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Showing posts from July, 2012

Habitat for Humanity is starting to rip me off....

....and I don't like it! There is no rhyme or reason why they price things the way that they do. One week I can get a dining room table for $25.00 or a freaking white buffet like the other day for $35.00. Then the next week I go in there and a small side table, which should only cost $5.00, is priced at $15.00! I don't get it. It makes no sense to me and it's starting to bother me. Maybe there is a complaint line I can call. I'll look into it. Well this will be a short post because I didn't take before photos. I know, I know. Deal with it. I went into the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Saturday and only found one little side table that I had any desire to refinish. It was NOT WORTH $15.00. But I wanted it so I paid $15.00 for it. There is hardly any profit margin when it comes to smaller items. From now on I'm only sticking to dressers/buffets/armoires (or other larger items). But here is the side table after I painted it black and put new brushed nick...

Dumpster Diving Dresser

I love dumpster diving. People throw away some really awesome stuff! For instance, check out this dresser that someone left by a dumpster at my boyfriend's condo complex. I was leaving one day and walked past the dumpster and nearly had a heart attack. I quickly pulled my car up and loaded it into the back. Mr. Emily (boyfriend) thinks I'm crazy and came out of his condo to help me with the expression of "God, not again" on his face but do I care? Nope. So this is what I got for F.R.E.E. I love Free. Definitely needs some TLC but overall it's a decent dresser so why anyone would throw this out is beyond me. They could have at least sold it for $25 as in on Craiglist! Oh well, their loss is my gain. I decided to take a risk on this make over. I should stick to only universally liked colors, such as white or black. But I felt adventurous so I decided on Rust-Oleum's Slate Blue Matte. This time I used a white primer before I spray painted it in blue....

DIY: Apothecary Jars

I've always loved apothecary jars, especially when placed in the bathroom to hold things like cotton balls. But they are always so expensive! Places like Home Goods sell the jars for anywhere between $5.00 for the smaller ones to over $20.00 for the larger ones. Ridiculous! So I decided to make my own. Talk about a cheap project. And so simple too. First step: Go to the dollar store and purchase candle stick holders and glass jars/vases/glasses. I purchased 3 candle stick holders and 3 pillar candle holder vases. Second Step: Put glue on the top of the candle stick holder. I used a cement adhesive, which DOES NOT WORK. I found this out a few hours later. I then used Gorilla Glue . That stuff will stick to ANYTHING. It's my go to glue (I even glued down my kitchen transition pieces using Gorilla Glue). Third Step: Place your pillar candle holder on top of the candle stick holder. Fourth Step: Let sit and dry overnight. Fifth Step: Admire your h...

Buffet anyone?

Every Saturday I take a trip to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to try to find furniture pieces that I can fix up and re-sell. A few weeks ago I found this nasty brown buffet that needed some serious TLC. The cost was $35.00. I, of course, realized I needed to take a "before" photo after I had removed the knobs/doors. But what do you people want from me? Be thankful I actually remembered to take the freaking photo this time. The inside of the buffet drawer was lined with this green felt that had been super glued down. It was very time consuming removing that. Took a lot of elbow grease and nail polish remover to try to loosen up the glue. Even after 99% of it was removed, the bottom of the drawer was still bumpy. But I can only do so much! I used a matte white spray paint from Lowes. Whatever the generic name brand spray paint they sell at Lowes. I also purchased new hardware for the knobs. In order to have the hinges match, I spray painted them a metalli...

Gold, gold and more gold

I am not a "gold" person. But when it came to the tv bar cart, I felt gold was appropriate since the knobs were gold and the tv inlay was gold. It's growing on me. Kind of makes it a little more classier, in my opinion. After looking at my inspiration photo, I decided I wanted a gold plated serving tray, some 1950's/60's inspired glassware, and some few other odds and ends. I went to my local thrift store, Sister's Thrift and Consignment Shop (AMAZING thrift store - with awesome owners), and hunted around in their massive glassware section. I also stumbled upon a silver plated serving tray. Which, again, I forgot to take a picture of before I spray painted it metallic gold. I suck at this picture taking thing. I purchased the tray, a set of 8 vintage looking glasses, and this gold painted vase looking thing. Haven't figured out what I'm going to do with THAT yet. Maybe I'll put swizzle sticks in it. I found a website on ebay that sells old s...

1950's TV Bar Cart Transformation

I found this idea on Pinterest. Some cleaver person took a vintage 1950's tv, gutted it, and transformed it into a bar. What a genius idea! The moment I saw it, I knew I would have to re-create it. Here was the inspiration: First I had to track down a tv. I scoured Craigslist and found someone who was selling one for $25 so I snatched it up. In order to make a "bar" out of a tv, you need to remove all the "guts." Let me tell you now that removing the picture tube (inside of the tv) was a terrifying experience. I had read tutorial after tutorial online regarding the CRT (cathode ray tube). Every single tutorial I read said that if the CRT breaks, it would explode like a bomb sending glass particles everywhere. I.was.terrified. I did not take any pictures of the tv before it was gutted, or of the actual picture tube itself. Why I don't know but here is a stock photo I found online to show you what I was dealing with! It took me literally two w...