Feelin’ Thrifty
Color To The Rescue
As some of you have already noticed, the new issue of R. Home Magazine is out and it features another one of our “Try This” columns. Of course the article looks a bit more glamorous in the glossy magazine (which offers national subscriptions by the way) but the story can also be found online right here: Try This.
This issue is all about color (and budget friendly design) so our column shows how we brought a few super cheap thrift store items- like the tired $10 chair below- back to life with a splash of color.
So click here to read the full article. And don’t worry, we’ll do a few follow-up posts sometime in the near future to break down each project into simple steps. Seriously, we did all three projects in one weekend with a lot of relaxing in between. So keep your eyes peeled for more furniture painting and fabric recovering fun in the coming weeks…
Oh and we almost forgot the coolest part: R. Home decided to give away the chair that we spruced up for the article in an online contest! So if you’re local, visit their contest page for a chance to win. We’re crossing our fingers for you. And if you’re not local, stay tuned for detailed instructions about making your very own.
Hot Box
Inquiring minds wanna know what John and I exchanged for V-day so we’re here to spill the beans- er conversation hearts. I found this great vintage metal card catalog at a local thrift shop for $5 (well, originally $6 but I’m an infamous haggler) and instantly fell in love with the gray-green color and the steel drawer pulls. John’s the resident chef in our house, so I knew using it to add function and style to the kitchen would please him to no end. And the fact that he once worked at a library (and his mom has for decades) ensured that he’d love the card catalog reference.
I knew the moody sea green tone would look fab in our greeny-blue-gray kitch, so I immediately brainstormed a few ideas on the way to the checkout. I could rewrite all of John’s favorite recipes on cards and catalog them in the drawers (organized by ingredients or meal). Or we could use it as a bread box (the drawers perfectly fit a loaf each) and even as a utensil caddy for our plethora of spoons and spatulas.
But when I got it up on the counter at home another use instantly became clear- why not use one of the drawers for spice storage? I placed all of our spices into the drawer and voila: a spice drawer was born. And thanks to the addition of a few labels on top of each container, it’s easy to locate any spice from above when you pull out the drawer. Because the drawers are both pretty deep, I actually could fit all our spices into one drawer, which freed up the second drawer for spoon and spatula storage. Sweet.
And sure enough, John was tickled pink about his V-day gift. He loves the extra storage space and of course the awesome vintage-industrial vibe that it adds to the room. And one of his favorite things about the V-day box is an old-school label which reveals that it hails from New York- which happens to be super meaningful since it’s where we met and fell in love.
So what did you guys get and give? Do tell. And stay tuned for John’s gift to me later in the day…
Looking for more spice storage ideas? Check out this great suggestion from Door Sixteen. Amazing!
Feelin’ Thrifty: What Would Jesus Do?
We know a lot of our fellow Richmonders are always trolling for sweet thrift store finds, so we thought we’d dedicate a few posts to profiling our go-to spots for gently (or not so gently) used home furnishings and accessories here in the river city. Richmond has its fair share of Goodwill and Salvation Army stores but personally we’ve only actually purchased furniture or home accessories from other independent thrift stores in the area. So we’re here to share the goods. And bear with us all you non-locals, there are a few ideas that you can apply to your area. And hopefully this thrift store tour will inspire you to ask your friends about their favorite thrifting places- or even dedicate a weekend to hitting up a bunch of thrift stores that you find on google to suss out your very own favorite haunts. Happy hunting…
We’ve gotta dedicate this first thrift store profile to our absolute favorite: The Love of Jesus Thift Store. Can I get a “hallelujah”?
The Love of Jesus has two locations, but so far we’ve only visited the one on the Southside. It’s got a smorgasbord of everything – clothes, accessories, electronics, toys, sporting goods and (our personal fav) furniture and home accessories. My sister introduced us to Love of Jesus a few months ago after she snagged a chair for her new house (it’s the second chair in this post) and we’ve been hooked ever since. We even brought our camera on a recent trip so we could show you some of the cool pieces you’re likely to discover there. But of course it bears mentioning that not everything is a treasure. Sometimes one man’s trash is another man’s trash too. So be prepared to dig around a little. Consider it a home decor scavenger hunt of sorts.
As you can see, they’ve got an abundance of upholstered furniture, but we think they excel most in the wooden furniture department. Check out this beauty of a coffee table. It’s extremely solid and extra long, so it could be the perfect anchor in a spacious living room – especially if you’ve got an oversized couch. And of course it could always be primed and painted (glossy black? crisp white? emerald green? soft greige?) to work better with any existing decor.
You’ll have to forgive us for not writing down more prices as we went, but rest assured that everything’s very reasonable (they are “thrift”, not “antique” prices). Like this sweet console table with a woven brass shelf for a touch of old school style going for $15. Oh and if you do happen to fall for something that seems a bit pricey, we’ve had extremely good luck haggling for a better deal here (as in, they’ve never said no). If you’re like Sherry, you’ll haggle even if something’s already a steal. She once got a $7 bench down to $5… that’s my girl. Oh and remember that price isn’t the only issue, figuring out where something will go in your home is another good idea before you get to the checkout to purchase yet another chair that you have no place for.
They also carried a few retro finds in the lighting section with these poppy lamp bases that were just begging for a home (and a crisp new shade). It’s important to get thrift store lights checked out by a local electrician or lighting specialist to ensure that they’re safe so the whole house doesn’t go up in flames. But at $10 a pop, these schoolbus yellow and midnight blue lamp bases both leave room in the budget for some new wiring if it comes to that. Which one would you go for, the punchy yellow or the moody blue?
But if you’re looking for something less curvacious and more architectural, this massive, geometric glass chandelier would certainly do the trick.
And while we typically only swing through the home decor and accessory section, we’ll admit that we occasionally find other little treasures that catch our eye. Like this riveting novella based on the hit ’90s series Saved By The Bell. Fifty cent copies are clearly selling like hot cakes, so hurry in.
Sadly, we didn’t splurge on a copy of “Kelly’s Hero” this time. In fact, we didn’t take anything home on this particular pilgrimage. But not to worry, we can always rely on The Love of Jesus’ #1 fan (my sister) to show us how a piece of recently thrifted furniture can look right at home in her modern loft-like casa. Here’s a buffet she recently snagged for a mere $75 (with delivery included, no less) that perfectly divides her living and dining areas. Jealous? We are. We’ve seen other vintage modern pieces just like it for hundreds more. Go sis.
So that’s our quick profile of The Love of Jesus Thrift Store, one of favorite thrifting hot spots here in Richmond. Stay tuned for more thrift store profiles in the coming weeks. And we’d love to hear what you guys think about LOJ Thrift. Have any of you guys been? Found anything especially wonderful? Do tell.
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
After we picked up a giant mirror (seriously, it’s huge) for $5 at a local garage sale, we thought it was about time we mentioned the incredible superpowers that mirrors possess. Yup, short of adding a window, a french door or a major addition, mirrors are the best way to visually expand your space and reflect a ton of light. And everyone knows an airy and bright room is right up there with hardwood flooring or a fireplace in the dream home department (it can even make your house sell faster and for more money). So what’s the hold up, people? Let’s start reflecting.
But mirrors can’t just be placed willy nilly all over your home. There’s a method to the mirror madness, and the main takeaway is this: be sure you’re reflecting a pro of the space, and not a con. For example, if a mirror above the sofa merely reflects your giant black tv, it’s not exactly something you’d like to duplicate in the space (although your hubby might disagree) and all that dark machinery might just make the room feel more cramped! The three single best things to reflect are: a pretty light fixture, a window, or some subtle and light wall art (because lord knows you don’t want two Black Sabbath posters in your space either). Reflecting a pretty light fixture can mean anything from hanging a mirror on the wall of your dining room at the height of the chandelier to bounce some more light around, or even leaning/hanging a mirror behind a table lamp (for example, two matching mirrors behind your night tables with matching lamps would add so much sparkle and ambiance to your space. But enough yakking, onto the pictures.
We hit the mirror jackpot in the guest bedroom (pretty much by accident) when we brought home this beast of a mirror and propped it up on the dresser. As you enter the room, it reflects a big picture window that looks out into our backyard- so the mirror almost becomes another window (offering light and a pretty green view).
But wait, that’s not all. It also reflects the smaller window above the bed when you’re standing across from it, so it’s like we added two windows in a room that already has two windows- it almost feels as if there’s a window on all four walls.
The feeling of added spaciousness is especially obvious when windows are reflected, since the objects out the window are in the distance. By duplicating the distance and depth that a window adds to a space, it feels infinitely more expansive. In short, the room feels a heck of a lot bigger than it did yesterday.
So what do you guys think? Do you have any more mirror tips and tricks, or some pretty before and afters involving the addition of a mirror? Share and share alike.
