I’m really awful about buying gifts for people for holidays. It seems so superficial, doesn’t it? You know, just buying some random gift to satisfy your holiday quota?

That’s just not me.

(I prefer to make things for people, like that DIY craft pack that I made for my friend’s 40th birthday a few months ago, or that DIY photo I did for last Mother’s Day).

So when my mom texted me last week and asked me to skip work on a Thursday (while my young boys are in school and daycare), and drive to my hometown to spend a Mother-Daughter day painting this desk with her, as her Mother’s Day gift, I knew it was the perfect heart-felt gift that I could give her!

I had picked up this desk last year at the thrift store for a mere $28! I had offered to give it to my mom, and of course, she wanted it (because it’s such good quality). I had offered to paint it for her a while ago, but she thought she liked it “as is.” (And let me tell you, this baby is HEAVY! They just don’t make affordable furniture like this anymore. Thank GOD for thrift stores, right??)

But she had a change of heart recently and wanted to paint it white. So off I went, for a Mother’s Day “girls day”!

After a day of chatting…..eating pizza……and enjoying a quiet day without kids, this is what we pulled off:

 AND MY MOM LOVES IT!!

We painted it in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint “Old White”, with a light distressing around the edges, and two coats of Annie Sloan clear wax.

It was such a dramatic makeover that my mom kept “Ooohing” and “Ahhing” over the desk. And rightly so. It looks so rich and beautiful now! And what she most wanted was for her “office area” of her living room to be brightened up a bit. Now that the desk is white, it’s definitely a happier corner!

It’s funny how you never know how DRAB something was until you paint it! It’s such a huge difference for her corner!

You may be wondering about the top of this desk. It’s the existing leather panels that came on the desk! I also thought they would look better painted, but once I saw the “AFTER” of this desk when we were done, I really appreciated the worn, dirty leather on top. It gave the piece some genuine aged character. We decided to keep them instead of painting them.

Teaching Mom to Paint a Distressed Desk!

My mom and I don’t get a lot of quality time together. I’ve got 3 rowdy boys (ages 6, 3, and 1.5 years) and when we go to visit her about once per month on a Saturday, her house becomes a zoo, with my sons acting like a munch of wild monkeys. Hubby works weekends, so it’s usually me trying to herd cats care for the kids by myself.

And I only get to see my mom about once every 3 weeks or so.

So to get this chance to share with her my love of painting furniture, and show her how I make things pretty again, was a great day! In fact, I hope we can do it once every month or two!

The “Slacker” Way to Paint Drawers

While we were painting, I looked over and gasped when I saw my mom doing THIS:

PAINTING the drawers WITHOUT removing the contents! HAHAHAHA

I think this picture should be captioned: ”The Lazy, Novice Way to Paint Drawers.”

Too funny!!

Ain’t nobody got TIME to be removin’ stuff, now!

Repairing Broken Parts

Okay, so there were some issues with this desk, but we worked around it:

1. It’s missing one of the handles.

We only have 8 of the 9 handles. Did you already notice? When I look at my original photo of this desk, when I first brought it home from the thrift store, I had it. But now…?? Who in the world knows! Somethow, I think I lost it in the transport to Mom’s house.

But….um, who cares? We’ll just put that drawer to the far right of the desk and hope that no one will notice No one really comes to visit, anyhow. It’s not even that noticeable. And I surely don’t strive for perfection!

2. The front edge was badly chipped.

I used a bit of Gorilla Glue (best stuff EVER) to glue down the piece of wood that was coming up.

Then I used Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Filler and tried to even out the unevenness (sorry I didn’t get more details pics of filling these problem areas!)

After a bit of filling in the chipped area and sanding to even it out, I painted that area, lightly distressed the edges, and applied 2 coats of clear wax. Hardly noticeable now!

3. The furniture hardware needed some Rub ‘n Buff.

Definitely not a problem. If you haven’t tried Rub ‘n Buff, get your hands on this stuff immediately! (Click here to buy Rub ‘n Buff from Amazon). Although the hardware was beautifully shaped, they were tarnished. Rub ‘n Buff totally covers nasty old tarnished handles that have great shapes and designs but just needs an updated finish. I find it easier to use (and less mess!) than spray paint. Just rub it on, buff it out for shine, and you’re done! It comes in an array of colors, and I’m thinking about getting the whole set of Rub ‘n Buff, which is only abuot $30. Pretty affordable!

BEFORE

AFTER

Rub ‘n Buff is one of my top 15 DIY “must have” tools and supplies!

I’ve used it in several projects, like my green and gold “Agenda” desk and some other cheap DIY gifts that have made for people.  I love that stuff!!!

Mom had never even heard of Rub ‘n Buff before, so I put her to work trying it out. She couldn’t believe how it totally changed the hardware!

A dramatic “before” and “after” when you see them side by side, huh?!

Here’s another look at the BEFORE and AFTER:

Final Cost

Considering that I had all the materials I used already, and that I didn’t have to buy anything separate, this desk project cost me nothing, really! So, for $28 (the cost of the desk initially), my mom’s got a fabulous, beautiful, sturdy desk for her office corner, and she and I had a chance to bond! SCORE!

More Gifts to Consider This Mother’s Day

So, this Mother’s Day, why don’t you consider doing something awesome for your mom? It doesn’t have to cost money. Just spending an afternoon with her, doing something that she will appreciate, and being able to chat and bond, is more valuable than anything you can pick up from Target Just sayin’……

Here’s a couple other ideas of things that I think Mom’s would really love:

1. Knit her something.

2. Give her DIY coupons for things she can redeem any time (e.g. a “mother/daughter day,” making her dinner, teaching her a new skill, etc.)

3. Frame a pic of you and her together. (Get the frame from the thrift store, of course….)

4. Write a letter of thanks and appreciation. Use pretty paper!

5. Write a poem. Here’s the poem I wrote my mom one Mother’s Day, called “Thank You.”

6. Record a video telling her how much she means to you. Put it on a CD she can keep forever.

7. DIY craft pack with some of her favorite things (okay, so many you’ll have to go to Target, after all. LOL)

Happy Mother’s Day, Mommykins!

What are YOU guys planning to do for Mother’s Day? Are you making or buying your gifts? 

The post BEFORE and AFTER: A Distressed Desk for Mother’s Day! appeared first on .

Let’s do another fun post!!

I’ve never done this kind of post before, but I thought it would be fun for people to just ask me anything on  my Thrift Diving Facebook, and then I would do a post and answer them!

I was up for anything, from personal questions, to questions about my thrift diving obsession–really, anything.

You guys tell me about your life via email….your thrift projects…..your thrift obsessions……how awesome your significant others are…..and I love hearing about it! Makes you all “real,” so I don’t feel like I’m posting into some black abyss. LOL And now I’m hoping these posts get some more convo started. So leave a comment below, tell me about “YOU” and ask me any more questions you want me to answer, and let’s keep the “let’s-get-to-know-each-other” party going!

(Oh, and here’s something most of you haven’t seen: 25 things I bet you didn’t know about Serena…)

Okay, on to the questions!

Feel free to leave a comment below and answer these questions yourself!!!

Q: Facebook friend, Johanne Fraser, confessed that thrifting has become an obsession. She wanted to know where I draw the line. Oh, well, Johanne, join the thrift obsessed club! My garage is my “triage” area, where it usually sits for months on end before I decide what I’m going to do with it. This is how horrendously packed my garage was just recently:  

It was getting out of control! I have to draw the line when:

a) hubby can’t reach the lawn mover

b) I have to suck in my gut to squeeze through

c) If I feel uneasy during the purchase; if the little voice in my head says, “Now, Serena, you know you already have so much furniture already…when will you have TIME for this? What will HUBBY say?”

d) If I have to “sneak” something in so that hubby doesn’t say anything or notice!

Any one of these things, means I have gone TOO FAR, and then I will step back and try to get projects done before I start bringing more stuff in! LOL

Q: Facebook friend Lindsay Donaghe wanted to know if I ever justify a “splurge” when I find something I know I’ll never see again for a price a could afford, but not necessarily at a thrifty price.

A: DEFINITELY! In fact, recently I just wrote a blog post about spluring, wondering if it’s ever OK to splurge. And you’ll be shocked to know that I just splurged on a $260 on a designer dress that I fell in LOVE with at Nordstrom’s! Wait, what?? Yes, $260, and that was the SALES PRICE, because it retails for $448! 

via

How it happened was that my BFF (who LOVES name-brands, but only shops the sales racks) and I went makeup shopping at Nordstrom’s ( I love Bobby Brown lipglosses!). We decided to stop by the clothing racks just to “browse.” For the fun of it, I gathered up some expensive dresses to try on just to see how I look in expensive clothing (haha), and I picked up this Rachel Roy dress. I loved how it looked on the rack! And I loved how sexy and feminine it looked. 

via

 via

OH. MY. GOD.  It fit like a glove. As if it were made for me! And I wanted it! But there was no way I would pay $448 for it. My friend said to wait until it went on sale. Even on sale, I never expected pay that kind of money for one piece of clothing! But I couldn’t stop thinking of how much I loved it. It went on sale a few weeks later, and I just happened to notice they had only two sizes left–one one of them was my size 10! I asked hubby to buy it for me, not thinking he actually would, but surprisingly, he said YES.

Do I regret it? NOT ONE BIT. I’m planning to wear it to a family wedding in a couple months. Totally justified–and satisfied! Will I buy expensive again? Maybe. Once you do something once, you’ve just set a precedent. But you’ll never stop seeing me scouring the racks at the thrift store, looking for the next greatest, affordable thing, either! 

Q: Charlotte Gregory Holland asked suuuuch a great question. She wanted to know “what specifically have you done FOR your husband to show him that your thriftiness benefits HIM? Is there one (or more) specific items or projects that you have thriftily undertaken that HE loves for HIMSELF?”

A: Wow…..I’m ashamed to admit, nothing, really. He’s never expressed interested in wanting “this” done or “that” done. If you’re a reader of this blog for any time, you know that hubby sometimes complains about my thrift obsession, although I have to admit he’s not complained as much lately! I read this question to him last night, and he pointed out that I did buy buy him this amazing wooden chest from the thrift store once that he loves and keeps his “treasures” in (but that was a year ago!!!). I offered to paint it and make it look awesome, but he preferred the plain wood. 

Thanks to Charlotte, I asked him last night if there’s anything specifically he would like me to work on for him, and he said the BACK YARD…maybe start some outdoor projects to pretty up that horribly landscaped space…? DONE. Thanks, Charlotte, for pointing out my selfish ways!! Gotta keep the Mr. happy (although he surely doesn’t look happy here, does he? LOL) :)

Yep, that’s The Appiahs! We’ll be celebrating 18 years together this summer (married for 8)….hard to believe, man!

Q: SIGH……if only I am selling my pieces, but I haven’t really started yet. I’ve sold a few unfinished pieces through Craigslist–things that I decided I wasn’t going to have the time to refinish. I’ve even listed a couple refnished pieces on Craiglist, but people on there can be very flaky and not-follow through, or try to low-ball you. I’m about to start looking into more promising, professional places to sell, like flea markets, and developing a separate site dedicated to selling my things. Personally, however, I don’t have a favorite color to paint furniture. I like each piece to be unique and stand on its own! I get bored easily if I keep using the same colors!

 Lindsay asked, “When you refinish something to sell, do you err on the side of conservative for colors and such or do you go with what your personality and color preferences.”

 Again, I don’t really sell yet, but to answer her question, I’ve found that the more I refinish, the more bold I am becoming….the more colorful….the more expressive of my own true personality and not necessarily what other people will love or what will “sell.” I try to stay true to my own creative inspiration as I am working on a piece, letting it guide me, instead of outside influences.

A: Oh…ha! They’re usually scattered all over the floor! What “storage” I do have are those large Rubbermain plastic bins. But they don’t have lids. They’re brimming over with toys that my kids don’t play with anymore that I really need to get rid of.  There’s nothing PRETTY or ORGANIZED about the way I store toys! I’ve got a big bucket in each room: 1) the reading room, 2) the family room, 3) the master bedroom, and 4) the kids’ closet. It’s not a fancy set up at all! One day when I get organized, I will make it look pretty. Oh, now as for LEGOS…..I had found an awesome $10 Lego storage table at the thrift store for the boys’ room (that has a car track on top), and that’s where I store all their Legos, most of which also came from (you guessed it)–the thrift store!

 Oh, and I also try to store some of their toys in the reading room (a.k.a. my former “formal” living room), in wicker baskets underneath a bench I had found at an estate sale. It’s a neat way to keep stuff out of sight! I’ll take pics of it later! I haven’t gotten to making over that bench yet, though.

A: Rule #1: USE GOOD PAINT! I personally love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. In fact, I have every single color of her paints in my cabinet (*gulp* expensive!!). Once it dries, and is waxed, it’s tough as nails! I painted my “dumpster desk” in Annie Sloan Duck Egg, with maybe 1-2 coats of wax. Can’t remember. And it’s where I sit every night after the kids go to bed, blogging and tinkering with my site. The only chipping I have noticed is a natural wearing down at the edge, where my wrists constantly rest. But I’m okay with that, because it will add to the “naturally distressed” look as time goes on.

Rule #2: Use at least 2 coats of wax or polyurethane. If something is going to get a lot of wear-and-tear, apply even more coats of wax or poly. The more coats, the more protected your finish will be.

Your Turn!

Leave a comment below and answer the questions and let me know more about YOU.

Or, if you’d like, leave me another question below, and I will answer it !

The post Ask Me Anything! appeared first on .

(This post is a partnership with GE. I received coupons for GE light bulbs to feature in this project. All opinions about my GE lighting experience are my own.)

I hate to admit it……..but I’ve been wasting money on my electricity bill over the last year.

I know, you’re shocked, right?

Me…..the so-called Miss Thrift Diving Queen, has failed to notice when her electricity bill is sky high! Shocking!

I am on “budget billing.” In other words, I pay our AVERAGE monthly bill each month instead of the ACTUAL usage. It’s supposed to eliminate any surprise billings each month. But it’s easy to get disillusioned about energy consumption when we’re “only” paying the AVERAGE. What about those high months??

But imagine my shock when our actual usage one warm month was nearly $500?!  YIKES!

I knew it was time to replace the bulbs with energy efficient ones…..to start unplugging things when not in use….and turning off lights when we leave the room. We’d sort of gotten lazy!

So when GE asked me to partner up recently to talk about how I reduce, reuse, and recycle, and that they would provide me some coupons for a few new GE energy efficient light bulbs, I jumped at the chance.

I already reuse and recycle nearly every furnishing in my house via thrift stores and a pretty coat of paint, which has saved a ton of money and keeps people’s “trash” out of landfills. And I had already started to reduce our energy consumption to save some money. Now it’s time to change out those old bulbs for new GE energy-efficient ones. I am always striving to DO more and SAVE more!

(In fact, I’m even canceling our cable this week, too! That’s a whole ‘nutha post coming soon….stay tuned!).

(By the way, all opinions about my GE Lighting experience are my own, including my project idea! Go check out the full shopping and project prepping over in my Google+ album!)

Painted Lamp Shade Makeover!

One of my favorite types of projects are lamp makeovers. It’s so easy to reuse things to make lamps. Wiring them is a piece of cake! All you need to do is order a lamp kit from Amazon. In fact, recently I did a post on how to make your own DIY pendant lamp (which includes a wiring tutorial) that I made from an old broken fruit basket from my kitchen. It’s hanging in my craft room, and I love it!

Anyhow…many months ago I found these 2……..hookahs??………at the thrift store for $5.00 each on a 50% off holiday sale. I thought they were candle holders until I realized they were hollow inside, with openings at the top and bottom, and would make the perfect lamps!

I bought a cheap lamp shade from Walmart for $11. My thrift store usually doesn’t have drum lamp shades. (Oooh, but the last lamp makeover I did, I struck gold when I found these awesome thrift store lampshades for $2.00 each!)

BEFORE

And after a little bit of drippy-drippy spray paint and total random creativeness, here’s the AFTER!

AFTER!

All I did was glob tons of paint on the rim of the lamp shade and just let it dribble down the sides. I layered the paint with pink, turquoise, white, and apple green. I wanted orange, too, but didn’t have any on hand. Oh well, this is plenty! I like the random splatter of green the most!

This was such a fun project! It’s like being able to make a mess and the messier, the better

I used spray primer on the hookah/lamp prior to spraying it with white semi-gloss.

To get the globs of paint on the lamp shade, I folded a piece of paper in half, and then took a can of spray paint and sprayed a huge puddle of it the crack of the piece of paper. Then, I dribbled the puddle of paint over the edge of the paper and let it run down the side fo the lamp shade in random patterns.

I used one of my new GE light bulbs in the new lamp, so now, there’s no more wasted electricity!!!

I prefer 60 watt bulbs because they’re just the amount of light I need for my crafting. And I like that these GE bulbs are a bit smaller so they fit more compactly inside of lamps. Some of those bulbs I have have seen can get monstrous size! Watch this video to show you how small these bulbs really are!

And don’t you just love how cozy lamps look at night? This lamp looks very cool when turned on! Even my kids thought it was neat, and they are quick to tell you something doesn’t look good! LOL. Oh, and be careful when you’re painting a lamp shade, because the paint will make it very opaque. But the awesome part is that you can make any design with paint and it will be even more striking at night between the translucent shade and the opaque paint. Be creative!

Also, because I am a night-owl, I tend to burn the midnight oil well into the wee hours of morning. So I need energy-efficient bulbs that will keep costs low while burning all night

So I  plan to put my DIY painted lamp shade in my craft room; just not sure yet. In the meantime, it’s sitting on top of my hand-me-down Ikea Expedit bookcase, out of the hands of a little toddler who will destroy it if you let him get his hands on it……;)

 SUPPLIES

• Lamp Kit from Amazon.com = $9
• Lamp shade from Walmart = $10
• Lamp base from the thrift store = $5
• Rust-Oleum Primer  (already had on hand) = very minimal
• Rust-oleum Green Apple spray paint (already had on hand) = very minimal
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Berry Pink spray paint (already had on hand) = very minimal
• GE Energy Smart Light Bulb = FREE (thanks, GE!!)

TOTAL COST: About $24!

TOTAL TIME: About 1 hour, minus drying time in between.

So how do YOU reduce, reuse, and recycle?

Have you noticed you’ve been wasteful and are cutting back, too? In what other ways do you reduce, reuse, or recycle? And be sure to check out Be sure to GE over on Facebook and Twitter @GELighting #GELighting.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please consider SHARING and LEAVING A COMMENT  

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I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and GE Lighting #cbias #SocialFabric”

The post Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A Painted Lamp Makeover! appeared first on .

Let’s have a light-hearted conversation and poll today!

Because I’m always curious about your HUSBANDS.

You know, the husbands (or spouse or sigificant other!) of all you wonderful readers out there. You know…those significant others that have to listen to you tell them about one more home project you’re excited about…..or one more piece of furniture you scored at the thrift store….LOL.

I also wonder how handy your guys (or signicant other) are. Do they help with your projects? Do they support you? Do they even know how to use power tools?

And even more, do they help out around the house? Do they help with the kids so you can have “me” time to work on your projects?

So I wanted to do a little poll!! Tell me about your significant other!

1. Is your hubby or significant other “handy”?

2. Does your significant help you with projects and home improvement projects and repairs? Or are you a “DIY loner”?

Leave a comment in the comments section and tell your story!

In the meantime, share this little helpful instructional (and funny!) guide with them, in the event they need a little educating :) Good to know tips, even for us gals!  

P.S. See my answers in the comment section!!

5 Essential Tasks All Guys Should Know

The post How Handy Is Your Hubby? appeared first on .

I absolutely looooove the combination of grey and white, and I’ve been dying to make over a piece of thrift store furniture with this color combo for quite a while.

Enter: this beat-up (but cute style!) French Provincial desk that I picked up at my favorite thrift store for a mere $12.00.

Isn’t it amazing what paint can do?! With this type of transformation, who would ever need to buy NEW??

You know that when you shop thrift stores for furniture to make over, you know it’s always a toss up about whether it will require a nip here…..a tuck there…..and sometimes, a whole face lift!!

Thankfully, this desk wasn’t a total “face lift” but it did throw me for a loop with a few things that ended up eating away a lot of my time!

Don’t you hate when projects go like that?? What you thought was going to be a quick, easy, satisfying project ends up turning into the project that needs to just “END, already!” so you can move on to something else.

Yeah, well, that was this project. (By the way, do you have any projects like that? Leave a comment below and share your nightmare story!)

(Or, share it with me on Google+!)

Do You Ever Paint the BACK of Furniture??

I know….”Who’s ever going to SEE it?!” is what you’re probably thinking. That is what I used to say, too. But ever since I decided that I may try my hand at the ‘ole “entrepreneurial thing” (read: selling some of my stuff on Craigslist and at flea markets, which hasn’t happened YET; just gearing up), I decided that it’s unacceptable (and UGLY!!) to leave the back and bottom untouched.

When I found this French Provincial desk, this is what the back of it looked like: covered in thick, torn cardboard MDF-type boards. It looked horrible!!

Even though it’s the BACK, seriously, would you want to see this when you turned the desk around?? I wouldn’t! It would be a nasty reminder of the “old” that’s just sitting under 2 layers of paint. And, sorry, but when I make over furniture, I want to erase any thought of the nastiness that used to be It needs to look as fresh and clean as possible. NOT with old holes in the back, like this one! LOL

First, I thought I would just remove the back and put on new backs.

I tried to remove the staples that were holding the back on, but they were huge and long and my tools–well, I may as well have been using a toothpick to pry the staples out! LOL

So I decided to cover over it with a whole new panel and just leave the existing old backing on. No one would even know! (well, unless they find me blabbing it here…..).

 See those panels??

Um…..guess where I found them?

ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!

Yep! About 8 months ago, hubby, me, and the kids were driving along and I saw about 6 of these MDF boards just SITTING on the side of the road, in the trash pile. Hello!!!! Pull over! Pull over!

Hubby sucked his teeth and complained, but when I’M the one driving, he has no choice but to oblige! And wouldn’t you know, a couple of those boards came in handy for this project!

**sticking my tongue out good-naturedly to hubby**

I used my little Dremel Trio rotary tool to cut the sizes I needed. The thing I like about the Trio is that I can make quick, easy little cuts without needing a circular saw or other intimidating heavy-duty cutting tools. You can see here that I was just using a regular table and hanging the piece that needed cut off the side of the table. Worked well for me!

I nailed the panels onto the back. It looks a bit “not even” but that’s because I was trying to go directly over the existing pieces, and those were a little crooked to begin with. Oh well, it doesn’t have to be PERFECT.

But even THIS is a major improvement over the holey back.

With a coat of paint, it blends in with the rest of the body without being an ugly eye sore. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect; but at least it’s an improvement, right??

Drilling New Holes

Don’t be afraid to drill new holes for your hardware. Sometimes you want to reposition them, or maybe you just need to rework it, the way I needed to do.

It’s super-easy to do.

This French Provincial desk had 2 knobs on each top drawer, but because one was MISSING, there were only 3 knobs when there should have been 4. (See the missing knob on the left drawer?)

I used Wood Filler to cover the existing knob holes, then drilled a hole in the center to create just one knob hole.

When the wood filler was dry, I sanded it down to blend into the wood.

I drilled a new hole in the center and just used 1 knob for each top drawer. PROBLEM: solved

 Pass Me the Primer, Please!!!

Sometimes you just need a big ‘ole can of PRIMER.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, especially for the reason that it sticks to everything, apparently. But one thing it DOESN’T do is act as a stain blocker.

You see these drawer fronts?? OMG, horrible!

I painted at LEAST 3 or 4 coats of white over that gold trim part, and there must have been some stains or something on it because it BLED THROUGH each coat….UNTIL I whipped out the good ‘ole primer and slathered on a coat. Worked like a charm!

I kept the existing hardware because it had such a nice shape. I just painted them white, too.

BEFORE

 AFTER!

I have yet to coat the desk in wax, but I’ll get around to it. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the BEFORE and AFTER of this cute little French Provincial desk that would be perfect for a little girl’s room!

Lessons Learned

It’s true that with each project you learn a little something more than you did before you started. With this project, I learned that:

1) Primer will NEVER go out of style!

2) Sometimes hiding a flaw is just as good as correcting it!

3) It’s okay to hoard trash you find on the side of the road because one day, YOU MIGHT JUST NEED IT

What are some of YOUR Lessons Learned from doing projects? Please leave a comment!

P.S. Did you know I’m on Google+? Add me to your circle, and I’ll add you back!

The post The Makeover of a French Provincial Desk appeared first on .

I Have a Confession….

So, I made a confession recently in this video below that 1) my bathrooms are NASTY, and 2) I still have old 1970′s wallpaper in my house that I’ve been too lazy busy to remove. (And you thought bloggers’ homes were immaculate, right?? NOT MINE!)

But if you have children boys….(um, even a hubby!), then you know it’s nearly impossible….no, scratch that….it IS impossible, to keep the bathrooms urine-free!!! I’m really not exaggerating. LOL

So when HomeRight offered to send me this awesome Steam Machine to review, telling me it cleans and sanitizes without chemicals (will it blast away little boy pee??) AND it removes wallpaper, I was like, “Heeeeeelllz yeah!” You don’t have to ask twice!

And they agreed to let me give one away to one of you thrifty readers, too.

I know there are some other bloggers who are giving away Steam Machines right now, too, but you know what?? None of them have an awesome VIDEO that they filmed, showing you exactly how to use it! Only me!

Seriously, I’m in love with the HomeRight Steam Machine!

What You Can Use the HomeRight Steam Machine For:

> Sanitize toilets, sinks, showers–nearly any surface!

>Remove soap scum from shower stalls

>Squeegee windows and mirrors (all those grubby prints from kids and pets)

>Clean dirty grout

>Cut through oven grease and grim

>Remove wallpaper

>Remove food gunk from your baby’s high chair!

>Steam floors

What’s awesome is that it comes with all these attachments to make cleaning a breeze:

Do You Want to Win One? Here’s How to Enter!

To enter, all you have to do is complete each of the activities below and mark off that you did each one! When you complete each item, you get an entry into the giveaway. You can earn up to 6 entries!

And considering that my blog is SMALL POTATOES compared to a lot of big-time bloggers, I would say your odds of winning are waaaaayyy better than Power Ball or something

If You’re Totally Spoiled and Impatient

……and you just want to skip to the good part and own this bad-boy now, you can buy a Steam Machine on Amazon for only $79.99. It’s cheaper than ordering it directly from HomeRight, so Amazon is the way to go! Plus, there’s free shipping since it’s over $25. Can’t beat that!

Good luck!

Giveaway open until March 31st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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If you had walked past this beat up wooden play kitchen at the thrift store, would you have stopped? Would it have caught your eye? Well, how about if you had know it could look like THIS??

When I saw this wooden play kitchen., I stopped in my tracks–eeeerrrcchhh!–total thrift score! This isn’t the first time I have come across a kid’s piece of furniture that turned out totally cute! Remember that $5.00 thrift store kid’s desk  that I picked up last year and made over? I just love kid’s furniture! Here’s a few more shots of what it looked like before. Seriously, it looked like something that someone’s kid’s had DOGGED.

BEFORE

The biggest mistake people make at the thrift store is walking past something that’s UGLY because they can’t imagine how beautiful or cute something could really be with just a little bit of paint and creativity! It’s amazing how NEW it looks nice!

AFTER

  I’m so excited to share this with you, because it’s been in the works for the past week and a half! Remember I recently posted a short video giving you guys and up close and personal look at the “BEFORE” of this project?

It was a lot more work than I thought it would be (just see the VIDEOS….sheesh…), but it was so worth it! I found that little wooden play kitchen on President’s Day, when my favorite thrift store was having 50% off. Get this— at first it was marked $14.97…..then someone marked it down to $4.97…..add 50% off to that deal….and well, they were nearly GIVING it away! I had been feeling a little bummed that day because I hadn’t found anything really good, and felt like the 50% off day was such a waste. Then right as I was about to walk out, there it was. (Seriously, don’t you hate when you go to the thrift store and find NOTHING that day?? Please tell me I’m not the only one! It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it sucks). So thankfully, I found it and could see past the ugliness and foresee the beauty underneath!

So How Did I Make Over This Wooden Play Kitchen?

This project was a lot of work–some things were totally new to me, so they took a little bit extra time, but you know what?? I’m a happy girl! And I recorded some short little videos of the process, so check those out, too!

1. Wipe, wipe, wipe!!

Better yet, scrub, scrub, scrub! It’s no surprise that thrift store furniture is dirty. Who knows how long it has been sitting in someone’s nasty basement or garage? So the first thing I wanted to do is wipe it down really good. YUCK! Ideally, you should clean it good before you even put it in your van. Um…..I always forget to do this. But yeah, it’s a good idea! Maybe carry a container of baby wipes, or even Lysol wipes! Note to self….

2. Removed Stickers with Home Right Heat Pro Deluxe Heat Gun

Pretty gross, too, huh? Look at those cracked and worn burners. No wonder people just kept walking by this thing! I used my awesome Home Right Heat Pro Deluxe II , which is sort of like a blow dryer, but heats up to super hot temps so you can remove stickers, caulking, paint and varnish, wallpaper, and tons of other stuff. So in this case, I needed to scrape those stickers off. Worked like a charm! I also sanded out the sticky, glue-y parts with Medium grit sandpaper.

3. Chose the Perfect Paint Colors

It’s no lie that I’m in love with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints. Seriously, her paints are like the Mercedes Benz of paint when painting furniture! It’s expensive (at the very least, $34.95 for a quart, but that’s the cheapest I can find online at Robyn Story Designs online, and she ships them SUPER FAST–like, same day!). The colors are nice, and the coverage is amazing. I knew immediately that I wanted this little play kitchen to look a bit more vintage and retro. Plus, I wanted some colors that were more “boy friendly.” After all, boys can cook, too, right?! For this project, I used Annie Sloan Antibes Green on the outside, and Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue for the inside. The colors were so complimentary!

4. Painted Furniture On All Sides

I have a little secret to tell you:

I rarely paint the bottom of furniture!

Do you? Or do you take short cuts like me, and skimp on the paint? I mean, it’s that area that no one EVER SEES. However, I’m actually thinking about selling this cute piece at a flea market this spring (although I may have to reconsider since my boys are pleading with me NOT to, lol). When you’re selling a piece of furniture, seriously, PAINT THE BOTTOM! Imagine how embarrassing it would be for someone to turn over the piece while loading it into their van and they see the ugly ‘old crusty rotten brown side of what they just paid you a handsome penny to purchase! I think I would be mortified! I would die of embarrassment! LOL So, my opinion is, if something is just for you, by all means, CUT CORNERS if you want. But if this is something you’re a) selling, b) giving away as a gift, or c) really need to impress “Joe Schmoe,” then by all means, don’t embarrass yourself–paint every surface! I painted the bottom AND back of this wooden play kitchen, and I even added my signature. Now I feel like a legit artist

5. Created a Panel Door With Mitered Trim

I have another confession: I have never cut mitered edges before. I know…..I know…..I’m a DIY virgin when it comes to some things! But I discovered this really great tool for cutting mitered edges of molding and trim, from the Home Depot for about $8.00. It’s called the Buck Bros Miter Box and Saw Set. It’s so easy to use! Now I don’t have to be afraid of mitered edges and can do more paneling and trim work on many more projects. Maybe even some DIY picture frames, huh….?

Check out this very short 1:38 second video that I did to show you exactly how to use this tool. It really takes the guess-work out of cutting miter edges! And seriously, if you’ve ever wanted to make your own picture frames, or add molding

or trim to something, this is the tool to get! And I’m not scared of miter edges anymore! YAY!

After I cut the mitered edges, I laid the pieces of trim down on the doors to see where exactly I would place them, and of course, to make sure they were STRAIGHT. WHEW….**wiping my brow** they were!

6. Vintage Fabric Cut Outs

I had found this old vintage tablecloth nearly a year ago, from the thrift store (of course!), for about $2.00. I loved the green and blue, but I had no idea what I was going to use the fabric for (pillows, maybe??) So when I found this little wooden play kitchen, and knew that I wanted to paint it green, I got that “Aha!” moment and ran off to find the fabric. Funny how it matched my colors to a “T”!

I cut out 2 rectangles…..

Then I fit the fabric and the wooden trim to the doors, to make sure it all fit properly. It did, after some necessarily trimming!

7. Glued Fabric to Wood

Next, I used Mod Podge , (no, it’s not called MODGE PODGE, lol), which is one of my favorite DIY products EVER (because it’s so versatile!) to adhere pretty much anything to anything. In this case, I used Mod Podge to glue the fabric down to the wooden door, and using my brayer to squeeze out any pockets of air that may have gotten trapped underneath the fabric.

Here’s a short video showing how to glue fabric to wood using Mod Podge:

8. Gorilla Glued Wood Trim to Door

Have you ever used Gorilla Glue? Good Lawd! That stuff is TOUGH! Here’s a piece of advice: when the pack of the Gorilla Glue instructions say to only use a TTTTHHHIIINNNN strip of it when gluing, because it expands to 3-4 times it’s size–BELIEVE THEM! lol. You see this??? DO NOT USE THIS MUCH.

It doesn’t LOOK like much, but………. See all that thick hard dried glue seeping out of the edges 24 hours later? Yeah–NOT GOOD I ended up having to cut it out with my Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool (amazing tool!), but man if I wasn’t PO’ed at myself for that added unnecessary work on my “TO DO” list! LOL

Watch what happened:

And I also used wood filler to fill in the gaps around the edge of the new panels, to close up any ugly seams between the panel and the door. Worked like a charm! Then I painted over the wood filler.

9.  Painted Oven Dials & Attached Cup Hooks

I thought the “before” dials were uninspiring. I liked the idea of adding “LO” and “HI” temp gauges, as well as using a chalk pen to draw little lines on them.

BEFORE

Also, I went to Home Depot and bought cup hooks, then drilled holes in the side and screwed them in. I love that!! Oh– and those measuring spoons are from–where else??–the thrift store, for just a few bucks

AFTER

10. Cut Vinyl With My Silhouette Cameo

What’s hilarious is that I’ve had my Silhouette Cameo for a good….4 months???….before I used it for this project!! It just sat in the box! What the….? I posted about that on my Facebook page, and soooo many of you all said the same thing–that you ordered the Silhouette Cameo and just let it SIT for a few months before, I guess, you had the nerve to pull it out and use it! I think it was fear. It looks intimidating, and not knowing how to use the softwareeeee…..blahhhh, blahhh, blahhhh. Excuses of mine! They had to stop! Because, seriously, this machine was AWESOME! Look how perfect those burners look! I wouldn’t have been able to PAINT or stencil anything as precise and professional as that!

They really turned out flawless! And the Silhouette Cameo was so easy to use, it’s silly to think how nervous I was to use it.

11. Painted White Trim Detailing

So that last step you see there is a white trim boarder I added all along the top of the stove to give it a little bit more “oomph.” Sometimes it’s the small things that really “make” a piece, and this is one of those “small things.” I knew I wanted it with rounded corners (see above), so I cut mini templates with the vinyl that I attached to the corners, so they’d be round. And then I used Frog Tape (my favorite because it produces cleaner lines than that blue tape!) to extend the 1/4″ (give or take) all the way around. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint “Old White.”

The result was clean lines, rounded corners, and fun little temperature dials!

The “AFTER” of the $2.50 wooden play kitchen!

I seriously am loving how this turned out! There’s something I love about making over children’s furniture. (Oh, and pssst–all those pans inside came from–where else??–the thrift store, too, for just a few bucks.

My boys think it’s “cool” and love making “Cheerioes Stew” LOL

And to think Mommy only paid $2.50 for that…..! Don’t you love a good deal?!

So what do you think??? If you liked my project, please consider leaving a comment, and SHARING it with your friends!

P.S. Did you know that I’m on Google+? Add me to your circle!

The post BEFORE and AFTER: Makeover of a Wooden Play Kitchen! appeared first on .

Hey, guys! I wanted to post real quick before I tore my butt out of this comfy seat this morning to get showered and ready for my “9-to-5″ <<<INSERT GROAN HERE>>>.

I scored this awesome kid’s cook top play set at the thrift store for–GASP!–$2.50! I shot a quick video last night to show you guys how cute (but dingy and dirty!) it is! (I’m all into making videos now, so just to warn you, I will be doing more of them. HAHAHA. Do you guys like seeing videos?)

Have a look at the video, and let me know what you think of this cute kid’s cook top!

Don’t you love it??

I almost walked right past it!

I’m painting it with Annie Sloan Antibes Green! It’s such a preeeeetttty color!

Have a great weekend!

The post The Makeover of a Wooden Play Kitchen! appeared first on .

I bet no DIY blogger ever shows you the totally UGLY side of their homes, do they? Maybe a few of them do. But it’s rare. Maybe they don’t even HAVE an ugly side! Bloggers are supposed to the oh-so-creative and oh-so-organized people that are supposed to INSPIRE others–not make them shriek out loud, “Dag!! Their house is jacked up, yo!” LOL

Well, this is one of those moments, where I show you what my garage looks like, as we speak. It’s sort of a hodge podge of (mostly) thrift store deals, with a few roadside “junk” finds, and a sprinkling of estate sale and hand-me-downs from family members. Really, it’s a catch-all for everything you’ve seen me post here on Thrift Diving!! Consider it the “triage” of Thrift Diving! LOL

It seems I can bring it IN faster than I can turn it OUT.

But when I DO turn it out, look what becomes of it! Here’s a pic of my thrifted craft room that I’ve been working on (still in progress, more to come later). Everything in this craft room has come from the thrift store or second-hand! With the exception of that white wool rug which was $80 from Home Goods (which I can’t stand–it sheds like a dog, but was soooo affordable I couldn’t pass it up!).

So, as you can see, I may be slow to get it OUT of the garage, but people just have to have the same vision that I do! Look past the junky garage to see the magic that can happen with just a little money, a lot of creativity, and a desire to make a home feel “homey” and functional! Just consider it a temporary holding storage while I make our house pretty, one room at a time

But, when hubby sees the garage, he angrily shakes his head and tells me, “ENOUGH, Serena! Stop hoarding furniture!!”

Poor hubby. LOL. Do any of you guys have a hubby that lashes out at your DIY hoarding??  Please tell me it’s not just me!

But the problem is that hubby can’t see all these beautiful pieces that are scattered and toppled and piled on top of each other!

And let’s just be honest–he really doesn’t “get” any of my hobbies! To him, it’s just piles of hoarded stuff!

So I put together this list….

3 Things A Spouse Should Never Say to a DIY Hoarder:

1. THEY SAY: “You don’t need all this stuff!” ……YOU SAY: “Honestly, dear, you really don’t know what I need when it comes to my DIY supplies, for a hobby of which you know nothing about. If you’d like, we can sit down and I can drone on and on for hours about all the different tools, supplies, finishes, paints, etc. so that you’ll understand, but you probably wouldn’t be interested.”

2. THEY SAY: “You should be on that show ‘Hoarders’.”…….YOU SAY: “Dude, really?? Those people have psychological problems, and a real mental condition! Ooooh, on second thought, if I wasn’t doing my DIY and crafting, I might go crazy, too. So you should seriously support my habit to protect my emotional and psychological well-being.”

3. THEY SAY: “You’ve wasted so much money on your DIY stuff!”……YOU SAY: ‘Yes, I have spent a pretty-penny, but do you realize that I’m developing a valuable skill that, in today’s market, someone would pay me to make this for them?? See! I can EARN money from this! I just choose not to……yet. But just you wait……”

And if you’re curious…..here’s a sample of what’s lurking in the piles of CLUTTER in my garage!

This is my absolute favorite piece!! I found this piece January of 2012 (a year ago!!!), and I still haven’t done anything with it. But I was tenacious in getting my hands on it, and who cares if it’s been a year–I’m the proud owner, and when the time is right, she’s going in my bedroom!

This vintage upholstered chair…..my gosh, it’s been almost a year for it, too…..There were 10,000,000 tacks, and when I counted all of them and realized that was another expense in making over this chair, I temporarily gave up. I’ve decided I can find a cheaper alternative, so I’m going to be finishing this one soon!

And I picked this awesome dresser today for 50% off at the thrift store!!!

I love the “layered” look of the drawers! I don’t think I’ve ever seen drawers like that before!

I picked up this beautiful bench from an estate sale! That whole trip taught me a few lessons in how to shop estate sales, too…..**shaking my head** What an experience….

I just picked up this French Provincial (?) piece a few days ago! This is going to be SOOO pretty when it’s done!

The custom wood carved front added to this piece makes it one of the most unique I have ever seen. I love it!

This vintage buffet is serving as a holding station for an old sewing machine and a Christmas tree, but I assure you that I think more highly of her than that. LOL. This piece is GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to work on her! From the thrift store, of course……

Someone is going to feel very pretty sitting at this vanity when I’m done with it!! I can’t wait to get started on it!

When I hand-painted a pretty blue flower on this outdoor table that I found sitting next to the trash at my job (!!!!), I couldn’t wait to use it in the backyard! But as you can see, it’s still in the garage. LOL.

I’m still waiting for the table because these wrought-iron chairs aren’t spray painted yet! They have some rust, so I have to sand that out as best as I can before painting!

I found these 2 matching night stands at a yard sale over the summer, for super cheap! The one of the left??? FREE, from the side of the road These are going to be VIBRANT colors!

A cute little side table! 

This director’s chair is such a simple makeover, but I just haven’t gotten around to it…….Like all the rest!

And this bookshelf was found on the side of the road, on my way home from work. There were 2 of them, actually. The other bookshelf is lined with scrapbook paper, and it’s in my reading room! Still not sure what I’m doing with this one yet….

So after all that……

What do YOU think a spouse should never say to a DIY Hoarder?

And which pieces of my hoarded furniture do you like the best?

The post 3 Things a Spouse Should Never to Say to a DIY Hoarder appeared first on .

When did YOU first start painting old furniture?

Well, I can tell you, I first remember making over a $7.00 “mod” thrift store side table (with red spray paint!) back in 2002 when I started scouring thrift stores to looking for a few unique pieces for my first REAL HOUSE condo I bought at 24. Later, when I was pregnant with my now-six-year old, I even made over this $20 thrift store baby rocking chair . It’s been a wonderful journey!

So I’m super stoked to have had five awesome women attend my Introduction to Painting Furniture class this past weekend here in Silver Spring, MD, because I’ve just set into motion five women’s (hopefully) life-long passion for painting furniture. And it feels nice that they’ll be able to look back and clearly remember having started this journay during such an enjoyable Saturday afternoon with like-minded women, creating art

For as many years as I can remember, it’s been my dream to own an art center for (mostly) women to come and discover their artistic passion. Although I’m not there YET (!!!), this is the closest I have come to realizing my dreams, and it feels really good

So without further ado, let me show you what these ladies created!

This beautiful table was a combo that I I’ve seen but never really considered for myself before: blue and black. But the combo of the blue and black, with the original gold hardware, turned out divine! Patti used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Aubusson blue, and some dark wax, to create an aged look to the blue. It turned out so lovely!

Michelle had found this wooden high chair at a yard sale over the summer, and her awesome dad actually sanded it down for her in prep for the class (what a great dad, huh?). I was in love with her vibrant orange! This color was so beautiful that it made me realize I’ve been so freakin’ boring in some of my color choices when painting furniture. I love all those light, pastel-y, soft colors, but this orange?? Oh–I’ve been inspired, and I can’t wait to try the most yummiest of colors going forward!

Allison blew me away with this Benjamin Moor Caliente red table that she’d had in her family for probably 100 years! It was pretty beat up when she had brought it in, but by the time she was done with it, she had a cute, vintage, distressed table with a layer of black underneath that actually distressed it in such a beautiful way! The front of the piece isn’t attached, thus the white you see on the inside.

We threw the furniture up on the tables, and got to work! And let me tell you, the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, where class was held, is such an amazing place. The ambiance is incredibly artistic and you can’t help but feel inspired when you walk into that place. They usually hold paper-making classes, which is very cool. Feels like the kind of place where I could work every day

Anyhow, Alex found this amazingly cute $10 thrift store chair and wanted a fresh coat of white over it, and a pretty floral print. I absolutely love it! My favorite combo: turquoise and yellow

We did have a couple near-misses, such as some oil-based paint and stain that came to class by mistake. Getting it out of my hands–TOUGH! I don’t think the poor paint brush recovered….. LOL

I want to get this color! Caliente red, by Benjamin Moore. Here’s the recipe for anyone that wants to get it.

Isn’t Allison’s piece so cute??

I’m sorry for not getting pics of my other students, Yan and Patti! Next time, ladies…. It was quite odd that I “only” got about 15 pics! I normally am like the paparazzi!

When’s the NEXT class, hmm??

Positive Feedback

Don’t you love getting feedback to see how well (or how crappy!) you’ve done on something? I admit, I was nervous to send out the Survey Monkey to my students, because I didn’t know if they’d answered it, and if they did, would it be positive? Or would they feel that it wasn’t a valuable piece of their time or money?

Thankfully, the general feedback was positive!

One student even commented:

“Serena’s attitude makes it impossible not to have fun in the class.”

Another student added:

“Instructor had a great attitude and was willing to help everyone.”

And last but not least, another student commented:

“I loved just having Serena there to ask questions! I also loved that she had literally every tool we’d ever need!”

I can tell you that I’m a happy woman, smiling from ear to ear I’m getting closer to my dream……

And seriously, if you’ve ever wanted to learn how to paint furniture, but feel more comfortable having someone like me to hold your hand while you jump into something you’ve always wanted to try, by all means–TAKE A FURNITURE PAINTING CLASS! You will enjoy it and feel so proud when you look at what you’ve created!

At least, that’s how I feel every time I paint a piece of furniture

So tell me, when do you start painting furniture? What inspired you to start?

If you’ve never tried it, what’s holding you back?

P.S. The Valentine’s Day Giveaway winner of the 3 all-natural homemade skin smoothies is…….comment #8, Juana!! Sorry to those that didn’t win But you can still order your own skin smoothies from Buhdze until next week, for 25% off with the discount code THRIFTYME25. Hurry, because our offer code won’t last much longer. And these creams smell goooooood

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Don’t you love blog giveaways?? There’s always cool stuff being given away, and because you’re not competing with, like, 1,000,000,000,000 other entries, your odds are usually pretty good for winning

The Giveaway!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a giveaway! So I’m super excited to be giving away a set of 3 of the yummiest skim smoothies creams I’ve ever smelled, all-natural, and homemade right here in Maryland!! I also wanted to show you guys how you can make a super-cute DIY gift box from SCRAPBOOK paper! I’m not kidding! Take a look at this gift box that I learned how to make the other day. Isn’t it so adorable?? Below you will find the VIDEO TUTORIALS on how to make one!

Keep reading to find out how to enter to win these sweet-smelling skin smoothies!

 But First…..Meet Fran!

I’m soooooo excited to do this giveaway because I wanted to highlight this amazing woman that I met a few months ago, named Fran. She’s a local small business owner who makes, hands-down, the sweetest, yummiest natural, homemade lotions, soaps, and skin smoothies here in the Maryland area for her company called Buhdze (pronounced “Boozle” named after her hubby). She’s so popular that she has even started selling her products in two Whole Foods stores in the  Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood where she lives! She used to work for “corporate America” but one day decided that she needed a change and wanted to live her passion, so she started Buhdze, and never looked back! (Amen, sister!)

There we are! And man……I look like a freakin’ Amazonian giant standing next to her! LOL

It’s not often that you find people that you click with on such a cool level. I truly feel like I’ve just made a new friend! .

How to Enter!

Because I wanted to say “HI!” to you guys, and to show you how awesome these skin creams are, I shot a short video! I’m really trying to make my way into “YouTube Land” because who doesn’t like to see the woman behind the blog?

Take a quick peek to hear me rambling about how much I LOVE you guys, and how these creams have rescued my big ‘ole dry, ashy “man hands”! HA!

To enter this giveaway, you can receive UP TO 4 ENTRIES for each of the following actions:

1. Watch the video above! LEAVE A COMMENT in the comments section and tell me you watched it. Leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

2. LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT and tell me which of the 3 skin smoothies you want to win! Choose between Vanilla Butter, Pink Grapefruit, Mango Madness, and Lemongrass. Fran will mail those in your gift box! Leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

3. Go “LIKE” Buhdze on Facebook! Tell her that Thrift Diving sent you! LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT to let me know you did that. Leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

4. “LIKE” Thrift Diving on Facebook. If you already “LIKE” Thrift Diving, great! LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT telling me that you “like” Thrift Diving. Leave an email address so I can contact you if you win!

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry, my international friends!!

And the winner will be chosen at random via Random.org.

Special Offer!

Fran is awesome! She actually set up special Valentine’s Day gift sets for us here at Thrift Diving, called a “Love Box.” She wanted to extend a special Valentine’s price for her products for my readers simply because I asked, and she really likes my blog! You can order these yummy skin smoothies, wrapped up in a pretty little box with a bow, three for $20, which is an awesome since they usually go for $25.99. If you’d like to get one of these limited gift sets, visit Buhdze to order as soon as possible, and be sure to enter “THRIFTYME25” at check out so you can get the special pricing of $20. Discounts are GOOD! If you see anything else on her site that you like, such as the soaps or 100% coconut oil, if you enter my “THRIFTYME” discount code, you can save 25%. Isn’t that cool? The discount code is only valid until 2/14.

Order soon, because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and you want to make sure you receive your goodies and gifts before The Big Day. Be sure to order by the Sunday at the latest!

These Valentine’s Day gift sets also include all-natural handmade soaps! Scents include Chocolate Raspberry, Vanilla Bean Crunch, Mojito, Pink Grapefruit. I think I’m ready to go eat something sweet right now, aren’t you? lol

 TUTORIAL: How to Make a Gift Box Out of Scrapbook Paper

I promised you guys that I would show you how to make a DIY gift box out of scrapbook paper (compliments of Fran, because she’s the one that taught me!), so here are the videos! Be sure to watch for some unique ways to personalize your DIY gift box, including how to make tissue paper “heart” confettti, which is my favorite idea!!

PART 1:

PART 2:

Originally, I noted in the video that the Giveaway is valid until  Saturday, February 9th, but let’s extend it through until Sunday, February 10th! Good luck!

Even More Gift Ideas!

And last but not least, Michelle from a spa called Skana, in a small town in upstate NY, contacted me and wanted to share some DIY Valentine’s Day gift ideas with my readers. She had some really great recipes for body scrubs, face masks, and health drinks that you could make at home for a loved one, for just a fraction of the cost of buying them at a store! Here are her best recipes! Imagine how cool these gifts would be if you wrapped them in the DIY gift box from the video tutorial that I posted above??? Thanks for sharing, Michelle!

Body Scrub

-1/2 cup Raw Sugar

-1/4 cup Light Oil

- 2-8 drops Lavander Essential Oil

-Mason Jar or other storage container

Mix the ingredients together until the perfect texture is accomplished. The mixture should be even and grainy, not too soupy. Fill your mason jar with the scrub and screw the top in nice and tight. DONE! The beauty of this scrub is that it’s made with all natural ingredients that will not cause breakouts or over drying. There are no unwanted chemicals either!

Face Mask

-1 soft cooked carrot

-1ripe avocado

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-Storage container

Start by mashing the carrot and avocado together to achieve a smooth consistent mixture. Next, stir in the cream. Again, make sure the cream is mixed thru thoroughly. Place in storage container. This mixture, also natural, non-chemical ingredients, will give your loved one collagen-boosting effects.

*Note: mask should be applied, left on for fifteen minutes, and rinsed off with warm water.
Ginger Pear Water

-10 pears

-1 Gallon of Water

-1/2 cup ginger

-1, 1 Gallon Container (or smaller containers that fit 1 Gallon of water)

 Slice your pears into 1/8-inch slices. Then combine all of your ingredients into a large pitcher or container. Let it cold seep for up to six hours and then thoroughly strain the mixture into your water bottles or storage pitcher. Garnish with a fresh pear slice. You now have a delicious drink that packs many health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYONE!!

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Let’s take a step back from decorating and thrift stores for a second….and let’s talk HOME BUYING. The reason I’m bringing this up is for 2 reasons. First, I got into a conversation yesterday with a friend who’s about to start the arduous process of HOUSE HUNTING. I started spewing off bits of advice to her, based on my own experience in buying this house. And then I realized, “HEY! Other people should know this, too!” Thus, the blog post

The second reason is because when you buy a house without asking yourself the right questions, you sometimes end up making costly mistakes. And isn’t the whole point of Thrift Diving to save money?? Definitely!

It’s been 2 years since we moved into this 4-BR single family house, and if I could have done it all over again, these items below are the questions I wish someone would have told me to ask before jumping in with 2 feet. Here, I’m sharing these tips with you in hopes of helping other people make better decisions about home buying!

So, for any of you that are home-shopping, or know someone that is buying a home, make sure you ask these 10 questions before you buy a home:

1. Will the windows need to be replaced? 

How often do you walk into a house and inspect the windows? Windows are boring. If anything, we swoon over the shape of them, the position of them, the scenery outside of them, but rarely do we consider the condition of the windows. But, have you ever had to deal with poor windows? Windows that don’t stay shut? Windows that are so drafty you’ve got to apply ugly plastic over them to keep the cold out? Old windows that have peeling, chipped paint (which may even have lead in them if the house was built before 1973)? And have you ever had windows replaced?? Okay–STICKER SHOCK–but expect to way upwards of $14,000 to replace all the windows in a 4-BR house. (Okay, go pick your chin up off the floor–I shocked you, didn’t I?). It’s one of the most costly home repairs and upgrades that you’ll ever pay for.

When we moved into this house, the last thing I was paying attention to was the windows. I was thinking about how pretty the house would look with my favorite colors of paint…and how much space we’d have. The last thing I needed to know was if the windows were drafty. We soon found out. And they all needed to be replaced. All 22 of them. Yes, 22. This is not the kind of expense you want to pay when you move into a house. Spend $14,000 on something worth while, like–a car–perhaps?? lol. Get a house with solid windows that will keep keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

2. What’s the position and quality of the trees around this house?

In a bad storm, can those trees fall on your new house? Do any of them look rotted? Do any of them need to be cut down? Do those trees block the sunrise? What about the sunset? When we bought this house, it was winter of 2010. There were no leaves on the trees. Who even notices bare trees in the winter? We sure didn’t. But let me tell you–when those leaves came….and not only did they block out any sunlight, making our house feel like a dungeon, they are also close enough to the house that we’re nervous when high-winded storms hit the area. In fact, every time that we have a storm with high winds, everyone sleeps downstairs in the living room. Why run of risk of a tree falling on your house? Be cognizant of where those trees are in relation to the house you want to buy. Consider the fact that if you want to remove a tree, the cost is usually anywhere from $400 – $800, depending on if you remove the stump, too.

3. Do you see any signs of pests?

Could you imagine buying a house and finding–GASP!–roaches?? Thank God we didn’t have this problem! But you need to be vigilant about pests when you’re looking for a place. Look for mouse turds. They could be old, but they could be new. Ask the sellers for more information about it. Look inside cabinets, and moist places where pests like to hide. Heck–pull the refrigerator or stove out, and make sure there’s nothing there! Thankfully, we didn’t see roaches, but we did find centipedes after moving in. And OH MY GOSH, we were slammed with an infestation of ANTS; I even blogged and put up pictures of all the ants!! We had them in nearly every room of the house, and I was having nightmares about them! Thankfully, as the season went on, I was able to get rid of them. But the following year, I had to spring for a Terminix Pest Control plan. Although it’s only $100 a quarter, that’s STILL an extra expense I had never planned on.

4.  Are there sidewalks in the neighborhood?

Maybe you were too excited about the awesome house, but somehow, you didn’t even realize that there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. Oh–yeah, this happened to US! Because of this, our kids can’t just go outside and ride bikes and tricycles; they might get hit by a car! Stupid us, right? If you’ve got kids, or nieces and nephews that come to visit, get a house with some sidewalks. Even if you have no children, for your own safety when walking or jogging, buy a home in a neighborhood where there are sidewalks! I find that older homes and neighborhoods tend to have no sidewalks.

5. Is the house too out-dated?

No house is going to be perfectly upgraded, especially if it’s a steal in price. But maybe you’re mesmerized by the beauty of the bay window, or the lovely wood floors, or how nice the house could be after you’ve gotten your DIY hands on it. Sometimes a home’s potential is its selling feature, along with the price and the promise of its beauty. But you must take a hard look at how outdated the house really is. How much will it cost to upgrade your new home? How much time will be involved if you attempt some DIY projects yourself? Are you being realistic regarding what you can accomplish, in time and budget? If you have kids, consider if you’ll have enough time away from the kids to get these projects done. Otherwise, you may end up like us, 2 years later, with rooms still donning the hideous wallpaper because there just isn’t enough time to get the house “done.”

6. Does the house have any weird odors?

What do you smell when you walk into the house? If you smell funk, RUN! Run far away. Because, seriously, if the house is funky, it’s either a) mold/mildew (read: water problems), b) dirty people, or c) cooking smells that may take a long time to go away. Don’t just think that you can “air a home out” after settlement.  When you walk into a house you’d like to buy, it should smell….well….like NOTHING. There shouldn’t be any odors that try to make the house smell “good.” You should smell very little. Homes that leave an odor means that you will be dealing with the odor when you move in, or it may be covering up other smells you don’t even realize are there until you move in. Sometimes this can be a costly problem to clear up, depend on its cause. This is from experience! When we came to look at our house, it had a rank odor. To this day, I still can’t even describe what it was–fried fish, maybe?? But it was horrible. I thought we would just air the home out. And although the smell dissipated after moving in, it was a long time before the musty smell that was present, which was hadn’t detected previously, improved.

7. Does the ground slope AWAY from the house?

Does the house sit at the top or bottom of a hill? Where does the water flow around the house? Grading is probably one of the few things people check when they go house-hunting. Don’t make this mistake! Grading that is poor and allows rain and water to sit at the home’s foundation is a recipe for flooding and water damage. Grading isn’t cheap to fix. Expect to pay upwards of $2,500 to have a professional landscaper or grading professional to regrade the entire perimeter of your home. We regraded our entire perimeter this past summer 2012, because of water seeping into the basement, and yep–that’s what we paid–$2,290.  OUCH. But we couldn’t take the threat of flooding anymore, and it needed to be fixed immediately!

8. What do the cars in the neighborhood look like?

Okay, we’re boarding on something probably unethical, but it’s true. Take a look around you. If you see broken-down cars, expect to find a broken-down neighborhood.The cars don’t have to be BMWs and Audis. But look for late model cars that look well-cared for. The quality of the cars, more so than the brand, that people drive in the neighborhood, really can tell you about the quality of a neighborhood.

9. What are the neighbors like?

Imagine the horror of moving in to a house and you end up hating your neighbors. YIKES! Go up and knock on the doors of the nearby neighbors and tell them you’re planning to make an offer on the house next door or across the street. See what they say. Are they nice? Are they gossiping about the other neighbors that are moving out? Do they seem SANE?? What does their yard look like? We should have done this, but we didn’t. And although we don’t see our neighbor much, we aren’t on good terms with her, either. Come to learn, many people in the nearby houses things she’s pretty wacked out. Her backyard is a nature’s preserve: she feeds the vultures…..including the 8 million neighborhood stray cats that poop in our yard….and she feeds the wild deer apples in her front yard, which make it a bit hazardous driving through the neighborhood at night, for fear of slamming into one of the million of deer you’ll see. My advice is to choose your neighbors wisely!

10. How much are the utilities for that house?

Granted, your usage will be different, depending on your family size and usage. But calling ahead to the utility companies (and even identifying WHICH utiilities you will need to pay–gas or electric? both?) will give you a great starting point to use when creating your budget, to make sure you can afford the property and all the things that go into moving into a new or larger home. There are tons of expenses you don’t even realize up front that you’ll need to pay when you move into a new house, but if you can nail down the utilities, you’re one step closer to making a wise decision.
NOTE: Some of these things your inspector will look for and note, but that’s AFTER you’ve already put an offer on a house. Why get to that point? Why not note these things beforehand so you’re not wasting money on an inspection for a house that you may end up not buying anyhow? Be wise. Look for the right things, from the beginning .

So do you have any other questions that you think are most important to ask before buying a home? Please leave a comment to let everyone know what else they need to know before buying a house!

If you liked this article, consider sharing it on FACEBOOK or EMAILING it to a friend, so that we can spread the knowledge! Thanks!

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Have you ever thought about making your own pendant lamp?

Well, it’s SUPER EASY!

And I’m so excited to share this with you how to do it!

In this post, I’m going to show you how I turned this pretty little fruit basket that I picked up about 10 years ago from Crate and Barrel into a DIY pendant lamp! (See! I haven’t always bought everything from the thrift store!)

Isn’t she cute??

Poor thing did its job for so long until one day she decided to just….well…..CRASH.

I knew that the bottom part, which was intact, could still hold our yummy fruit….but I immediately thought, “PENDANT LAMP!!!” when I saw the top part.

And yes……there she is!!!

Hanging above my $30 vintage drafting table that I scored from the thrift store……. now my thrifted craft room has an awesome new addition!

Check out how cool the ceiling looks when I switch on the light? AMAZING, instant ceiling art. HAHAHAH

Wouldn’t that be cool in a kid’s room or something? Maybe even with a colored light!

Here’s How You Do It:

Because I thought it would be fun, and easier to follow, here’s the VIDEO TUTORIAL on how to upcycle a DIY pendant lamp.

(Wow…..this is my second video TUTORIAL. First one was How to Paint an Old Brick Fireplace. Check it out if you’re living with ugly, dated old bricks and are thinking about painting it! It turned out really great).

Anyhow, here’s the step-by-step instructional video, as well as written instructions

 STEP 1: Gather your materials.

For this project, you’ll need the following materials:

• A lamp kit. You can buy a lamp kit on Amazon for about $10. That’s where I got mine.

• A Swag hook. This will allow you to hang your pendant lamp from the ceiling.

• A chain. I got mine from the Home Depot for about $0.99 a foot, and I bought 8 feet. I probably could have used a bit more, maybe and extra foot, but it depends on the height of your ceiling. And you can totally use something more decorative, like this cute heart-shaped chain which is super cute!

• Pliers. PLEASE don’t try to pull apart chain links with your teeth LOL
• A screw driver. You’ll need it when you’re attaching the lamp cord to the base of the lamp screws.
• A drill (not pictured). When you attached your swag hook, you’ll need to drill a hole for the anchor. Also, if the object you’re using doesn’t currently have a hole at the top, you will need to drill one. Here’s a good tutorial on how to drill glass. I’m going to assume you know how to drill wood? If not, grab someone handy. Google some other videos on how to drill metal or other objects you’re considering turning into DIY pendant lamps.
• A light bulb (but, of course!).

STEP 1: Take your lamp cord and locate the 2 metal prongs.

STEP 2: Thread the lamp cord prongs through the top cap piece of the lamp kit. It doesn’t matter which way you insert it.

STEP 3: Insert the lamp cord through the top of the pendant lamp.

NOTE: If you’re DIY pendant lamp needs a hole drilled, now’s the time to do it.

STEP 4: Thread the lamp cord to the piece that comes off of the lamp base.

Hard to explain, but if you watch the video above, you’ll see what I mean! Those wires that are sticking out there, pull them through to give yourself some slack.

STEP 5: Bend the wires at the end of the lamp cord.

STEP 6: Using your screwdriver, loosen the gold screw and the silver screws on the lamp base and then cup the wire underneath the screw and tighten to hold in place.

NOTE: If your lamp doesn’t work, switch the wires; you’ve got them on the wrong screw

STEP 7: Slide the black switch up inside of the lamp base that will hold the light bulb.

STEP 8: Attach the lamp base to the cap, and–VOILA!–you’ve got a new lamp!

STEP 9: Attach the chain.

Here is where you will want to use your pliers to pull apart the chain links. They’re tough to get open! Also, make sure that you’re lamp is balanced. I hooked the chain so that each side had the same number of links and we all positions equality. Otherwise, it will be off-balanced.

STEP 10: Now go brag to your friends!

They won’t believe you were so crafty

And there ya go!

A really cheap way to add something interesting to your decor, so that when people come over, they can’t believe you hung a–GASP–fruit basket from your craft room ceiling. Oh, and hubby still keeps shaking his head at me, asking, “WHY did you make that? I still don’t get it….”

No, dear, you never will. It’s a DIY thing

Disclaimer: Gotta pay the bills, right? The above posts has some Amazon affiliate links and I may be compensated if you click on them. Thanks!

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If you’ve been reading this blog for any time (BIG SHOUT OUT to all the newest subscribers–THANK YOU!–and thanks to all my other subscribers; luv ya!), you know that I come from the philosophy that life doesn’t have to be financial suicide. Not only do I furnish my house with thrift store goodies (like my latest project, my thrifted craft room! Have you seen it yet?), but I also love to scout out some pretty thrift store clothes to add to my so-called wardrobe.

I’m not a fashionista by any means!

So when I found this dress at a thrift store in Hawaii last month while on vacation to the Big Island (yes, I go to thrift store while on vacation–I’m weird like that!) I had no idea if animal prints were “in” or “out.” But I just knew I liked it! And it even had–GASP!–pockets. Brilliant!

That’s my crazy friend, Angela, that I met with my group in Hawaii. She loves all things crafty and thrifty like me, so she was down for a little thrift diving, too!

So last week I emailed that pic to her and asked, “How would you accessorize this dress?

Her response??

“I wouldn’t. Animal prints are played out.”

Say WHAT?!

When did that happen?

So I knew I needed to ask my Thrift Diving Facebook friends, and you all were AWESOME and overwhelming agreed that my friend didn’t know ANYTHING (lol) and that animal prints NEVER go out of style and is classic! You gave some great suggestions, like pairing leopard prints with black accessories, fitted blazers or cardigan, black tights, maybe loafers or pumps; some said YES for pairing with red, some said NO WAY with red. Also, you guys said animal prints are fine as long as you do one print at a time (not, like, the whole sha-bang).

I tried to work with what I already had in my limited closet, and this is what I came up with.

Whuddya think?

I paired this dress with whatever I had in my closet. Wasn’t much! Just some knee-high boots I have had forever…..a black blazer….and a thick belt. But  I like it! I just have to make sure I don’t bend OVER! ‘Lil short for a woman of 35…. LOL

This $8.00 thrift store animal print dress would look great with a black sweater, too!

I wonder if big, bushy hairdo’s ever go out of style?

If so……then I’m in trouble!

Sometimes just a silly face makes you look good, no matter what you’re wearing. LOL

And just this past week, I went to MY thrift store (the one I get everything from) and was digging around through racks and racks of frumpiness, and–SCORE!–saw this clingy black dress that felt….what’s the word….NOT CHEAP. I mean, you could tell from the material that it was good quality. I didn’t even try it on. I just assumed the “M” size would fit.

Later, when I looked up the name, Rachel Pally, sure enough–these designer dresses go for $160 – $260! WHOA!

The twisted, knotted bodice is so flattering and feminine!

I loved how the back scooped down. I wore this dress to work on Friday and got a nice compliment from a cute Neurologist that works on my floor. Hubby said, “Hmph, don’t let it go to your head.” But who doesn’t love a nice compliment from a man! A CUTE one, at that??

Trying to have a mini-fashion shoot in the basement with your kids around can be a little challenging, but I had to take a moment to take some cute pics of my 14-month old, Kojo.

Don’t you love how toddlers always seem to lose one sock and walk around with the other one all day? Awwww…….

Anyhow, this next dress also came from that Hawaiian Goodwill. I love this one, too! I knew with a belt, it could be fabulous!

And, you guessed it– $8.00. Seems $8.00 is the magical number for thrifted dressed, eh?

And it even complimented my backside, which, in my opinion, is a MUST when you buy clothing!

So I tossed on a belt with it, which is the ONLY light-colored belt I own (LOL), and I think it looks good. What do you think?

I absolutely LOVE the turquoise and lime green! Just wait until spring comes…..!! A pretty little dress for work!

I still love those pockets!!!

Here’s another dress I bought from my own thrift store some time ago. It 100% silk, and was $10!

And last but not least, here’s a cute little (you guessed it!) $8.00 thrift store dress I picked up in Hawaii, also. I LOVE IT!!!!!!! I can’t wait until warmer weather!

And Just For Fun…..

Here’s a look you WON’T find me rockin’. EVER. lol…….

I wonder if a cute belt could transform it….HA!

P.S. Notice the little sexy off-the-shoulder strap? HILARIOUS!

Your Turn!

I want to hear from you all!

So what dress did you like most?

Have you found any awesome dresses at the thrift store for $8.00, too? Please consider leaving a comment and share your great stories and comments. I read them all

REMINDER

There’s still a little time to sign up for my “Introduction to Furniture Painting” class! There are 6 slots, and 3 have been filled. It will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9th, from 1 – 4:30 p.m. Come sip wine with us while we paint furniture and talk thrift stores . Email me for info on how to sign up.

CONNECT WITH ME:

• Subscribe to my blog for FREE
• Join the Thrift Diving Community on Google+  <– NEW!
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• Email me: ThriftDiving@gmail.com (I like to hear from people!

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Would you believe that everything in my craft room came from a thrift store or bought second-hand?

Yep. It’s true!

Not kidding you.

And I’ve been a busy little bee. I have been working very diligently, since one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to “finish what I start”)! I was tired of waiting until I’m “done” to show you, so I thought I might just go ahead and show you how much progress I’m making. There is still tons to do.

Plus, I’ve been busy with writing articles for my other blog, Get Your Life Straight, because my money situation sucks (does yours?), so I’ve been writing about 20 ways to make more money and cut expenses and wanting readers to share their experiences about living paycheck to paycheck, too.

So, yeah, I’ve been busy. Thanks for sticking around!!

Okay, back to my craft room.

The amazing thing is that 95% (if not more) of everything in this crafting room (slash “office” since hubby and I need to share) has come from a thrift store or is second-hand.

But that’s what so cool–being able to put a cozy room together on a shoestring budget!

Now, let’s have a quick look, shall we?

Here’s the BEFORE of what the room looked like for the first year that we lived here: cold, bare, and poo-poo brown. ICK!

As we lived in it, it got messier….and messier…..And no “CRAFTING” was being done in there! Who could create in that mess?!

I couldn’t take it anymore. It has taken 2 years (since moving in) to get it to THIS POINT, but this is what it looks like so far!

I’d always hated the color of that room, so I primed it. That brown HAD to go. Sorry for the “brown-bashing” for anyone who loves brown!

This is what it looks like right now. There’s all my crafting clutter on the Ikea Expedit that I bought from a coworker for a measly $40. I plan to buy some baskets for it, but those things are, like, $30 a piece from Ikea! Who has hundreds for baskets? Don’t worry– I’ll find a cheaper alternative. I always do!

Anyhow, that thrift store green desk back in the corner? That’s the $12.00 green and gold “Agenda” desk that I painted from the thrift store. That thing is ROCK SOLID. Hubby works from home and that’s his little corner of the world. The lawyer’s chair that is with the desk came from a yard sale for $10.00. I plan to make a new seat cushion for it (add it to my never-ending list….LOL).

And remember me posting this on my Thrift Diving Facebook page? I lot of you had great ideas about where to place it (READ: NOT back in the corner like this!)

Well, now on the other side of the room, this $30 vintage Anco Bilt drafting table that I found from the thrift store (which I later found out was really worth over $300!) feels right at home perpendicular to the wall. And thank GOD I didn’t paint it before researching it! Anyhow, I love the vintage, rustic look.

And then I made an awesome DIY pendant lamp out of my broken Crate & Barrel wire fruit basket! You won’t believe the cool light art that it creates on the ceiling when I turn it on!!! I love it!  For the full tutorial on how to create your own DIY pendant lamp like the one I did, here are the video tutorial instructions.

Now, for that shelf hanging above the table. I am so excited about it! It was only $5.00 at the thrift store! It’s perfect for storing my paints, die cutters, and stamps. I’ve been collecting tin cans, actually, which fit perfectly, and plan to jazz those up a little bit, for FREE

I painted the shelf with Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint, and then waxed and distressed. Next, I added contact paper from Target, which was super cheap–about $5.00 for a big roll. Much cheaper than crafting paper or wall paper! And they had some cute styles, too!

And add to my list: “Paint half-painted, dingy door to the craft room.”

And this beauty here…..this is my sewing cabinet that I found at the thrift store for a mere $40. It actually came with an old sewing machine inside, but I took it out and replaced it with my computerized Bernina sewing machine. You see…when you have kids….(mine are ages 6, 3, and 1), you NEED places to hide yo’ stuff! Otherwise, they tear it up, don’t they?! lol

Anyhow, I plan to paint this cabinet.

Right now this cabinet is housing tons of crap that, when I get enough tiiiimmmeee (insert whine here), then I will organize all the stuff into appropriate places.

Oh, and those pink buckets?? Yep. Thrift store! Only $2.00.

The colorful floral rug came from Home Goods some time ago, for about $40, I think??

Right now it’s looking like a cluttered mess, but ohhhh….compared to that poop-brown and things littering the floor, I’m a happy camper already!

I like how the perpendicular drafting table creates a nice little alcove on that side of the room for me. It really feels like “my space” while still sharing the room with hubby. (And yes, I post pics of my kid’s shoes on the floor. I just don’t have time to be staging, so who cares )

Sitting on the desk, I have this cool vintage shoe shine wooden kit box. Loved it! Thrift store, about $6.00. I just store scissors or note pads in there.

And on the desk, I’ve got a hodge-podge of containers holding my scissors, chalk ink pens, brushes, colored pencils, etc. Who cares if things don’t match yet?

This particular cup/vase thingy I got from the thrift store for about $1.00. I loved the white and black contrast.

These beautiful butterfly prints were cut out from the packaging of the computer paper that my company was using temporarily. I wish I could find out which brand of computer paper it was, because I want more of these glossy prints! What a pretty logo! See–I never let a great idea pass me by.

So…..the super “UNPRETTY” part of the room is the ghetto shower curtain that I have hanging at the window. I have on my agenda to make curtains. I even have the beautiful fabric (hiding under that brown box, which HAPPENS to be the new Silhouette Cameo that I haven’t yet unpacked because there’s no safe place to store it out of the hands of prying children). So, yeah, I’m working on it! And I am planning to change out the curtain rod to BLACK.

And the cream wool rug came from Home Goods. It was a steal for $80 (5×7). ‘Cause if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know I don’t buy rugs from thrift stores, right?

I love cream-colored rugs!

I also am planning to use this $6.00 thrift store stool for my crafting desk, but it was too tall.

So I cut about 4 inches off, painted it, and will easily reupholster the top

And last but not least, my pretty little DIY card catalog has been moved over near the door. I like that it helps to create a little walk-way when you come into the room.

And I still need to change or paint that god-awful ceiling fan, and get some art on the walls!

And there you have it, folks– my “in progress” craft room!

If you like my craft room, please considering leaving a comment! I love to hear from you silent, lurking readers Plus, any suggestions for you have for the room, I would love to hear them!

Linking up with :

Kathe With an E

Cowgirl Up — Stone Gable Blog

I Gotta Try That

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It’s funny how, when people know you’re a thrift diver, they automatically assume that everything you own comes from the thrift store, and that you neeeeever buy anything from “real” stores.

Does that happen to you, too?

I’ll admit that mostly every piece of furniture (since we’ve moved into our “new” old house 2 years ago) has come from a thrift store. Oh, and my wardrobe?? (if you could call it that)–yeah, I’ve been adding a lot of cute thrift store sweaters and dresses and this sexy $7.00 thrift store blouse that I bought earlier this year.

And don’t forget my kids, who think it’s a serious TREAT to get $1.00 bags of toys from the thrift store. LOL

But no, you guys, I don’t buy everything from the thrift store. And I doubt you do, either.

Sometimes I’m looking for something specific, and I need it right away, and you know how thrift stores goes–it’s hit or miss.

I’m always on the prowl for cheap places to shop online, especially for my kids, like toys and clothing. So when CookiesKids.com, an on-line retailer that offers name-brand kid’s fashion (and school uniforms), and toys, at discount prices, invited me to shop on their online store and provide a REVIEW, I jumped at the chance!

I knew exactly what I wanted to buy: sneakers for my toddler. Aren’t these things atrocious? Poor baby has HOLES in his toes! Didn’t I just buy these when school started back in September? WTF??

So I found these awesome Spider Man sneakers on CookiesKids.com, and was so excited to order them, but–damn!–they didn’t have my son’s size!

I was also on the hunt for a coat for my 1st grader. I just struck gold recently by finding an awesome Children’s Place coat for him for $5.00 at the thrift store, but–double damn!!–it was too small! And I haven’t been able to find another nice coat at the thrift store, so I was hoping that Cookies Kids would have an affordable coat. Here are a few NorthFace coats that we liked. They also had really awesome Northface Backpacks:

Cookie’s Kids Northface Backpack

Cookie’s Kids Northface Coat

Cookie’s Kids Northface Coat

Cookie’s Kids Spyder Coat

But did you notice the price on these coats? I’ve never paid $69 for a coat before (for a child), much less $139.99. So….sigh….we didn’t get the coats. Although, looking back, $70 probably wasn’t a bad deal, considering that we have 3 boys, and you know each one of them will have their turn wearing it….oooohhh…..the dreaded hand-me-downs!

Would you have bought a $69.99 coat for a 6 year old? Just curious….

So at this point, I decided it might be a good idea to let my 6 year old play around on the site, at which he was begging to let him do it himself.

He wanted a HOODIE, but the kind that didn’t zip down the front. And this was the only one that fit his criteria. I wasn’t a big fan, so we didn’t get any hoodies.

And, I just have to say, having all boys, you don’t get to search and drool over amazing stuff like this cute little “Sadie” skirt from Baby Phat Clothing.

“Sadie” skirt by Baby Phat Clothing

They did have some stylish, affordable winter hats, though! And I thought the prices were decent.

Cookie’s Kids Winter Hats

Cookie’s Kids Yo Gabba Gabba Hat

This one was sooooo cute! Too bad that none of my boys are into Yo! Gabba Gabba!

This dino hat caught my eye, and I knew that I HAD to have it! Isn’t it adorable? It was only $6.99. I even went to Kohls.com to check out the competition, and Kohl’s was selling the Dino hat for $8.00, so Cookies Kids was slightly less expensive on hats.

Cookie’s Kids Dino Hat

CookiesKids.com versus Kohls.com……Green Dino hat!

I figured I would check out the toy section. And I loved that they had an educational toy section. My 1st grade thought that was so cool

Cookie’s Kids Educational Toys

I liked that they sold baby gear at Cookie’s Kids, too. The prices were comparable to other online retailers that sell baby stuff, too.

Cookie’s Kids Baby Carseats

But anyhow, after checking out the toy section, I decided to get my son this Vivatar microscope and telescope set. My 1st grader LOVES science, and I’ve always wanted to get him a microscope and telescope. Now THAT is something I’ve never seen as a thrift store (microscope and telescope), so I couldn’t wait to buy this and play with it with my kids!

Cookie’s Kids Telescope

Checkout was pretty easy. I ordered a $5.99 Checkers game, too, but several days after placing my order, Customer Service emailed me to say that the Checkers game wasn’t available. DRATS…I really wish they’d have mentioned this at check-out. However, their customer service was AWESOME because they offered me a refund…plus a $10 credit to my account…AND free shipping (which usually costs $5.95).  So, although disappointed, I was very pleased with the make-up for the mistake.

OH! Here’s one tip of advice– ALWAYS LOOK FOR SHOPPING COUPONS ONLINE BEFORE ORDERING ANYTHING. I went to my favorite online coupon site, and found a 13% off coupon for CookiesKids.com. Score!

  I ended up not getting that black hat, either, but the telescope and microscope and green dino hat came in 6 days.

 My first grader was super excited to open the telescope and microscope!

I was shocked to see that it CAME with a UPS return shipping box! I thought that was fantastic customer service should a customer need to return an item.

It wasn’t long before the telescope became a shooter **rolling my eyes** Seriously, this is what life is like raising a bunch of BOYS….

And, of course, the box became a car, LOL.

We got started with the microscope, and discovered it was a poor purchase. You could only see hazy yellow light in the microscope. There hadn’t been any reviews on Cookie’s Kids, so I had no idea what quality of product I was receiving. Later, I went onto Amazon.com and looked at the reviews, and sure enough, everyone else thought it wasn’t a good product, either. Looks like I may very well need that UPS box…..

I felt a little sorry for my 6 year old because he reallllly wanted these things to work. Even the telescope, he climbed up on my car in the cold, and willed it to work

It didn’t.

Everything was dark. SIGH…..

However, the big winner of the night was that freakin’ green dino hat! Everyone loved it and crazy enough–we all fit it (barely!)! And my 1st grader decided he was going to sleep in it

So here’s a quick recap:

What I Liked about CookiesKids.com

• Excellent customer service!
• Offers a mix of goods, ranging from clothing, toys, and baby gear.
• Some prices were competitive.
• Great selection of fun hats that kids love.
• They’re celebrating their 40th year of business; I like that they’re well-established!

What Could Be Improved

• Selection and sizes should be expanded.
• Better inventory control is necessary so that shoppers aren’t able to buy items that aren’t available.
• Offer less popular brands so that there are more affordable price points for everyone.
• More “User Reviews” are needed on the site so that people can get feedback for things they want to purchase.

So Who is CookiesKids.com For?

CookiesKids.com is for people who love name brands and, although competitively priced, don’t mind paying a little bit more than knock-off brands.  You can be a thrift diver and shop real stores! *smirk smirk* But just be sure you do your research on the items you’re buying, and remember to look for coupon codes! If you like Cookie’s Kids, they have 7 bricks-and-mortar stores in the NYC area (Bronx, Brooklyn, and Jamaica), too. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter at #cookieskids.

If you’d like to check out this Google+ album, you can find it here.

So there you have it!

Go check out Cookie’s Kids and let me know things they offer that would like to buy!

Serena

DISCLOSURE: I am a a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community. This shop as been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and CookiesKids.com #CBis #SocialFabric. All opinions are 100% my own, fo shizzle…..

The post No, I Don’t Get Everything From the Thrift Store! appeared first on .

Do you live in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, and are looking for a furniture painting class to teach you how to turn inexpensive, old vintage, ugly furniture into pretty pieces that will be Pinterest-worthy?

Well, I am so glad you found me!

Hi, I’m Serena, blogger/author with ThriftDiving.com, a blog about decorating your home with as much affordable, cool thrift store stuff as possible, and finding ways to make life all-around less expensive.

Come join me for a 4 – 5 hour session where we’ll be turning trash into treasure with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. And seriously, you don’t need any experience, and you don’t need to bring your own paint! Here is what I will provide:

I WILL PROVIDE:

• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (every color imaginable!)
• Brushes
• Waxes (clear and dark)
• Smocks & gloves
• Decorative materials
• Crafting materials
• Tools (e.g. staple gun)
• Silhouette Cameo (for decorative cutting)
• A ‘lil bit of this….a ‘lil bit of that….
• A light lunch and/or snacks
• WINE!!! <– (a must-have!)

BRING TO CLASS:

• Please bring a small piece of furniture (e.g. a chair, a side table, etc.) that you can complete in 5-6 hours.
• A smile!

NOTE: Please email me a picture of your piece of furniture so I can approve it prior to class.

FURNITURE PAINTING CLASS – DATES & LOCATIONS 

• The next furniture painting class will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.

REGISTER NOW

ADDITIONAL DATES & LOCATIONS

• Additional furniture painting classes will be held at the Sandy Spring Museum in Sandy Spring, Maryland, which is only minutes north on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, MD (Send an email to facility Director Allison Weiss for questions about this facility).

TIME

Classes start at 10:00 a.m. and will end at 4:00 p.m (although quick-drying, the chalk paint needs time to dry in between coats and finished; you should be able to complete your piece within the 6 hours).

TUITION

Tuition is $120, plus a $15 materials fee. The materials fee must be paid to the instructor during class.

REGISTER

Ready to register and have a great time and make your old furniture look fabulous?!

SIGN UP for the upcoming furniture painting class now.

QUESTIONS?

Email me or call (301-252-0753) with any questions you have regarding class and I’ll be more than happy to answer!

Serena Appiah is blogger/owner of Thrift Diving, a blog about turning other people’s cast offs into beautiful pieces of furniture and goods for the home. She makes life more affordable for her family with lots of  do-it-yourself (DIY), crafting, and home improvement. She’s also blogger/owner of Get Your Life Straight, a motivational blog about saving money, improving health and relationships, and achieving your goals.
Serena enjoys anything creative: knitting, photography, oil painting, etc, including reading and writing poetry (she documents her poetry on her poetry blog, Metaphysical Release).

She’s a mom to 3 beautiful boys, ages 6, 3, and 18 months. She’s married and lives in Silver Spring with her family.

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Is it just me or does 2012 feel like it flew by?

I made up a saying recently: “Life is like a roll of toilet paper: the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” (HA! Clever, eh??)

But it’s true!!!

Sometimes it feels like I haven’t accomplished very much in the way of making our house feel like a home. When we moved in back in 2010, it was BARE! Who could afford thousands of dollars decorating? Um–not us.

Thrift stores, which I have ALWAYS loved, became the practical (and most fun!) solution to our financial dilemma.

And it feels rewarding walking around the house saying, “That rustic dining table right there–I DID THAT, and it only cost $12.00 from the thrift store!” (True story! Just go see all the pics.….It almost turned horrific!).

Every time I switch on my spray painted, cheap, $10 thrift store lamp, I relish in the fact that NO ONE has this exact lamp, and I didn’t have to go into debt to buy it! And I made it look kick-ass!

My favorite project, though, was this ombre desk that I had rescued from the dumpster a couple years ago and finally had a chance fix it up. It’s actually where I am sitting right now

And I’m finally getting around to working on my crafting room, which has taken FOR-EV-AH. You can see from that link there that I was working on that room for ONE YEAR! HA!! Anyhow, (pics to follow soon!), and I love that this DIY card catalog is housing lots of my crafting supplies! It was only $18 from my favorite thrift store! My kids have since inked it all up. Meh. Whuddya expect.

I was proud to have done a guest post, too, over at a popular personal finance blog, called, Budgets Are Sexy. J.Money (shout out!) was nice enough to let me write a post, 10 Tips to Getting Better Deals at the Thrift Store. I’ve got the burning desire to do more guest posting in the near future!

And I was featured in a couple blog radio programs, which was really awesome! Although, I tend to be a bit verbose. LOL

And this $12.00 green and gold chalkboard desk that I got from the thrift store and made over is actually cool! We just moved it into the crafting room so that hubby has a place to work during the day. I think he likes it…..? Go check out the link for “BEFORE” pics.

My son’s really enjoy this chalk painted $5.00 thrift store kid’s desk that I painted for them, too. I love the alphabet stickers I added, along with the chalkboard top.

And the latest little craft project I DIY’ed was that cute little DIY wood wine box, only $5.00 from the thrift store. As you recall, it was upcycled into a knitting kit for my niece, for this past Christmas. And she loved it! So do it!

Is that 10 projects or posts or highlights I’ve listed? Meh– if it’s not, you’ll have to get over it. I’m TIRED! lol. It’s nearly 3 a.m. EST, and my bed is calling.

But before I go, ooohhh!! I have to show you what I picked up from the thrift store tonight, for only $19.86!!! It’s it AMAZING!!! Look at that detail!!!! The worker had just put it out, and it was hidden behind some other furniture. TOTAL SCORE, huh?

Any suggestions on how I should make this baby over so as to highlight the detailing on the front drawers?

And this is how I got it home. HA!

So what was your favorite project of mine this year? And do you totally love that dresser?!

Happy New Year!

The post My Top 10 Projects and Post of 2012 appeared first on .

If you had walked past this vintage-y $5.00 wood wine box, would you have stopped?

Well, I couldn’t help myself! It was exactly what I was looking for: a cool storage box for my 9-year-old niece’s Christmas gift: her first sets of skeins and knitting needles (and of course I am going to be her teacher!) So check out what I did to it tonight!!!

I used Mod Podge and vintage-y looking scrapbook paper to cover up what actually wasn’t a bad world map. It just wasn’t the kind of “look” that a 9-year-old girl would go for, ya know what I mean? She needed something pretty. I think she will like this!

I placed some warm, cozy yarn inside, to make a scarf, along with some knitting needles.. And I loved how the elastic was already in place to hold in an extra skein of yarn! Now my niece will have a pretty place to store her first skeins of yarn and needles!

Doesn’t it kind of resemble a Louis Vuitton bag? LOL. And at a fraction of the cost…

And since my latest craze seems to be making cheap DIY gift baskets for people (like the DIY basket I created last weekend stuffed it full of my favorite crafting supplies for my friend’s 40th birthday), I figured–what not one more??

So, what do you think?

Don’t you just love DIY Christmas Gifts!?!

P.S. I had a pretty good thrift haul tonight at the thrift store tonight, so if you’d like to see what other stuff I got, and interesting “crap” I saw (but didn’t buy!), go check it out over on my Thrift Diving Facebook page.

Serena

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Remember when thrift stores were just a hodge-podge of junk, and you’d spend hours having to sift through the chaos? There was no rhyme or reason to how things were laid out; if you were a size 10 shoe (like me), good luck finding the section labeled “Big Ass Feet.”

It used to be HARD finding your shoe size at thrift stores!

And it was nearly impossible to say to yourself, “SELF, I’m going to the Goodwill to look for a pair of khaki pants.”

Like hell you were! Good luck…..

You couldn’t just DECIDE one day that you wanted to hit up the a thrift store for a book about Flying Squirrels or some other crazy random topic, because how in the hell would you find the book section on “ANIMALS”?

You couldn’t.

Odds were, the thrift store was a hot mess of disorganization.

But times are a’ changing, y’all!

The Seattle Goodwill on South Lane (located at 1400 South Lane Street, Seattle, WA 98144) defied all I’ve ever known about what a thrift store was: a conglomerate of peoples’ cast-offs strewn about for the serious thrift divers to discover a diamond in the rough.

Oh, no, people….This Goodwill had their shit together.

I had the pleasure of hitting up this particular Goodwill on a recent trip to Seattle while on a layover en route to Hawaii (and you know I had to check out Hawaiian thrift stores, so stay tuned for that post!). One of my Thrift Diving Facebook followers was soooo sweet to direct me over to this Goodwill. She said it was the best for price and selection (and there was at least another Goodwill in the University District, but that one was waaaayyy smaller, and not quite as organized).

But anyhow……

HOLY. CRAP.

This Seattle Goodwill ROCKED!

Have you ever seen a thrift store that sorted all of its sweaters by COLOR???

They COLOR-CODED their sweaters!! SWEET!

A rainbow connection. LOL

Seriously, how easy is that??

If you knew you were looking for a pink sweater, you’d know exactly where to look! (I don’t think Macy’s is even that organized!) Maybe you won’t find the style you like, but you’ve substantially cut time wasted by having to sort through racks of stuff you don’t want. The only downside is that by being so direct and focused on what you need, you might overlook some unexpected treasures you’ve skipped over.

But STILL, you guys….this sort of organization makes thrift shopping EASY PEASY!

LOOK! The khaki pants section!!! Whoa!

I was super impressed!

The prices were a little higher than what I was used to, but they had sections of designer labels, which I’m sure cost more. For example, I found a pair of black MICHAEL by Michael Kors pants (sorry, forgot to take a pic!!) and they were about $17.00 after taxes. Do you think that’s expensive for MICHAEL by Michael Kors dress slacks? My thrift store, they would have been about $9.00. Oh–but wait– My thrift store probably wouldn’t even have MICHAEL by Michael Kors slacks, so I guess there’s no comparison, huh?

Here’s a couple other cute things I tried on!

Loved this jacket, but I already own, like, 3 green jackets!

I’m regretting not buying these J Crew cropped yellow pants!!!

And I just had this conversation with some of my Facebook Followers recently: Would you buy underwear from a thrift store? 

From my thrift store, which are all used and gross? Um….no.

From this Goodwill, when clearly they allllll have tags on them? Damn right–if they fit well! (never thought I would say that!)

How about you? Would you buy these bras and underwear? 

And don’t get me started on the book section…….for real?? I felt like I was in BORDERS, for a fraction of the cost.

The book section was HUGGGGEEE, and the prices for the books were very reasonable–just a few dollars. Maybe it’s so big because everyone is getting rid of their paper copies and going digital? (Who the heck knows. I still love me good paper pages to flip through! How about you?)

I had never seen a thrift store book section so expansive, and well organized–just like Borders. 

Have you ever seen a thrift store book section look like BORDERS?? I sure haven’t.

I mean……if I ever want to learn to speak Croatian, I’m sure I could find a book on it right here in this section. LOL

Eclipse, anyone?

OMG, the stacks are endless…Seriously, am I in BORDERS??

Really, the entire place was BIG.

Expansive at the front entrance!

The largest thrift store furniture section I’ve ever seen!

Take the furniture section…

I’ve never seen such a huge furniture section at a thrift store. My big Value Village and Unique Thrift here in the Washington, DC suburbs (housed under the same warehouse proportioned building) has a great selection.

But THIS Goodwill…..it takes the cake.

Just look at some of the awesome stuff I saw there!

I seriously would have bought THIS dressed below if I lived close-by!

How adorable is this piece? Very country-ish. Imagine with some beautiful paint. And it already had the wire door fronts!

Pricey at $150, but catch it on a 50% off day…..and it’s a good deal!

 And I like that each piece had DATES on the sticker, so you can see when the piece became available. Looks like this piece had only been out 2-3 days. Bet it didn’t last!

And I don’t think my favorite thrift store has a CD collection. And if it did, it’s not like THIS one.

CD collection had some good ones!

They even had one of my favorite bands and album of all times. DMB’s “Crash” is pure genius, and so classic!

The staff were very friendly, too! This young employee, Jamal, was so cute when I told him I blog about thrift stores, DIY, home improvement, etc….and when I asked him if I could take a picture, he gleefully joked with his coworker, “I’m going to be famous!!”

Uh– not quite, buddy. LOL

Thrift Diving blog hasn’t blown up like THAT (yet!)…but yeah, you goin’ get a ‘lil recognition… LOL

As for shoes…..they had TONS of shoes! And yes, organized by size.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find much in MY size (why in the hell is it so hard to find sexy size 10s?!?!)

I did find some cute Guess shoes, but didn’t buy them because my airplane carry-on was already packed to the brim!

These were VERY cute, but where would I stash them in my airplane carry-on? LOL

To sum up my trip to the Seattle Goodwill on South Lane, it was awesome!

Seriously, if you live in or near Seattle, or are passing through (like I did), this is a thrift store you have to put on your “To Do.” You won’t be disappointed.

Again, the prices were a little higher than the Value Village and Unique Thrift stores that I frequent here in Silver Spring, Maryland (Washington, DC suburbs), but I’d be willing to pay the extra $$ just as a “THANK YOU” for the excellent selection and organization of their inventory. Wouldn’t you agree? Plus, every purchase you makes support good in the community. WIN WIN.

Overall, this was SUCH a fun trip!

I sincerely enjoyed galavanting around Seattle in my cute little rental–a FIAT! It was so fun to drive!

I’m thankful that it got me around to visit this Goodwill, (and for awesome Allie for clueing me in about this Goodwill).

So there.

I hope that you guys have enjoyed this little GO INSIDE feature on the Seattle Goodwill on South Lane!

Little Red Fiat!

If you’ve liked this “GO INSIDE” series/format, please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know  

I value feedback! And I love getting to know Thrift Divings’ readers!  

Serena

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