Caro's Thrifty Adventures

teacher gifts

2011-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the gifts I created for the kids' teachers this year.

First up, my classic pencil monogram:

I've been doing these for YEARS now, and each year, the teachers RAVE about them!! I think they're so cool. I should do one for my studio. :)

My daughter had the same teacher last year, so I couldn't make her a monogram this year, since she received one last year!! So, I made her 2 things...

This pencil vase:

(totally easy: Just take a can and hot glue pencils to it! I added a rubber band to secure them (in case it were to fall) and a ribbon atop that.

And I created this star out of buttons.

I didnt want to do a monogram, since she got the pencil one last year. So I chose a star, since her last name, De L'Étoile, means "Of the Star" and she often signs her first name followed by a star :)

Hope you like these, let me know if you do something similar!

By popular request... My pencil monograms

2011-05-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've been making these for 5 years now, as teacher gifts. The teachers LOVE it. They always show me, the next year, where they hang it in their classroom. The first time I did it, the teacher went around the school showing it off to all the other teachers!!
And *I* love it, because, well, it's much appreciated. And also because it's CHEAP!! You know how I love cheap, frugal, thrifty art!!

This is super easy to do.

What you need
a frame (Dollar Store!)
A canvas (dollar store!)
Pencils (dollar store, leftovers, or whatever! I bought a bag of several hundred mismatched pencils at the thrift store, for 2 bucks, this year!)
Glue gun
A saw
Sandpaper
Sharpie or Rub-Ons

Start off by taking the glass off the frame (you can use it for another project or as a cutting mat)
Now cut the canvas, if need be, to fit inside it.
You can paint or varnish the canvas if you want.

Go on your computer and open Word. Then open WordArt, choose the outline option, choose your font and write the letter you need. (uppercase, lowercase, whatever style you wish, but make it simple). Make it the size needed. Print it out, then cut it out.
Outline the letter on the canvas with a pencil or other tracing pen that is easily removed.

Now, time to get those pencils. First, sharpen them if need be.
Start by the upper hand of the letter. Put something heavy so that the pencil won't roll out of place. Mark where you need to cut with a sharpie. Do that for all the pencils (leave the pencils there so you know where you are)
Before removing them, take a picture to make sure you know exactly where each goes!
Some people, I've seen, cut the pencils in a straight line. I prefer following the edge of the letter, it makes a nicer finish IMO. So, I cut in a diagonal often.

Cut with a saw (hand saw or whatever you have on hand!) and sand the edge.

Then, with a glue gun, glue the pencils back into place, erasing the lines before you glue.

At the end, you can add a name or sentiment with either a black sharpie or rub-ons. You can add a decorative flower or not

Sharing this to these linky parties:

Il te faut:
*Un cadre (j'achète les cadres pour diplômes, au dollo!)
*Une toile (ceux du haut étaient en carton avec un cardstock, mais maintenant j'utilise une toile d'artiste, aussi trouvée au dollo. Par contre, je dois la couper légèrement pour la faire entrer dans le cadre comme il faut)
*De la colle chaude
*Une scie quelconque (à main ou non)
*Des crayons de bois
*Un aiguisoir, hihihiTu enlèves la vitre du cadre. (Garde la pour un autre projet, ou comme tapis de coupe)Tu mesures la toile pour qu'elle entre dans la cadre

Tu peux peindre la toile, ou la protéger avec un vernis, mais c'est pas obligatoire.
Ensuite, tu vas dans Word, et tu ouvres Word Art. Tu choisis l'option "outline" (contour de lettre seulement). Tu écris ta lettre, tu choisis ta police d'écriture (pas de fioritures, juste simple... regardes si tu veux, par exemple, une majuscule ou minuscule, etc). Tu imprimes, puis tu découpes ta lettre. Tu traces ta lettre sur la toile, très légèrement avec un crayon à mine ou crayon blanc.

Maintenant, c'est le tour des crayons. S'ils ne sont pas aiguisés, tu les aiguises!

Puis, tu commences au bout de la lettre (je commence habituellement par en haut) et tu fais une ligne, au sharpie, là où tu devras couper. J'ai souvent vu des gens qui coupent droit, mais je préfère suivre l'angle de la lettre et couper en diagonale quand il le faut. Mais... c'est pas facile à couper parfois!! Ah, et assure-toi que si y'a de l'écriture sur le crayon, que ça soit en dessous et non visible!! (ah, et après avoir coupé le crayon, assure-toi de bien sabler avec un papier sablé!)

Je place les lettres sur la toile (je les empêche de bouger en mettant un objet lourd de chaque bord) et je continue à prendre les mesures et tracer au sharpie. Puis, je prends le tout en photo, comme ça si quand sont tous fait, je commence à couper. Parfois, faut recommencer parce que le crayon casse ou ta scie accroche le dessus du crayon. Par contre, si la mine casse, je fais juste la recoller en dedans du crayon, hihihi!!

Puis, je colle, avec de la colle chaude. J'efface ma ligne tracée avant d'y déposer mon crayon.
À la fin, j'ajoute soit une pensée, soit le nom de la personne, et parfois, comme en haut, des fleurs :)

Stashbuster Project #1: monogram frame

2011-04-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

When I got my stashbuster package, I was scared when I saw fabric and a zipper. I *CANT* sew to save my life. But I was determined to do something with it!!

We were allowed to add anything from our own stash, but couldn't go out and buy anything. No problemo, I've got a ton of things here. I'm a scrapbooker and crafter, so supplies are almost unlimited here, hehe.

Anyway, I present you my Monogram Frame:

I started out with this frame that I got at the thrift store months ago for 1$. It still had a 29.99 tag on the back of it!! It's nice, but NOT MY STYLE. I loved the details on the frame itself, but hate the gold colour!!

I then went to my studio and gathered all the "B" letter stickers I could get. All scrapbookers know how we end up with tons of unused alphabets!! The Es, Ns, Ts all get used quickly, but we are left with the other unused letters. We never want to throw them away!! I gave most of my mismatched chipboard letters to my daughter Béatrice (this frame is for her!)... so I went in HER stash to find these, hehe!!

The colours don't matter, they will all be spray painted!

I took the chipboard from the frame to use as my base. I started by just putting the letters on the chipboard base to see if I liked the way it looked. Once I was satisfied, I started gluing the letters on there. The paper stickers stick well as is, but I know from experience that the adhesive on chipboard stickers end up failing, so I glued them with quick dry tacky glue.

Took it outside, as well as the frame, and spray painted it all!

For the big B, I traced it on thick cardstock and hand cut it.
Then, using fabric glue, I adhered the fabric to it. Wrapped around and glue on the back.

For some extra dimension, I cut out some cardboard (I didn't have any pop-dots or foam adhesive on hand! Gotta make due with whatcha got!) and glued it on the backside.

I cut out 2 sections from the zipper, to use as a ribbon behind the black rosettes:

Glue the big B on the base (once it's dry of course!)
Put the base back in the frame, but leave the glass out!

And voilà!

I'm in love!!

My daughter is in LOVE with it as well!!

It was so easy to do!! I will so be doing this again!! I want to make some for teacher gifts!

Don't forget to visit Dollar Store Crafts to see all the other amazing projects!

Secret Stashbuster Challenge!

2011-04-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I saw there was a "contest" up on Dollar Store Crafts (one of my fave craft blogs!) where, when you signed up, you could be chosen to participate in the Secret StashBuster Challenge! Heather would randomly pick 10 people and send them some of her craft stash. And then Melissa, from Until Wednesday Calls, decided to send out 4 more packages, to Canadian Crafters... And I was picked!! WOOOT!!!

Here are the goodies I received yesterday!

OOOOOOOOOH!!!! Look at that pile of goodies!!!

You'll have to stay tuned to see what I make. It should be posted by Earth Day (friday)

I'm in LOVE with the felt iron-on!! And the ribbon... and the lace (I love me some lace!), and those quote cards...

However, these have me stumped:

LOL!!!
I hope I can find a clever way to use them!

Stay tuned!
Thanks Melissa and Heather!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree :)
I only chose natural trees, and this year I wanted a more rustic one, not cultivated... I love it! I hate my DEL lights and will be buying some new ones on boxing day!! I much prefer my old huge bulbs even though they were dangerous. lol!

here's a closeup of some of my favourite vintage ornaments:

I love it. I know that the "in" thing (at least in Québec!) these years is to have a huge ribbon around the tree and matching ornaments in non-traditional colours (i.e. turquoise, lime, purple...), and white lights. But that just aint me. I love a vintage looking tree. I love non-matching ornaments. I love looking for treasures in thrift stores (where I found all of these). I love having a history behind each ornament.

Here are some more vintage ornaments, but that I didnt use on the tree, as they are breakable, and with 3 kids and a dog, that's a no-no!! Some day, I'll buy a fake white vintage tree to put these on:

Gorgeous, huh?

Now here's a Xmas tradition we instaured in our home 7 or 8 years ago: Making paper snowflakes to decorate the living room window!! Over the years, we've gotten quite good at these, and can make intricate details.
Can you spot: * the Montreal Canadiens snowflake?
* the Xmas tree snowflake?
* The snowman snowflake?

(click for larger pic)
Here's how they look from the outside. We get lots of people stop and stare! And a look from inside, during the day.

Here's what I started... wrapping my empty frames in the living room!! I've not decided if I will do them all, or just keep it to a few.

After i took this next photo, I realized someone had hung it crooked. lol.
I did this feather wreath with my 9yo daughter. I just bought the feathers for a dollar. I already had the bird and ribbon.

I hung some ornaments on ribbon in my kitchen window. Cute look!

Here's my tiny collection of Santas. I only collect the ones that have the robe going to their feet like those. I LOVE them. I bought them all at thrift stores, over about 2 years now. I paid between 25 cents and 3 bucks for them!!

There will be more to come soon. My daughter and I decided to do one Xmas-related activity each day (whether it's a craft, watching a movie, going to see the lights, going to see the nativity scenes at the Oratory, etc)

Embroidery Hoops on my bedroom wall... and a painting!!

2010-09-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, I havent updated in forever.

This summer, while I was at our summer house in Vermont, hubby decided to repaint our bedroom and our main bathroom!! He did a great job, adding moulding and stuff. Love it.
Of course, there was the decorating left to do!! YEAH!!!

As you might've noticed, I'm in love with anything that creates a kind of "mosaic" on the wall... like these empty frames... or these white plates... or these black frames in the staircase...
I like how they fill up a space, are interesting, and so very thrifty!!

So... I decided to use embroidery hoops on my bedroom wall. I'd seen them before online, and looooved them.

So here's my version of it: (click on picture for bigger pic!)
*love* :)

I found most hoops at thrift stores, but I did have to buy a couple brand new since I had trouble finding more!!

And as for the fabric in the hoops... well I didnt really want to go buy brand new fabric. I dont like buying new when I dont have to, and I didnt want to have to buy a ton of it when I only needed a few inches!!
So what's a girl to do?

On my many thrifting trips, I found cool SHIRTS and SCARVES that had AWESOME fabric and design!! Most of them for 50 cents or a dollar!!
I cut what i needed and kept the rest in case I need them for another project!!
I also took one of DH's shirts, he had in a pile to be sent to the thrift store! It was plain orange, and I painted a bird design on it. It's the one on the upper left!!

The huge one has an awesome crocheted fabric in it, and I am in love with it! But since it was kind of plain as is, I raided my scrapbook stuff and found 5 huge flowers (5, because we're a family of five!) and layered smaller ones on top, and used a big brad as the center.

My favourite one, however, is the one on the top right of the middle one. It's orange, and it has big eyelets that create holes, in it. SO funky!!!

And while I was raiding my scrapbook stuff, I took out my buttons and added some here and there between the hoops. :)
And with my puffy paint, I scribbled the word "love" on the wall. :)

I am in LOVE with this project, and I have a huge smile when I walk into my bedroom!!!

What do you think??

And since I had to find more things to decorate my walls (which, btw, we had NEVER decorated in the 9 years we'd been here!!), I decided to PAINT a canvas!! I've never done anything like it before. But I figured it could be fun.
And it was. I loved doing it.
What do you think?

The flowers are to mimic the ones on my comforter. I thought it was too bland so I added the clouds.

As for the quote, I put letter stickers (hurray for scrapbook stuff again!) before painting, then I painted on top of them. Once dry, I removed the letters.

I decided that I will do more paintings for my bedroom, and all of them will have a *dream* quote on it. :)

Picture Frames on staircase wall

2010-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've made this several months ago, but never got around to posting pictures!!

The lighting is quite bad in my staircase, so please excuse the bad quality and colour of the pictures!!

All of these frames were bought at thrift stores. Most were UGLY. Lots were gold (ick), some white, some brown. I spray painted them all in black!
All photos are sepia toned. Some are matted, some not.

So, here it is!

View from my living room:

View from downstairs:

View from upstairs:

(yes, there's a frame missing on the right of that handle! One of the kids made it fall and it broke, so I have to replace it!)

Here are some close-up shots:

So as you can see, there's not only frames on here!

I have a thing for vintage keys, handles, hinges, knobs and all of that, so I've used a few of those.

I used some decorations (the round thing, as well as a tiny "window") I had found last summer, which were offwhite (as seen HERE) and now painted black.

I;ve got a tiny fireman hat bottle opener, from when DH's grandpa was a fireman.

I've got cubes with stuff in them.

I've got candle holders

Some scrapbooking supplies always were used... for "home", "family" and all the little scrolly things you see!

And YES I know some frames are still empty!! I didnt have the proper sizes of pictures so I need to get some printed... and I just never think about it! ;)

It's hard to say how much this all cost me. But considering each frame cost a dollar or less, and I have 45 or so of them... then 15$ for the cubes, 2$ for the wooden decorations (window and circle), about 5$ total for the hinges and handles, about 15$ for the picture processing and 2$ for both vases, and about 3 cans of spray paint, it comes to right under 100$ for this masterpiece wall!

Posting this to

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

2010-03-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

Oh come on, doesnt this remind you of the mirror in Snow White? hehehe

I found it for 5$ at a thrift store a few months ago. Loved the details, but HATED the grey and gold!! ick!!

Little bit of black spray paint and awww, much better!

(excuse the flash, I have very bad lighting in that area!!)

It hangs on the second floor near the bathroom. Love it!

Things that make me smile....

2010-02-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

... around my house :)

This... I LOVE this:

One for the bathroom, one for the basement. :) Guests always think that's adorable lol! (scrapbook supplies rock!)

THESE:

Old cookbooks. I guess I have a collection now :-P

This one is from France, from 1921

I showed you this one HERE from 1958. The cover makes me so HAPPY!!

There's also this one, from Quebec early 60s

I bought it for a dollar... and when I brought it home, I found some treasures inside!! Look! :

Old handwritten recipes and lists, recipes torn from newspapers and magazines, etc!! LOVE it!!

And best of all:

An OLD pizzeria menu!! Click on it to make it bigger and see how ridiculously those prices are!!!

I had seen this next item at my thrift store and didn't buy....for the longest time! It sat there and I kept on going and seeing it, picking it up thinking it was adorable, but always putting it back, never buying it. I did this 3 or 4 times. WHY?? No clue. I guess I dont want clutter in my house anymore. But then one time I went there and it wasnt there anymore, and I was dissapointed! Kicking myself for not buying it previously! I turn a corner and what do I see? It was misplaced, but still there! YAY!! And the best part, it was just 25¢ after all! LOLOLOL!!

I mean, how seriously CUTE and kitschy is THAT? It has tons of drink recipes on it. And the turquoise matches my kitchen perfectly! :-P

Next up is the ultimate item that makes me smile:

I got a set of 6 of these for I believe 1,50$ at that same thrift store. What a steal. They make me SO happy just looking at them! LOVE them. Whenever we have dinner, I always make sure I get one of those plates! (We have various plates from different sets!)

Ok, one last thing for now...

This doesnt ALWAYS make me smile. It sometimes frustrates me, irritate me, tire me. But I know one day I will look back and smile....

... because yes, I'm the type of geek that keeps old calendars forever, to be able to look back on! :)

This year is just incredibly busy, we had to have a calendar system!

Dark blue or black is for Etienne

Light blue is for Xavier

Purple is for Bea

Important appointments are in red

other misc stuff in black

Between hockey practices and hockey games for EACH kid, referee-ing jobs for Etienne, games for DH, doc and other appointments, birthday parties, volunteering, events....We need this.

Next year I will be making my own calendar so it fits my kitchen :-P

So, what things around your house makes YOU smile?

I think it's so important to have such things.
I once read that in your home, you should only have things that you need and things that you like. :)

New Kitchen Cabinets.... (picture loaded post)

2010-02-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

Months ago I mentioned we were doing some kitchen renos. We are not finished, because we still have the change: the floor, the countertops, the curtains and the ceiling fan. And add crown molding to the ceiling. And reupholster the chairs. And re-stain the table. lol

But for now this will have to do, because money is short :-P

So here are the cabinets before and after:

Quite a change, huh?

Yet... it's still the same cabinets!! We just added beadboard, trim and crown molding to the existing cabinets! :)

It was a pretty cheap transformation, really. We did it all ourselves, so it WAS a bit time-consuming to say the truth. But well worth it. And the new look cost us about 250$ paint included!

It took some trial and error to be perfect. For example, the trim we chose, we first put on the other side, so that the thickest part was on the exterior of each door. But then when we tried to open the doors, they wouldn't. So we took it all apart and cut some more trim so that this time, the thinnest part was on the exterior side.

The handles were bought at Walmart for 20$ for 10 of them! Total steal! We needed 20, so for 40$ we've got brand new handles for the whole kitchen :) (why didnt I change THOSE before??)

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So if you're interested, here are some more pictures. Well, tons of them.

BEFORE

AFTER

(how funny is it that I have the same kitchen towel hanging?)

See that light fixture above the sink? I replaced it with a brushed silver one on the after pic. Well, can you believe it cost 2.98$ BRAND NEW?
See, regular price was just 13.98$ at Rona and it was the one I liked best. But there was only ONE left, and since the box had been opened, they had marked it to 12.98$ instead. But at the cash, it rang up to the original price. There's a great law in Quebec that if something is marked (on the shelf or on the item) at a certain price and it rings up higher, then they are obligated to give you a 10$ rebate (or the item for free if the item is under 10$). :)

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Yup, we put on a new fresh coat of paint! Out is the ugly green (though it doesnt show properly on pictures!) and in is the awesome turquoise colour!!

Above is *close* to the colours. On the left is close to what we used to have, and on the right is close to what we have now.

You will notice that the countertops are still that awful forest green colour. *sigh*. It's next on our list, but it has to wait financially (though the one we chose is just 200$... we still have to have the 200$ :-P. So, imagine it dark brown. Oh and the floor will be dark brown too, wood)

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BEFORE

AFTER

Yeah, I know, that calendar is not the prettiest, but we NEED it. One day I will make one that fits my decor :-P

I do love the beadboard from top to bottom of the cabinet side!!

(PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ignore the floor and mat)

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Before

After:

(this picture reminds me that I need to paint the screws white!)

Found those shelves at a thrift store for 1.50$ a piece. They are not perfect, but they're fine. If I find something else better (second-hand, I refuse to buy new ;-) ) then I'll change them. But they hold their purpose so I dont care :-)

That old wooden shelf that's in the "before" picture is now painted black and is in my living room. Pictures to come later.

Here's a closeup of the plates on the wall.

I had searched for white plates for months in anticipation of this. I had seen such displays on blogland and loved it. Plates all cost between 10¢ and 75¢. Those candleholders used to be GOLD and fugly, you can see them in THIS post. A little white spray paint and they are chic!!

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BEFORE

AFTER:

You can see the spice racks I talked about HERE, on the picture above!

Unfortunately, ever since we got that fridge last year, the right dooor above it wasn't able to open, since the fridge hardware was blocking it. So we had to cut part of the door so that it would slide *over* the thing! Cant really notice it when standing up (unless you're super tall!) but it does show on the after picture!)

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BEFORE

AFTER:

Love that scrolly piece. Brings a touch of black (I have some black here and there to help 'ground' the space)

And you can see those large utensils I had transformed!

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BEFORE

AFTER:

Ahhh, dontcha feel like you can breathe better? Much less clutter, so clean and fresh!

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And what about THIS?

2010-02-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

http://carothrift.blogspot.com/2009/09/so-i-was-out-again-last-night.html

This was in the trash a few months ago. I picked it up, not knowing exactly what I'd do with it.

Then when we started our kitchen renos, it hit me...

Cut it in half and use it on the side of the cupboards, on each side of the kitchen window, as spice racks. This way my spices are ALWAYS on hand (and I use them a LOT more since!)

Really, this was so simple, cost NOTHING and is SOOO practical!!

Remember THIS little number?

2010-02-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

http://carothrift.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-banner-and-what-im-working-on.html

Remember this sad, sad little number? Yes, I was the one, in a previous life, who had painted it yellow and stenciled those god awful things on it...

Well, here is the much nicer, sleeker after!!

A fresh coat of paint, new hardware and it's... gorgeous!
It was a long process though! I had to remove the yellow paint, but more importantly I had to remove the oil paint underneath (what had possessed me to not check what type of paint was on it, before painting it yellow in the first place???). Then sand sand sand. Then prime, then paint! Phew!

I love it! It holds cookbooks and some extra kitchen wares!

Yes I am still alive!!

2010-02-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

Eeeeek....

I'm so sorry for abandoning this blog for such a long time!
What happened, you ask?

THIS happened:

Hockey has taken over our lives.

Oh, I don't mind, really. I love hockey. But it leaves me with little time for anything else :-S

Pictures in order:

Etienne, my 15yo son, plays Midget B

Xavier my 10yo son plays Atome A

Beatrice my 8yo daughter plays Novice C

Etienne also referees (an average of 4 games a week)

and DH is head coach for Etienne's team as well as Bea's team.

AND he is assistant coach for Xav's team. AND he plays hockey on friday nights.

As for me, I can't even skate.

But I take pictures at all the practices and games and make a yearbook for each team.

Anyway, it sÜcks a lot of energy from us. We spend our weekends at arenas.
And while I HAVE been thrifting on and off, I just havent had much time to post it here.

Later today you will see my before and "after" kitchen (though it's NOT DONE, we have yet to change the floor, the countertops, the curtain and the ceiling fan).

As well as some of the things that make me smile around my house. So stay tuned!

Large wood utensils before and after!

2009-09-28T08:50:00.001-07:00

For the past few months, I've been seeing those old, large wooden forks and spoons all over blogland. When I first started seeing them on the internet, I wasn't sure. I remember my grandparents having these!! LOL!! But they grew on me...

I squealed when I went thrift shopping with my cousin Claude last week and came accross this set for 2$:

But that totem thingie HAD.to.go. Not my style at all.

A little paint, some jute and some distressing and we now have this:

MUUUUCH better dontcha think?!?!

Here are some close-ups:

This post is part of the Metamorphosis Monday party at Between Naps On The Porch! Come join us with your before and afters, and take a look at what everyone did!

What Fifteen Bucks Can Buy.....

2009-09-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast a week can fly by isnt it?
It's Monday again, and Monday NIGHT at that. *sigh*

It's also Autumn. How can that be? (Or is it tomorrow? I'm never sure anymore). *triple sigh*

Anyway... here are my thrifty finds for this week. Of course part of Rhoda's TTT :)

A gorgeous wood branches basket. It's thick and dark and the bottom part is about 8.5x11.
1.00$

A super looooong wooden planter. Bare wood.
FREE- Curbside find!!

look at the sweet detail in the corner!

Oh you know this will be getting some stain and/or paint!!

One Vintage cookbook, and another with a vintage *look* but is recent.

1.00$ for the vintage book

0.50$ for the recent book

I just FELL IN LOVE with the cover of this book!! The colours are GORGEOUS!! I cant wait to put it on display in my soon-new kitchen!!

It dates from 1958 :)

The other book is recent, but I also just LOVE its look!!

The back really hooked me, too! Suppers in a few minutes? YEAH!!

Patty Trio moulds

50cents

I had some of this a few years ago. I actually used to make sandwiches in them, flattening the bread. Kids love it. ANd that was before the actual "bento" craze! ;)

This awesome frame is made of metal, and its off-white colour and distressing are a perfect match for my decor!

1$ for the frame

50 cents for that little metal owl. I have no clue what it used to be, and there appears to be a missing piece to it. But it's an OWL people. I HAD to have it! LOL!

I went to a kinda estate sale this weekend in Montreal, I saw advertised on Craigslist. Lots of junk: good junk and bad junk! Some stuff was seriously overpriced, but some was good. I was looking for some skeleton keys, but didnt find any.
But i DID find these:

At 50 cents a piece, they obviously came home with me!

EDITED!!
THanks JJ for pointing out that they should be hung the other way! I did not know that. I'm not super superstitious (lol) but I figured a little more luck cant hurt right? So I hung them upside down this morning. I'm just too lazy to upload new pics here!

All rusted and old, love it! I'd been looking for some horseshoes!!

This below was a sentimental buy:

LOL, I know what you're thinking!!
But!!! My parents had one JUST LIKE IT!! Except I believe ours was avocado green? I havent seen or thought about it in like 25 years. And I saw these at my fave thrift store. The set for 1.50$ total. I didnt buy them when I saw them. Then I came home and they were on my mind all night. SO I went back the next day... phew, still there. Oh these are just BEGGING for a makeover, but I'm happy to have seen them this way, just for the memories, until then!

And some more apothecary jars.... for my main floor bathroom:

1$ each for the big ones, 50 cents for the small one. One holds soap, the other cotton balls, the other Q-tips :)

And now my FAVOURITE find in a LONG LONG time!!

I've been looking for something like it:

Ain't it a BEAUTY?!! It's for candles :)
I paid just 5$ for this! Oh how I love it!!

So I paid 15 bucks for everything in this post! Not bad huh? Gotta love thrifting! Imagine how much it would all have been elsewhere!!

Nautical table before and after

2009-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

This summer, I found the nicest nautical themed end table.

I paid just 5$ for it.

Since I love anything beachy, nautical, it came home with me, of course!

But... it just would NOT fit anywhere in my house. 1- the dark cherry coloured wood does not fit any other wood I have. It really clashes. 2- No actual place for a table. I tried it next to my sofa to replace one I had found in the trash months ago. But it just did NOT look good!

I was sad! I loved it so much and yet had to keep it in storage because it couldnt work!

And then I had a AH HA moment!

I removed the legs (which will probably become another project! ;-) ) and kept the top and am using it as...

well, instead of telling you, I will just SHOW you! :)

Likey???

Me, I LOVE it!!

I simply spray painted it white and distressed it a bit for that cottage-y look.

It hangs in my bathroom now and everyone will be able to admire it (because, really, everyone eventually has to use the bathroom, right? ;-) )

So, what do you think???

I'm posting this to Met Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Key hanger before and after

2009-09-17T16:54:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, you might've seen this key, which I posted in my Thrifty Thursday post.

I got it for a mere 50 cents. But I hated the gold. I like gold jewelry, but i hate gold *anything* in my house. So it HAD to go!

And that chain HAD to go too! Too much visual clutter for nothing!

Here it is now:

And in context, in my entryway:

Oooh I loooove it now, it's so purty! :)

(please excuse the wall paint that needs touch-ups! That's what happens with 3 wild kids in the house!)

ANother one for the Met Monday party :)

Blackboard before and after!

2009-09-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I bought this blackboard @ Winners (Canada's version of TJ Maxx!). I don't remember exactly what I paid for it, probably about 5$.
It's about 3 feet high?
Anyway. I loved it. But about a year ago, I just could.no.longer.look.at.it. Too.... I dunno... country-ish for my current taste? And, well... I just cannot stand green at this moment.

So today was the day it was being re-born! Here's the after:

A closer look:

I spray painted it turquoise, then distressed it so the green shows thru (our kitchen will be white, turquoise, dark brown and sea foam green). I love that it shows thru quite a lot.

I took a page out of a book:

I had found this book at a library book sale this summer (fill up a grocery bag for a dollar!!) I loved the book because of all the gorgeous drawings!

Ironically, the picture was exactly the right size for the opening on top! kewl beans!!

I adhered that, then added jute around the picture and around the blackboard.

It still looked a bit bare. So I turned to my scrapbook supplies!!
I found cute scrolly chipboard shapes. I first inked them in green, then spray painted them turquoise, then distressed them, so they'd match the wood. Added some on top, some on the bottom corners.

And then, I needed something for the chalk, right? I remember seeing, sometime this week, somewhere on a blog, someone taking a Scrabble tile 'holder' for this exact purpose. I cannot remember WHERE I saw it, so if it was you, PLEASE tell me so I can give proper credit! I thought that was just GENIUS. So, I took an old game (bought 2 years ago for a buck) and used one, which I painted the same as the chipboard shapes.

ANd that;s it! A much nicer, softer, beachier look! :)

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the POrch!

Thrifty Thursday

2009-09-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I visited 2 of my favourite church basement thrift stores yesterday.

I found Quiksilver shirts for both boys (50cents) and 2 shirts for dd (also 50c each). I dont usually share my clothing finds here, because i'm keeping this blog more decoration-oriented, but seriously, people!! There are some amazing finds in thrift stores! My younger 2 (now 10 and 8) get nearly all of their clothes from thrifts. At 15, my oldest doesnt, but I always manage to find a few items for him too!

Anyway, here are my home decor finds for today!!

At 50 cents, I couldn't pass up this cute lighthouse birdhouse (say that 3 times fast LOL!)
It's missing a piece of the anchor and 2 pieces of the wheel, but I will fix that somehow!

Also 50 cents, this big gold (ack!) key from which we'll hang our keys. Stay tuned later today for a small makeover for this. Because you KNOW I didnt keep this as is... I hate gold anything in my house!

And now... this AWESOME wooden boat. A bit pricier than I usually pay for thrift store finds, but I just could not pass it up. It was 5$ and it's HUGE! It's 2 feet tall and abou 1.5 feet long.

It comes from Percé, which is a beautiful town in Quebec, where I would LOVE to go some day.

And my favourite find of the day, this iron scrolly thing! You know how much I love this type of thing! It was 2$ and is about 3 feet long! It's GORGEOUS!!

Don't forget to check out everyone's thrifty finds at:

Thrift Store Thursday at Homebody Holly:

Thrifty Thursday at Bloggeritaville

And stay tuned later today for a couple of transformations!

Sewing Box Transformation

2009-09-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Months ago, in the trash, I found a great vintage sewing box.

I never took a close-up picture of it. (What was i thinking? Ugh!)
But you can see it in the picture above, just in front of the wicker vase.

It sat in my living room for a while. Not sure what to do with it.

Last week, I spray painted it white.
Nice, but not quite "there" yet.

This morning, I realized all it needed was a little distressing.

This is it now:

I loooooove it! The distressing really shows off all the details.

I will be using it for scrapbook storage. Much cuter than dollar store plastic stuff, no?!

This is my contribution for Met Monday @ Susan's @ Between Naps On The Porch!
(see, Susan! I was able to find SOMETHING for this week's party! teehee)

So I was out again last night...

2009-09-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

... cause this morning is trash pick-up day in my neighbourhood. So you KNOW what that means, right? :)

So here is the stuff I found:

As cute as this is, I won't be keeping it. I have no place for it. But I dearly wanted to rescue it from a garbage truck death! I can't believe it was thrown out. So... i will be bringing it to the thrift store and hopefully somebody else can put it to good use. :)

Now this, I can use:

Someone had a "sold" sign in front of their house and lots of trash and opened cardboard boxes outside for people to look thru. I found this:

And I KNOW I've seen that little driving rabbit somewhere! WHERE?!!

My kids are too old for something like that, so it will be a gift.

I also found this long... spice rack? I imagine? We're redoing our kitchen, so it might be useful. I can always repurpose it in my scrapbook studio too!

A closer look:

Now wouldja look at THIS?

Great big shutter doors. Brand new. In the TRASH!! *shakes head*

I think they;re too big for my son's hockey room (his closet is super small), but they might fit in my middle son's room. If not, transformation ahead!

I also found this adorable hutch for a child's desk:

It will most likely go in my own scrap room ;)

So there ya have it.
Just more stuff for me to work on. I know, I know. It's just... an addiction! Terrible...

This post is part of Junkin Monday @ Cottage Charm & Family Inspiration!

My first time participating in that partay! (Certainly not the last)

New Banner... and what I'm working on...

2009-09-12T14:59:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!
Hope you are enjoying the weekend! We're having more beautiful weather up here in Montreal. I should be yard saling, but we're working on projects instead! :)

First off... I started scrapbooking again.... It's been nearly 6 months, ack! I decided that to ease me back into scrapbooking, I should start with a blog banner. Whatdya think? (Don't worry though, this blog wont suddenly start talking about scrapbooking: i've got another blog for that (and it's been closed a while!!). )
My banner includes letter cards from the Probe game I found this summer, some old lace I found in a thrift store several months ago, a crossword-puzzle stamp I found for 1$ @ Big Lots this summer, and some torn cardboard! How's THAT for thrifty?! :) 'Course, I added an owl, cause I love 'em... and it matches well with this background I got @ ShabbyBlogs!

Second... this is what I'm currently working on (Ok, ONE of the things I'm currently working on... lol! You know how it is!)

YIKES, eh?!
Someone painted it yellow and stenciled a bear on the front and a bee jar inside.... with bees everywhere. WHAT was that person thinking?!

Oh wait! That person was me!
Oops! *snort*
But hey!! It's been over 12 years! That was popular back then! Blech!! Stenciling was all the rage. And I loved yellow and deep blue and my apartment back then was in those colours. And that country-ish feeling. BLEH.

That little baby has been sitting in my basement for 8 years (ever since we moved here). I've hated it since. It's been storing scrapbook papers for my daughter, along with some of her crafts stuff for the last few years.

I found an old fashioned school desk for my dd's room, so she doesnt need this anymore, so I'm re-doing it to put in a corner of our kitchen/dining room. We dont have enough storage as it is, so this will be perfect for extra plates and cake molds!

So far, I have taken the yellow off (I was clueless back in the day. I painted in latex over alkyd paint!!) and stripped most of the off-white using an awful liquid stripper.... I still need to sand. And then prime and paint. I'm still unsure about exactly WHAT to do to it.

ANY IDEAS?

Useful thrift store finds...

2009-09-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Two of my favourite blogs are hosting thrifty parties today, so I thought I'd show you now (instead of waiting for Mondays like I usually do) my finds at my favourite church thrift store from yesterday!!

In my quest to organize and de-clutter my home (new motto: a place for everything and everything in its place), I've been using lots of wicker baskets.

I found this HUGE one for 4$:

Seriously, it's huge! It's nearly 2.5 feet long!
I put it in my entrance closet. It holds frames and other stuff from my project pile!! I had another small basket for that purpose there, but now, that one holds hats, mittens, scarves and stuff!

I also found these jars. 1$ each for the 2 big ones and 50cents for each of the smaller ones. As you know, I like to keep my Beach Glass in such jars, and I was missing at least a jar to hold it all. My brown ones all fit in the biggest jar. And I'm keeping the other ones because soon enough, I will have lots more beach glass to store!

And these frames:

They all have such GREAT details. All are UGLY golden colour (what WAS it about gold frames?!!), check 'em out!!

I actually *like* the print in that middle frame. Might actually use it (though in a simpler frame- I think the detailed frame with a busy print is just too much- they compete for attention.).

The detailed frames, once painted, will hold family pictures (in sepia tones) in my staircase.

Now you GOTTA check out some other awesome thrifty finds. Click on the banners below to be taken to these cool blogs for the linky parties!!

Thrifty Thursday @ Bloggeritaville (seriously, isn't that the cutest blog name ever?!!)

Thrift Store Thursday @ Homebody Holly

Coffee Jar Transformation

2009-09-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

Participating for the first time http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/2009/09/diy-day-and-giveaway.html. Go check out other big or small do-it-yourselves transformations and her giveaway!

My transformation is really small. But I really like it!!

DH loves coffee. I don't. At all. LOL!

When he bought a big jar of coffee at Costco a few years ago, there was a free metal jar that came with it. He's been storing his coffee in it since.

Nice enough, but seriously, I hate hate hate seeing it on the counter. It looks... i dunno... cluttered? Too much stuff going on on that jar.

So what's a girl to do?
Take out her scrapbooking supplies and spray paint, of course:

Ahhhh SO much better!!

I spray painted it white, let dry. I added scrapbook stickers (From Doodlebug Design). Spray painted over everything with black. Once dried, I removed the stickes, and voilà!!

I love it!! Simple, but oh so effective!

An unexpected transformation!

2009-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Remember this little wicker shelving unit I found in the trash a few months ago?

Okay, it really s*cks because I never did take a good picture of it. The sides were cute scrolly things.

But it all just wasn't working for me.

So this is the shelving unit now:

WHAAAAAT?!! She ruined it?!!

Yup!!

I just did NOT have any place for it after all, and DH would kill me if I kept it in our new storage he built under the pool deck- i already have too much stuff there!

But I love the sides of it, so I took them out.

Some are in my "pile" (along with tons of frames and such).

But 2 are already on my wall, check it out:

Cute eh?!! I love 'em!!

Here they are in context

On the wall up the stairs!

I also just put up those frames with my BABIES in 'em!! I found the frames (boring oak frames from WM) at a thrift store for a buck each. I spray painted them dark brown, bought a mat at WM for 2$ each, and voilà.

(Those babies are now nearly 15, nearly 10 and just turned 8! sigh)

This post is part of Trash To Treasure 6 @ Along the way with K&J.

Treasures in the Trash

2009-09-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I am addicted to Curbside Shopping... meaning, I go out with my car the night before the trash is picked up, and I hunt for treasures. People really do throw anything in the trash! And since our town accepts big items like furniture, I really DO find treasures!!
I think with fall upon us, people are cleaning out their homes and storage. I saw lots of summer stuff like pool noodles, kiddie surf boards, tiki lamps and patio furniture.

Here’s the items that came home with me last night:

My FAVOURITE find of the night, this loooong (it’s nearly 6 feet tall!!), narrow wooden box with door. (on the right) NO clue what it used to be, but I sure know what it’s gonna become!!

Curious? Ok, I’ll tell ya! See, we don’t have much food storage space in our kitchen. So I’m thinking that I will put shelves inside of it and store all the snack and school lunch items in there (juice boxes, granola bars, fruit cups, etc). We have a ton of those, with 3 kids, so it’ll be perfect! I have the perfect little corner in my kitchen. Of course, this will be painted white to match the rest! Oooh I cant wait!

On the left, you can see a cabinet door missing its glass. It's brand new. Just throw out! *sigh*. I will totally repurpose it, you know it!

side view: (totally forgot to take an inside shot! doh!)

and size comparison with my 8yo daughter

Next up, these 3 terra cotta planters. Super heavy. Not a single crack! Love 'em!

A little shoe scrubber duckie! I actually found this at a house where there was a garage sale on Saturday. I always go see after a garage sale because usually the stuff they didnt sell end up in the trash ;)

Now this next item, I litterally squealed when I saw it! I love me some bottles and soda crates. Ok, so they aren't that old, and the crate isn't wood, it's plastic. REGARDLESS, I love it all the same, even with all that dust LOL! (I always show you "as found"!) So these are bottles from The Pop Shoppe, which I never heard about but according to my google search, it's a canadian soda company.

The downside is that all the bottles have the "The Pop Shoppe" printed in red directly on them, can't remove 'em. So I have NO CLUE what to do with it?!
Any ideas?

A metal paper sorter... very practical for a scrapbooker like me! Will spray paint it white soon!

These next 2 items, I couldn't believe... and was so happy to have gotten there before the 'metal junk guys' (those guys with pick-ups that take ALL metals to go sell it at the recycling center). A wrought iron (large) chair and bench.

The fabric is HORRENDOUS and SO 1988!! This will be my first ever attempt at reupholstering something! I just loooove the scrolls and details:

A nice large metal box... for sewing supplies maybe? No clue! It's rusty and not in perfect shape, but I really like it! Of course it'll get a fresh coat of paint. Will be used as storage for scrapbook supplies.

And finally... a headboard that matches my 9yo son's furniture!!
His bed used to be part of a bunk bed set (the ones with a desk and dresser in the unit) and didnt come with a headboard. Now that we dont need the bunks, I thought his bed looked bare. And a shelved headboard is SO practical!!
YAY!!

That's all my curbside shopping for this weekend!

Oh but before I leave you, check out another curbside shopper:

Please excuse the bad picture, but it was 3:00am, dark and humid out!! I couldnt sleep and I heard a noise from outside. I went on the porch and saw this skunk trying to get into our trash!

I posted this entry over @ Southern Hospitality (hum, yeah, my 2nd entry for this week LOL). Go check out all the other thrifty finds if you havent already!!

Old handles as bathroom decor

2009-09-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

Like I said in a previous post today (this is my fourth today! What the ?! lol!!), it's now important to me that if I have a collection, that I actually showcase it.

About 12 years ago, I found an old door handle at a garage sale. I've used it since in our bathrooms (We moved a couple of times since) to use as a towel holder. I love it like I did on the first day. It's unique, people comment on it. I love being unique and using things in an interesting way!

Well, in the past few months, I started to be on the lookout for them and have found a couple more. Not as intricate, but nice regardless!!

So, I decided to add them to my bathroom too!!

<--- the one on the bottom is the first one I got a decade ago. lovely, huh?
I just added those 2 on top. They can old my loop earrings and my tweezers are always within reach this way!

Next to the mirror (which you can't really see above, because I cropped it out due to my reflection being in it LOL), I hung this one:

This one was old and rusty. You can view it IN THIS POST. It's the one on the left. And while *I* love junk and rust, I knew DH would never go for it, plus it didnt fit in our decor. So, I spray painted it white, and then sanded it to distress it. Sweet chippiness! My 9yo son says that is the coolest thing ever, LOL!!

Here's a closeup:

Cute eh?

I've still got a few handles in 'storage', just waiting to be displayed, which shouldn't take long. I plan on framing a bunch of them to use as art!

And once again, notice how you don't need fancy, new stuff to add pizzazz to your home!

Owl salt and pepper shakers

2009-09-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Actually my first time participating in Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps On The Porch!!

My transformation for today is quite a simple one but yknow, some simple ones can make us so happy too! And a lot of little ones = a big one :)

I found this set of Salt and Pepper shakes at a gaage sale in upstate NY this summer for 50 cents. I love owls, so I jumped on the occasion to add some more to my 'collection' (i have a few at our trailers, and only one at home so far)

No markings or anything, so I dunno if it was handmade or what. But I knew I had to change it, regardless!!

Of course, since there was a ton of varnish on it, I had to sand it down to make sure the paint would adhere.

A few coats of spray paint and voilà!!

Here's P & S next to each other so you can compare!

I'm only gonna use them as decorations in my soon-new kitchen, not really for salt and pepper. I love 'em!

When you wish upon a star...

2009-09-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

I've loved the look of barn stars for years. I'd see them when we were in the US for the summer: seems everyone has at least one on their house/garage/barn!!
But you have to understand it's something you just don't see often up here in Quebec. So, not easy to find, period!
Imagine my excitement when I found a brown barn star 2 or 3 years ago... in the Christmas clearance section of Winners Home Sense (Canadian version of TJ Maxx). If I remember correctly, I paid 2.99 for it!

It's been on a wall in my scrapbook studio since then, in boring brown.

This week I finally decided to do something about it!

Took my beloved turquoise spray paint and off I went!! A little sanding to distress it all, and voilà!!

Here it is hanging pretty in my living room!!

(please excuse the dirty water in the betta fish's tank! But if I clean his tank, he seems to get sick. He thrives in dirty water ;) )

BTW, let me do a public service announcement, LOL!!
A lot of people write it Wala, Wah-la, Viola...

But people! It's VOILÀ! teeehee!! voilà, that's all I had to say! *snort*

Displaying those collections

2009-09-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

First off... You couldn't imagine my delight when I received a comment on my blog by none other than Josie Iselin!!!

Josie is the author of "Heart Stones", which I've had on my wish list for over a year now.

Last year I was looking at Amazon for Beach/Sea Glass books, and in the "you might also like..." section on most of them was her book. Which is actually HOW I started being interested in heart shaped stones!!
Thank you Josie, you made my day!!

I also received a comment from Odyssey Sea Glass... and yup, you're SO right, beach glass *is* addicting!! And you have no idea how much I'm wanting to go on vacation to the ocean just to look for those PERFECT pieces of totally polished glass (Lake ones dont seem *as* frosted as sea ones)

And a huge thank you to Sea Glass Net who somehow found my blog and linked to my post :)

Ok, now on to decorating!!!

I've always been a collector, have always loved having multiples of something and going on a quest to add more. A total packrat (And I can already tell you that my 8 year old daughter is the same way!)

In my quest to simplify, unclutter and purge, I have decided that nothing is worth collecting if I dont SHOWCASE it!! Which means a new rule for me. I dont want any of those treasures to be hidden. If they are, I will either display them or get rid of them.

So here is how I have my Heart Stones displayed right now:

I found that plate holder at the thrift store for a buck!! It was bright gold but I loved the iron curves!! So I got my beloved turquoise paint and went at it!!

This first frame was bought for a dollar at the same store. It was ugly, but I loved the detailing and the fact that it was kind of a shadow box frame. Well, look for yourselves:

Hum, yeah. Gotcha speechless too, huh?

But nothing a little spray paint can't fix! I added my favourite heart stones and hot glued them.

This next frame, I had found this summer at the Pink Lady's Garage Sale . I think I had paid a quarter for it! I just removed the glass, but the frame itself was white (I think it was the only thing *NOT* pink at that sale LOL) so I left as is.

I luuuurve it!!
It hangs on a side wall in my hallway and I know it'll be a conversation piece :) And even DH loves it LOL!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And as for my Beach Glass collection... I used to have them all in vases, but hated that the dust accumulated in them.

So I went on a search at my favourite thrift stores to find old Mason-type jars and Apothecary Jars to store them in. 2 different stores and I found nearly all I needed.

Right now, though, my display still stinks, because we havent yet finished decorating and painting our kitchen.

I can't wait to show you what it will look like soon, with turquoise walls and different shelving!!

But pretend you dont see that and just look at the jars, ok? ;)

(that painting is looking for a frame. My brother Daniel is an artist and made it for me 2 years ago. I love it. I think I will have to have a frame custom made though, because squares ones are rare at thrift stores!)

Closeups (click on any picture to make it larger)

Ooh apothecary jar, how I love thee!! I paid 1.00 for it!
<--Browns and misc greens (olives, limes: looking for smaller mason jars for these)

Bought these mason jars for 25 cents each:

<-- purples and whites Half of my browns are still in a vase, cant wait to find another jar!

<--- browns, aqua, sea foam, blues and kelly greens

<--- the same ones, plus the large jar of whites and my beloved polished insulator!

<-- close up on the whites.
I found that big apothecary jar at the thrift store for I believe 1.50$.

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So see, it really doesn't have to cost a lot to display the things you love!
A few trips to thrift stores, a little luck to find what you need, some spray paint, some patience and a couple of bucks and that's it!

And seeing as this post is also part of Thrifty Monday, let me show you a little something I found at the thrift store for 50 cents. I have no clue what it's SUPPOSED to be: it has a little hook in the middle. But I figured it would be a cute accent above a door, and so here it is on top of my bathroom door.

Don't forget to go check out Rhoda's blog, like every monday, for everyone's awesome thrifty treasures!!!

Beach Glass and Heart Stones

2009-08-31T17:16:00.001-07:00

Last year, my then 8 year old son found a piece of Beach Glass on the beach at our campground, on the shores of Lake Champlain. This started a love story / passion / obsession for the whole family.

In 2 summers, we have collected tens of thousands of pieces of beach glass, on the shores of Lake Champlain alone!
We have found several little beaches where we like to go on our hunts. We'll swim, look for sea glass, swim again, etc.

It's the ultimate frugal hobby!!
It doesnt cost anything!!
Plus, it makes you discover some beautiful places.
And it REALLY is like a treasure hunt. Every single time I find a piece of beach glass, I feel like I found a treasure. My kids too. You can see some of last year's finds on my FLICKR.

Finding a piece of beach glass is touching a piece of history. These pieces of glass have been drifing away in the lake for decades, being polished by the sand, rocks and water, and have become something that looks more like gems. You never know how old or what it used to be, and guessing is SO fun!! Sometimes, you'll find a piece with writing on it (look at my Flickr for some coca-cola glass and other fun stuff like that).

This is what my kids look like when they hunt for beach glass:

And now, here's this summer's lot!

There's everything on the cloth behind the bowl, AND everything IN the bowl. I put the penny there for size comparison. But the bowl: it's a huge salad bowl!!

Now here are my favourites for this summer:

Look at all the different shades in there! Even for one colour, there's a ton of shades!!

My number one favourite is this one:

A perfect bottle top, found by my 9 year old son (the one with whome it all started!). GORGEOUS and definitely old! I cant believe it's stayed intact!!!

I also like this very light yellowish-lime green piece. It's pretty big and thick, and I was the one who found it.

(hum, yeah, notice I have not yet cleaned them!!)

And I HAD to take a picture of this one too, the peach coloured one. It's the only piece I DID clean, because I wanted to make sure its colour wasn't from sand or anything. But nope. That IS its colour! WOW!!!

The piece on the left of it is also a rare-ish colour in my collection, a type of olive green that is close to amber. I have a couple of pieces that colour, but this one is the only one this summer.

I have beach glass everywhere around my house in jars and such.

And I love the colour so much that is it what inspired me for the kitchen colours we will have!!

Here's my "inspiration board": (LOL)

The aqua will be the walls (like the largest piece of aqua, bottom left of the bottle top). THe lightest aqua will come up in decoration pieces of course.

The white will be the cabinets. I love me some white bead board cabinets.

The different greens will be in accents, tiles on the backsplash, etc. Possibly in curtains and such too.

The darkest browns will be my new (soon) wood floors: I want them super dark, i love it. And my countertop will also be brown. My table is a lighter brown.

So there ya go, that's my kitchen's colour scheme!!

Oh and one last thing... while looking for beach glass, we started finding heart shaped rocks. We haven't accumulated much because we only started later in the summer, and they're harder to find than beach glass (which catches the eye by its colour!). But I plan on using them in a frame, it just makes me happy when I look at them!!

And here's another rock I found that is NOT shaped like a heart, but has a heart shaped spot on it, the colour of rust. Cute!

Anyone else collect Beach Glass or Heart Stones?

Link me up so I can see!!

It's just another thrifty Monday....

2009-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's that time again, baby!! Rhoda's hosting Thrifty Monday, I always look forward to it even when I can't participate due to lack of time to blog, LOL!!

I am back in Montreal after spending the summer in Vermont. Had a wonderful time!!

So, being back home means my curbside shopping addiction can start again!!
Here's what I found in yesterday's trash.

A house had a "Sold" sign up front, and some boxes with the trash, opened so people could look thru it. I found this old Fisherman Mug. It's super kitschy but I HAD to have it. My grandfather used to have a whole collection of these and I have found memories of them. It's chipped in a few places, but I still like it. I think its kitschiness will be fine with more current style stuff!!

I also found this wooden stool. Apart from the top being scratched, it's in good condition so it will get a makeover very soon.

I also found 3 pairs of SKIS in the trash yesterday, and not old skis, very recent and very good brands! If they dont fit my teenage son, they will be cut and transformed into a headboard for my middle child :)

I actually found this tray a while ago at a garage sale in Vermont... it was in the FREE pile. The tray is SUPER heavy. I debated transforming it, but I just LOVE the pattern and it goes well with our melamine plates we use when we eat outside! SO it's staying as is and is actually being used as a tray to bring out the condiments :)

I also found this in the States... at a neat little thrift store I like to visit in NY state. I could NOT believe the price of this scale!!! Are you ready?

how much do you think I paid for this beauty?

A whopping 2 dollars!!!!! I thought it was a mistake, but yup, she rang it up at 2 bucks! WOOT!!!

Here's how it looks right now in my living room.

I also just wanted to update you on my most recent small projects that I did since coming back.

In the trash before summer, I found an old window with an metal thing in it to prevent thiefs. It was metal in colour, but i liked its shape. So I spray painted it black and voila, instant wall decor for a space I had nothing on!!

(arent my birdies cute?)

ANd remember this beautiful wooden sled? I just added this iron "thing" (no clue what it is, but I paid a quarter or so this summer for it, I love anything metal or iron!!). I just spray painted it turquoise and put it on the sled.

so.much.stuff.

2009-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love garage sales in Vermont! Compared to Quebec garage sales, everything is just SO cheap!!
I've been going to a ton of garage sales and thrift stores in the past 2 weeks. Here are some of my finds. I'm sorry that the pictures just s*ck, but I was in a hurry to take the pics before DH went back home to Montreal with most of this stuff (not enough space here at the trailer!)

An overview of some stuff I found earlier this week....

If you knew me, you'd know I'm NOT a girlie girl and I'm NOT into shoes and handbags. At all. My sister is the girlie girl, I'm more alternative and funky. But I do love a well-made purse. I just wear the same one all the time until I get sick of it. Anyone else like me?

Anyway. I found this purse at a garage sale during the week (i'm still amazed some people hold garage sales during the week in Vermont) for 2$.
I bought it simply because I loved it, love it's colour and clean lines and that cool clasp on front.
When i got home, I realized it was genuine leather and... seems like a good brand. Some searching, and it appears I have a real Etienne Aigner handbag. I know nothing about handbag brands. But if it does turn out to be a real one, they're worth 50-150$!!

Then, I found this COOL ship in a bottle kit from the Boston museum of Fine arts. Retails at 30$ or so, I got it for 2$ at a second hand store. I cannot wait to make this

I got a bag of vintage Made in Japan Xmas decorations. Love love love love them! THe whole lot for 50¢! arent they just the cutest you ever did see?

Speaking of Xmas... I fell in love with these little guys:

Cute cute cute! They are from this decoration from Christmas around the world, that retails for 30$ and I got for 2$!! You can put incense under the bbq grill, so that smoke comes out of it, too cute!

Always on the lookout for a nice, different puzzle, and I found this. It has all the countries, all the states and all the provinces. Good for learning with the kids. Just 1$.

I'd seen this on a couple of people's blogs and knew i HAD to get my hands on one. I paid a bit more than I wanted, 3$ on this, but I figure it's gonna be worth it.

WHY? You ask?
Well, for THESE, of course:

350+ small cards with letters on them! How COOL will those be on scrapbook pages or decorating projects?!! Got tons of ideas for them!!

I forgot to show this last week. Another one of the small bottles I got (10¢) and that old blue canning jar for a dollar. love its colour!!

You may know I love owls. And birds in general. This one is cute, made of some kind of stone. But you cannot see the details well, so I will prob'ly paint it!

I bought a huge pile of magazines, about 35 of them, for a total of 3$. I love mags and when it's rainy at the campsite, i love to read 'em! But hate to shell out the money unless it's a decorating mag, LOL!

Found this HUGE Rolodex in a free pile while driving around the little town here! Nothing written in it, perfect shape. I've been wanting one of these, much more practical than a book, in my eyes. But they're usually so expensive! You can't beat free. I love free piles and Vermonters have a TON of those, either during a garage sale, or after, or even anytime! You drive around and see a TON of them!

My 8yo daughter is a space enthusiast. She'd love to become an astronaut like Julie Payette. She loves it so much that I will be redoing her room in a space theme. So i've been on the search for a globe. But man are they ever expensive when new!! And whilst I loooove old vintage globs, I did want a recent one for her so she can learn her countries and such. Like... Russia, not USSR! Got this one for a mere dollar!! She loves it!

My 9yo son, on the other hand, will soon have a vintage sports related room. While this isnt anything sports, it does have the vintage feeling to it and I think it will be cool. He bought it himself for a quarter. It's not a metal one, just plastic, but it's still cute. One day I will find myself one that Iwill make over into a fish bowl!

Got this brand new unopened gift bag of bath products for a dollar.

My son also bought this. I think it was 50¢. I love it's beachy and kitschy feel. If my son allows me, it will go into my bathroom, lol!

These 2 frames for a quarter each. Love the details on them, they will however look much better once painted, dontcha think? not a fan of gold!!

I scored some awesome things at garage sales on Saturday!

I went to this one sale where the lady was the NICEST woman ever. She heard the kids and I talk in French, and she proceeded to greet us in french. She speaks quite well (i think her dad was french canadian?). It was about noon when I got there and she was in the process of marking down everything half price.

Check out the second picture of my post. Everything on there except the tiny window and round ?window? come from her. Notice a theme? Yup, she spray painted everything pink! I think that's why I was drawn to everything, it was soooo cute and lovely! While I love the colour, it doesnt match anything I have so most everything will get a makeover. So... how much do you think I paid for this?
(I forgot to take a pic of the large tin basket, take a look at it in the second pic on top)

Any guesses???

A total of 2,50$ for the whole lot!! SCORE!!!!

I got these 2 cuties, made of wood, for 50 cents each:

Always in keeping with my son's sports related bedroom, I bought this for 2$, I will put it above his curtains. The kid LOVES to fish, so he'd have a fishing-only room, but since he's got so much hockey stuff too, we're going with sports in general.

I went to my first ever estate sale. Wow. Wow. Wow. I thought it would be expensive but it was SUPER cheap!!
I scored these beauties:

Those will also go in my son's sports room, probably in one of the soda crates I found several weeks ago!! Ooh how I love these! 3$ for the trio!!

And I was instantly drawn to this old, huge stop sign in the back of the yard. I've always wanted one, don't ask me why! He asked 2$ for it, and he even threw in this old metal realtor sign from when his parents bought the house!! I dunno what i could ever do with that, but it was too cool to pass up, for free!! Oh and the stop sign- will also go in my son's vintage sportsy room!

My last find to show you is this table.... I got it for 5$. I think by now you know i love anything beachy. Well, look at this!!!

*droooool*

that's all I can say!!!

But now I'm all sad, because my most favourite find of the week, I can't even show you!! DH brought it back home and I totally forgot to take a pic of it before he left today!

To leave you hanging, I will tell you that:

- I saw it a garage sale on saturday

- never saw anything like it. coolest thing ever.

- didn't buy it at said garage sale saturday

- regretted not buying it on saturday.

-thought about it all night

-dreamt about it all night'

-woke up sunday knowing i HAD to have it

-drove back to town

- no garage sale at that house sunday.

- knocked on the door and asked for it.

- wife said gotta wait til hubby gets home, might've promised it to a friend.

-came back a few hours later

- dude said he had promised it to a friend

- dude said he'd sell it to me because I came all this way for it twice.

-i paid only 5$

Are you curious yet?!! You'll have to wait a little longer for a pic! I dont intend on going back to Canada for another 2 weeks! bwahahahah!!!!

So, dont forget to join the fun at Rhoda's like every week!! Look how cool that longest yard sale looks! Im jealous!!

Teenage Hockey bedroom

2009-08-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

I just realized I never showed these pics on my blog.
Last year, january 2008, my then 13 year old decided he didnt want to be in the same room as his younger brother, so we moved him into the bedroom in the basement. That's when I lost my scrapbook room... LOL!

He's the biggest hockey fan, in particular the Montreal Canadiens. So, we went with that theme. ANd we went ALL OUT! I had a blast creating that room!

The room has changed a bit since, I will have to take pics when it's actually tidy. which isn't often, obviously! LOL!!

Those stripes on the wall were a PAIN to paint, but so worth it!!

His bedspread has since changed to one with JUST the Canadiens on it.
Above his bed, you can see his Wall of Fame, with framed hockey cards from several Canadiens players.

The stucco ceiling used to bug me SO much when this was my studio! But we didnt feel like going thru the trouble of replacing everything and the mess it causes! So, a fresh coat of icy white (with a drop of blue in the white paint) paint and WOW! Is it ever perfect for the theme! it really does look like ice!!
The piece de resistance in this room has got to be the hockey stick turned curtain rod! everyone comments on it!

Some of his trophies...

His desk

Voila!
This room is proof that you dont have to spend a lot to get the WOW factor!! All we bought here was the paint, the hockey stick (but we could've used an older one we have) and the frames for his cards which were 2/1$!!! Eventually his desk and sidetable will get a coat of white paint.

Garage sale goodies

2009-08-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Missed me? ;)

I've been enjoying my time here in Vermont, doing lotsa activities with the kids despite a lot of rain! So, even though I HAVE been yard saling and thrifting, I just have taken the time to take pictures and blog about it!

So I will just start with some of my finds from this past weekend. I say "some" because half of what I bought was brought back home by DH when he left this morning!!

Everything pictured for a total of: 5.25, not bad eh?

2 wall sconces/candle holders: 50¢ Ok, they're plastic, but I dont care! Once painted, they will be quite cute in my bedroom!!
2 brand new Hawaiian bamboo-like frames: 50¢ each (perfect for beachy theme)
Hawaiian wood tray (will look it up, but will most likely cover with beach glass mosaic) 50¢
2 Xmas penguins with 12.99 original price on bottom: 50¢ each
Small bottles, some old some not so much: 10¢ each
2 Homer Laughlin white serving platters: 25¢ for a pair, woot!
1 small oval plate by Iroquois China, Syracuse NY, 25¢

I will try to be better about posting my thrifty finds the rest of the summer... but dont hold your breath, LOL!!!

Dont forget to check out everyone's thrifty finds @ Rhoda's!!

kitchen work in progress

2009-07-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

My apologies to everyone for not updating this blog more frequently this summer thus far!!
As you may know, I have a summer place in Vermont, and up until 2 weeks ago, we didnt have internet in our trailer. Then, we finally got it, but a couple of days later, my laptop adaptor died on me, and I had to wait for a new one to be shipped from amazon (god I love being able to order stuff online from/in the USA! Canucks will know what I mean!!)

Anyway, on my fave french scrap forum, a few girls were asking me how my kitchen redo was coming along. Well, since I'm not home, apart from a couple of days here and there (I actually just came back to the trailer today after spending 2 days at home... had to see a doc; i thought I had broken my finger, but it was "just" dislocated... can you say OUCH?!) the kitchen has been put on hold. I cannot wait to get back to it, though!

But to give you a general idea...
We've decided to cover our existing laminate cabinet doors instead of replacing the whole thing. Covering with molding and bead board, new handles... We're also adding crown molding on top of the cabinets.
We;ll be changing the countertop (for another laminate: cant afford granite... but i found a great one for cheap), changing the floors (we'll put wood, yay!!!) and adding a backsplash (we dont currently have one!)

Here is a door that is not yet made over.... ugly ugly ugly laminate with a fake wood grain in it, with even more ugly black plastic handles!!! They were there when we moved in and we never thought to change them *WTF!*!!!

And now here is what a door looks like. Excuse the bad pictures, btw... i'm not home, so i cant take anything, and i had taken these just to show a friend, quickly...
This was the first door we did. It's not painted yet, just the white 'primer' thing that came on the molding and bead board!

What a change, eh?
I cant wait til it's all done!

The walls will be painted aqua and i hope to find cool aqua, green and white tiles for my backsplash :)

I will be back soon with some thrifty finds! I've found several things lately, mostly clothes and shoes and the like.... but also a few good deals @ garage sales!!
This weekend i'm hitting a town-wide sale in a little upstate ny town... wish me luck in finding treasures!!

Thrifty loving

2009-07-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!!

I missed last week because I was at the trailer in Vermont, and we dont have internet access there yet.

But I'm back home for a few days (dentist appointments, etc) so here are some pics of SOME of my thrifty and free finds this week.

Of course, I did a little curbside shopping while home, and found a box (leftover from people who had just moved) with tons of mismatched dishes in it. Most of it I just brought to the church thrift store to prevent it from going to the dump, but I did keep this set of kitschy Xmas dishes. I've never bought thematic dishes, because I'd rather get more usage for my buck, but I couldnt pass these up for free! My daughter loved them!

I also found this AWESOME wicker hamper.
It's missing one handle. I can't believe they threw it out just because of that!! The rest is in mint condition.

During the 4th of July weekend, it was the town-wide garage sale in Rouses Point, NY (little village where I kinda grew up. See, I'm from Montreal, but we spent all our summers there. Now we're in Vermont, but Rouses Point is still my second home in my heart :) ).
The kids and I had a great time yardsaling!! We found tons of stuff:
I got 2 pairs of inline skates, one for 1$, the other for 3$.
PS2 game for 5$ for my oldest
1600 (my kids counted) Pokemon cards, some quite valuable, too, for 6$.
A little metal and wicker shelving unit for our shoes at the trailer, for 2$ (pics to come next week)...

This set of silver plated platters for 1$ total (yes I plan on jumping on that blackboard bandwagon too... sigh, lol)

These huge metal urns, 3$ for the pair. I cant wait to spray paint these babies!!

Crossed off from my list of 'things i need but dont want to pay full price so i will wait until i find them' LOL: 2 clip ons lampshade for my wall sconce lamp. The original shades (which you can see here) were dry and cracked on the inside. Now I found these 2 at the Salvation Army, brand new still in package, for 1.50 a piece. Woot! They're SO pretty and chic!!

From the garage saling, found this for 50cents.... Of course it will eventually get a makeover (unfortunately, the list of items waiting for makeovers is growing longer and longer), but it's nice to have storage for all our remotes!!

And now, the piece de résistance....
these 2 vintage pop soda wooden crates!!!

Pottery barn has some now (see them HERE) for 15$ a piece (which I dont think is a bad price, actually! i just love these crates).
I got this pair for a mere 5$ :)
These'll go in my 9yo son's bedroom (which I'm planning on making over soon... well, after my kitchen, my bedroom and my daughter's room, LOL) which'll be sports and fishing theme. I can picture old baseballs and such in the RC cola one!

Cant wait to see what everyone else has in store, don't forget to check everyone out at Rhoda's!!!

Caro

Curbside Shopping: how I do it, and this week's finds!

2009-06-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

I love going to thrift shops and garage sales. Love love love it.

But unfortunately, with one income and a 5 person family (including 2 adults and one seemingly always hungry teenage boy), I often can't even go to them because I'm out of money! (I really need a job. lol)

So if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know my favourite thing to do right now is to do some CURBSIDE shopping instead!!

Our city, Laval, is a big suburb of Montreal, Qc, Canada. Over 350,000 people live here. Every day of the week, it's trash day *somewhere* on the island (Hum, Laval is an island btw, like Montreal). Mondays is my part of the city, with Wednesday being the neighborhood beside us. I sometimes even go on Thursdays to another part of town which isn't too far from us. So, whenever I need a 'fix', I take the car or van and head out for that special kind of shopping.

Today being Monday, it's trash day in my area. I usually go early morning, but last night, I wasn't tired so I decided to go at night instead. From 9:30 til 11:30, I roamed the streets in search of some treasures.

One of you asked if I have a 'routine' route. I don't, really, but I know the area pretty well so I end up going on nearly all streets.

I see all kinds of things. You wouldn't believe the stuff people throw away!! Next time I go during the day, I will bring my camera to show you some of the stuff I see. I only take a small fraction of what I encounter, can you imagine?! If I have no need for it, or if I don't think I can find a place for it, I dont pick it up.

I like that people purposely leave some stuff ON TOP of garbage cans, or even besides them, in the hopes that someone will pick it up and prevent more landfill. (Though if you ask me, they really should learn to bring this stuff to thrift stores and salvation army and the like, but that's another story! Oh well, this way I can keep this curbside shopping addiction! LOL!!!).

I get a 'rush' out of doing this. Kinda like when you know you're doing something 'wrong'. Some could say that it's illegal, but I'm not actually *digging* in the garbage, only picking up things that aren't in cans/bags and that people leave there on purpose. I've often knocked on doors asking for permission. Every time, I get one of these responses:
I don't care
Go ahead!
I'd rather you pick it up than it end up being in the landfill!
I was hoping someone would pick it up!
Need help bringing it in your car?

Not a single negative response. So I don't bother asking much anymore!

It's also funny to see HOW MANY people do the same thing as me! I keep seeing the same cars circling around, picking stuff up! It gets my adrenaline pumping, trying to get to the good stuff before they do! LOL!!
ANd of course there are the METAL RECYCLERS out there that get on my nerves. You can spot them from afar: a pick up truck with tons of metal stuff jampacked in the back. They're not interested in anything other than metal. THey then bring their metal finds to the different metal recycling centers where they get paid a certain amount for a certain weight. I guess it's good, since, once again, it prevents this stuff from going to the dump and it's being recycled. But selfishly, I hate it because I sometimes see them with great wrought iron pieces in their trucks, that I would've enjoyed! *sigh*. But I let it be. (Though I've been REALLY pissed by them in the past: they have gone to the back of my driveway and picked up some stuff that wasn't even for the garbage! I wish I could've caught the bastard who did that a few times (the end of my driveway is nearly where the back of my house ends!!!)

And of course, when I go in the morning, it's always a race against the garbage trucks! bwahaha!! But by now, I know where each of them start so I can usually beat them.

So now that you know all this, it's time for me to show you this week's free finds!!!

And of course, once again, it's all part of Monday's Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality! :)

I picked up these cool dried willow branches! I was stoked! I had bought some similar to this, before, and they had cost over 10$. So getting them from free is awesome!!
And of course I HAD to put 'em in my made-over wicker vase, that I had found in the trash several weeks ago!

A nice resin planter! THere's a little crack in it, but no big deal. I cant wait to buy some flowers for it!

Remember I mentioned that I have a list of things I want to buy or find for free? And that, if I'm patient enough, I will ALWAYS find exactly what I need?!!

One of the things on my list was a step stool. Nothing fancy, just a plastic Rubbermaid stool so that my daughter can step on it to reach the glasses and plates @ our trailer (those cabinets are super high up). Well, here's what I found! I would've settled for any horrible colour (one time, I had a pink one), but I found it in white! It's in perfect condition, and even still has the rubber pieces underneath! my daughter is happy! teehee!!

I want to change my bedside tables (I had done a tile mosaic on mine about 13 years ago, it would be much a hassle to undo it now and it doesnt fit my style and decor anymore). So I'm looking for wooden ones.

I found this one last night. Only one of them, but I dont care. They don't have to match, and I know I'll eventually find another one that is just as nice.

The funny thing is...

This is the SAME DESIGN as our 2 chest of drawers, that belonged to DH as a kid!!! I never would've imagined finding part of the same set!! (But our dressers have been sanded down to the bare wood since, and now I'm wanting to refinish it. So stay tuned for a makover for this in the coming months!)

This cute little metal watering can! (yay, I got to it before the metal recyclers did, LOL!!!). Old, rusty... love it! The bottom has hole because of the rust, but I wasnt planning on using it for water, of course! It'll look good with some plants coming out of the top, dontcha think? Still undecided if I will paint it, but probably not!

This next thing is HUGE and HEAVY and took me forever to fit in my van! This will be sanded and refinished and go on top of my dresser to hold DH and mine's huge collection of books (which is now still in boxes for the most part!!).

This Adooooooorable little thingie!! Each 'square' is big enough to fit a CD case, to give you an idea of the size. (Please pardon the dust! I show you each item AS IS!). No clue where it'll go yet, but I loooooove it!

2 wooden chairs (the one on the right is bamboo)

I plan on finding tons of different wooden chairs, painting them all white, and using them on the porch at the campsite to replace the ugly resin chairs that we have. I also want to replace our resin table with a wooden one (left its wood colour)

And now.... drumrollll.....

Remember THIS blue wicker chair?

Well, I just found its twin!!!
Meet GREEN wicker chair!

Imagine it all spray painted white, cute cushions on the chairs, all resting on my trailer's porch in Vermont. I'll have the cutest little reading area ever!!!!

So, what great thrifty or free finds have you found this week?

BTW, I'm sorry I'm unable to comment on all the posts linked on Rhoda's Mr Linky!! We're redoing our kitchen (the thrifty way of course) and it's taking up a lot of time!! I promise I AM looking at each and every link though!

It's Monday again!!!

2009-06-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

And you know what that means?!

It's time for:
:)

And here's my loot for this week!!!

And once again, most are trash day finds! Actually, the ONLY thing I bought here was that wooden CD rack thing (which is on its side, above), bought at a thrift store for 2$.

EVERYTHING ELSE was from curbside trash!

Now let's see these items separately, shall we?

First, found last week curbside, this little wicker table! Apart from one leg which is missing it's wicker 'wrap' at the bottom, it's in perfect condition, just needing some cleaning and fresh paint. It'll go GREAT with this wicker chair I found a couple of weeks ago, see HERE. I plan on bringing both to my summer home (trailer in VT) and put them on our covered deck for a reading area :)

Love the details:

Some handmade wooden planters (I think you know by now that i love wooden boxes ;) )

And old chippy window, woot woot! Yknow I love those but they are quite rare here since my town is fairly recent. I found it in an area of the town that, decades and decades ago, used to be summer cottages! Perfect!!

A closer look at the chippiness :)

The only thing I actually paid something for! A big toonie (that's 2$ in canadian slang ;) ) at a thrift store. It's made of thick and heavy wood and it appears to be a CD rack. I will be cutting the piece of wood at the bottom that makes it stand up, and I'll use it on the wall, horizontally, for.... god knows what! LOL!

And how about THIS?!!! And old sewing table!! Couldnt believe it when I saw it on the sidewalk!!

Missing the sewing machine of course, but I dont intend on using it for sewing anyway (and, I dont even sew LOL!!)

I loooooove how it looks (Sorry it's so blown in the pics, hard to get a pic of it outside!).

I will also be bringing this to the trailer and use it on the deck as a desk for my daughter who loves to draw.

but THIS, below, is actually my favourite find!!

*drooooool*

It's soooo freaking HEAVY!!

It's in perfect condition, just needs some pressure washing and stain, and it'll go... you guessed it, at my summer place! Since we just stained our deck, there, this weekend, it'll look gorgeous!!!

Now go share your junking and thrifting treasures at Rhoda's place!!

Oh, and STAY TUNED for some remodeling again!!
This week, we shall be starting our thrifty remodeling of the KITCHEN!!! WOOHOOOO!!!
I will cover my ugly laminate cabinets with beadboard and trim and crown molding, with new hardware... to start with! Then we will be changing the floor, the counter and adding a backsplash :)

PS- I forgot to mention something else that is in the first picture! That "surf" board! It's fine, except it's missing it's rope. But since we have a pool, we dont need the rope! :)

Before and After #3: Window into wall art

2009-06-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

Just a simple transformation this time... and yes I know it's the type of thing you've seen *everywhere* but I love it!!

So, before, this window frame (unfortunately not wood, but plastic)

After:

I added some scrapbook paper in brown, beige and aqua, in behind every rectangle 'window'. Voila! So easy!

I'm not sure I like it 100% hanging horizontally, so I will try it this way for a week, and vertically for a week, and then decide!

Before and After #2: Old toolbox makeover

2009-06-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

Remember this old wood tool box that I picked up in the trash a few weeks ago? Probably my most favourite free find EVER!!!

I loved it! But I hated the dark brown paint/stain that was on it, and I didn't like the oil stains either!!

Before:

So I armed myself with sanding paper (didnt want to use a sander for this, because I didnt want to remove everything!!). I sanded away the oil and the paint/stain.... and just LOOK what appeared!!

After: (seriously, click on the pics to see them bigger, it's worth it!!)

Now we can see all the hits the toolbox received from various tools! All those old marks! I cant help but wonder and imagine what the owner dropped and was doing :)

Here it is in my living room... but you really cant see it well here, because there's SO much light coming in from the window!!

Before and After #1: wooden sled turned wall art

2009-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Remember this old wood sled i found in the trash?

I cut part of it (because it was too long for what I wanted to do with it), I stained it with Minwax (I was a minwax stain virgin LOL) and this is what it is now:

Isn't it KEWL?!! Even DH loves it :) I like how it's become a conversation piece! But it's not just cute, it's functional! I put some of my new plants (we planted those at the garden center with my daughter's class!) in the curbed part! And the rest holds pictures! (Only one, above, put I've added a couple since)

This was my first time posting on Poppies At Play's Creative Cats Tuesday

Cant wait to check out everybody's stuff!!

Monday's Thrifty Treasures (picture heavy!)

2009-06-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's Monday again, woot! Time to put my feet up and hang out @ http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/blog and checking out everyone's Monday Thrifty Treasures! Love it!

This post is jampacked with pictures!!

First off, lookie what I found in the TRASH today!! Ok, I'm sorry, the picture is crappy, but you get an idea! The fixture is an ugly dark green, but nothing a lil spray paint cant fix ;)

Also found curbside this week, this wooden window-like mirror! Also painted an horrible colour, but I'll be working on it soon! I just need to figure out WHERE it'll go, first!!

At the same house I found the above mirror, I found this cute little oval table! Ok, another horrible picture, but the contrast was so big between the top and legs that my camera just overexposed the top, over and over again! But you're not missing much, the top is UGLY! But look at the detail on the legs and such!!

Now, I'm SUPER envious of everyone who is able to get old wooden windows. I live in a fairly new city (Laval, just north of Montreal). There just aren't old houses, really! (The city itself is 35 years old... before that, there were a few 'villages'. So it's a new city, really). So, no old windows to be found. I will be on the lookout for some when in Vermont this summer (although I did see some at a garage sale in Vt a few weeks ago. The guy was selling them for a ridiculously high price (i`m talking close to 100$ for a small window!)

So, when I found this curbside, I decided to take it even though it's not wood, but heavy plastic. Ah well, it'll give me the look, I dont care!! Come back later to see the transformation!

Also found on trashday this week... this old wooden crate with 'slots' inside to fit those old soda bottles! So cool, love it! I will be putting plants in it and it'll be on the porch.

I love how I go to garage sales and find exacly what I'm looking for (I have a list of things i want to find). I was looking for a napkin holder for the campsite, because it gets SO windy there and we eat outside all the time! So for a buck, i got myself this cutie:

I dont know what I was thinking when I bought this. I thought it was cute, but now i'm not so sure! It's from Avon. Doesnt fit colour-wise anywhere in my house. lol. But for 25c i went home with it anyway. lol

In my quest to have 'a place for everything and everything in its place', i'm looking for all types of baskets for my closets and even in various rooms. This huge basket was just 2$, woot!

Another thing to cross off my 'to find' list! DH asked me to find a frame to fit a 8x10 photo he wanted to give his parents. Well, I found 2,, for a buck each. DH's parents like that shade of wood, so theirs stayed that colour,while the one i'm keeping for myself will be spray painted of course!

A small lobster cage for 25 cents.

I am in LOOOOOVE with this frame. It's heavy iron/metal and was already painted that colour and perfectly distressed. 2$. I love it! I will take a pic of it with a picture in it- i put a sepia pic of DH and I. :)

Look @ this adorable chippy kiddie stool!!! I am keeping it as is, because I love its distressing, even though I have nothing red in my living room, i like that contrast!!

Here is where I put it, for now :)

I found 2 of these foot stools, covered in brown leather. I want to repaint the legs, but will keep the brown leather since it matches my decor. I put this one next to the front door: the kids sit on it to put their shoes on :)

On this one wall in my living room, I had just that mirror. I've been looking for wrought iron candle holders for either side, and found these for 2$ each. Love them!!
Of course, the wall is still plain, and I'm on the lookout for more wrought iron pretties to put above the mirror... i'll come upon it eventually!

Not decorating-related, but still a total SCORE!

Went to a garage sale and found this box of huge transformers. My middle son got this at Christmas, and the original price was 50$ at Costco!!! Well, I got it (it's BRAND NEW) for 12$!!!! So my son will be giving it to his best buddy for his birthday this month! Woot!

Another thing to cross off my list of things to find! I was looking for pots for my indoor plants, they all need new bigger pots. Found these on trash day! The colours are horrendous, aren't they? But there is a lot of 3D details on all the smaller pots! I already spray painted these black :)

This week's treasures!!!

2009-06-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Not a bad week, all in all!

Today is trash day in my neighbourhood. Only found one thing, and this is it:

Handmade, little cabinet for toilet paper, it appears! I envision it sanded, painted white and distressed! It will be in my trailer in Vermont where we spend our summers :)

Now this weekend, I was looking forward to garage sales. But wouldnt you know it, it rained AGAIN!! ALL weekend! UGH!!

I did manage to find 3 small sales. At one of them I picked up a huge world map for my daughter's room, and this litle pharmacy cabinet:

I totally fell in love with the little hook!!

4$ and that baby was mine!

At the same sale, I also got this old fan (and it even works!) for a mere 2$!! The colour of it matches my living room decor (brown, off white and aqua) perfectly!! I love it!

Last wednesday, I went curbside shopping again, in another neighbourhood in my city. Total score!
Found this coffee table (unfortunately, it's laminate- I didnt want to take the time to really study it, I just put it in my van and left LOL.). But spray paint will work wonders anyway.

Found a picnic basket (my daughter's been wanting one forever!), a metal corner shelf thingie, a metal plate stand (been looking for one actually! It will go in my bathroom and the plates/bowls will hold soaps and such!) and a cool metal drawer pull.

I also found these:

Hum, okay, ignore the nasty background and horrible colours, and in all honesty, I'm too lazy to make it better in picasa right now LOL!

I thought these could look cool painted another colour, but for now they are staying red and in my son's Montreal Canadiens hockey room (which is the same exact shade of red!) . Way cool!

And finally, this awesome wicker chair! Perfect condition, doesn't look used at all! The colour is not my style, but that can easily be changed! I envision it white with a cute cushion!!! DH was quite impressed with this find!

Run, dont walk, to Rhoda's Southern Hospitality blog to see other rockin' treasures for this week!!

a couple of changes/additions...

2009-05-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

... to my living room and hallway!!

Remember the wicker vase I got in the trash last week? see HERE
I spray painted it off white, and then painted the metal base and rim dark brown. Love it! Just wondering what to put in it? But it looks good as is anyway!

Where I used to have DH's grandpa's old fireman helmet, I put my kids plaster handprints from 7 years ago. I hung the helmet elsewhere. I love to look at their handprints. They were 7, 3 and 1 then! They're nearly 15, 10 and 8 now!

Remember that metal tray I had bought for a buck? I stands above the archway there! just love its distressed look. And to think DH wanted to polish it back to its normal state! NO WAY!

When you come in the front door, this is what you see first! There was the thermostat there and it was just UGLY! So I put up a shelf (from here) which I spray painted brown, added a frame (also from that same post), spray painted off white, in which I put a cute piece of scrapbook paper that matches my decor. 2 little wicker balls add some dimension.

And the scrolly thing on top? Nope, no wrought iron!
It's a rub-on/transfer from a Canadian company called Skribblz Art, which is also for scrapbooking. Cute no?

My new bathroom...

2009-05-25T13:40:00.001-07:00

We have 3 bathrooms in our house.

The one on the second floor is in desparate need of renovations, but we cannot afford to (tiles to be changed, everywhere). But since only our family sees it, i can wait.
But the half bath on the main floor had been driving me crazy. All our guests use that one when we have someone over, so I wanted a transformation!

It's a tiny, tiny space, with the washer and dryer taking up most of it. But i knew it had potential.

I started with a fresh coat of paint. I had half a gallon leftover from a couple of years ago when we repainted the basement playroom. I wasnt sure it was going to be good still, but it appeared fine. So there ya have it. No cost. :)

I didnt want to put in crown molding for 2 reasons. One, the cost, and 2, it's such a tiny space, I didnt want it to be overwhelmed.
But I wanted SOMETHING to finish off the look!
I went to Home Depot and bought some polypropylene rope: 30 feet cost me about 8$. I hot glued that all around the wall/ceiling and I loooooove it! Click on this picture to see it better (you will also see it a bit in the other pics)

On top of the cabinets, I added some milk glass found in garage sales and thrift stores for a quarter to 50c each. I know they're not worth anything for the most part, but I like the look of them together!

Of course, on those melamine cabinet, I also changed the knobs/handles! They were ugly black plastic. Went out to Home Depot and bought these cuties!

On one of the walls, I put up these 2 frames. I had found the frames in the trash last week. They were dark forest green. I spray painted them white, and then added some brown scrapbooking ink to distress them. Then, I was looking for SOMETHING to put in them. Again, I turned to my scrapbooking stuff for ideas, when I found the key and keyhole. They are a kind of chipboard material called "grungeboard". I spray painted them and distressed them, added blue scrapbook paper, and voila!!

On top of the toilet...
A candle holder found for a dollar a few weeks ago at a thrift store.
The box was paper mache. I painted it and sanded it to make it look like old wood. I paid the box a dollar. I'm happy with it: it stores pads and tampons and kleenex, without us having to get up if we need it ;)
And the old handle? Bought it about 10 years at a garage sale for 1$, and it's been used like this ever since. But now with the new bathroom makeover, it looks even better!

This is on top of the medicine cabinet:

Notice the design in the mirror?
ANother find from my own scrapbooking stash! They are ceramic rub-ons from Rouge De Garance! Loooove the look it gives a plain mirror!

A few years ago, DH's aunt gave us this huge mirror with shelf. DH installed it a few months ago and I despise its shape and too modern look. But add the Caro touch, a few accessories and the same rope around it, and I like it now!
Everything on the shelf is from thrift stores, for a total of 1,50.

And finally....
In the little corner of the hall where there's the bathroom door, there's also the basement door, and guests always ask which is the bathroom door.
So to prevent any confusion in the future, here's what I did:

Cute no?
Another scrapbooking find! They are chipboard shapes from Maya Road. I added some brown ink to them to match my walls and voila!!

Today's thrifty treasures (May 25)

2009-05-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hum, yeah. That's it.
It's not that the weather wasn't cooperating! On the contrary: what a beautiful weekend!
But we had a huge bbq party with tonsa friends on Saturday... Since it went much longer than I thought, I slept in on Sunday. By the time I hit a couple of garage sales in my neighbourhood, there was nothing good left. And anyway, my tummy was complaining of the previous evening's partying so I came home. And then one of my oldest friends came over unexpectedly and we spent HOURS just chatting!!

Well, you know me. I HAVE to have *something* new (well, er, OLD) every week.

So of course, this morning bright and early, I went out to look at what people had thrown in the trash, on the curb.
I guess I'm not the only one who does this. I saw 4 other people going around the streets as well. LOL

I first found the old wooden sleigh. I remembered seeing a few wall decor ideas using them so I picked it up right away.
And then I found the other thing, not sure what to call it. It has several coats of oil paint on it (enlarge the pic, cause in the smaller size, it looks to be melamine, but it's NOT) but of course, I'm seeing the potential, there's wood underneath and I'm hoping it can look distressed and old...

I found nothing else this time, but that's ok. Trash day in another neighbourhood close to here is on Wednesdays, so maybe I'll score more!

And stay tuned later hopefully today, for photos of my main floor's half bath makeover!

Head on over to Southern Hospitality for posts from other bloggers showing off their thrifty treasures!!

Thrifty monday!

2009-05-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge!!)
Above is my loot for this weekend!!!

Get this. I paid a total of 3.50 for this!
What, how? you ask? Read on....

I have a summer place in Vermont, and was looking forward to hitting some yard sales. But, for the second weekend in a row, it RAINED!!! I did manage to find like 3 garage sales. This is where I bought the milk glass (bottom shelf on the pic) for 1$, and the nice rectangle 'pot' (upper shelf), also for a buck. I then hit a cute little second hand store in upstate NY and found the tiny wooden shelf for 50cents, and this *awesome* small antique tray from Japan for a dollar for a dollar- i fell in love with it! (it's on the chair).

I found another garage sale where everything was overpriced it was ridiculous. But there were some "free" boxes and I found a couple of things in there: 'Cars' movie cars, littlest pet shop animals, the cute thing on the middle shelf (ok, sorry- no clue what it's called... you see, i'm french! and sometimes just forget these things LOL), the old meatloaf pan, and the SHOES!! Adidas shoes, perfect condition but missing one of the laces! They were my second son's size! Score!!!

And the rest, you ask?

Curbside finds from this morning, back home!!
I'm always amazed at what some people will just *throw away* in the garbage!!

Since it's a holiday here, and it's sunny, I decided to check around if there was some garage sales, while keeping an eye on the trash, since it's trash day. Boy did I ever score!

First up, I found 2 dressers (not pictured, they're still in the trailer). One of them is the same size as the one I found last week, but better quality, so my daughter will get that one instead. And a narrower one, also for my daughter. Both need makeover: paints and hardware, but I will love doing that!!

Then I found the wicker shelf unit, perfect condition, just needs to be cleaned and repainted! Perfect for my bathroom (which I want to redecorate NOW)

The small table, I actually found on thursday. It doesnt look like much, but it's gonna look fab soon! And I was just looking for an end table for that couch on the right, so it's perfect! woohoo!!

Then I saw THE chair! That old rocking chair that looks like it's seen better days. I did not hesitate and put it in my car. LOVE all the detailing on top. This chair will need a LOT of TLC. 2 of the bars on the back are not originals, one of the legs is no longer glued to the bottom rocking piece.
the hubby says it cannot be done! What do you think?

On the same street, I found that huge wicker vase, the frames, the teddy bear (my daughter collects teddies) and that old sewing box!! The frames have nothing interesting in them, but the frames are pretty cool and will look great painted and repurposed!!

So go on over to Rhoda's Southern Hospitality blog to see more Thrifty finds by other bloggers. I love mondays, when i can just browse all the thrifty goodness everyone's found!

My new living room

2009-05-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hum... I will have to dig for a 'before' shot, but let's just say it was terrible!! We hadn't painted in 8 years... It was a light blue colour that DH had chosen then and I'd always hated it! I've been wanting to paint it brown forever! So I got my chance this month and I LOOOOOVE it now!
We painted, added crown molding... the whole living room, entrance, hall and stairs. (plus we have 2 gallons -different browns- leftover, so I will be repainting my bedroom as well, woohoo).
ANYWAY!!
I've loved the brown/offwhite/aqua colour scheme forever, so I went with that.

Apart from the paint and crown molding, the rest was all very very cheap!
Oh, I do have to admit that we got that bookcase for full price, which I never really do, at Ikea: but @ 99$, it was good!!

The coffee table was found in the trash by DH *years* ago. I will *eventually* give it a makeover, but it's not too bad as is.

The couches were given to us a few years back by DH's aunt: genuine leather. I'd never pay that much for couches, but I gotta say I love them, esp with the new colours in my room!

We had an old and ugly rug in our 'before' living room and i hated it. Once we painted, we were on the market for a new one. I wanted beige/offwhite. But MAN oh man, rugs and carpets can be so darn expensive!! One day, walking into Zellers (Zellers is a Canadian store which is a lot like Walmart or Target) I walked by the rugs and saw a tiny clearance section, with this one screaming at me! It was exactly what I wanted! And it was only 49$! Not bad, cause what I had seen had been 129$ and up! YAY!!

Now, those empty frames hanging on the wall are my favourite thing EVER!! I loooooooove it, it really is the focus of the room. I'd been dreaming about this for years and was glad to finally be able to do it!
I visited a few thrift stores and bought all kinds of frames, all for under 1$ each!! I took off the glass and backing, spray painted them cream (i love spray paint!) and arranged them on the wall.

The nicer cushion on the couch was on clearance @ Walmart for 3$!! Unfortunately, there was only one. But i loved it!!
The other cushions were all bought at jysk for 3 and 4$ each.

The table in the right corner... Well, about 12 years ago, I found it in my inlaws' garage. It had belonged to MIL's grandmother, and it was a horrible shade of pink. Back then, I was really into mosaic tiling, so I created a random mosaic on top (mostly blues, burgundies, yellows) with old plates. Tons of patterns and colours. The legs were painted yellow to fit my apartment back then.
Well, that no longer fit in my new scheme. So I painted the legs brown. And while I couldn't 'undo' the mosaic, I did decide to cover it up! I bought, also @ jysk, a small tablecloth in the nicest damask pattern (velvety feeling, on a silky type fabric)... for 3$!!! Woot!

The lamp is also brand new. I'd been looking at a ton, mostly at Ikea, but the nicer ones were too expensive for my taste and budget. One day, we head to Rona L'Entrepot . I believe we were in there for the crown molding, actually. We walk by the lights section and I headed for the clearance section. And there it was. I couldnt see a price, so I had a clerk come over. She checked, and it was on clearance for 30$! WOW!! it was originally part of a set, so since it was now alone, the price was incredibly low! I snatched it up right away! At first, I wasnt sure about the lampshade- i thought a lighter, cream colour would suit my living room better. But nope, I really like it now!!

The tv corner. I'm now on the market for a new tv stand, i hate hate hate this one! I would like to find a unit where I could put my stereo also!
anyway... the light/sconce we already owned (from ikea) and the old Firefighter helmet has always been in that same spot. I just loooove it. It belonged to DH's grandfather who was a firefighter in the 30s in Montreal.

I found the urn/vase at Dollarama for 2$. It was green, so I brought out my beloved cream spray paint and transformed it. The dried things were also from Dollarama, just 1$ for the bunch. Voila, for 3$ I've got an interesting deco!

The votive candle holders on top of the tv were just 49 cents each at jysk.

(Soon, I will be re-decorating my kitchen, so please ignore how ugly it is in the above picture!)

See that old school desk? Found it months ago at a thrift store for just 5$! Score!!! My daughter does her homework on it. I have yet to sand it and such, but for now, its colour is the same as the accent colour in my living room, so I dont mind as much, teehee!

The vase... I'd been looking for a big vase to put exactly there. But dang, those things are EXPENSIVE when bought new!! Therefore, 2 weekend ago, i headed to a flea market north of montreal, and found this one. It was a disgusting blue colour with grey and brown specks of paint. But i loved the shape!! I got it for just 6$, came home and spray painted it!!
The dried willow is from Bouclair and kinda expensive at 15$, but it's exactly what I'd been dreaming about so I paid full price and am happy about it!
And so are my birds! Hopefully you can click on the picture to view it larger... you will see my birdies Sifflet and Cali resting on the branches! THey LOVE it!!

and finally, this is the 99$ bookcase we got at ikea. I love it! It holds all my old photo albums (pre-scrapbooking), our CDs (we just got rid of a TON... we had probably 3x that! It feels soooo nice to declutter a bit!!), some magazines in which I was published, our stereo, a fishbowl filled with beach glass (i collect beach glass- my collection is in vases, by colour, in my kitchen), as well as some decorations found mostly at thrift stores and garage sales. The baskets on top hold odds and ends (restaurant menus, etc). The basket near the fish bowl hold my birdwatching boks.

Do you like the painting on the top shelf??
My 9 year old son, Xavier, painted that last year!! Isn't he awesome?!!

Today's thrifty finds!

2009-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

First off, those are what I found today @ my fave church thrift store... all of this for a mere 3.50$!!!

My 7yo daughter is obsessed with anything SPACE related, so this old space shuttle book is awesome for her. She wants to take a few of the photos from the book and frame them for her soon-to-be-redecorated-in-a-space-theme bedroom!
The shirt was 50 cents (!) ... it's a Paul Frank shirt with all the characters on a rocket ;)

The other book is to build birdhouses and feeders (i'm very into bird watching!) which I cant wait to get started on!

The 2 bowls, well they are the same as one I already had (also found at a thrift store, a couple of weeks ago) that is on my coffee table in my living room, so 3 will be even nicer!!

The thing @ the left of the space book is some kind of metal wall candle holders, to hold those votive candles. They look like bird nests! And the whole thing is a dark brown, so no painting needed, it already is perfect as is for my decor!! It's now hung in my entryway :)

Now... some more junky goodness...

Today was trash day in my neighbourhood. I dont usually go around looking for stuff in trash- i actually dont like that. But it was a beautiful day so I decided to drive around... and boy am I glad I did!!
I first found a great birdbath (hum, forgot to take a pic- it's already on my front lawn and lotsa birds have stopped by!!), it looks like wrought iron, but it's heavy plastic. very beautiful.

I also found this:

I already have one exactly the same for my oldest son's room, LOL!
But my daughter is in need of a chest of drawers, as she still has the old nursery furniture, ick! I've been waiting for a sale @ ikea or sears or jysk... Well i just saved myself 150$ or so!! I rang the doorbell at the house where this was sitting with the garbage, asking the man if he minded if I took it. He said he'd rather have someone take it than for it to head to the trash :) So off I went! WOOHOO!!
I dont have time to do a makeover for it for a while, and my daughter wants it to remain blue. So we'll just clean it well for now.

And now, the most awesome find EVER!! Also in the trash:

How GORGEOUS is that old wooden tool box?!!!! OMG what a score! I was flipping out!! I love that the hardware is rusty and junky! The rest will be cleaned, sanded, painted and distressed REALLY soon! I think I will keep this in my living room :)

Posting for the first time on Southern Hospitality's blog for "today's thrifty treasures" :)
I've been loving looking at everyone's blogs lately, and my google reader is FULL of new blogs now! :)

Caro

May 8th flea market finds

2009-05-11T16:34:00.001-07:00

After some searching online, I found this AWESOME year-round flea market in Montreal, that is opened fri-sat-sun. On Friday May 8th, I decided to go... WOW!!! Alibaba's cavern! Tons of interesting junk, antiques... like the biggest garage sale i've ever seen!

I found the most interesting kiosk... lots of junky antiques, just what I love! Stuff that begs 'transform me!' :) ... and that is CHEAP! :)

I got this loot for 10$. The 2 green boxes will be painted and distressed and used as shelves to store tiny jars and other goodies I like to collect.

The junky rusty metal doorknobs and pulls, i just fell in love with! I'd been looking for some of these for a while now. YEARS ago I found a great, big handle, and I've hung it in my bathroom (i'll show it to you soon), to hang hand towels on. I just love the look of old handles and want to find more to make a framed 'gathering' of them on a wall. I will take some of the rust off of these and paint and distress them though.

May 5th Thrift store finds

2009-05-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

I visited one of my 2 fave church thrift stores today and this was my loot, for a grand total of 8$ :)
The candleholder is an ugly shade of grey, but will be spray painted either black, brown or off-white to fit my living room: not decided yet!
The tray is awaiting something to be put in it. For now, it is on my kitchen table and holds fruit.
The green glass vase I found gorgeous and it's now on my shelves in my kitchen.
The small wooden tool box, i have no ideas for it but i loved it. It will get a makeover soon though i'm sure!!
My favourite find is the black mirror with hooks. It has a couple of scratches, nothing that cant be fixed. It will hang in my entry way to hold our keys :)