This is what I have been up to lately. Alot of shopping! I am such a nerd. I have all the best thrift stores in the entire valley mapped out. I have different routes set up according to area for different days so that I can hit them all in the most efficient way possible. I get anxiety ridden if I have gone a few days without hitting at least 2-3 thrift stores. And it doesn't stop there...oh no. I check ksl and craigslist several times a day...some days it is more than several...like every hour. It's like a gambling addiction. Do they have therapists for this??? My garage is full...FULL of impulse buys that I got and then realized they were definitely NOT as cool as they seemed next to all the other crap at the thrift stores. It really can be misleading when your in there with the smell...you know that smell, and the toothless. Believe it or not there is a learning curve when it comes to a successful thrift store hunt. I am proud to report I have refined and dare I say perfected the art. No, I take that back, perfection is yet to come. But it will....it will.
The little night stand above is one of my favorite D.I. purchases lately. It was in perfect condition and didn't need a bit of work. The rest of this post however is another story. This credenza below needed alot of work. I didn't take a before picture and I am so mad because the after picture (and you can't even tell from the photo...bad lighting) is quite the transformation and it looks beautiful. On a side note...the pots on top were just stuck there and not how it will be when I get the whole room done.
The whole house needs alot of work and because we are renting...most of it just won't happen. Like this yuck carpet. YUCK.
And this combo here...fan+fireplace. Awesome.
This wall paper here is actually working for me. Minus those lovely sconces...which I will change.
This wall paper on the other hand had to go. We painted over it this last weekend..but not successfully. You can see every seam and we are going to have to take it down. I am sooo excited. POOP.
The kitchen. In my dreams I could not have put together a more ideal cooking space. I love it. bleck. Okay...I actually need some help. I can not for the life of me decide what to cover those chair seats with. I LOVE the chairs and got them for a great deal on ksl. But I do not love the brown...and I can't decide on what to put over it. HELP.
This is one of those impulse buys. A driftwood lamp. I thought it would be kind of cool and add a little rustic interest to a stark white modern room. Do I have one of those....nope. So in my house it just looks like you would think it would look. Blah.
This is another fav. It has such a personality. I have named him Herman, which fits him perfectly. I wanted him to be an acid green color, but he turned out a little less acidy than hoped and I am now wishing that I hadn't painted him at all. Sigh.
Do you see that rocking chair in the corner of this room. I love it. It is danish modern and I LOOOUVE the danish and their modern furniture. LOOUVE.
Does this chair look familiar to you? She is my very own danish modern rocking chair and her name is Anya. She is a little low on self-esteem having been rubbing shoulders with chairs who told her she was nothing at all like what a "real rocking" chair should be, and that she was short and fat and foreign and couldn't read good. I have been nursing her back to health and she will soon be as sleek and shiny as she was meant to be. Lets not tell her that the blue zig-zag may or may not make her look at bit sleazy. I haven't decided yet and it's not her fault after all. I may come to love and embrace her sleaze, if not, it's nothing that a quick shopping trip to Home Fabric's and a little sewing can't remedy.
I am pinching the flab on the back of my arm that I didn't take a before picture of this one. I got it for 5 bucks and decided that it needed a little chrome. So I primed.
And then I chromed.
And here is a picture of what it used to look like...those brown colored legs. I was not a fan. I do get such a thrill when I buy a chair and then see it on the internet in some styled photo shoot. It makes me feel so styley.
This chair is pretty cool...but I am not loving the faded mustard color vinyl. So he will be spiffed up with a little re-upholstery. Or not? I also can't decide if he will make the final cut in this room or not. If I find another cooler, more popular chair with more friends...he will be the first to go.
And here is another one that I didn't get a before picture of. It was burgundy. I thought it would look like a cool, quirky chair if I painted it black, but I fear it just looks like a cheap ikea chair.
So I think I will transfer this top onto those legs and everyone will be happy.
I found this two headed monster in our garage. Also didn't take a before picture. I rather like the yellow, but I think it needs a glossy top coat.
I have many more project pieces that I will post about later. I know you can't wait.
