Poppin' Tags

Part of the excitement of a new-to-us, bigger house is getting to put our own stamp on it.  But the reality of having 2 small kids in daycares + medical bills + heating said bigger house with an  old and horribly inefficient heat pump means we don’t have a lot (any) extra money lying around.  The upside is that I now have a perfectly valid excuse to frequent thrift stores for bargains and upcycling projects.  Bargains are in my blood – my Mamaw (maternal grandmother) was the yard sale queen, and after many early Saturday mornings being dragged around, I’ve had extensive training.  I’ve scored a few finds recently that are helping to decorate the house a little and make me happy in the process.

P.S. Yes they are all icky flash pictures as they were all taken post-bedtime.

I found the white lamp base at Goodwill for $5, all it needed was a quick wipe-down with the magic eraser and it was as good as new.  A few days later, I got lucky at Target and found the lamp shade on clearance for $5.06.  So, for $10 I have a great accessory for my desk in the office!

Not sure what is up with the wooden bowl here - it isn't beat up at all!

All of these little bowl-thingies (possibly ash trays in prior lives) are going to live in various places to hold keys, bobbins, thread, etc.  The biggest splurge was the star at $3.99 from Mega Thrift, the other two were $0.49 each at Salvation Army (what?!). 

P.S. The local Salvation Army is new to me.  It’s in a shopping center that used to be pretty sketchy, but it’s being made over.  The workers are awesome to chat with and their prices are so much better than Goodwill and other thrift stores around here.  The only downside is the number of bargain hunters – the furniture in particular goes really fast.

This desk was an AWESOME find for $9 at ReStore.  I have a fold-up sewing desk that I love, but it’s a pain to open and it already holds my serger and other machine (that’s another story).  Plus, the small surface area made it terrible for quilting, and there isn’t much leg room.  In other words, it’s only ideal for small projects, like clothing, and I didn’t want to have to move machines around.  So I began looking for larger desks or a table, but couldn’t find anything sturdy, low enough to accommodate my shortness, and with tons leg room for multi-tasking.  This meets all those requirements, and because of the lacquered/kinda ugly top I can even pin on it without worries.  Although this could probably use a coat of paint to combat the 70s brown, it’s in pretty good shape and mostly needed a quick cleaning.

Finally, some top sheets (vintage and probably Target).  The vintage one will definitely be a quilt back.

Yay for thrift store finds!  Cheap and with personality, can’t beat it.  I have a few others that I’ve made over, just need to take the obligatory before and after shots J