Dresses and Skirts Oh My!

Hello Everyone!

I told you about my friday evening excursion at the Salvation Army where I got lots of loot for not a lot of money. I had a blast changing other’s cast-off dresses and skirts into something cute and stylish (and comfy!!)

When I saw this skirt, I just loved it! What can I say, I’m a child of the ’80s. It was long and flowy and a great summery coral color. But, now that I am 29 years old (for the 12th time), I like my skirts a little shorter. Go figure that it would take me this long to feel comfortable showing a little leg. Anyway, I went from below the knee (unfortunately I lost my before picture) to this cutie. All I did was cut it to the length I wanted, pin the hem and run it though my sewing machine. Super easy!

Now, this is embarassing but I’m going to say it. At the upper left hand corner of this photo, the skirt shows some blue-ish staining. I actually made this stain myself when I put it through the wash. I accidentally washed a black skirt with the load 😦  I’m hoping some pre-soak spray will do the trick to removing that stain!

This next dress looks so cool and tropical. But, as a girl with boobage, the top was too snug.

Since I couldn’t wear this cutie as it was, I cut the top off. I then turned the top of the skirt over and stitched to create a space for a tie or elastic. Don’t forget to leave an opening in the inside so you can feed your tie or elastic in. I went for a tie waist using extra material, however I found this tie to be a bit bulky. I am going to add elastic to the waist instead before I wear this skirt.

In closing I want to give credit where credit is due. I would never have thought to alter clothing this way if I hadn’t been reading WordPress blog New Dress a Day. It’s genius and I think everyone should check it out for inspiration.

Patience is Virtue

Hi Everyone

Today’s post is not about a project that I’ve done about my $200 worth of furniture. It is about having patience and being ready and willing to jump on an opportunity.

This green microsuede chair and the sofa with the green print pillows cost $175.00 total. I found these at the Salvation Army on one of their half off days. I had gone to the S.A. with hopes of finding a decent sofa, I couldn’t believe my luck at finding both!

The leather sofa and the coffee table below were hand-me-downs from my boyfriend’s coworker. The sofa is not in the current style but it is in excellent condition and very comfy.

Luckily, leather is easy to clean!

My previous table sustained water damage in storage and I was without a dining room table. Then, my neighbor had a garage sale and I scored this table for $20.00! Yay! The chairs were re-covered years ago and it is time again. This will be an upcoming project.

In the middle of the table above is a cute handmade water pitcher that I found at the S.A. for $1.50. Since I don’t know if the glaze is foodsafe, I use this as a vase for my roses that I cut from the yard.

The vision I had for this vase didn’t quite work, the scale was all wrong when I put it into its place. I like it though, it was made in Spain. Not sure what it used to be (there was a cork in the top) but I think it will make a lovely vase for something with long stems.

I am so thrilled to have clean, attractive furniture without having to spend thousands! I wish the same for you all. Happy Hunting!

Change it up

     We have all heard the phrase “it has good bones”. “A diamond in the rough” is another favorite phrase that I use a lot. By taking these phrases to heart, we open up so many possibilities for ourselves when decorating our homes. When you do find that special diamond in the rough piece, there are many possibilities for updating it and making it your own.

     One of the ways I like to update wood is to stain it a different color. To do this, make sure you lightly sand the piece. Unless there are flaws that need to be sanded down with heavier sandpaper, a fine sandpaper should be all you will need. You’ll want the color to coat evenly. After sanding, use a damp cloth to remove the dust, let dry and you are ready for color! Any hardware store should have a good selection of stains available. Make sure you pick the stain according to where you plan to put your furniture. There are good waterproofing stains available for fences and decks, these are a good stain for a piece that you will use outside. I made the mistake of accidentally choosing a deck stain for my indoor wine rack. No worries, though. It still turned out beautifully and now I can take the piece outside if I want to! There is also a wide range of colors available for interior pieces. When you apply the color, use a paintbrush to coat the wood. Once you have it well covered, let the stain sit for about 15 minutes, then use an old, disposable rag to remove the excess. This is all you need to do to have a beautiful, new to you, piece of furniture.

     Painting is another easy, inexpensive way to update furniture or other items. You can use spraypaint or paint that you brush on. There is a wide array of paints that you can use. In my previous home, I used an interior satin finish paint to change my old, dated bathroom vanity. I removed the doors (you will only need a screwdriver for this) and lightly sanded the entire piece, including the doors. I rolled on the paint with a small roller and brushed the areas where the roller wouldn’t cover. It was super easy and looked great when I finished. There are also products to spray or brush on that can cover wood, metal and plastics. I have done this with several pieces. I have a great shelf unit with glass shelves that a friend had given to me. My friend, sadly, lost her home and most of her belongings to an early morning fire. I salvaged several pieces from her home that the fire restoration company said could not be restored. After cleaning off as much of the oily smoke residue as I could, I painted over the piece with a beautiful lavender brush on paint formulated for metal. In hindsight, I should have primered the piece first. Now, I know better. When I moved to my new home, the lavender didn’t “go” anymore so I changed it up to flat black. This time, after a light sanding with fine sandpaper designed for metal, I primered the piece first, using an automotive grade metal primer. All of these supplies are inexpensive and can be found in any big box hardware store. Then, I followed it with the flat black color. I love it!

As long as you have the vision, you realize the potential of any item with a little spraypaint.

This pot rack used to be a red bunk bed ladder that should have been headed for the trash…..

     With just a few dollars, a few hours and a little bit of elbow grease, you can take that item with good bones and change up the exterior to fit your tastes and decor. Happy changing!

Labor Day Weekend – Saturday

I was on a real creative bender today. I hit the 50% off sale at the Salvation Army last night and came home with lots of loot.

This hanging votive above will look fab in my outdoor patio. Because the end is pointed, I think if I add some sand and/or small shells to this to nestle my candle in, it will work really well.

I am totally digging this glass pitcher. If I use it for iced water, juice or mixed drinks, it will look awesome on my table when I am entertaining.

But, the bender part was playing with clothing and throw pillows that I had bought.

I don’t “do” strapless so I almost put this dress back. But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t do something else with it. This dress has a tie waist so I cut the top of the dress off just above the tie waist and, voila, a skirt with an adjustable waist. I didn’t see the need to finish the top because I never wear my shirts high enough to show the top of the skirt. It ended up being super comfy!

The thing I had the most fun with, though, was my throw pillow. It began as a pillow,

a skirt,

and the bottom two tiers that I had already cut from this skirt.

Using the velvet tier of this above skirt, I made the ruffle for the pillow. The black and white flower print and the scrunched rayon and the black ribbon from the tiered skirt made the body of the pillow. A lot of work and also a lot of fun.

The most amazing part of my shopping expidition is that in addition to the glass pieces, the strapless dress and the black and white skirt above, I also picked up a handmade tray (pics later), 4 skirts, a sweater, a shirt, a tablecloth and two of the above throw pillows all for $34 and some change!  SCORE!

New (to me) light fixtures!

     When I first saw my house, I thought it had an Italian flavor. It has a red tile roof and there are mature Italian Cypress trees in the front and the back yards. The inside of the house, however, was just generic. White paint on all of the walls, tan carpet and white linoleum with little flowers in the pattern. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very nice house and I was impressed by how clean it looked and how everything appeared to be in such good shape. But, it was rather plain to me and it was very vanilla compared to the spicy italian I had imagined it to be. Tuscan decor uses wrought iron for some of the detail. I had picked up some wrought iron table lamps from a garage sale (for a dollar each!) and thought that hanging light fixtures that look like wrought iron would be divine!

     The house came with some dated looking light fixtures in shiny gold and I wasn’t in love with the gold color. I had my boyfriend take the lights down and I got to work! First, after removing the glass and the bulbs, I lightly sanded the finish. Then I primered with spray primer designed to coat metal. After that, the fun part! I sprayed the fixtures with a couple of coats of flat black spray paint. After the paint dried, I put the glass and the bulbs back in place. The lights in their original state had gold bands around the bottom of the glass. I decided I liked the look of the lights without the bands (it really changed the personality more than I had expected) so I left them off. I am really pleased with the results and cannot wait to get my hands onto another spray paint personality update!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

This is the project that made me want to blog!

I love to eat. Therefore, I love to cook. My previous two kitchens had very little prep room and I have been dreaming of a big kitchen with an island. When I was house hunting, I looked at houses with big, beautiful kitchens with islands and huge pantries. But, when I bought the house that was chosen for me (God has a sense of humor!), I had to give up my dream of a spacious kitchen with an island. Or, did I? Turns out that my boyfriend had a real eyesore of an old tool cart rotting in his backyard. It was faded from the original red to a pink and the shelves had long since disappeared (broken? disintegrated? stolen by aliens?). But, it did have potential for two shelves and a top and it was small enough to fit into my kitchen and it has working, lockable wheels so I can move it! Hooray!

After sanding and using spray primer, I painted it with several coats of Antique Bronze spray paint and cut pine boards for the shelves. And, voila, my new kitchen island! I am loving it, makes a great extra work space when preparing meals or doing projects, homework, etc.

Hello world!

I have been reading the blog New Dress A Day, which I think is genius, and was inspired by this blog in more ways than one. I even bought a floor length skirt and began to shorten it. This project is still in the works (no way I can do it in a day!).

I just purchased my first home and there is so much I want to do and so little money to do it with! Luckily my favorite Salvation Army has 50% off days twice a month now. I am always excited to find potential treasures from other people’s discards. I am looking forward to showing off my new treasures!