living simply and embracing imperfection
Whew! Here we are at the end of the 31 Days of Thrift Store Transformations series I challenged myself to write all the way back in August. I thought a little recap would be appropriate, but first I gotta say: What was I thinking? Like, could I have picked a more time-consuming topic? Shop for [...]
Did you know that thrift stores are THE place to go for corkboards/bulletin boards? At least the normal office-supply store kind of cork boards. It’s a rare day that I go and I don’t see at least one. They’re probably there because they’ve been stained with marker, or the cork has come up in a [...]
Most of the time you really don’t know what you’ll find at a thrift store. I’ve had quite a few comments and emails over the course of this series about my ability to find things – all wondering if somehow the items are unique to me or the area that I live in. But my [...]
Sometimes when you’re looking through the crowded shelves of a thrift store, something comes to your attention and you can see right away what it could become. When I found a wood item that I’m assuming was a small cupboard door, I knew right away that it would make a great base for a decorative [...]
We could hardly have a series about transforming thrift store items without talking about vintage and used books, could we? I mean, don’t they usually take up a third of the store? The truly vintage books can be used for things besides only reading them – most folks know how they bring so much to a room, [...]
After discussing all the ways to use thrift store trays for organizing, I thought I should try my hand at transforming a tray into something a bit more decorative. And what better way than making it into a book page monogrammed tray? Wait. I’m sure there are others, so don’t answer that. Wood trays are [...]
I just love how these decoupaged coasters turned out and I am excited to share them with you – including the steps to make these yourself and a printable for the holiday words I used! Although there’s nothing new about decoupaging coasters, it’s still a wonderful way to upcycle old, outdated coasters into either gifts or [...]
As if rustic turkeys, mercury glass pumpkins, and shelf-styling ideas wasn’t enough, I was inspired yet again by the October Pottery Barn catalog to transform a lowly green plastic pumpkin into an upscale addition to our fall mantel by breaking out the mod-podge. Yep, a decoupaged pumpkin. But not just any decoupaged pumpkin: this is [...]
Trays are always abundant at thrift stores. In addition to using them as decoration or as well, trays, I love to use them to corral things. I find it amazing how the same things just sitting on a counter all of a sudden look nice and organized when they’re housed on a tray. Organizing with [...]
Costume jewelry is something that’s easy to find at thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets. But figuring out what to do with old clip-on earrings is another thing – unless you make jewelry and can remake them into post earrings. Or, um, that you would even want to wear them as earrings…which is not [...]
Did you know the material that ski pants are made of make great protective covers for things like computers, eReaders, iPods and such? Yeah…and maybe they keep them warm in the winter, too. See the complete tutorial for how I transformed these thrift store ski pants into a cover for Brian’s eReader here. This is [...]
One of my favorite thrift store furniture transformations of all time is this bench made from a pair of broken lyre-back chairs. And it was not my idea, nor did I do any work designing it or putting it together. No, my contributions were decorative – paint and covering the bench top (one day I [...]
As part of our 31 Days of Thrift Store Transformations, I wanted to highlight some past posts that show how old furniture can be transformed for a new generation – to be used either for its original purpose (today’s post), or in a whole new way (coming tomorrow). Thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and [...]
I love how easy it is to transform .99 glass items from a thrift store into antiqued (or regular shiny) mercury glass imitators! Honestly, I often can’t tell a difference between real mercury glass and fake – and never from a distance. I have to pick it up to really tell. For less than $10 [...]
This was a fun transformation of a thrift store tin pitcher that was quick and easy. The before and after tells most of the story: The pitcher was marked down to $1.50 (go figure – no one had wanted this?) and I sprayed it with Rustoleum’s Heirloom White paint at the same time I sprayed [...]
One of the more popular posts here at AOC has been How To Turn a Dresser Into a Vanity. I had always wanted to take an old dresser and convert it into a vanity and we were finally able to a few years ago as part of our master bathroom remodel. Since this dresser was [...]
Single-colored painted animal figurines – like owls, ducks and dogs – are popping up all over blogland and are a popular way to update and use these cast-off items in decorating. Whether it’s a pop of bright color like blue or yellow, or a serene white, this is a great way to upcyle some of [...]
This is part two of copying catalog styling with thrifted items – see part one here. In the last few years (thanks to Pinterest and the lovely blogs I read) I’ve enjoyed changing out our mantel for the seasons. I use the same steps in mantel styling that I do for shelves – find an [...]
When I painted the ceramic turkeys and transformed an orange pumpkin into mercury glass, one of my goals was to use them to decorate for fall – on tables, shelves and our mantel, like I had seen in catalogs and magazines. Table and shelf styling doesn’t always come naturally for me and I like to [...]
This mercury glass pumpkin makeover is another thrift store transformation that was inspired by the fall PB catalog. Honestly, I don’t normally get so many ideas from one spot, but this was just one of those catalogs that had me going, “oh- I can find that easy!” or “what a great idea” and so on. [...]
Like my fall mantel the inspiration for this thrift store transformation came from the October 2012 Pottery Barn catalog – specifically this guy caught my eye: He’s listed as a rustic ceramic turkey and he’s big – 15″ high – and comes with a big price: $159.00. Ouch. Surprisingly, he’s not available anymore and it’s [...]
I usually find a lot of inspiration when I look at magazines, catalogs, and advertisements – not only for decorating ideas (or, um…even to actually buy something…), but for things that make me say, “I can make that!” And when you regularly shop at thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets, you start to get [...]
It’s only day 9 of the 31 Days of Thrift Store Transformations and you’ve probably already noticed a trend: I use a lot of paint. You’ve probably all heard that it’s the cheapest and easiest way to update rooms – and the same goes for items that have seen better days. Whether it’s a cutsey [...]
I don’t think I could do a series on thrift store items without doing something with baskets, could I? I mean, there’s usually a whole section dedicated to baskets. Unfortunately, most of the baskets have handles, which is great at Easter when you’re hunting for eggs, but not for much else that I’ve found. Which [...]
What can you do with an assortment of thrift store napkin rings? Especially when: You don’t use napkin rings (well, very often) They don’t go with your decor You already have a couple of sets moldering in a closet somewhere I actually thought all these things about napkin rings not so long ago – and [...]
Every once in awhile you can still find vintage suitcases at thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales. They aren’t as plentiful as they were years ago, but they are out there, so it’s something I always keep in mind when I’m “thrifting.” Why suitcases? Because although we don’t use theses hard-sided vintage cases for [...]
These metal/wire ice cream parlor chairs have been in our family since our kids were little. We found them at a flea market and they served for many years as our kitchen table chairs before becoming mainly outside chairs (we’ve never been able to win the wood-floor vs. metal chair-leg battle…). Because they have arms, [...]
One of my favorite projects for our recent gazebo update was making this outdoor chandelier out of objects I already had – including one that was destined for the dump. I invariably feel good when I get rid of things and clean up, but this is one time I’m glad I hadn’t felt the need [...]
Paint is one of the easiest and fastest ways to upcycle old items you find all the time at thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, and…well, you get the idea – anywhere that people are getting rid of stuff. Some of the items are so, um…odd, I find myself shaking my head and wondering, “what [...]
I’ve found lots of vintage linens over the years in thrift stores: pillowcases, small tablecloths, napkins, doilies, and multiple other pieces that leave me scratching my head as to their use. Most of the time I had no idea how I would use them – I just couldn’t bear to see these beautiful handmade creations [...]
Well, here we are at the beginning of October – are you ready for 31 days of An Oregon Cottage posts all about thrift store transformations? I hope I’m up to the challenge and that you guys aren’t tired of me by the end of the month (shucks…). Actually, what I hope is that you [...]
For a few years I have followed The Nester Place’s 31 Days series during the month of October. Last year more than 700 bloggers signed on to participate along with the Nester, so it was pretty hard to miss. I admired the blogs I followed who committed to writing every day for the month of October. [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
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