Thrift Store Makeover- Kitchen Herb Planter

February 20, 2013 By Manuela

Back in January I showed you some wonderful Thrifty Garden Finds that I found at Goodwill. One was a brand new Smith & Hawken Bird Attracting seed kit with planter! I recently painted it and remade it into a little kitchen herb planter with the help of a digital transfer from my daughter’s etsy shop Digital Download Shop.

My local Asian market had some potted herbs on sale and I just couldn’t resist. Easy indoor herb garden and they smell so good!

Parsley, dill, basil, and thyme.

The Graphics Fairy has a wonderful page that lists all the different ways you can transfer images onto various surfaces. 12 Easy Image Transfer Methods for DIY Projects. I used CitraSolv.

Herbs need a lot of light so you need a nice sunny spot if you’re going to grow them inside.

I’m hoping these will do well enough for me indoors to plant outside next month. Nothing beats a snip of fresh herbs to liven up a meal!

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Thrifting Tagged With: DIY projects, herbs

Thrifty Garden Finds

January 7, 2013 By Manuela

I ‘ve been really lucky with thrifting lately and wanted to show you a few things that I’ve gotten that have to do with the garden.

This Smith & Hawken Bird Attracting Seed Kit was $2.92 at Goodwill. I know they sell them at Target but I don’t know what it retails for. Anyway, I’m not going to use it as a planter.

I have a craft project in mind for the wooden crate and I’ll use the peat pots and cocopeat disks for starting some veggie seeds this spring. The 2 seed packets (6 are sold with this set apparently) I’ll direct sow in spring and see what happens.

I stopped at the thriftstore (in another town) before heading to Lowe’s to buy some clearanced spring bulbs and found this long handled bulb planter for $3.93! It looks brand new! They retail for anywhere from $20-90.

Isn’t that weird that I would find a bulb planter on the day I was going to buy a bunch of bulbs!!

Wouldn’t you know it, Lowe’s was all out of their clearanced bulbs so I headed back home to Home Depot where they had a ton of bulbs. Know why they still had a ton of bulbs? Because they never mark down their stuff correctly! All the bulb displays still had the full retail price on them. I took one up to a register and they scanned at 50% off. So I bought a few bags of daffodils, hyacinths and alliums. I’ll go back in another week or so and see if they’re 75% off.

I spent several hours outside happily working in the yard since today was a gorgeous, sunny day. It was so nice to be outdoors! I used my bulb planter and planted all of the bulbs except the alliums. The bulb planter worked great. I’ve never had one before. I usually just dig a big hole and throw a bunch of bulbs in at once.

spring 2012 flowers

When to plant spring flowering bulbs depends on where you are. Our ground isn’t frozen yet so I can still dig a hole. We have at least 2 more months of cold weather before spring so the bulbs will get the cooling period that they need. This is the way I always do it because I refuse to pay full price for daffodils! The only thing I’ve noticed is that they bloom later than the bulbs that have been in the ground for a while, which is fine with me.

My last find is 60 feet of Pro Garden Edging for $2.92! One of my 2013 garden projects is to enlarge and change the shape of the cottage garden in front of my vegetable garden (that’s where I’m planting the alliums) and I wanted some edging for it. And now I have some!

I found all these items within the last week!

Now is the time to go to the thrift store! People are decluttering/organizing and donating stuff they can’t use/don’t want.

Have you been thrifting lately? What did you find?

Filed Under: In the garden, Thrifting Tagged With: garden, thrifting

A Favorite Thing – Decorating with My Thrift Store Finds

November 16, 2012 By Manuela

I’m joining Claudia’s A Favorite Thing Saturday over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. This week I’m sharing something that combines two of my favorite things - thrifting and dogs… and decorating with my thrifty finds. O.K. THREE of my favorite things!

How many of you remember the store Bombay Co.? I used to love that store so much! I was very into the whole British Colonial look back in the day (my how tastes change)!

Do they have any brick and mortar stores anymore? All the ones around here closed years ago.

Anyway, I found a fun Bombay Co. dog print {which looks brand new since it still had some of the corner protectors on it} at Goodwill.

Many of you will remember that I have some vintage dog prints in my foyer around my front door.

That’s where I put my new find. See he fits right in! (of course it would have been even more perfect if he was a Golden like our Maxie or a Beagle like Corey).

Now I think it would be so fun to have a few more (at least one more) dog print in this style!

Always something new to search for – that’s the fun of collecting and thrifting!

Did you miss my other thrift store finds this week? Go here to see them.

Filed Under: Collections, Theme Parties, Thrifting Tagged With: Budget Decorating, decorating with thrift store finds

Red Gingham & Roosters

November 13, 2012 By Manuela

When you have very little money to spare on decorating, the thrift store can be your best friend. I have gotten so many really great things at the thrift store! I don’t know what I’d do if there were no thrift stores! I’d have a pretty empty house (which might be a good thing ).

Sometimes (most times) I come away with nothing. The trick is to try to go frequently. I had a really good week thrifting last week since I was in and out looking for some art work to use on this project. I thought I’d share two of my finds with you today.

This pattern….I found a bowl and two plates a few years ago and last week I found two more plates!

I just love this pattern!

Doesn’t it just say “I belong on a table in a Farmhouse”!

So now I have 4 plates and 1 bowl – that’s thrifting! You’re very lucky if you find a complete set of dishes. These were originally from Wal-Mart available in one of those box sets that they sell. Unfortunately that was around 2004/5ish. They really should bring this pattern back don’t ya think!

The other thrifting treasure I want to show you is this vintage rooster vase I found.

Isn’t he something! I added him to my rooster collection that I have on the top of my Ikea bookcases.

Eventually I’d like there to only be vintage chickens/roosters on that shelf. I have a couple of big ones I put in the back that are new. One day I’ll have real chickens but for now these will have to do.

I’m very happy with my thrift store purchases. I found a few other things that I’ll save for another day!

Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Theme Parties, Thrifting Tagged With: Budget Decorating, plates, roosters, thrifting

Vintage Red Tin With Roosters

September 2, 2012 By Manuela

I stopped at a neighborhood garage sale Friday and found a cute old red storage tin with some roosters on it that I thought would be perfect for my kitchen!

I have this little shelf over the doorway that goes to the dining room where I currently have a little display of rooster items.

I found this shelf in one of my neighbors garbage a few years ago.

I love the scallopy design and was so happy that it added a little display area to my kitchen!

Have a Wonderful Labor Day!

Filed Under: Fluffing my nest, Thrifting Tagged With: Budget Decorating, Collections, kitchen, vintage

Chippy Shutters & An Update

April 27, 2012 By Manuela

Hi all!

I got these chippy shutters for $14 at a neighbor’s garage sale last month (yes it’s garage sale season here already). They are very very, extremely chippy and unfortunately forest green (not in my color palette). So I scraped the loose paint off and mix up a color that is more to my liking.

I have one done and thought I’d show it to you. I’m going to hang them on the outside of the door leading into the screened porch.

****Update on my Colonial Pipeline situation******

They are sending a stump grinding crew out next week to take care of all the stumps they left. It will make it much easier for me to replant. A small victory but at least I feel they are doing something that actually helps me.

We’ve already purchased some plants to replace the one’s they chopped down and have a plan of what we’re going to do.

I’ve been so busy planting and painting that by the time I sit down I just don’t have the energy to blog. Hopefully things will slow down a bit now and I’ll be able to spend some time here!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Filed Under: Thrifting

Amazon GC Winner & Some Thrifty Finds

March 30, 2012 By Manuela

I wanted to show you two things that I got at the thriftstore recently. One thing I’ve been searching for since I re-made my faux fireplace and one thing I’ve always wanted for my garden but have never been able to find. The winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Certificate is announced at the end of this post. Thank you to all you entered!

I built out the firebox in my fireplace so I could actually put some candles in there and simulate a real fire (wishful thinking) so I’ve been looking for either a large candleholder thingie or maybe two/three that I could use together. I found this perfect one at Goodwill!

I did see one I could have gotten at TJMaxx but it was $20+ and it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind so I passed on it.

Which is good because this fits perfectly! I need to get some short white candles for the front and I’m still looking for a mirror that will fit into the back (to reflect the candles).

Still working on the fireplace (and the living room, and the stairs, and my office, and my garden)! I wish I wasn’t always in the “before” stage with projects that I show you, but that’s real life. At least it’s my real life since I shop mostly clearance and thriftstores plus I have a limited budget. Slow is how it goes around here !

Guess what! I finally have a chicken! No………….really!

A concrete chicken! Oh my gosh, I have been looking and looking for a concrete chicken. I would have even paid full price for one, but I never came across one!

$8!! Squeeal! I’m sure people thought I was crazeee since I know I was grinning from ear to ear clutching my chicken. Now, of course, I want one or two other ones so I can have a “flock” (less is never more with me).

That’s it for my thrifty finds.

OK – the winner of the Amazon Gift Certificate chosen by the random number generator thing is….

#35 Dawn Gahan @ The Gahan Girls

Thanks to everyone that helped me celebrate my five years of blogging!

Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Thrifting Tagged With: fireplace mantle/mantel, thrifting

Thrifty Finds For My Daughter’s Bedroom

March 2, 2012 By Manuela

As some of you may remember, last year we turned our downstairs family room/husband’s officeinto a bedroom and workroom for our daughter (she’s attending SCAD in Atlanta). I wanted to share a few things that we’ve found in the past couple months for her room.

We found this wonderful horse print with this thick wooden frame at Goodwill.

When she was little she loved horses and was always asking for riding lessons. We almost moved to more acreage so she could have a horse of her own and then suddenly she lost interest and was on to other things.

I was looking for exactly this type of mirror for months and guess where I found it?

In my neighbor’s trash! So it was free! I need to refinish it one of these days.

The last thing I want to show you is a recent find for one of her collections.

This vintage Pity Kitty was found at a local junk shop. She collects these big eyed animal prints call Pity Puppies and Pity Kitties from the 60′s. I just need to look through my frames to see if I have one that fits.

Decorating with thrift store finds is slow going, as most of you know. Plus my daughter has very different tastes from me so it’s not like I can pick things up when I’m out thrifting by myself. She wants to live in a Tudor castle, I want to live in a cottage in the country. I think that pretty much sums it up

Linking to:

Thrifty Things Friday

Thrifty Love

Filed Under: Thrifting

Inexpensive & Easy Art Project

February 3, 2012 By Manuela

Our master bathroom is done in black and white toile (you can see it here) and I want to introduce some splashes of color. So I decided to remake these shell prints.

which were originally these goose prints that I got at Goodwill!

Originally I used Vintage Printable for the shell clip art.

All I did was spray paint the frames black, print and attach the shell prints to the existing goose print and called it done! So easy!

This time I went to the Graphics Fairy and found some wonderful vintage coral clip art to use in my new prints.

I did have to re-size them in Photoshop because these are small frames. I also added the yellow background with Photoshop (mainly because I didn’t have any card stock only white printer paper on hand).

Then all I had to do was cut them to size and insert them into the frames.

These frames are the perfect size for that narrow space between the window and door frame.

Easy peasy project! Love that and LOVE, love, love how the colors pop in the black frame.

Click on the image below to go to the Graphics Fairy to get your own free clip art.

source: Graphics Fairy

Linking to:

Thrifty Things Friday

It’s a Hodge Podge Friday

Fancy This Fridays

Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Thrifting

My Thrifty Garden Gate Find

January 26, 2012 By Manuela

I haven’t shared any thrifty finds with you guys in a long time. Mainly because I didn’t go thrifting or shopping even (except for groceries and necessities) for most of last year. Since we had planned on moving, I was more in the getting rid of mode but now that we know we’re staying put for the next few years….well…

Let The Thrifting Begin!

…within reason

So a few weeks ago I went to TJMaxx to look for a desk and a chair – didn’t find anything – I was walking around just looking… when I spy this….

A garden gate! I guess it’s made out of aluminum or iron. Anyway, it’s heavy!

{do you see the daffodil in bloom!!}

I can’t tell you how many women stopped me on my way to the register to ask me about it and then share all their good ideas of what they would do with it!

I’m pretty sure I’m using it in my garden somewhere. I may use a piece here and there or I may use it together as it was intended. Or I may use some of it in the house. So many options!

Pretty cool right? On to two other fun items.

This I actually got for free from a neighbor at the end of her garage sale. She was putting things that didn’t sell by the curb for people to take. She had marked it $8 and I guess no one wanted it at that price? I’m going to use it as a garbage can for my office.

My last thrifty item is this vintage Federal Glass snack set from Goodwill $1.25. I’d love to find at least three more. I did check etsy and the going rate is $7-$10 a set! I’ll wait.

Well those are my recent thrifty finds.

Have you found any treasures lately?

Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Thrifting Tagged With: thrifting

Goodwill + Spray Paint=Easy Makeover

May 19, 2011 By Manuela

A few weeks ago I was browsing my local Goodwill and saw this fabulous object.

A wooden birdcage!

I have a thing for birdhouses/birdcages so this one had to come home with me especially since this big ol’ thing was only $5.95!

It’s brown and I wasn’t sure what color to paint it (cause I can never just leave anything the way it is) . So paint I must. But should it be red which is my favorite color or maybe yellow (my second favorite color), black, white or maybe aqua?

I decided to just keep it simple, so two coats of white spray paint is all that it got. I figure white goes with everything, its fresh and summery and at least it’s primed in case I decide to paint it a different color later on. I have been known to change my mind.

Here it is on my buffet table out on my screened porch.

I’ve decided that I really like Geraniums (they last a long time here in Georgia). They just seem like such cheerful flowers and come in quite a few lovely colors. This one is pink and white.