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Want to see how I made this slighted rusted, somewhat ugly, gold tone display rack into this?
Then make sure to pop over to the Goodwill of Northern New England blog and check out my guest post.
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I also wanted to announce the winner for the Simple Times book:
The winner is Angelika
Thanks again for all your entries.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a Make Share post. Have you been crafty this week?
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The thing about thrifting is that it will constantly surprise you. A couple Fridays ago Keiran and I had no idea that we would be driving up to Ukiah to an estate sale. It was only when I opened the newspaper and saw that the local says didn't look too good that the ad from Ukiah jumped out at me. We got in the van and headed north.
I also didn't know that I would later spend the weekend emptying my office and creating havoc on the rest of the house in the meantime. My little office held a lot of boxes of stuff that now linger in the dining room, living room, bedroom, hallway and seating area in the hallway.
After Keiran and I went to the estate sale we went to a couple more yard sales and eventually to the local thrift stores. We picked up two Steelcase office chairs for $10. Keiran asked to stop at Thrift Land (Salvation Army Compound of 5 Thrift stores) on the way home in Healdsburg. Little did I know that we would end up buying a Drexel Mid Century Hutch. I could not resist the price of $50 for a solid wood, gorgeous hutch. (photos to come in a later post)
We have a teak hutch already in our dining room but it wasn't blatantly dining room like. I decided that it would be perfect for my office. Combined with my new chairs it was time to give my messy-chaotic-can't-get-much-work-done office a makeover.
This ReSelling season is going to be my busiest ever. I have so much inventory to sell and I need to be efficient. My work day will consist of 5 1/2 hours while the children are in school. Friday I'm out scouting for new inventory which leaves me Monday through Thursday. I'm also doing some ReSelling Consulting this fall and may have one day a week where I'm out of the house working. This means I need every second in my office to be time well spent.
I'm a person who can't really imagine what a room is going to look like until it is practically empty. I took everything out of the office and into all the rooms mentioned above. I next brought the old dining room hutch into the office.
We bought this on Bainbridge for $50 a few years ago.
The Sunday after I bought the new Hutch, I also thrifted a new glass shelf unit and a teak dining table.
Finally all the computer/tech stuff in one organized place. Still wish that the wires could be hidden better. This shelf was $10. Notice the wires running across the door frame, that is our internet wires to the phone system. This house has the same electrics/phone outlets as when it was built in the late 50's so we have wires running all over the place. This was going to be a temporary rental for us when we looked for a house. Here we are a year later.
I found this table at a yard sale. They were asking $20. I offered $10. It has some damage but for an office sorting table it should do the trick. Under the table on the other side is where I'm planning to line up my boxes of list-able book inventory. That way it will be easy to access from my desk.
I found this wire rack at an estate sale last winter. It was in Dave's office to hold my listed book inventory but I felt that it would be put to better use in my office. At the moment it is holding these sorting boxes:
My goal is to bring my purchased items into my office and place them in their boxes along one wall area. Over the weekends I hope to sort as much as possible so that when Mondays rolls around I'm ready to get to work. Excess items are going to be moved out of my office and into the garage in order to prevent inventory buildup. I simply cannot work when it gets like this. I'm sure that every thrifter and ReSeller can relate.
It's not the most beautiful chair in the world but it is incredibly comfortable. This is a Steelcase Chair and they are very expensive to buy new. Here's an idea of prices for this brand of chairs. The two that I bought were dated 2007. $10 for the pair.
Saturday morning brought me to another Mid Century Modern sale. I arrived at around 6:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m. sale. Once we got in the door I realized quickly that the prices were again way too high. A MCM rocking chair for $600 or a MCM dresser for $1000 was out of my budget. I left with some Vera napkins and a little troll. I stopped at another sale on my way out of the neighborhood where I found two of these chairs for $5 each. They now are on both sides of my sorting table.
I bought this on Sunday at the Friday MCM sale that I posted about. It was originally $25, later marked down to $15 and I bought it for half off, $7.50. It is perfect for my desk.
My first flip clock. I had been keeping my eye open for these ever since I read a post about them at Mid Century Modernist. It was $2.
I try not to place much art on the walls because this is a rental and most likely the walls are redwood. I did feel that my office makeover was in need of some inspiration so I did hang up a few items, mostly nailing in the grooves of the wood.
I found these two little bulletin boards at Target a few weeks ago. It was the color that won me over.
My recent office makeover did come in under $50. If I had to price my entire office out from past purchases it would look like this:
Total cost: $132.50
In my heart of hearts I wished that my space looked like the studios of Alicia Paulson or Cathe Holden. Eventually I'll get there. For now in my rental home, I've made it as cozy as I can. It doesn't drip of eye candy but it has little bits of inspiration for me to blog, write, take photos, research items and ReSell. When I eventually do get my studio, the wait will have been worth every second.
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I seem to collect lamps. My father collects clocks and Billy the Bass Plaques. Lamps aren't really what I collect but I seem to bring one home every few weeks which I suppose one could consider a collection. I don't mean to collect them. Most of them are being used while a few stragglers hide out in the garage. Dave just kind of laughs when he watches me come in the door on Saturday afternoon with a lamp in hand. I guess some wives bring in bags from Nordstrom, I bring in vintage, scrappy lamps.
I brought this home a couple weeks ago.
Sometimes I like the lamp but not the shade, this time I loved the shade but not the lamp. Where else can you buy a lampshade for $1.00 let alone an entire lamp?
Lovely, retro lampshade.
The lamp has some wood areas that were grubby with grime and rather worn looking. I wanted to do something to them but what?
I brought this book out for inspiration.
Wallpaper Projects by Derek Fagerstrom
This book is filled to the brim with delicious eye-candy filled projects that will make you want to run out to the nearest wallpaper store although not sure I would know where to even find one and start covering everything in you house. I mean everything.
The book, published by Chronicle Books, has one lamp project and while it was the shade that I didn't want to cover it still gave me the idea of what to do with my sweet little worn lamp.
I have a few rolls of vintage wallpaper but the patterns weren't right. I then remembered my recently thrifted roll of wrapping paper from my friend Jacki's yard sale on Bainbridge Island. It's quite heavy and textured and I thought it would be perfect for this project.
I followed Derek's idea by making a pattern. Because the area was so small, I made the pattern from tissue paper so that I could manipulate it around the small areas of wood that I wanted to cover. Once I had the right shape I cut the same pattern from the vintage wrapping paper. Using a tiny bit of glue on the paper only (in case I wanted to recover the lamp with another design a couple years from now) I covered the bottom and top wood sections. For the small ball in the center, I cut out a small strip and glued it around the center of the ball to give it just a hint of accent.
I wasn't very keen on the gold tone metal of the lamp but since the lampshade had gold accents on the binding and in the shade, I've left it for now.
The project took me about 20 minutes, the cost of everything including the lamp $1.10.
What lamp projects have you done recently? Are you a thrift lamp addict?
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Remember the teaser I mentioned a few weeks about about a book that has sort of shown me the key to my heart and soul? I had lots of readers ask me what the book was and I felt a bit guilty for having not shared the title. I wanted to describe it in a long post where I could fully explain why it had such an impact on me. But I wanted to finish it first and I'm still only a 1/3 in while I'm finishing another book for a review post tomorrow. So I've procrastinated on sharing about the book until now. I still haven't finished it but since my ReDo Tuesday project is from the book, then I guess I just have to spill the beans.
You know those moments that lead up to something very important in your life that you don't understand until it happens? That is how I found this book. When I was in California I was searching for the right paint for a picture I had drawn. I tried it with cheap paints and it didn't work. I drove all the way out to Michaels and bought some different paint but it didn't include the color white which means I really couldn't make a proper pink. I didn't want to drive out to Michael's again so I found a small independent art store that was closer. I popped in, found my paint and left the store. Realizing I had some extra time before farm camp was over, I looked in the shop next door. It was a mix of vintage and new items. I normally can't stand these stores and the smell of artificially fragrance candles was a bit overpowering. But they might have had some of Ben's dishes poking out of a corner, so I would just hold my breath. Peeking at me from under an embroidered dish towel was a used book. Again it was one of those times where I was told to just pick it up without knowing why. Not voices in my head but good old intuition. I did, I read the back, I debated the $5.99 price and I bought it.
The name wasn't terribly catchy to me, Refuse to Choose, but the content was. The back of the book read "I'm fascinated by something new every week. I can't commit to anything-I'm afraid I'll miss something better! I start so many things but finish almost none of them. I know I should focus on one thing but which one."
I was hooked from just reading those words but then it said, "Unlike people who are satisfied with one area of interest, you're genetically wired to pursue many areas, and that's exactly what you've been trying to do. But because your behavior is unfamiliar-even unsettling-to the people around you, you've been taught that you're doing something wrong and told you must decide on one path."
That's when I said Oh My God. That's me. That is how I have always felt about my life. You mean there are other people like me? I even sent Dave a text that read "I'm not a freak". He returned my call soon after and said "What?".
I could write pages and pages about this book. It is so life changing to realize that I'm not alone in my quirky outlook on life. I've always said that I never tried any drugs because I didn't need them. I had highs and lows all of my life, why would I need to take anything to mimic that. When I am up and feeling passionate I feel on top of the world. The downs aren't so good but they balance out the highs. I now understand why I want to try practically everything and anything. I want to go to cooking school, become an actress, travel the world, learn Spanish, write back words (which I'll admit I am pretty good at), learn every word in the dictionary (I know it sounds odd) (I stopped somewhere after the 30th word although abecedarian is by far my favorite one), read every book in a library and so on. If this sounds at all familiar, you may want to get your hands on this book. Quickly.
Barbara Sher's book was not only helpful to realize that I am not alone but she sets up a plan for this way of thinking. She even talks about how to find a career that we will not become bored with. If we go back to my early days to present, I wanted to be a Veterinarian, teacher, preschool teacher, au pair (which I did for two months), writer, actress, travel agent, work behind the scenes for tv, news reporter, private investigator, vampire slayer, consignment shop owner, children's author and probably even more that I can't think of right now. My latest thought after starting her book is an Idea Coach. Do you think anyone would pay for an idea? I have a zillion of them
This brings us back to ReDo Tuesday, the Rolodex. Within one week I read this passage in Barbara's book and I found this post on Carrie B's blog. Barbara knows how we think. That we have idea after idea and yet we don't know what to do with them. She came up with the suggestion of writing down each idea or dream and putting them in a rolodex. That way we can carry blank cards in our back pocket or handbag so that we are prepared. So many ideas come to me when I am out doing errands or driving around trying to find a yard sale. Then I found Carrie B's colorful idea rolodex. I was going to make one too.
I found this one but it was far too boring for me. Although the price was right.
.95 cents from Vinnie's. It's metal and I don't even know what metal paint looks like. I just knew I wanted to paint it quickly so I snuck the hallway paint another project into the craft room when Dave wasn't looking and gave her a coat of paint.
Then I added a few bits and bobs to make her a little prettier then just paint.
I will confess I try not to shop at Walmart but a few times a year I wander up the hill to the store and buy a few things. Especially if I don't want to make the extra trek to Michaels. But when did Martha start selling her goods there? How did I miss that?
When I ReDo something, I tend not to plan ahead what it will look like. I'd love to plan but ideas only come to me once I start a project. It sort of evolves as I go. I had no idea it would turn out this way.
I did know that I wanted to keep the inside simple and quick. I was very excited to start filling the idea rolodex. I went with my favorite aqua and red theme influenced by this swap. I so want to take part in another. Anyone game?
Like I said, very simple. This is just a start of the idea categories.
Food for anything kitchen, cooking, decorating
Give for present ideas, wishlist, things to make or buy
Craft for any craft, art, sewing ideas
Home for anything to do with real estate thoughts, remodeling, decorating
Blog ideas
Child for any ideas to do with the children, parenting, celebrating, birthdays
Write for ideas to do with writing whether it be for my journal or book to write or magazine article or magazine idea
Read for books to read, where to read, books to share, thoughts on books
Roam for anything to do with travel. My first idea that I scribbled down will go in the Roam category.
I think I am so easily influenced by others. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. But after seeing this trailer I was hooked on the idea of wanting one. I would add a Vespa to my Roam ideas too even if Dave doesn't think it is safe enough. I certainly couldn't thrift on one but I could do errands around town when it wasn't pouring with rain.
My goal with this idea rolodex is not only to have a place to write down my ideas but a place that I can visit and ponder on how to make these ideas and dreams become a reality. Barbara calls the personalities in her book "scanners" because we are always scanning the horizon for something new. I'm not sure I connect with the word scanner partly because I use one for bookselling and it's hard to mix the two. But I connect with her writing and her description of a scanner. Barbara says, "A scanner must find a way to follow every path that interest her. There's nothing else a scanner can do, for three compelling reasons. A scanner can't have fewer interest. They are designed to do more. Second scanners don't want fewer interest. Finally scanners can, so they must, explore many things. Most scanners aren't as attached to stability as other people. They seem to have retained the inborn security of a young child, the same love of what's new, the drive to learn and understand everything they see."
The last part left my eyes a little bit moist. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Does anyone else have goosebumps?
ReDo Rolodex cost:
rolodex .95 cents plus tax
paint: .40 cents -used snuck a can from another project
fabric: .20 cents -fabric from flea market
paper for Category Cards $1.00 -old creative memory stock
vellum for categories $1.00
font $1.00 on sale at scrapNfont, ck cordial
extra rolodex cards .5 cents st vinnies
glue .20 cents
total cost: $4.80
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If some of you recall, many of my birthday gifts last April consisted of Macy's gift cards so that I could be let loose in this area of the store. Being the frugal and careful shopper that I am, it took me a couple months to spend my gifts. I would cruise the aisles waiting for something to tell my frugal heart that I could not live without a certain item. This is a very slow process and eventually I gave in and bought a recipe box at full price. I had been using vintage ones for the last decade and I figured it was time for a fresh start. The blue would match perfectly with my kitchen so I placed it down at the register next to my gift card and pushed away any retail guilt that tried to rear its inconvenient head my way.
Martha being as frugal as she is decided not to include sweet lined recipe cards with her tin. She luckily gave us dividers though so at least we had the start of a recipe box. I was stuck with finding my own cards. My vintage cards were half the size of the dividers so I had to start over again. Or maybe I wanted a fresh start since my vintage box was sorely neglected. I didn't have to wait long for an answer to my dilemma. I was doing some organizing in the craft room when I came across some lovely looking Christmas cards. I think I picked them up for .50 cents at a yard sale and stuck them on a shelf to relocate later to the attic. They barely have a holiday theme about them, only a tiny bit of hard to read, cursive writing that said, "happy holidays".
Not only were they blank inside but they gave me a front to write the
name of the recipe, the right hand side to list the needed ingredients
and the left side for the instructions. I could also add a loose piece
of paper for an extra long recipe.
The writing is a wee messy as I was writing on my lap while watching Cerys at gymnastics. But you get the idea. This is a recipe from Martha Stewart Living. I decided rather than completely waste my money on my magazine obsession, I was going to try to get more out of each issue. This is a recipe for Yogurt Spiced Chicken.
I also keep a pen in the tin at all times. I'm a little particular about the type of pen I use. It has to feel good in my hand with a nice ink that writes smoothly on the paper. I'm seeking therapy for my pen issues as I type this. This is a scrapbook pen and works perfectly on the style of paper of these cards.
As I like an eclectic recipe box just to keep things entertaining, I have other ideas to reuse items for recipe cards.
I'm probably not the only one with moving cards that I didn't send to all my friends and family due to exhaustion after the move and instead sent a quick email with our new details. I found these unused cards in my stationary drawer.
The card on the left was free from our local Girls Night Out shopping evening. The one on the right is an unused library card holder. I have no idea where I picked it up but it most likely was thrifted. I trimmed some vintage office paper and popped it in.
This is a vintage Dutch postcard that a friend of mine Jan gave me. I have heaps of these and thought it would be fun to cover the back with paper and re-use them in the box.
There are lots of creative ways to make your recipe box fun and colorful. I did find these yesterday and nearly conceded and purchased them but I stayed true to my thrifty roots. They are adorable though and very tempting. What ideas do you have to make recipe cards from? Leave me your ideas and I'll put your name in a hat for the blank cards above plus a few more not shown.
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