never used) in the trash. These hangers can also be made very easily yourself.

All but one of the plates were given to me by my mother as gifts. One I purchased at a thrift store. I dont remember exactly how much it was, but I never spend over $1 on stuff like that. ;) The little square tiles were purchased at a thrift store also for $4.

I had a little trouble getting all the plates spaced evenly, but was happy with the end result and felt I had accomplished something. I'm still chasing away those winter blues and decorating inside.

I would love to hear about your recent trash to treasures or new decorating projects, leave me a comment.

For more decorating inspiration head over to So You Think You Can Decorate!

and then party with everyone over at Reinvented for Trash to Tuesday

Chasing Away The Winter Blues

I don't know about you all, but I am done with winter! I am so happy the sun has shined here for the last two days, but it has given me spring fever..... BAD! So I've been putting away the winter colors and bringing out the spring. One of my favorite ways to bring spring to the main area of our home is to redo my table.

Yellow is always a great spring color! Here's what I did...



A lighter table cloth would be more spring-y, until I "find" one, this will have to do. Everything was items I already had on hand (most came from thrift stores or gleened from the trash), so it was easy on my budget. Fresh cut flowers that fill the room with their wonderful scent always helps my mood also.

So do tell, what do you do to chase away the winter blues? Do you change certain decor in your home from season to season?

I'm off to iron that table cloth!

Decorating your home with trash

Decorating your home on a tight budget can still be rewarding and fun and best of all FREE!

Check out my latest finds from the trash. It amazes me what some people throw away!


This candelabra will be going in my foyer where the rest of my accents are black. I bought a bag of 12 tea lights for $1 at the Dollar Tree store.


When I seen this piece I snatched it up before my friend could grab it. It can be used two different ways. You can sit it on the floor, say for a fireplace screen or can be hung on the wall.

Then after getting it home I thought "I need 8 votive cups and candles for that sucker! I knew I could pick up a box of 4 candles for $1, but I didnt want to spend $1 a piece on the votive cups. So I hung it in the garage and have been keeping my eye out for some cheap votives.

I seen a garage sale and stopped by and guess what I found for .10 each? The gal had about 50 of them from her wedding reception she was getting rid of! So for a total of $2.80 I now have a candle screen for my fireplace.

Trash finds like this make me so happy! And hubby found a WONDERFUL piece yesterday for me that I can't wait to show you too. Spring is around the corner and people will be cleaning out basements, garages, and attics. I can't wait.

So tell me about your latest trash, thrift store, flea/antique market or garage/rummage sale finds.

Suggestions & Ideas Wanted

I need some suggestions and ideas on how to repurpose this entertainment center.



I've had it sitting in the garage since I removed it from kiddo's bedroom two or three months ago. Hubby is tired of it being there and wants to throw it on the burn pile!

I was wanting to repurpose it for my studio/craft/sewing room that I am redoing.

Have any of you seen any ideas on the internet? The only thing I can find is how to make it into a kid's play kitchen.

I need some ideas and photos for inspiration before he makes me burn it!

One man's trash is another man's treasure!

According to Basic Rug Hooking by Alice Beaty & Mary Sargent: "The pioneers practiced the old New England proverb "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" by hooking bits and pieces of wool into foundation fabrics to make bed and floor coverings. The lives of articles of clothing, sometimes more difficult to acquire than food and shelter, could be extended in this way."

I wanted to share my latest decorating project with you. I'm almost done redecorating in our parlor. I'm still working on our living room where the new couch went too.

I found this chair in the trash over a year ago. It's been sitting in the corner looking really sad. The seat of it had been recovered in denim, which really didnt go with the green wash on the wood or the mint green chairs already in there. So I decided to recover the seat so it would fit in better.


I went to my craft room and dug this skirt out that I bought last year at a garage sale for .25. When I bought it, I didn't know what I was going to do with it, I only knew I loved the material. The colors and pattern were so cool and refreshing to me. As soon as I seen it this morning I knew it would be perfect in the parlor.

When I removed the denim I found the batting was probably about 50+ years old and needed some help. So I went back to my craft room and dug out a twin size fluffy mattress pad cover. I had dug the cover out of the trash because I thought it was a full size for my sons bed. It has been sitting waiting paitently to have something done with it.

Twenty minutes later and my sad little chair was singing like a canary. I'm so happy with my .25 chair!

Here's a bigger view of the room. The majority of this room has came from the trash.

Trash finds: Both pictures on the wall and the sconce (they both have shades of green in them including the mint green that I love), the floor lamp between the "new" chair and fireplace, the little footstool in front of the chair, the white pillar thingy to the left of the chair (can't remember what they are called), the scarf under the birdhouse and clock are left over from the skirt, the antique turquoise ink well and medicine bottles, the white butterfly house, the shoe shine box on the hearth, the glass top antique table between both chairs and the throw rug under the two winged chairs.

My sister purchased the fireplace for my birthday from a thrift shop for $15.

I bought the two wing back chairs came from a garage sale for $15 a piece.

I bought the birdhouse from Hobby Lobby on discount for $4.99.

The clock was bought from a thrift store for $9 by my father. I stole it from him. lol

These are the last two chairs in the room. Both were found in the trash. It's really sad that the little rocker was made for someone, their name is engraved in the back, and they threw it away. I'll make a new cushion for it and maybe a cover for the other one that is so popular now a days and then the room will be done... no wait, I HAVE to get rid of that awful carpet. As soon as I can find carpet.... CHEAP, the room will be done. :)

Have any of you done any redecorating this spring or summer? I love to look at other's decorating photos and hear about their projects.

Some of My Christmas Finds

I was unpacking more Christmas decorations this morning. I found a sack that I didnt recognize in the storage room with all my Christmas decorations. I opened it up and this is what was inside.
It was a sack of Christmas items I pulled out of a load of trash last year after Christmas. There was sticks of artificial poinsettas, ribbon, 3 douglas fir sprays (brand new, never been used, still has the price tag on them) some lights, etc.

I pulled the ribbon, sprays, and poinsettas out.





I need to spice up my railing around our stairs and this will do the trick. I'm not very creative, but I'll post a pic after the damage is done.

About 3 years ago (when my hubby was working at the same place as I) he found this wreath. Isnt it cute? It was also brand new, still in its box when he brought it home.
I added a few floral picks to the wreath to dress it up a little.


Last year I also found two of these Christmas trees. I put one up in my country kitchen and one in the family room.

The little table that it sits on also came out of the trash. The kitchen has 9 windows around the dining area. I always hang 6 stockings from each of the 6 full windows to symbolize my neices and nephews that I no longer get to see. The stockings came from an over-freight store for .10 a piece.

We have so many Christmas things pulled from the trash there is no way for me to display them all so I rotate the stuff on display from year to year. I just don't understand why people throw this stuff away! There are so many who could use it.

A lot of the stuff found has also been donated to a couple of churchs. Two years ago we saved every bicycle that came through. There was a couple that was going to Texas for the winter and we gave the bicycles to him. He switched parts around repairing the bikes, painted them and then loaded them up and took them to an orphanage near where they stay for the winter. Every child in the orphanage received a bicycle for Christmas that year. In the spring when our friends returned they brought us pictures of the kids with their bikes. It was a really heart warming experience.