Friday, January 14, 2011

More Thrifting Tips:

Tip: When I go thrifting for anything having to do with clothing, I generally wear work-out gear, i/e running tights, running shorts or capri's. I also wear a tank or close-fitting shirt under my jacket/shirt. This helps make it easier to slip things over my clothes. Many thrift stores do not have try-on rooms, and honestly, I don't want that stuff touching me anyway. 
I have friends who think thrifting is disgusting.  I can see their point. I don't buy anything that can't be cleaned well.  No stuffed animals, pillows, etc.  In fact, almost everything that comes into my house goes straight in the dishwasher or washing machine.  If I buy a piece of furniture, it also gets a good cleaning.
My aunt is the queen of thrifted furniture.  She can re-make almost anything!  Example?  My daughter's room. She wanted a "big girl" room.  Her only direction?  Purple paint, and a zebra rug. (Huh?)  We decided to go with a Parisian theme.  Sue helped me track down furniture to replace her broken/outgrown little girl pieces.
Here are some awful before pictures (she switched room's with one of her brothers):


Here are some pics of the work in progress:

And here is the after:

These lamps came from Target, dirt cheap. I hot glued a beaded fringe trim to the edges.
All the furniture (except the bed- gift from Grandma) came from the thrift store. It was originally all different colors of hotel furniture. We primed and painted the wood (white), and even spray painted all the hardware (black).  The bedding and valance was a bed in a bag set on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond, and I shushed it up by ordering beaded black trim, special order, and sewed it on the valance to add interest (the same as the lamps).  I also made a few accent pillows that are not pictured, and Sue and I cut paper circles to make the hanging lamp- it was originally pastel colors. The art-work is photography by my cousin Sean, who lived in France for a couple of years. The rug came from Wal-Mart with site to store shipping, and was a steal at $98!  The whole room was under $500!
See?! Thrifting works!
Now go try it!

3 comments:

  1. wow, I love the room!! You did a great job!

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  2. oh and great tip about what to wear. I hate to try on stuff too!

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  3. Ekkkkk, I LOVE those lamps. I reviewed some Target finds on my blog too and hope you'll stop by and visit sometime. Have a great weekend.
    p/s - I like to go thrifting too and I'm amazed at what you did to that room. I enjoy home decor and had a blast decorating my daughters rooms. And YES, zebra rugs are a big hit with girls these days. I'm like "Whhaaaaaaa?!?"

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