The Magic of Varnish: Thrift Store Table Makeover

One of my favorite things about thrift store hunting is finding the unexpected. The other day when I was searching for a vase, I found this delicate and simple end table.

I tend to wander through all the departments of a thrift store, even when I'm searching for something in particular. On a clothing mission I'll check out furniture, on a knick-knack mission I'll poke through the shoes, and I usually check out the the lamps (I have a lamp problem). By doing this I expose myself to extra temptation, but when the price is right, I'll give in.

This table was only $4, a small enough dent in my wallet that I took it home.

Mid-Century Makeover

A little while ago I came across a sort of holy grail of thrift store finds. It's one of those items that I've always pined for but never found. One of those items that I figured had been snatched up by collectors and re-sold by trendy interior designers to their meticulously stylish clients. In other words, I never dreamed of finding one.

I found a vintage student's chair.

Christmas Wreath Frenzy

My holiday decor shopping this year is reaching near-hoarder levels. The shelves in the garage are already full, as is the spare closet...I honestly don't know where it's all going to go once the season ends. But I can justify it all, because I got it for ridiculously cheap at the thrift store, and it doesn't look it.

So, this is the second post in my Thrifty Christmas series (the first was the Holiday Shrub), and this one is all about wreaths. Christmas wreaths are probably the most customizable seasonal decor, but wreath-making can be a pricey craft if you're buying everything new. But if you know where and how to look, creating gorgeous wreaths from thrift store finds is easy and insanely cheap!

The key is to be creative about your resources. I sourced my wreaths and decorative elements from three different thrift stores in the area. Thrift stores usually start putting out Christmas decor a few weeks after Halloween. Though they bring out the merchandise gradually to keep the shelves stocked, as with most things, you're likely to find the best stuff if you start early. I found the big wreath pictured below at the Salvation Army for $3.99. Similar wreaths from the craft store are $20 or more!

West Elm Inspired DIY Part 1: Black Vases

Ever since West Elm appeared on the scene, I've admired their crisp, modern designs, but haven't found much to get me going. Their latest catalog was an exception. While giving it the obligatory flip-through before the recycling bin last week, I found myself pausing more than usual...and maybe even drooling a little. Here and there, I found things that really appealed to me, and while I still can't conscionably purchase decor at their prices, I can sure as heck create my own knockoff.

Okay, knockoff may be kind of a strong word...how about "inspiration" instead?

The first thing that caught my eye was the Lombok Pottery Collection. I love the fact that they were simple in both shape and color, but still had enough shine to them to catch the light. And anything black is easy to fit into the decor in my house and easily appeals to my male roommates.

My first thought was the bric-a-brac shelves at the thrift store, so I took a quick trip to the Salvation Army during my lunch break. These three little vases are what I came home with.

Thrift Store Table Turned Custom Ottoman

At the end of a long day at work (or cruising the local thrift-store), I'm a fan of putting my feet up and relaxing with a good book. Problem is, the only place to put my feet up in our living room is the glass coffee table, and footprints on the glass is not something I want to worry about.

But that's nothing a little DIY project can't fix!

Just like my Dress Dyeing Adventure, the inspiration for this project came from something I saw on Young House Love. A guest post by Kara Paslay, who made an ottoman totally from scratch.

Well, I don't have my home workshop set up for woodworking yet (someday I will have a circular saw...), so I didn't go from scratch. Instead, I picked up a small side table from the thrift store for $10.

Bathroom Cabinet Makeover

The house I live in has almost everything a renter could ask for: spacious bedrooms, mahogany laminate floors, granite countertops. That is, everything but decent bathroom storage! The master bathroom has not a single drawer or cabinet. Time to use my thrift store and DIY savvy to solve this problem.

I found this fugly brown cabinet for $20 at the thrift store. As far as I can tell, it was originally designed to hold VHS tapes, but it's also the perfect size for bathroom doodads of various shapes and sizes.