Be Our Guest!

I'd like to start with how we did our guest room, which is really a room for my mother when she stays with us. The decor is to her liking, and was designed with her in mind. I have to say, it came out really cute.

So here is the piece that started my design process.

This small chest of drawers was my Great Grandmother's. I really liked the chippy paint finish and decided to leave it as is.
So that started the theme of a more toned down shabby chic decor.
The charming little birdhouses are my mother's. They just went perfectly in the room and she was delighted to put them there.

We needed a bed, but all I had was a bed frame. Boring. Here is what I did.

Looks expensive, right?
Nope.
The sides of the day bed structure are an old headboard and foot board that I already had. The headboard was warped beyond repair. I cut off the taller posts in the back, and cut the foot board in half. THe taller poles were attached to the lower posts, like so.

I then painted the new side rails with enamel paint. It's usually in the spray paint section and is FAR more durable than latex paint. It also goes much further than spray paint.
If you use a paint brush, you get an interesting texture to the piece. If you want a smooth finish, use paint sponges.
The quilt was 20 dollars at Wal Mart. The pillow shams that don't match the quilt were given to me by someone who never used them. They coordinate, but don't match exactly.
The chinelle throw was a hand me down, as was the little patch work dog.
I made the whole bed look for under 50 dollars. The quilt was 20 bucks, and the paint was about 10. Various painting supplies, about 5 dollars.
And underneath, still the floating bed frame that I already had.

The side rails that give the day bed look are not attached to the frame, but rather are attached to the wall.

Now, for the window piece that is above the bed.
I found the window in a junk pile at a relatives house.

I was unsure if the paint was lead based or not. Judging by the age, it probably is. To prevent the paint from falling off in the house, I used a sealant on the window. This not only prevents paint chips from falling off into the hands of the kids, or pets....but it preserves the look I want to keep.
The lace was simply stapled on in the back. Because I used a bright color on the walls, the lace really pops beautifully.
The lace was a lace curtain and valance I got at a thrift store for 5 bucks. The curtain is polyester, so not an heirloom.

The rose shaped fabric draping is just curtain shears that I gathered and tied off with a natural yarn. Twine, or burlap ties would look beautiful too.
I already owned the curtain shears. I see them all the time at the thrift stores though, so they are not hard to get for cheap.

My mother owned old steamer trunks that she didn't have room for anymore, so I took those to add to the decor.

Now I have extra storage space for guests, and the steamer trunk adds some wonderful charm to the room. These trunks are not terribly expensive at vintage stores, or you can try Craigslist.

The lace (on top of one of my countertop remnant shelves I mentioned in an earlier post) is the valence that matches the curtain in the window.

This was a refinishing project. Again, searching outbuildings on family land...I found this little night stand. It was terribly wobbly and needed a tiny bit of paint to take it from ugly to shabby chic.
The doilies are quilt pieces that I salvaged from a scrap bag found in an attic.

Another restoration project for this room was an old vanity chair that belonged to a relative.

It started out....really rough. There are gouges on it, and the top was trashed.
To work! This took some serious sanding, wood putty, and elbow grease. This is the end product.

The cushion is a bit uneven, as I had to kick a cat off to get a picture. ;)
The new cushion part was one of my mom's old skirts that I cut up.
I'm very pleased with how this turned out.

There we go. One guest room for under 200 dollars.







Bonus!
The 10 minute upcycle!

Believe it or not, this was actually a cake plate. The middle indentation was just perfect for a mirror.
I picked up the mirror at the dollar store. It came with a cheap plastic frame that was easily removed.
I sawed off the base of the cake plate, and it left the perfect hole for the mirror to be hung.

Then is was just a matter of gluing in the mirror.
That's it.
Not much work for a beautiful accent piece.


See ya next time!

Well friends, here I am again.
It's been a while, and I blame life. Life has a way of doing that sometimes.
I've moved, and we've had some medical issues, but things have evened out. \
With the move, I have a whole lot of upcycling and refurbishing projects to show you, so new posts will be coming for some time. Huzzah! 

So here I am!

I see a lot of questions across the internet about where to thrift for certain items, so let's address that.
Some of this seems like common sense, but if you're new to the game...here's a primer. 

Vintage items.
I love vintage. But where to look for it?
Thrift stores/garage sales in areas with an older population are the best place to start. Older people have often held onto older items and that's normally what they will get rid of.
Working class neighborhoods will also get rid of vintage items as they gradually replace hand me downs with newer items.

New/like new clothing.
I'm always on the lookout for new clothing or shoes.
Middle class and upper middle class neighborhoods are some of the best places to go for new items that are in good condition.  Think suburbia.  You have a better chance at getting good deals at garage sales in these areas. But, hit the thrift stores as well.
You're going to find the best items for the best prices when the seasons change, this goes for clearance sales at department stores as well. 

Homegoods
Furniture, and appliances are high ticket items, but the best items for cheap will come from wealthy areas.  I've had lots of good luck with Craigslist for these kinds of items. Thrift stores in wealthy areas tend to have good donations for things like dishes, silverware, and home decor.
With the rising popularity of shows like Storage Hunters, a lot of people have gotten into the game of buying storage units and selling the contents, sometimes for dirt cheap.
This is good for bargain hunters. There are deals to be had, just remember to be safe.
Don't meet anyone alone, and tell your friends/family where you are going.

So there's a basic guide for where to look for certain items.

Since I'm thinking about vintage items, let's talk about vintage pricing.
Just because something is old, doesn't mean it's worth a lot of money. Remember that when you are shopping. If you're shopping for one certain piece, do your research on that item.
If an item isn't popular, it's not going to be worth as much. The vintage market is driven by popularity of the item, as well as who made it and when.


So, that's it for today.
Stay tuned for new posts!