little things that make me happy

 I really love to go to thrift stores, antiques shops, and when the weather is warm, flea markets. Garage sales are cool too sometimes, but here in Reno they can be mostly lame. I might try Estate sales soon though, seems that a lot of people in the blogosphere have tremendous luck there.

It is a kind of peaceful thing for me. I love to wander the aisles and bins of items cast aside, seeking out my own personal treasures. It is also wonderfully fulfilling when you rescue an item, or return it to it's former glory. The cost is quite alluring as well. I am by no means a wealthy person, I work a retail job and am a mother and college student. So I am always looking for a good buy. And anyone who knows me personally knows I am inherently cheap. I know what I am willing to pay for some things, and little sways me. There will always be another opportunity later.

That being said, this post is inspired by an antique couch I recently found at the thrift store. These are almost always in need of a good reupholstery, and often cushion replacement and a good sand and stain of the legs. And they usually are upwards of $200 in our area. Here in Reno we peddle junk at high prices. For the most part. Like you can never find a vintage typewriter for less than $50. What! People back east get 'em for $5.

Thrifting is one of my favorite activities, so I thought I'd share a couple of my recent "saves"....

The Bird art above is painted on glass with a colored piece of cardboard behind it. I got it for $1. The frame was beat up, and I forgot to take a before picture, so I included this one of its backside below. I gave it a sanding and I painted it blue. It accents the artwork beautifully, and will be a wonderful contrast in my living room, which is tones of orange, yellow and brown.

 

This Borg scale is quite a find. It's older than my house! Awesome. I started to tear off the contact paper someone put over the top before taking my before picture, but you get the idea. This bad boy was $6, and i cleaned it up and put it in my bathroom. Now I can become weight obsessed on this piece of 1950's beauty. It's totally accurate.

This 1950's TV tray has been moving around my house, I haven't quite found it's permanent home, but at $1 I wasn't passing it up.

Crocheted afghans are something I always look for, they make any room cozy and homey. This one's bright fun colors are a great contrast to my living rooms mostly earthy tones, and it was only $4.

Framed artwork is one of my favorite things to look for in the thrift stores, with the exception of my "I heart Parfaits" painting (in a thrifted frame) all of these pieces were less than $3. That excludes the mirror, which was a gift.

I am well one my way to putting together a cozy warm home full of vintage and second hand treasures. But the journey to this is such fun, and a bit addicting. I'm actually trying to calm myself, because even though it's cheap, I need to start putting my money towards bigger repairs. Bath remodel and a new roof are in my near future!

XO