More Amazing Goodwill Finds!!!!!

On average, I've been wandering in to my local Goodwill 2 or 3 times a week.  Mostly because I almost always find something useful at an amazing price.  This past week when I was there I happened upon some serving dishes.  Since most of my serving pieces are still in storage I thought I could definitely spare the $2.99 for two large serving plates, a large serving bowl, a small serving bowl and a butter dish.  They were taped together but I could tell they would be really pretty.  White with gold harness detail around the rim.  Really beautiful, and neutral enough to go with almost anything while adding a touch of glam.  You know I love the glam!  Once I got home, I untaped them and begin to prepare them to wash and get them ready for company.  I turned over the butter dish and nearly fainted.  I had un-knowingly purchased Ralph Lauren serving pieces with the tags still on them. 

Are you ready for the run down?  You're going to die. 

Well, hopefully not.....

The butter dish original price................... $40.00

The small bowl..........................................$21.50

Large serving dish.....................................$94.50

Large serving plate..................................$107.00

Large serving plate..................................$107.00

Grand Total............................................$370.00

I mean who in their right mind would pay nearly $400 for 5 serving pieces?  Even if I had that kind of money I have strong feelings about stewardship and being careful about wisely using what God has given you.  Especially, with the vast needs there are in this world.  I better not get on that soapbox, that's a whole other post!

Another great find......I've been wanting a silver water pitcher to use for flowers.

Here's the one I found. 

$2.99!!!  I LOVE her!!!!!!  Won't she be pretty all shined up with some big ole peonies spilling out the top?!!!

Later the same day, I was browsing Amazon for something completely different when I came across this.

Here's the link......

http://www.amazon.com/FOOTED-SILVER-PITCHER-PLATED-WATER/dp/B001FYSE2G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306252147&sr=8-2

$89.99 is Amazon's price.  The retail price?  $172.00!!!

Those were some of my great finds from the last week or so.  I have more to share, but that will be a later post.

linking up here:

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/fun-finds-for-the-week/

Happy Hunting!  Go get your thrift on!

Side Table Turned Toddler Desk

I love a good project!  A friend of mine once told me that if I had a super power, it would probably be transforming stuff with spray paint.  My children are lucky they're still their original color (I jest).  Seriously though, our home has been transformed one project at a time with a sewing machine, hot glue, spray paint and fabr-i-tac.  You could glue a monkey to a quilt with fabr-i-tac, but that's a whole other post!

As you already know, I've been updating my little guy's bedroom bit by bit.  I've been on the hunt for a kid sized table and chair that could be used to sit and do puzzles, play, color, look at books and imagine exploring far-off destinations.  I couldn't find what I wanted, but sometimes you just have to think outside the box.  A week or two ago, I was browsing Goodwill (shocking, I know!) and came across a little ikea side table.  The size was good, but it was pretty beat up.  The price tag though, was only .99 cents.  I figured if it didn't work out, I wasn't out very much money so I hauled it home, cleaned it up, and gave it one coat of primer and two coats of spray paint.

Here's the before:

Not very pretty, I know.

This is a picture of the .99 cent price tag:

Pretty beat up, but worth the work.

Here is the after:

Much better!  My little guy loves playing here and it takes up much less room than the HONKIN' HUGE train table that was in his room before.

I want to get him a little wooden chair like this one from ikea.

Cute, huh?  They're only $12.99 too!

I'm linking up to this spray painting party here.

Check out some other seriously great spray painting projects.  I have a few other past spray painting projects I'll try to post later this week.

Happy spray painting!

Krista

The Beginning of a Love Affair.....

It all started with this picture, which I first saw in Domino magazine. 

I was smitten. 

Can you love a chair?  I think you surely can if it has so much glamour your sure it will rub off on your entire home.

 Living in the Midwest, I had no idea how hard it would be to find them.  I set out to scour the Internet.  I had no luck, but this image never left my head.

A few years later and some beautiful replicas started popping up.

This chair is available through Jonathan Adler and can be yours for a mere

$450-650 dollars.

Per

chair.

No.

Joke.

Are you still breathing?  I didn't think so.

Ballard Designs has a much more affordable option:

This little beauty is only $249.  Much better, but still, if you need more than one......not really affordable.

After searching,

and searching, I finally found some!

I am a firm believer that you can find what you want at a price you can afford with a little patience and digging. 

 Mine will need a paint job (no problemo, just add it to my list!)

Here they are:

LOVE!

Just.  you.  wait!

They will be TO DIE FOR when this whole living room is painted and finished.

OH, I almost forgot the best part.

The price.

I know, the price is rarely the best part.  When you're a bargain hunting fiend it is!

The pair of vintage Chinese Chippendale chairs......

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

35 BUCK-A-ROOS.

Yep, $35.00 for the pair.

Peel yourself off the floor and keep searching for something you love!

Glorious Goodwill.....And A Sneak Peek

Lately, I've been frequenting our local Goodwill.  It started out because I was looking for a few inexpensive tea cups for my daughter's birthday party and since then I find myself going more and more.  I think it's partly because of Mr. Goodwill Hunting's blog.  Have you read it?  You must!  Go read it now and then come back!  You can find it here:

http://www.rashoncarraway.com/

It's amazing isn't it!  I have to say I've found some pretty amazing stuff at ours so this may have to turn into a weekly post for me.  My first great find were two really large apothecary jars.

LOVE.  THEM!  The ginormous one was $4.99 and the large one was $1.99!

We used them on the food table at my daughter's party.

Soooo purdy!

Then, just last week I came across this.....

Well, hello pretty runner with the $89.99 tag still on it from Target!

I paid $2.99!

AMAZING, RIGHT?

In the same trip I scored a campaign dresser, I had been looking for one to use as a buffet in my dining room.  It's this style:

Not sure what color I'll paint it, but I can't wait to show you the before and after!

The best part......

I paid $6.99!

Last but, not least I found a couple of cute additions for the little Mister's room I've been working on.

Cute 'lil airplane lamp  $2.99

Handsome ship perfectly fit for a vintage travel room.....$1.99

Really I have lots more to post about but I think I hear the baby girl.

Happy treasure hunting!

Krista



Happy Mother's Day!!!

In honor of Mother's Day I thought I would share with you a favorite poem.

Babies Don’t Keep

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep

Master Bedroom Ideas

I'm in a bit of a decorating frenzy and for the last few days have been pouring over pictures on the internet looking for inspiration for our Master Bedroom.  I think I've got it!!!  Here's what's moving me so far......

THIS BEDROOM.  I stumbled on http://studioten25.com/blog/

Let me just say, she is seriously talented in the interior design arena. 

 I could get lost on her blog, of course, my children might never get fed, so there is that to consider.

  Here is a pic of her bedroom:

Love the soothing wall color and the sunburst mirror!  I was already planning on putting a sunburst over our bed......here's one I really like from Ballard Designs

Give me a second to compose myself and wipe the drool of my face.

HOW GORGEOUS IS THAT!!??!!?

This is pretty close for wall color:

Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams

On to the fabric choices.  I like mixing colors and textures with a really colorful fabric as a base so you can pull other colors in.

This is the colorful fabric I'm leaning toward:

P. Kaufman

with a little chevron

Hello lovely!

A pop of green somewhere.......

or maybe this one

I'll just order swatches for both :)

Then a monogrammed pillow for good measure. 

Love something fun and over the top like this but with an orange monogram.

Available from http://www.luxurymonograms.com/Pillows-s/71.htm

That's the start of the inspiration for our room.  It's probably going to be a long project, we'll keep posting on the progress......

Have a great weekend!

Krista

Union Jack Pillow Hack

I'm working on a quite a few projects for the little man's room.  A few days ago, I posted a fabulous picture of a Union Jack dresser which I LOVE.  As I was looking around the room though, I thought it would be too much. 

Then I found a picture of a Union Jack pillow on Nieman's website...... 

$425.00

WHAT?

Plus $65.00 shipping and handling.

That's a quick way to stop a heart.

Anywhooooo.  I was brousing in Tar-Jay yesterday and found a solid navy blue pillow on clearance for $4.98.  I had some seam binding leftover from the curtains I'm making over for the room (I'll show you that later :)

and........our version.

$7.25

LOVE.  IT.

Go hack yourself a pillow :)

Headboard wall ideas for the "Big Boy Room"

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  We've been pretty busy getting things started on the little man's room.  We painted and it looks great!  I love it.  I thought maybe it would be too dark, but with the other things that are going into the room, it's going to be perfection (at least I think so ;). 

I just realized I never posted the space we're working with. 

Classic "before" pic......we just moved in, so I guess it's not too bad.

It's a strange room...

lots of nooks.....

and crannies.

See what a I mean....

Enough of that.

I want to do an upholstered headboard and I found a fabulous textured fabric that has raised circles in it at JoAnn Fabric.  Can't find a picture of it anywhere, but it's by Dwell Studio.

I would also like to do THIS above his headboard.................swoon!

via HGTV

Love it!

Hopefully, I'll have more pictures of the actual room to post later this week.