Here are a couple of simple thrift store makeovers. I found these ceramic birds last week at a Goodwill and fell in love with them. They were pretty as is, but had this weird goldish kind of spray over them, so I decided to spray them a glossy white… …and here they are 2 coats later. Very simple and low cost. Love it! The question is…should I add an antique glaze? Any thoughts?Again, this resin jewelry box was fine, but some of the “gold” was chipping off and I’m not normally a gold kind of gal. So, I sprayed it in Krylon’s Oil Rubbed Bronze (one of my favorites!)And here it is. Very subtle change, but it looks fantastic. I just finished the aqua vanity that was in my basement and I have several other furniture projects in the works. Lots more before & after pics to come!

Thanks for the great response on my first giveaway. You can still enter until midnight EST tonight, so don’t miss out! It’s the post just below this one. I’ll pick and announce a winner on Monday. My mom and I thought it would be fun to hit some thrift stores while we were together for my Grandfather’s funeral. Why not make a sad trip somewhat enjoyable? We knew where a few were, but we found some unexpected ones as well. We found some great stuff… Here is the first Goodwill in all it’s glory. Those white letters against the blue background get my heart going… I spotted this mirrored lamp for $7.25 and grabbed it immediately. I’m always paranoid in places like this that people are going to come over my shoulder and snatch something I’m admiring. You would not believe the ridiculous lengths I have gone to in order

I love old things and antiques, so I thought I would share some of my very favorites with you… Antique trophies…I found two of these in my grandparent’s attic. Anything silver or silver plated, especially family and monogrammed pieces. I’ve already shared my love of Ironstone and Bakelite flatware. I just learned today that my Uncle’s fiance had a ton of Bakelite and she threw it away! Just kill me now or maybe kill her now…ok, I’m getting a little too violent about Bakelite. Let’s move on… Linen napkins, tea towels, table cloths, and serving pieces, especially if they’re monogrammed. I don’t even mind ironing them. Old quilts. This was one out of my husband’s grandmother’s collection. Old family photos. Isn’t this one gorgeous? I found it in my grandparent’s attic. I’m not sure who it is, but I love it. Crystal chandeliers. This was my $4.00 yard sale find

You never know what to expect when you go out to yard sales. Last week was gray and wet and I came back with a great haul. This week, the sun was shining, the weather was gorgeous, there was a community yard sale…those are the makings of a great day of treasure hunting. I got $60 out of the ATM, ready to spend. It was after 10:00 and I was empty handed. Then I spotted this neat little table and some gutter parts sitting on a driveway. A sign said “Free.” I looked around in disbelief. The table is free? I grabbed it up half expecting that someone was going to yell at me for stealing! I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, yet, but how could I pass up FREE? Look at this beautiful inlay! And one cool thing is that this table folds down flat. I love

This mirrored vanity tray was one of my finds from last weekend’s yard sale run. It was $1.50 at a thrift store. This is not a dramatic transformation, but it is a great example of how simple changes can make a big impact! All I did was clean it up and sprayed it with a few coats of Krylon Ivory in a satin finish. I thought about making it a chalk board or doing something else with the mirrored center, but this looked lovely as a mirror. A key part of a successful makeover is knowing what to leave alone! Here it is as it was made to be – a vanity tray. I loved the idea of using it on the dining room table or coffee/side table as the base for a table scape. Just imagine candles and berries… I love how painting it cream brought out the detail

I forgot to highlight my favorite find from today! This is an antique scale (balance, actually) that I found at a yard sale for $20. Now, that’s a lot to spend on something that’s not a piece of furniture at a yard sale, but I love scales. And this one was a bargain…I think I’m keeping this one.