Thrifting!

Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I had a relaxing yet productive and exciting weekend. I ate lunch with my dear friend Stephanie who was in town for a bit. It's always great catching up with friends you haven't seen in so long. I had nearly every class in college with Steph so it was nice to catch up with her. Thanks, Steph!! :)

This afternoon Kevin and I spent a couple hours perusing a new antique store. It was a GIANT antique store (for those in the area, it's called The Brass Armadillo) with lots of vendors and a wide assortment of goodies. I brought a few treasures home with me, and found many others that I would have LOVED to purchase if I had a bigger home.

Here are the items that didn't make it home with me...today:

A very cool feather hat that would have made awesome wall decor in a closet or bathroom

So many cool *overpriced* handkerchiefs in this basket

Words cannot describe how much I loved this lamp! However, I wasn't willing to pay what the price tag was asking.

I loved these colorful pastel dishes. Maybe someday.

I really loved this radio! It was bright teal and worked! I even had Kevin thinking it was cool. But the $28 price tag scared me away. I was on the hunt for some DEALS!

A very pretty serving plate!

I was looking all over for canisters for flour, sugar, etc. and this one ALMOST made the cut. I had plans on purchasing it but after walking around and coming back, I changed my mind. I still may go back and get it someday. Four sturdy canisters and matching salt and pepper shaker for $25. Did I make a mistake passing it up?

I really liked this coat but Kevin said it looked ridiculous on me. I couldn't find a mirror anywhere so I had to take his opinion.

Alright so I didn't really have intentions to buy this dresser but I did love the colors on the drawers!

If I had a house and a full-time guaranteed job, I really would have considered buying this one. It's a refurbished corner cabinet for about $200.

Now that I have tortured myself again showing you things I didn't buy but wanted to, here is what I actually did bring home:

A pretty peach towel with some lovely embroidery for $2

Some very well priced ($1.50) vintage handkerchiefs for our wedding (use still to be determined!). The photo is a little dark, but the purple is very pretty with crochetted edges. The yellow is see through with tiny white polka dots. And, the blue one is a very pretty bright blue with a floral design. Anyone have any ideas of what I should use these gems I've been collecting for??

This might have been my favorite purchase of the day! I can NEVER find vintage jewelry I like but I love this turquoise necklace. For $1.50!

This was another favorite. I have been wanting to start collecting kitchy salt and pepper shakers but have had trouble finding a good set to start with (there are always HUNDREDS of salt and pepper shakers at antique stores). How much more perfect does it get than MASON JAR salt and pepper shakers?!

They are smaller than they appear in this picture, about 3 inches tall.

Kevin found lots of goodies, too, but nothing he "had" to have. When we purchase a home antiquing will be much more fun, and dangerous, for us. His man-cave will be well stocked with old beer signs.

Do any of you go to many thrift/antique stores? Anyone in Iowa have any recommendations? I always love finding new places to go. I also was looking forward to this post so I could spread the love of thrifting! There are so many AWESOME things out there and it's a great way to spend a few hours on the weekends.

Thrift Store Finds

When Kevin and I were in the Amanas with my family back in November, we revisited our favorite antique store. This is where we found a bunch of mason jars. We also found an old shutter and small plates for our apartment that I haven't shared with you yet. 

Our shutter is hung by our kitchen. Right now it's holding engagement cards. :) I made the paper tree next to it. See how I did it here! (Aaand another collection of mine, wine corks. Hanging onto them until I come up with something awesome to do with them.) The shutter was $10. We didn't paint it or distress it or do anything to it. However, it could probably use some dusting.

These tin plates caught my eye amongst a bunch of junk and I fell in love with them. I love the mustached man and the colors. We're using them as a drip-catcher on our stove for placing spoons when cooking. Only $2 for the set!

This was another thing I bought at the thrift store in Des Moines with Andrea (where I bought this magazine holder and these vintage handkerchiefs). I don't know why but I have been wanting to buy a jar of buttons for awhile now. It's weird, I know. I found this one for $3. It's keeping my sewing machine company. 

There you have it! I love antiquing and thrifting. That's all there is to it.

Wedding Inspiration: Vintage Handkerchiefs

While Andrea was visiting last week, we visiting a thrift store where I found this vintage magazine holder. I also found another gem that I had been gravitating towards for awhile now: vintage handkerchiefs (handkerchiefs is a very strange word that I don't believe I've ever typed in my life before now). I think these would be a great addition to the vintage feel we're going for for our wedding. I love the colors and the details and the finishes around the edges. I'm just hoping they weren't used handkerchiefs. :)

It looks like I'm adding another vintage goody to my collection of mason jars and brooches. All you friends and relatives out there-- keep us in mind :)

Here are some ideas I've found on Pinterest. I don't imagine these handkerchiefs will play a large role in the decorations, but I do think they will be a nice touch.

Love that last one :) So sweet.

(I also took some pictures of some more vintage finds around our apartment. Check back later today!)

More Newspaper Art

Remember this recycled newspaper art project I finished last week?

Well, I was secretly making it for my mom for Christmas, but I wasn't sure if she'd like it. I posted it early to see if she'd comment on it... and she told me on two separate occasions she liked it so I was safe giving it to her :) I also made her this one! Here's how I did it.

What you'll need:
Canvas
Paper (I used newspaper but you could use fabric, magazines, wrapping paper, etc.)
Acrylic paint
Paint brush
Sponge brush
Mod podge

(This project was inspired by this tutorial from Crafted Love)

First, tear up some pieces of newspaper. I chose to tear instead of cut so it would have more of a collaged look.

Next, mix up your mod podge solution. I don't think it really matters the exact mixture, I would say I had 1 part mod podge, 3 parts water. It should be thicker than water but easily spreadable.

Cover one section at a time of your canvas with the glue solution. I would recommend putting newspaper or an easily cleanable medium under your canvas because I made a MESS and had to clean up and start over by putting newspaper down. Oopsies :)

After you put the goop on the canvas, lay the paper down and put more goop on top. I started making the newspaper go up or down or side to size, but I ended making it go every which way, which I liked better.

Wrap the newspaper around the side of your canvas. I wrapped mine around the back so it would stay down. Eventually I had to tape it down on the back because it wouldn't stay.

Let it dry for a few hours before you paint. I put mine outside to dry so it would dry faster (I'm impatient), but I would NOT recommend this. The cold made the newspaper peel and I had to re-glue some parts. I think this is also why I had to tape it to the back in the end.

Now that your canvas is dry, time to paint! I originally got this idea from Crafted Love (see above) and I liked her design, so I stuck with it. I was in a hurry to get it wrapped before I went home so I didn't have time to be too creative. However, there are so many possibilities-- chevron pattern, you could lay down lace and spray paint, you could paint a book, make some abstract art, geometric shapes, anything!

Mom loved both art pieces (I think). It was a fun and inexpensive gift to make.

Recycled Newspaper Art

This is another project I found on Pinterest and interpreted it into my own work of art. This has been a loooong project to complete and I worked on it over time to keep from going crazy. I had planned on doing this on two canvases and hanging them side by side but I would have lost my mind.

That being said, I am very happy with the outcome and (I think) it was worth the work. The best part is the only cost of the project was the canvas, which I got on sale for 2 for $7 at Hobby Lobby. I had been saving newspaper for awhile so it's an earth friendly art project as well.

What you need:
Canvas
Any paper (You could use magazines, wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, etc.)
Hot glue gun

Step 1: Cut paper into strips. I cut them in different widths to get a variety of height in my art. I also was sure to always keep a seam/fold and loose ends. This makes it easier to roll and you won't have to glue as much.

(Fold/Seam)

(Lose ends-- to be rolled in the middle)

Step 2: Roll the newspaper. Start rolling with the loose ends so they are in the middle and the fold in the paper is on the outside. This way, you don't have to glue every single end down.

Step 3: Place a dot of hot glue at the end of the strips to secure the paper and to keep it from unraveling.

In my process, I made about 10 rolls and then glued them on the canvas. It seemed to go faster this way.

 Step 4: Glue rolls to the canvas

For some rolls, I left bigger spaces in the middle. Some I wrapped many strips in one single roll to get a fatter roll. Some, I used only a few strips of paper. I have also seen this done with magazines, and it makes it a bit more colorful.

I like it best when you look at it straight on. When you look at it from the side it does look a little silly. It might have looked better if they were all the same height. I have seen a lot of newspaper art out there and I always like the look at it. My college roommate had a bowl made out of recycled newspaper, and I've also seen clocks, picture frames, etc.

What do you think? Kevin says he doesn't "get" it. I kinda like it.

DIY Stemware Stand

I found this idea on Pinterest and decided to head to Goodwill to make my own.

What you need:
Vase or Candlestick (I've also seen this done with wine glasses or anything with a tall stem)
Plate or basket (Use your imagination)
Heavy duty glue (That's right folks, the hot glue gun just wasn't good enough for this one!)
Spray paint
Tin foil

I went into Goodwill looking for something with a tall stem and something flat, not really having any specific vision. Don't feel confined to what I've used! I got the spray paint at Hobby Lobby for about $4-$5 I think. The glue you can find at any hardware or craft store. Make sure it says it works on glass.

Even though it was about 15 degrees I did this outside so I wouldn't ruin our apartment. I would recommend using more tin foil that I because I did end up with some purple cement. Oopsie! Spray a thin coat and then let dry. I sprayed a thick coat and had some running spray paint marks. I'm also impatient. Learn from my mistakes.

I also sprayed the basket, but kept the plate orange.

Put glue on the stemware and stick to the center of the plate or basket. Let dry for however long you can be patient for. I let mine dry for about a minute and a half. I think the tube says 24 hours :)

There you have it! I used the purple and gold one for a "catch all" basket on the counter (next to my DIY shopping list).

The purple and orange one was a little sturdier so I used it to pretty up our sink area.

I'm not sold on the purple and orange one yet. Turns out the plate was not made symmetrically and I can tell and it bugs me. OCD.

I'm trying to find my inspiration from Pinterest but the search function won't cooperate. I'll update later to give credit where credit is due. I also had NO idea what to call this DIY (a functioning Pinterest would have helped) so I hope the title makes sense?