Estate Sale Finds

Last Saturday I spent the whole morning cleaning my garage.  When I finished I had a little talk with myself "You cannot stop at one more garage sale, thrift store, or estate sale, until you transform and sell what you already have"

After I finished I decided to run out and get a bite to eat, and there it was..........The homemade estate sale sign

It might as well have been framed with flashing neon lights!!

I actually said out loud "Oh no you don't, drive by"....But, I couldn't.  By 3pm on a Saturday....They practically give things away!

I bought everything for 80%-90% off the marked price!  First up, this adorable telephone table

A stack of vintage maps, check out that Pan American map of Rome!

I have plans for this cute little shelf

I love this solid antique wicker chair with a metal seat.  I plan on taking a wire brush to it, glueing the loose wicker, and sealing it all....Chippy at it's best

I bought this trivet because it was 50 cents and adorable, it was marked Lefton

Check out this card album from 1911

Now, I don't do a lot of paper crafting, but I just know I will find something to do with this book full of 1911 calling cards

Look at this card...Hemmingway...Hum, this is Florida, I'm sure it has to be one of THE Hemmingways!?

And finally this very heavy antique beveled cabinet door

I have plans for this baby

So, I had just cleaned my garage and decided I had enough stuff, then bought and shoved in more stuff, but I reminded myself of the many times I've had an empty garage and the thrifting well ran dry.....I have to buy it when I can......RIGHT?

Happy Creating!

Carol

Partying with The Thrifty Groove

Layered Lace And Fabric Covered Lamp Shade

The reason we rent space in an antiques mall is to sell our wares, right?  

Then, why is it when the mall calls to say "You sold all 3 of your lamps today, " I go "...Oh, NO" 

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have sales! I just didn't have any lamps ready to bring in today and having a dark booth isn't good for sales

Here's what I dug out:  Two perfectly boring lamps in need of a very quick make over

I covered the shades of this lamp with a sweet rose fabric...

...and added a little hanging bling from the center

The second lamp I layered lace over the shade... 

...using spray adhesive and Fabri-Tac

Two simple and fast make overs

I brought them both into my booth at Orange Tree.  The double lamp I priced at $32 and the lace covered one at $28

Let there be light!
Especially for my dear friends in the path of Sandy...Stay safe!

Happy Creating
Carol

French Serving Tray

I love to transform serving trays from the 70's

I snap them up anytime I can, so sweet....But, not so trendy

I give them a coat of white paint and wax, then the fun part... 

....Since it has a glass top you can use fabric, needlepoint, vintage material, paper, you can even use those vintage plastic tablecloths...

...I used Paris script fabric I purchased online HERE

I put this in my booth at Orange Tree Antiques and priced it at $20 and... Oh la la, it sold the first day!

Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by I so appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day


Happy Creating!
Carol

Tool Caddy Transformation

So, there I was at the last day of an estate sale and I find this great tool caddy in the garage

I don't get it, no one else wanted it?  Maybe it wasn't great?  Sometimes I wonder how there can be neat things left the last day of an estate sale.

Maybe no one saw it?  It was full of old tools and screws and layers of grease

I used a dry brush of homemade chalk paint and then pulled out the vintage rubber stamps I nabbed at auction last year for $11 dollars...Love them

After I stamped I used clear wax and Annie Sloan dark wax

This would be a great tote for crafting or garden supplies

Oh, come on ...Who's the cutest cat...Billie!

I'm going to put this in my booth at Orange Tree and price it at $38..Watch someone will buy this thinking...."Hey this will be great after a good coat of paint!!"

Happy Creating

Carol

Vintage Wallpaper Covered Book Boxes

I pick up old book boxes anytime I can, then save them up for a vintage wallpaper covering marathon

I'm sure you've seen these at thrift stores and estate sales

They are storage boxes, I wonder how many thieves they've fooled?

Now, if you are lucky enough to have vintage wallpaper you could certainly use it, if not, you can do like I did and print vintage wallpaper from Graphics Fairy...

....Onto plain copy paper, then let it dry well...

....I used a craft sponge and applied a THIN coat of Mod Podge  before putting the "Wallpaper" on the book.   Now, I say "THIN coat" because if you apply a thick coat, the ink on the paper will run.

The pictures were also from Graphics Fairy.  There is two ways you can do this, one is to just print off the pictures, cut them out, and glue them on the "Book".  I have a Mac which has a great photo program so, I was able to merge the pictures onto the wallpaper and print it off as one sheet.

I used the picture on the book cover and shrunk it to use on the book binder as a label.   In this previous post I made separate labels.

I finished with 2 LIGHT coats of Mod Podge 

The last transformed book box I brought to my booth sold as soon as I sat it down

 On the inside I glued the picture from the front of the book

I price them between $14 and $16 dollars

 I know all of you creative people, will think of tons of fabulous ways to transform these old book boxes......I am just the idea thrower!

Happy Creating

Carol