Thrifty Outdoor Ideas

thRifty thuRSDayS

Since this week is a big week where people spruce up the outdoors, I thought I'd share some thrifty ideas to make bring the indoors out.

Here's a great table made of an old door and some ikea sawhorses.  The red chairs go amazingly well with the blue and white table.

via staceyembracingchange

Here is a delightful porch.via Michele Raven Designs

A $15 dollar table painted yellow to use on the patio, paired with this silver chairs.  Super cute.  I love the baskets.
via lindy cottage hill

Love, love, love this patio with the handing candelier.  It's so al fresco.

[caption id="attachment_1104" align="aligncenter" width="274" caption="via annsage.com"][/caption]

A little midcentury anyone?  Okay, maybe this one is not thrifty, but I bet you I can find a way to make it thrifty....really cool inspiration.

 via plainair

Check out this feedsack day bed.via craftomaniac

xo,

mONICa

Thrift Store Ottoman Transformed- Thrifty Thursdays.

Gotta love a good thrift store find. Check out this great ottoman that Maggie from Midwestern Sewing Girl found.



A little mid century decor never hurt anybody, but it looks like the frame was a little rough and needed a facelift.  I could think of a million ways I would've done this ottoman, but I gotta say Maggie's way is pretty exquisite.





I must say I'm slightly jealous.  I never find anything this good at thrift stores.  To see more of Maggie's projects check out her blog at Midwestern Sewing Girl.

xo,

mONICa

DIY Paintings-Complete

Okay...so once again, I'm not an artist.  However, I really needed some art for my family room.  My inspiration was a cross between a vintage sheet that I plan to repurpose as throw pillows and this flower power rug from target that I just think has a cool pattern:

Here is a photo of the vintage bed sheet:

You can see the blank wall in this post.  Here are the completed pieces.  There is really no rhyme or reason, they are just kind of random like me.

A little bit closer

And in the room showing the blue wall (I'll get a better shot on a neater family room day).

The project came in at under $20 bucks including frames. I'm actually kind of proud of them since I have failed at other attempts at art in the past.

xo,

mONICa

Wonderful for Less Wednesdays- Coastal Bedroom

Our inspiration room for the week is a coastal bedroom with lots of white and some yellow accents.  It's very clean and fresh and perfect for the summertime.  I can just feel the breeze blowing through this room.  I also love the glitz and glam of the metallic side tables.  I think this would make an excellent guest room, your guest will feel like they are staying at a beach resort.

House Beautiful

Here is my sensibly chic version:

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything that resembled those beautiful pale yellow ottomans, but I think the cream is still snazzy and gives it the coastal effect.

Shopping list is as follows

Headboard- Cymaxstores $303.03

Nightstand- Urban Outfitters- $179.00

Side Table- Urban Outfitters- $119.00

Storage Bench- KMart- $123.49

Lamps- Target- $149.99ea (Would also try Home Goods)

Black Frames-Target-$12.99ea

Leaf Poster Print- Buy.com-$10.80ea

Grand Total- $1048

xo,

mONICa

I Love Panels

Ok so I was recently out on a thrift day when I saw this sliding panel. Cool, but what to do with it since it is made to be vertical and was part of a 3 door panel.  I knew there were 2 matching panels that originally went with it since I was just at the same store last week and passed on them since they were kind of pricey ($35 each).  Kind of regretted it because when I went back 2 had sold.  Well I just couldn't resist getting it for 10 bucks because it has that midcentury thing going on which I love!  so I bought it. It went so perfectly on the wall above my dining table and chairs. It didn't even need to be stain or painted. It is made of wood with a plastic insert that looks like rice paper, really cool! I just added some flush mount hooks on the back, $2 and 10min later, Voila!

Since you have not seen my dining room let me share a little bit about how we even got to the wall art portion of it.  The table I bought from craigslist.   Originally  it was a medium-brown nasty color. My husband just couldn't understand how I could be giving up a cute glass table…constant dusting (obviously something he did not partake in) and colorful chairs but new, for this ugly old thing that come out of the 70's  and someones garage, but once we stripped it and stained and painted it he saw the light!  He now love love loves this table. It has a cool grain pattern on it and is solid as they come -oak . I paid $40 for it!



The chairs also a craigslist find $12 bucks each. They originally were black and were used by the previous owner for some photography shoot. We primed and spray painted them to match the table. We left the velvety baby blue upholstery because it go's well with our decor.  They really are the perfect chairs…lightweight but super sturdy and comfortable. For $12 bucks each a great find!

This chandelier is modern from Osh hardware. I picked it up on sale for $60. I liked it because I has somewhat of mid-century look and the chrome matches my curtain hardware. I am hoping to change out the shades for round drum shades, That would complete the look I am going for.

After finding the great panel for my dining room, I saw this beige panel around two weeks later at another thrift store for $5 dollars and of course i immediately grabbed it! I am not sure yet what i am going to do with it but whatever I do end up using it for I am sure It will look great. I think the possibilities are endless, and for $5…right?

xo
Elaine

I guess you can spray paint a lampshade

So if you get totally bored with your old lamp shade there is a way to customize it. Sometimes when I see things really cheap I got to try to make them work, so here is the lamp I got at Home Goods on clearance.



Yup.  Totally not my style, but for under $10 bucks I knew I could make it my style.  Well, it sat in my basement for a while and then one day I was having guest and knew I needed more lighting.  So off to the internet I went and I found this great article at eddieross.com.  I absolutely fell in love with this lamp.



Now I know that you can cover a lamp shade with fabric, but I didn't have any and I didn't have time to run to the store, so I thought, why not?  If it didn't work I could always cover it with fabric later.  So off I went to find some spray paint in my garage.  I had metallic gray and flat black.  I lightly sanded the base and sprayed it the metallic black and then sprayed the shade with black. I did have to end up spraying both the inside and outside so that when the light shines through you can't tell that is is spray paint.  I didn't do the tape thing since I also didn't have any, but maybe later. So here it is:



As for fire hazard, well not really sure so I don't turn it on unless it is going to be supervised.  I would've had a real story to tell if it had blown up in front of my guest, but it didn't.  Whew!  I'm also looking for a collection of books that will look cool underneath it or something else creative as it sits a little too low.  We will see what I come across.

Cocktail Party Anyone?

I was having a cocktail  party and needed to get this room together fast.  For a while all that was in the room was a couch and an old credenza I had bought off of craigslist and painted black .  Off to Ikea and Home Goods I went.  I got 2 Lack Coffee table at Ikea for $7.99 each and put them together.  I got a large mirror at Homegoods for $59.99.  The pillows came as freebies with an ottoman I had in my bedroom closet so I threw them on the couch.  As for the accessories well I got creative at the Dollar Tree and made them.  The party was a success and this room with the mood lighting was a hit.  I still have some finishing up to do, but I'll have to have another Martini to get me motivated.  For now, I'm happy with the results.

 

The Work Zone

So now that I've officially started my Etsy Store, I had to find a place to work and I needed to do it on the cheap.  I was able to rescue this credenza and desk from the basement of the Boy Scouts.  It was so heavy and large we actually had to cut the desk to get it into the room.  It also had a dark finish and I decided to give it a fresh coat of white high gloss paint.  It definitely was not easy as it took 2 coats of primer and several coats of paint.  Ultimately I am happy with the results since I wanted a dramatic effect with the dark walls ($5.00 oops paint from Home Depot)  and white furniture and accessories.  I picked up a couple of extra $20 dollar chairs from Ikea to go on either side of the desk.  Bonus:  they are the same chairs I have in my dining room so when I expand the table for guest I have extra matching chairs that I can pull out.

Frugal and Fun

So this kitchen my kitchen circa 2006.  It's from my old house in California.  This is one of the funnest kitchens I've ever had.  When I got the house it had oak cabinets, brown linoleum floors, almond appliances,  and cream formica counter tops.  I had $7000 to spend and that included appliances.  With some clearance shopping and elbow grease I was able to transform it.  I painted out the cabinets and added a molding (by hand).  I changed out the hardware, added tile to the countertops (granite was not yet super popular ).  Added a floor tile (hired out a handyman) and even had enough left over to have a custom wine cabinet built.  I really wish I had shot a before picture.  Too late now.

Most people would think I was crazy

This room is definitely still a work in progress.  Most people ask why I would paint a perfectly good bathroom vanity cabinet.  Well the answer to me is simple, the builder had no matching skills.    You may not be able to tell in the photos, but the floor has no maple color at all.  The floors are fake marble linoleum.  Plus the gray is more my style.  I also changed the hardware while I was at it.  A couple bucks for paint and hardware or a few hundred for a new vanity?  I choose the paint.  I love it!  Now what to do with the rest of the bathroom?