Decorating the Buffet for Fall -2014

Fall in the dining room.

So I've been experimenting with my fall decor...

What would happen if you placed deer antlers inside of white pitchers?

Or carefully set a pheasant on top of a rusty looking nozzle thing...

Old worn out plates, a tarnished silver tray, crispy white dishes, dried flowers, and a handful of harvested wheat say fall to me.

What about turkey feathers, a thrifted apple sitting on top of a milk glass bowl, and a spool of twine...

Is it decor-ically correct to arrange antlers and a globe together in front of a mirror?

This is my version...

of fall in the dining room.

I hope you were inspired. 

Thank you so much for stopping by Thrift My House.

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2014 Fall Mantel

2014 Fall Mantel

Hello friends.

This year I shopped the house to decorate.

Keeping it simple. Keeping it neutral. Keeping it thrifty. 

We have an abundance of feathers. We raise all kinds of birds. You can see more about that over at Junk Chic Cottage. I was in the spotlight last year if any of my new followers would like to pop over and read. If you don't know Kris already, you should definitely go visit her. She has some serious skills!

I made this chicken wire cloche and never got around to posting it. 

Blood was shed.... not an easy project.

This birdhouse was out on the back porch and it was brown like the roof. I painted it white so it would stand out against the dark brick. I picked the Marigolds from the yard. 

This photo says fall to me.

I made a banner from outdoor burlap, wheat, leaves, and feathers. 

The white feathers are from our Mute Swans.

Cotton on the roadside... cotton in the ditch... we all picked cotton but we never got rich... 

I really like the softness of the banner against the mirror. 

I robbed my potpourri stash for the nuts and cones etc. I picked the leaves from our Crepe Myrtle trees. Slowly but surely they're turning.

So what do you think? Does this say fall to you? Don't you think the feathers make it fun?

I hope you were inspired.

Thank you so much for stopping by Thrift My House!

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Thrift Store Hamper Makeover

Today I want to share with you the transformation of an ugly thrift store laundry hamper...

 I saw this hamper at Salvation Army. I bought it because it was cheap, narrow, had storage, had detail and it was in excellent condition. I knew I could use it for something else besides a hamper if I needed to, maybe as a table somewhere.

It's made out of some kind of heavy plastic. The inside is clean and has no odor. 

The bottom is vented. It's brown so I know it will distress nicely.

I saw potential.

I painted it with white chalk paint and what a transformation! 

White paint makes details pop!

I decided to paint a gray grain stripe on the top. 

That led to painting the front panels gray also. I kid you not, I rarely have a plan. 

I usually start a project and see what happens.

I added some knobs and my husband cut a notch from the bottom to give it more detail.

A happy little hamper...

So what do you think? Did you see potential before I painted it?

Thank you so much for stopping by Thrift My House!

*Sharing with these parties.*

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Thrift Store Bench Makeover

The cheapest piece of furniture I've ever bought.

I picked up this bench for $1.50 at Salvation Army. 

You would have thought I had won the lottery... 

I painted it white and I stenciled a song lyric my husband sometimes sings to me. 

It's a song by Randy Travis, released the year we were married. 1987. 

I wonder whatever happened to him?

There's a lot of room underneath the bench. Perfect for extra storage.

I placed it at the end of my bed.

And it probably won't stay there forever and ever (or even a week) .... Amen.

So what's the last "cheap" thing that made you do the happy dance?  or is it just me ....

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Before and After Laundry Room Cabinets

 Open Cabinets and Storage.

How I made over my laundry room cabinets.

 Here are 3 things I want to share with you today.

1. Simplifying storage using what you have.

2. How to make homemade numbered tags.

   3. An organizing system that's easy to follow.

Remember my laundry room cabinets? How I removed the doors so I could hang a pole. How much I loved the new look?  I played around with vignettes, painted laundry bottles, stacked vintage dishes...

It was so much fun. The laundry room was officially OFF the radar.

Until...

It started to feel cluttered. So much stuff. I was over it.

 Across the room, the cabinets overflowed.... I'm a bit of a paint addict and having to empty an entire cabinet to find one particular thing was putting the laundry room back on the radar. 

It was no longer working for me. 

I needed a plan. What do I want? I wanted my open cabinets to be pretty but I also wanted them to function as storage. 

I need organization! 

I shopped the house and attic and found 15 baskets etc... that were large enough for storage.

My family liked them like this (except the cardboard boxes of course) But I didn't. 

I wanted unity. I wanted them to be as one.

So I primed and painted everything but the galvanized metal. 
Metal can do no wrong in my book. But I did add a white stripe to them. You know, for the unity thing.

Spray paint cans. Can we just talk about that for a second. If you store them in a cabinet, then you're aware of what it's like finding the one can you may or may not have... or is it just me?

I had several boxes that were the perfect height for the cans. 
And best of all, they were free.

Now for some pretty. I think numbers are pretty. Maybe I'm weird.

I decided to number all of my storage containers. I used these dollar tree foam squares. 
I painted them with primer several times, and then stenciled my numbers onto them. I love the brush marks the primer (or cheap brush) left behind.

Because I can't leave well enough alone... I decided to add these faux knots. I wouldn't be afraid to say that this is an original idea... 

I mean WHO would actually put fake knots on their dollar tree foam tags??? 

Me.

I made 15 tags. I had many doubts about how these tags would turn out. They didn't lay flat...some paint was chipping off...(and by now, I was sick of them) but I had so much time invested...

I couldn't turn back.

I pretended like all was going just as I had planned it and used hot glue to attach my pretty numbers and...

I could not be happier with how they turned out. 

This. makes. me. happy. 

Now, THIS is just some of the junk that is hidden in storage. 

This chalkboard tells me what is where and where is what. 
This is located behind my laundry room door. So far, I love how this is working for me. 
And I have 3 empty containers for when I need more storage. 

One more look... BEFORE.

And AFTER.

Have I been thrifty with this makeover? Absolutely. I spent $2.00, and the rest of the stuff I already had. How's that for Thrift My House! Thank you so much for stopping by. 
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