Good Day Thrifting

We went for a nice drive today and on the way to the foothills I spotted this great vintage GTO.  

I tried to snap a picture as we drove past.  Wish I had had time to get a better shot as we sped by at 65 miles an hour.  Traffic was heavy and I couldn't see it until there was a break in traffic.  So please excuse the reflections from our car window.

I stopped at a thrift store and came away with quite a hall today.  I got all of this for only $30.00 plus I also found a 6 foot drapery rod with finials.  Perfect size for another upcoming project.

The tall metal vase I plan to give a makeover.  Same thing with the red and blue candle holder with glass chimney.  I want to do something to get rid of the red.  Also want to makeover the vine bottle holder.  

Stay tuned for those projects in the coming weeks.

Those two little angels are so adorable and the flower vase matches my grandmothers punch bowl that I inherited.

The two brown journals in the back will get a makeover, too. 

And the luster ware golden colored dish will be pretty for late summer into Fall decorating.  That little bird house is so darling and was only 25 cents. 

 I have been collecting pieces of Currier and Ives Plates for awhile.   Didn't have this one, yet. 

 I really can't believe how gorgeous these earrings are.  They are backed with soft white  leather.  I'm thinking they might be Native American made.

  This little white lampshade I plan to  tear off the fabric as it has stains.  But I liked the shape, I think I will use laces and beads to make a Shabby Chic shade.  I have plans to make a set of  journals from the 3 polka dot albums in the box.  

Love the 2 little green plates.  They are the size perfect for serving olive oil for dipping bread.  

The white bracelet is stone and the other two pieces, the green bracelet and heart necklace are really cute.  Not sure what I will do with the 2 little diamond shaped plaques, yet.

Our weather feels like we are getting close to Spring.  I love this time of the year.  Days are warm but not too hot.  The heat will be upon us soon enough.

Happy Shopping!

Altering Our Entertainment Center

It was time for our little 32' TV to be replaced.  I plan to move it to the upstairs bedroom.

Hubby wanted a 55" set for the living room.  Only problem is our entertainment center only had room for a 32" set. And it is so large and heavy there is no way the two of us could get it out of the house to buy a new one.  Plus it is really sturdy.

Our little 32" set

I forgot to take a before picture.  Our unit was similar to this one except we had glass doors on the left side.  The first thing I did was to remove the doors and all the shelves.

Next I measured and sawed out 3/4's of the center wooden divider.  Leaving enough of the divider to hold the DVRs on a shelf near the top.  Then I painted the entire piece to match the wall color. And added gray to the front trim.  I can't believe all cords that were back there.  The new Samsung TV only needed one wire for their One Connect.  It made hooking everything up super easy and took just a couple of minutes.

All the changes to this unit made it feel like a totally different piece.

Wow, this new set is huge.  Guess we finally made it into the new world of electronics.

Yep, this is big enough fo us. Hubby should love watching the games on this one.

Happy Decorating!

Trio of Popsicle Stick Frames

One more popsicle stick project.  A set of three frames.

First step was to glue the sticks into 3 squares.  Then I cut extra sticks to fit on the back side to fill in and make the back of the frames flush.

Using hot glue I added the extra cut sticks to the back of each of the frames.

I wanted some dimension to the frames.  Using paper clay I molded 3 small roses and using white glue I added one to each frame.

While the clay was still wet and using the pointed end of a paint brush I made a small indentation in the center of each rose making a spot to glue a gem in place when the paint was dry.

With pink chalk paint I painted all three frames.

Next I went through my stash of papers and selected 3 coordinating patterns to glue to the back of the frames.  And cut each to size.

When the paint was dry I glued gems to the center of the roses for a little sparkle.

I gathered a few things to add to the frames.  Buttons and fussy cut images.

I chose 3 of my handmade flowers.

And a few more embellishments.

I had this vintage trim I decided to use to connect the 3 frames together.

Finally I divided the embellishments and glued them in place on the 3 frames.

Happy Crafting!

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A Little Winter Scene

I found this picture of a little cottage in the snow on the Internet.  I looked to wintry I decided to print it off and make a mixed media project.

What an idyllic little scene.  Wouldn't you just love to be curled up by the fire with a good book.  At least as long as someone else had to shovel the snow.

I printed the picture out at 4" by 6".  And chose an 8" x 10" canvas for this project.

To begin I marked out the dimensions of the print on the canvas and decoupaged the print in place.

For the background of the canvas I mixed white and black and a little brown acrylic paint, leaving it marbled.

And painted the canvas.

Next I dabbed on some bronze and silver acrylic paint to the background.  I wanted the background to  have a stormy appearance.

Using IOD moulds and paper clay I formed a few medallions and borders.  Next I painted them black with a soft brush and using white glue I adhered them to the canvas.

I used a ruler to make sure all the borders where square and even.

Once the glue was set I used silver Rub N Buff on the raised areas then used and antique gold to give the trim a little depth and warmth.

And finally I added some crystal Stickles to give the snow a bit of sparkle.

When it was totally dry I glued a piece of latter yarn for a hanger and hung it on my gallery wall.  I will probably change it out as the season change.

Happy Crafting!