take that antique store!

I love a good deal, especially when I find the same thing at an antique store for 10x more (or in one case, 40x more). Two weekends ago, D and I went a 4-times-a-year flea market just a few miles from us. Of course D went somewhat begrudgingly. But in typical fashion, 3 of the 4 things we bought were for him. One of which was the Marriot's Great America bowl for only $2. For those of you in the Chicago/Milwaukee area, you know what a throwback to your childhood it is to find something that is Marriot's, not Six Flags. I agreed to it's purchase as I plan to use it as a 4th of July decoration.

The cute blue-speckled enameled pitcher was my $6 score. It was amazing to me how many variances in prices and quality there were for similar items. It sure pays to shop around... especially when, less than a week later, I saw a similar smaller pitcher for $60 at an antique store - YIKES!

The last two things we bought were vintage games; one of which is gift for a family member, so we cannot share it here. But the Breakthru game is part of a series of book games from the 60's - we already had 3 of them.



At my fave thrift store, I found several cute milkglass lamps over the last couple weeks. The two little ones were $1 each and the large one was only $6. The best part was that I spotted the first little one at an antique store for $40... and without the shade!





This is also where my recently revised mirror currently hangs.

mirror mirror on the wall

While browsing the Centsational Girl blog a couple weeks ago, I was inspired by this post. I have been trying to come up with an idea for the front entryway, and decided this was perfect. I promptly headed off to a couple thrift stores who often have a fair supply of beds. Although I did not find the perfect headboard, I did find a mirror I could not live without. I had been keeping an eye for a similar one. Unfortunately, everything I found had a plastic frame. I was thrilled when I spotted this one with a wood frame and knew it was meant to be... especially at only $8!




I knew I would be doing some heavy distressing as I wanted the gold to show through. So, I opted to use spray paint and make my job a whole lot easier. When I bought the mirror, the glass was falling out of the frame, so it was breeze to take it out and not have to worry about covering the glass before painting. I bought a new can of spray primer and white spray paint. After two light coats of each (and before it was completely dry), I used a sandpaper sponge to rub off chunks of the paint. Then I brushed on some of the remaining glaze from my bench and homemade oak cabinet. In just a few hours I had this...



I love the gold underneath, and the few spots that started to crackle from the moisture.



Total Cost you ask?

Mirror - $8
Paint & Primer - $6
Glaze - $0

Total = $14

favorite flowers

I have been out of town since for work since Monday and was thrilled to come home to find these blooming beauties! I promptly had to cut some to bring inside.

a "new" bench

In January I posted about a bench I found at my fave thrift store.


Well, I finally got around to finishing it today. After tearing off the gold chenille, there was a layer of some hideous upholstery fabric with some odd stains that gave me the willies. A little white paint, some new padding and a half yard of fabric later....


I first painted it with some of the leftover paint I mixed for our coffee table. It looked a bit too stark with the fabric, so I distressed it and covered with a very light coat of some leftover glaze I had from a cabinet.

The fabric is not exactly what I had been looking for, but there is a serious lack of good fabric stores in the Milwaukee area. The closest thing to me is a Jo-Ann fabrics - which is neither that great, nor very close (20 minutes). For only $6/yd, I decided I could easily replace it if I found something I love.



Bench - $15
Paint & Glaze - $0 (leftover)
Padding & Fabric - $5

Total = $20