5 friday thrifting.

It was a good day at the thrift store!  I've had several weeks in a row that were basically a bust, but today I found quite a few things!

First, some pretty flowering branch wall hangings.  They are an antique brass color and will look great in the guest room!

A couple oil lamps and an old Abraham Lincoln book for The White House.  I'm always searching for things like this to add to our little vintage collection there.

An old and shiny lipstick holder (I think) with some pretty details and an old copy of Wuthering Heights in the perfect shade of mint green.  Old books in pretty colors are a weakness of mine.

Lastly, some vintage fruit and veggie fabric in the brightest colors!  This will have to be made into something for the kitchen for sure.

Happy Friday friends!

15 fainting couch love.

Our fainting couch just got delivered in all of its reupholstered beauty yesterday!  It's completely transformed!

It's a far cry from what it looked like two weeks ago.

The fabric is Robert Allen Cameo Ovals in Bleached White...which is really a silvery gray color.

 The wood looks so much richer against the light colored fabric.

 I asked the upholsterer to add nailhead trim along the edges, I love the extra sparkle it adds!

Now I just need my husband to help me move it into it's spot in the living room.  It weighs a ton!

9 thrifty.

I have been having some really good luck while thrifting lately.  It started a few weeks ago when I stopped at the ReStore and found this gold framed mirror, which is perfect above our mantle.  I had been searching for something similar to this for quite awhile so I was really excited to find it.

Then, last week my husband and I went to an estate sale and found some great pieces of furniture.  We came home with two desks (we're using them as console tables), a rocking chair, and my favorite, a 1910-1920 era fainting couch.

The first desk is exactly what I was looking for to put under the floating shelves in our living room.  It's got great details and a pretty shape and matches the wood in our house perfectly.

The smaller desk is currently in our foyer, and definitely came in handy while we were passing out candy on Halloween.  We'll probably paint this one since the finish isn't the greatest.

We're not sure where the rocking chair is going to go yet, but my husband fell in love with it.  The cushion needs some work so we have some time to figure out where to put it.

And then there's the fainting couch.  It's currently sitting in the middle of our living room waiting to be reupholstered.  It will most likely replace the loveseat that you can see behind it once it's finished.

The detail of the wood on this piece is amazing.  I'm on the hunt for some gorgeous fabric that will complement the dark wood, but also lighten the piece up a bit since it's so heavy looking.  Light gray velvet or some metallic linen are on the top of my list at the moment, with nailhead trim to give it a little sparkle.

I also came home from the estate sale with some smaller items, including a brass pedestal, lotus bowl and some little teapots...

Three jadite bowls and the best cookie press ever (my mom has the same one, which used to be my grandmother's), which I can't wait to test out while making Christmas cookies...

a silver pedestal bowl and gravy bowl set...

and last but not least, six blue mason jars.

Then today, I stopped at one of my usual thrift stores and found this 1940s Royal typewriter, which is in amazing condition (and still works!) for $10.

 I also couldn't resist picking up a few things for Christmas while I was there.

Hopefully my luck will continue, but I probably just jinxed myself.  Have any of you been feeling extra thrifty lately?

6 the blue chair.

I picked up this awesome tufted wingback chair at a local consignment shop a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it.  It's upholstered in a navy/almost teal blue velvet (it is a bit darker than it looks in these pictures) and is in really great shape.

It's even got brass nailhead trim on the arms for a little sparkle.  

The legs are in perfect shape as well.

 The best part is, it is super comfortable to sit in!  I was pleasantly surprised the first time I sat in it.

We are starting the process of painting our front living room (the top color in the swatch below...although it is hard to take accurate pictures of paint swatches), and this chair is going to look awesome in the finished space!

I know I am behind in sharing before and after pictures of our house.  I am slowly making progress with decorating each room.  I realize they are never going to feel completely "finished", so I promise to start sharing more pictures with you!

11 stitching time.

Can't wait to get started on this kit I bought from Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy.  I absolutely love the design!  What can I say, I'm a sucker for typography.

I want to improve my embroidery skills, and what better way to do that than to practice?  I've never used crewel wool before, but we'll see how it goes.

Unfortunately the kits for this design have been completely sold out, but if you want to buy the sampler pattern, you can get it here.  I obviously am not sure yet if the directions are easy to follow since I haven't started yet, but I'm impressed with the quality of the kit and can only hope that the instructions are just as good (she did have her husband test them, after all!).

Something tells me I'll be spending some quality stitching time with this kit in the near future, especially considering the fact that our TV seems to be broken.  I'm pretty sure our house got struck by lightning on Tuesday night!

11 thrifting finds.

I did a little thrifting at lunch today and came home with a few crafty finds!  A small Olfa cutting mat, a quilting ruler, an embroidery hoop, and a kit to make your own buttons.  Also some fun graphic vintage fabric and two silk scarves.  I love collecting Vera scarves, they're like little works of art!

I already put the button kit to use, covering them with some Alexander Henry Heath fabric and adding a magnet to the back.  They look so cute on my bulletin board!

 I have the hardest time throwing fabric scraps away.  Am I the only one who feels guilty throwing even the smallest scraps away?  These are really tiny!

I've been having dreams about thrifting lately so I had to get my fix.  Not bad for $2.33!

5 the one that got away.

See this chandelier?

I was almost the proud owner of it for $20, that is, until the store employee at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store tried to take it down for me and my dreams the glass domes all came crashing down on us!  Apparently they were not attached, and they all fell out when he lifted it up.  Of course, they all fell at once in slow motion and I didn't think it would be a good idea (nor possible) to try to catch them all.  Thankfully no one was hurt (other than the shattered domes and my heart), but now I can't stop thinking about that chandelier!  It was so perfectly modern and would be a vast improvement compared to the one in my dining room now.  Does anyone know where I could find replacement domes?  I am tempted to go back and get it just in case I can find some.

3 thrifting treasures.

I really love walking around the thrift stores around here, you never know what kind of treasures you'll find!  Last night I hit the jackpot and found a few milkglass vases, brass fruit, a pretty footed bowl, and a lovely Vera Neumann scarf!

I also picked up a bunch of antique pant hangers, which are perfect for hanging prints or quilts!

I think a shopping trip to another store is on tonight's agenda, and this time I'm in search of furniture.  Wish me luck!