A Thrift Store Fur Repurposed!

Hi All!  Last week I showed you the vintage fox fur coat I found at the thrift shop for $60.

This is what it looks like now:

The original label and monogram are stitched into the back:

It's quite gorgeous!  

It's about 5' x 5' because the coat was only a size 8.  I wasn't interested in adding to it to make it bigger, only re-purposing what was there.  I am thrilled with this find and will do what is necessary to preserve and care for it but considering how much upkeep there is with fur, I don't intend to take on any more.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

This year, for the first time ever, I hosted Thanksgiving for my parents!  My sister came too and it was a charmed week.  I felt so blessed to have us all here and I loved hearing the sounds of all of us talking and laughing within the walls of my house!  It was important to me that my Mom and Dad got a vacation.   I wanted specifically for my Mom not to think about meals--actually--NOTHING to do with the kitchen or housework!  She was a stay-at-home Mom and managed taking care of my sister and I who are only 1 year apart and keeping a spotless home, plus put 3 meals on the table each day.  I work outside the home and I marvel at that.  Someday, I will retire from my work duties but when does my Mom get to retire?  She just laughs at me when I say that to her (with notable horror in my voice - ha ha).  My Dad has only just retired.  He has worked since he was 16.  When he and my Mom had us, he was the sole financial provider for our family of four.  We didn't want for anything.  My sister and I often talk about the wonderful, stable childhood we had.  We realize how rare that is and how blessed we are.  I feel even more blessed that my daughter gets to have them as her grandparents. 

I have a few pictures of the Thanksgiving table.  I loved the more neutral centerpiece of white pumpkins and cream, green and brown hydrangea.  The tableware is a combination of Grammie's china and my china.  The goblets were thrift finds (that post here) and are Indiana Glass in their Nouveau pattern (1968).  The flatware came from eBay - $9! almost as good as thrifting!  The copper footed bowls were a thrift find from this year as are the place card holders. The napkins are from Crate and Barrel, the centerpiece and chargers are from Joss and Main.

The glass pumpkins are from Pier 1.  I had them out for Halloween also.  The glass candlesticks were thrifted a year or two ago.  

Oh and I just remembered as I looked through these pictures that I haven't shared my new buffet!  I found it at Bthrifty on 50% off day.  I paid $80 for this baby:

Bob Timberlake Lexington Furniture cherry wood TV media cabinet but I'm using it as a buffet because it matches my table perfectly!  Here it is dressed for Thanksgiving:

Speaking of thrift finds on 50% off days, I took my parents to Bthrifty on black Friday.  I really wanted to go thrifting with them and when I heard my favorite thrift store would be 60% off the day after Thanksgiving we made the plan.  I found a couple small things but this was the find of the day for me:

It is an authentic fox fur coat.  The pictures are terrible --the fur is white with champagne-colored chevrons - it is absolutely GORGEOUS.  It has a monogram:

and a furrier label:

As it turns out, this is one of the best finds I've come across to date.  It's worth way more than the $60 I paid for it.  I am having it re-worked into a throw blanket.  The monogram and label will be incorporated into the blanket lining.  Apparently, reworking vintage fur is quite common.  There are all different options besides wearable ones --teddy bears, pillows, etc.  You can also have the fur coat's style updated or turned into trim for hats, gloves, even raincoat linings.  I've seen plenty furs at the thrift stores but none as gorgeous or well-maintained as this one.  I cannot wait to get it back!  I'll be sure to share it once I do.  

The week after Thanksgiving, Mom was going to go to a baby shower.  Since I don't get to craft for her often, I built her a diaper cake.  We had to pack it in layers so she could get it home and here it is back home after she put it back together.  She did a lovely job!  I just love the leopard print!!

It was nice to relive my wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now it's the Christmas crunch with it being only a week away!  At least I'll have a few days off to try and get some posts done on the great thrift finds from this year.

Have a great rest of the week!

Thrift Find of the Year: Abraham Palatnik Lucite Animals

When my sister visited in August, we went thrifting one morning at my fave thrift shop.  We had made a lap around the store and while I found a cool glass boot (this one here), there wasn't a lot going on.  She and I were cutting through the housewares aisle making our way to the cash register when my eye caught sight of something that stopped me dead in my tracks.  I had been gabbing away-- about lunch or something--when I saw a stack of Lucite animals corralled in the clear plastic of the $1 bags hanging above the housewares shelves.  I was in total amazement because I have not seen these in the wild but it was unmistakable that they were Abraham Palatnik Lucite animals.  Even when I had the $1 bag in my hand, I couldn't believe my fortune.  A $1 bag containing ALL of these:

It was only a matter of seconds that I had stopped talking and snatched up the bag, but it seemed like a lot longer!  My mind was trying process and send the words down and out my mouth to my sister that I had just scored FOUR Abraham Palatnik collectibles!  I did finally get it out in a rush (and probably a squeal) AND I was doing a happy dance.  Shelly --who is one of the funniest people I know --had already figured out that I found something I thought was amazing and was commenting how she couldn't believe that I had focused in on it from across the aisle.  She wasn't sure what the fuss was about but like the crazy wonderful sister she is, she did a happy dance for me anyway because she could see how excited I was :)  My sister is the BEST.


Now, the rules with dollar bags are:  the bag cannot be opened, the bag cannot be ripped, the tag on the bag cannot be ripped or removed OR they won't sell it.  So, with the utmost of care, I took inventory of the plastic bag's contents.  Needless to say, I cradled that bag until I could hand it off to the cashier.  I could not wait to check out and get out to the car and hold them in my hands - hahaha.  Here's a closer look at them!


Panda:

Zebra:

Each one is signed and has a "Made in Brazil" sticker.

They are 3D and so. stinkin. COOL!

Cat:

and my favorite --and also the reason I knew about Abraham Palatnik to begin with:  The owl,  I love his owls!  This one even has color!

My instant (adored) collection:

Have a great week!

An Awesome Thrift Find!

Hello All!

I saw this at the thrift store a couple weeks ago:

I liked it.  It reminded me of ocean waves.  It wasn't priced and I wasn't sure if someone would price it for me.  And, there weren't any discounts that day.  It hadn't occurred to me where I would put it, so I passed.  But it stayed on my mind.  It reminded me of the ocean--well, ocean waves...and the sea foam bubbles left on the sand.  I kept thinking of this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  In college, I did a paper on it and its meaning:

The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;

Along the sea-sands damp and brown

The traveler hastens toward the town,

      And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;

The little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Efface the footprints in the sands,

      And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;

The day returns, but nevermore

Returns the traveller to the shore,

      And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The poem is symbolic for the passage of time.  And while time passed, the thrift store priced the item ($200).  And while time passed, 50% off day rolled around.  And while time passed, I grew more and more fond of it.  So fond, in fact, I bought it :)

This wall in our bedroom has been calling for something.  It sat empty for awhile and then I tried out a few things--a console table, a large mirrored-frame mirror.  Meh.  Nothing felt right.  Ah,but this! This is what I've been waiting for .  It's marked--an Artmax room divider.

I showed it to a friend at work and the first thing she said was, "It looks like a mermaid!" Oh that's even better than waves.

Have a great week!



Last Thrift Trip of 2013!

Hello All!

I've been on a bit of thrift hiatus, but today, Dan and I decided it was time to go!  There is a new Goodwill in Woodbridge we've been wanting to check out and we hit up our usual hunting grounds in the area are well. While the shelves were somewhat bare, I consider the day a success :)

Here are the spoils:

As I was going through the pictures to post, I noticed that my finds today were for the birds..,and by that I mean, bird is the word, at least for the first few things.  Take this, for instance--

Ain't he ca-ute!?  This vintage lamp is covered with some kind of wood-print veneer so it will be getting a makeover in 2014 with some white (or maybe something more daring!?)  spray paint and cute lamp shade. Next up, this sweet little glass paperweight.

I love the aqua color!
Then, this Brique Ware terracotta Chicken in a Basket (2 quart casserole dish):

The inside is enamel.  It's pretty nifty but I'm not sure I'll be cooking in it.  I bought it ($7) to display on the shelves in the kitchen.  And finally, this cute Ascentielle hand painted dish -



Those seagulls are awesome! Ok, so that's the last of my fine-feathered finds.  I didn't even realize at the time that I had picked up so many fowl items!    I'm loving this gold gilt charger set:

Aren't they pretty!?  They're from the Pottery Barn Outlet:

They are going to be perfect for my New Year's dinner table tomorrow!  I saw this cute little stacking doll:

and was delighted to find she's actually a measuring cup set!

*But* my super find of the day was this Grandin Road, 4' tabletop white cashmere prelit Christmas tree!!!!!

It was in it's original packing too! This beauty came from Goodwill and was marked at $24.96.  Lucky for me, GW had Christmas items on sale for 50% off so I paid $12.48 for it - Deal of the Day!!!

It looks so at home in the sun room!  Well, maybe not with the cord showing and the makeshift (ahem...lame!) tree "skirt" but I just had to put it up, even if just for a few hours!  I know I'm no photographer, but I couldn't resist taking a few pictures during the blue hour:

The glow of the tree and candles is just so cozy; I can see why Sushi loves to nap in here.  He's on the back of the couch (on the right)!

I'm linking up!

Coast Charm, Nifty Thrify Tuesday No. 193
Kathe With an E, You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Elizabeth & Co, Be Inspired Features and Link Party #99
The Thrifty Groove, Thrifty Things Friday #141

Happy New Year!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

Hello All!

I'm sure that gets a little old but it seemed appropriate since Northern Virginia is seeing some wintry weather. The ice is not my cup of tea but the snow is a welcomed sight .  I'm originally from the midwest so seeing that fluffy white stuff falling lifts my spirits!  I am also in full-on Christmas decorating mode since Jenna's cookie swap party is a little over a week away with Christmas right on its heels!  While I'm making my way through the house, I realized I have a couple of great thrift finds I hadn't shared with you yet!  I'm not quite finished with the Christmas decorating but was planning to share with you all once it's done...and look what I found out about today:

Linda from Coastal Charm will be hosting a Christmas Home Tour Linky Party next week, December 16, 2013!!!  Woo Hoo.  So, now I not only have the motivation needed to keep going and finish up, I get the chance to see how you all have been decorating!  It's so inspiring to me to see all different ideas, styles and themes, etc., out there.  Don't forget to mark your calendar!

Ok, so, on with the thrift finds!

I was browsing through B-thrifty, minding my own business, when I happened upon this:

Folks, these are the actual photos I sent to Dan to see if he was thinking what I was thinking (~soon to be the property of the Jacksons~) and he was (*smooches*)!  $80 and this thing is solid wood.  It's also huge = 3' x 6'!   I went directly to the furniture pick up area and an extremely nice associate helped me pull it off the floor for pick up.  I had to laugh because he asked me if it was a bed.  This thing is so huge, it totally could be (don't give me any ideas...)  Ha!

We had a small square coffee table that wasn't solid wood.   Sadly, we paid far more for it than this behemoth.  This was an upgrade for all all the way around.  The piece had a tag on the bottom that said "Poor Richard Wood Coffee Table" and was sporting a price tag of $650.  There was also what looked like a barcode but it was missing barcode numbers.  I was hoping by using one of those barcode apps, I would be able to find out where this came from, but none of the apps came through.  Most asked for the barcode number to be entered and a couple said the information was no longer available.

Anyway, here it is at home:

Our square table was donated to Goodwill and we moved ol' Richard in.  It needed a good cleaning and in time, I will paint the bottom something else (something in the Annie Sloan chalk paint realm) as soon as I figured out what color.

Do you see the chaise lounge in the background there?  That's the second thrifty find!  $35.  It's microfiber and was a dream to clean (and Febreze).  It didn't have any feet, though it did at one time, so I replaced them which cost about $30.

Not bad for $65, right?  Oooooo, and you get a little sneak peak at my Christmas decorations.  Come back next week and I'll take you on a tour :)  !!!

I'm linking up!

Coastal Charm:  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday No. 191
From My Porch to Yours, Treasure Hunt Thursday #136

Have a good week!

Christmas Mantel 2012

Hello Everyone! Oh boy, have I seen some gorgeous Christmas decorations this season.  Totally inspiring and I have been trying to get things done so I could join in some of the share parties :). Our family room is finally done but am still tweaking the decorations on the antique mantel in the living room.  But since I want to get in on the party fun, I can at least share the decorations that are finished :)  I incorporated some thrift finds too!  So, here is the family room:

Thrifted decorations are as follows:  beautiful Ponderosa pinecone garland on the mantel (complete with pine cones!), mirror, metal snowflake, birch logs and claw-foot holder, and the set of clear glass candle holders in the middle of the mantel holding the green ornaments.  The tall "bubble" candlesticks came from Ross and the glass ones on each end of the mantel came from Kohl's a couple years ago.  Hobby Lobby had a kick butt sale on Christmas stuff too so I bought the three silver ornament holders and snowflake ornaments.

The slim 9ft prelit Christmas tree came from WalMart -- it was the only thing we went out for on black Friday.  Good ol' Wally world came through with an awesome deal - $158.

The candles are flameless and can be turned on/off with a REMOTE --what!?  Yup, flameless remote-control candles!  TARGET has this nifty set and at an affordable price (Grandin Road has some too but they are outside my price range!).

Knit stockings!  With monograms :)  Awesome.  Pottery Barn has knit stockings this season but at $39.50 each plus $7 for monogramming, Target's version is perfect for $13.  *LOVE* them.  Look at that texture...

Here's a closer look at the thrifted mirror.  This is another one of those finds that without any idea where it would be used, I couldn't leave it behind.  It was the silver and gold frame :) It came from GW ($3) and the glittered metal snowflake came from the GW outlet:

The ceramic reindeer came from Michael's last year.  The bucket is from last year too but I added the lighted winterberry branches (Target also) this year.

The sleigh on the coffee table was a GW outlet find.  The cast iron reindeer is old and broken but I adore it.  He looks at home teamed up with the metal sleigh, which is holding a haul of the ornaments I decorated with this year.

And one more really fun thrift find at the outlet --the "Mr. Christmas" carousel under the tree:

It's so cute!  There is one little light out above the black stallion (I think it can be fixed); other than that, it works great!  It plays over 20 Christmas songs and each little carousel animal moves up and down and the lights flash to the music.  It's from the early 90s.  At 59 cents a pound, this didn't cost more than $2.
 Here, you can watch it work:

I'm linking up!

Cap Creations, Thrifty Love
The Lettered Cottage, Christmas Mantel Decorations
Kathe With An E, Your Gonna Love it Tuesday
From My Front Porch to Yours, Second Annual Holiday Mantel Party
Elizabeth & Co, Be Inspired Features and Linky Party

Have a great week!