How I Thrift Part 1

The title may sound lame but many people don't know how to thrift. I posted this picture on Instagram of 3 awesome items I found today...someone asked where I got them from and my answer was simply, our local thrift store. There is nothing glamorous about it. It's just a regular old (somewhat dirty) place where people drop off their old junk. My picture makes the items look glamorous but all three items were tucked away, hidden and overlooked by many... I want to teach you how to develop an eye for finding items, prove that patience really does pay off (and saves you money too!) and help you navigate through your local thrift store. Thrifting is not only trendy, but it's a form of recycling, teaches frugality and profits almost always go to a good cause!

Top: $3.50 \\ Leather purse: $5.00 \\ Antique crate: $10.00

THRIFTING IS ADDICTING \\
It is a treasure hunt and when you stumble upon that item that has been on your wish list for what seems like forever (and for next to nothing too!) you will find yourself immediately addicted. This is both good and bad. It is good because it is fun and can save you money BUT it is bad in that you can easily become consumed by accumulating material possessions and you may end up spending more money with little self control.

So, proceed with caution. :)

HAVE A LIST \\ 
Before I even step foot in the store I have a list (in my head) of items I am looking for. Some of the items on my list include:

• old wooden ores (it's been on there for a while...still have yet to find them)
• valuable old film cameras (an ongoing item)
• old wooden crates (an ongoing item)
• antique catalog card cabinets
• large vintage quilt
• vintage dresses (ongoing item)
• milk glass

Having a list of things helps me to keep from having brain overload when I walk into a store. There are thousands of items at my fingertips and when I have a hyper toddler, I don't have time to browse for hours. With my list, I am able to navigate through the different sections of the store, knowing where to spend more time than others.

PRACTICE SELF CONTROL \\  
Just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean you should buy it. Ask yourselves these questions...

• Do I love it? It's not enough to just like it. Once you start thrifting regularly, you will find TONS of amazing stuff that you like. That will end up costing you in the long run and before you know it you will be a pack rat. This happened to me when I first started and now I find myself giving away the very things I bought. Now? I only buy what I truly love. Love it or leave it, people!
• Is it worth the price listed? Dollars become a whole new currency when you start thrifting. You can stretch your dollar a long way. The more you thrift, the more you realize this and before you know it, you become stingier. I can't get myself to pay $7 for a vintage picture frame (that I know may sell for way more at an antique store) because I've paid as low as 50 cents for them before. I could get 14 (theoretically speaking) for the price of that one!
• How's the condition? Is it still usable? How will it hold up in the washing machine/dryer? Will the kids destroy it?
• Do I need it? The point of thrifting is to spend as little money as possible. Put it in your cart and think about it as you browse the store. If you don't "need" it don't buy it. Of course the definition of need can be bent a little bit...I didn't really need that sequined top lol.

As I'm typing all of this out, I've realized that there are so many other tips I want to share with you, so be sure to stay tuned for part II! Was this helpful? Comment below and let me know :)

DIY Cake Platter

 I'm always borrowing one of my girlfriend's cake platters and just haven't found one that I like enough to spend money on. Well, a few weeks ago, I found this simple tutorial for a DIY Cake Platter on Pinterest that won me over. I'm always thrifting and I knew I could easily find the materials needed to make my own.

I found an old candlestick holder for $1.00 and an old plate for $5.00. This particular plate caught my eye because the detail won me over. When I got home, I cleaned both pieces pretty well. As I turned over the plate, I saw the word Italy painted on the back. I started googling and found out that this plate comes from a set of hand-painted plates made in Italy! 

To make the cakestand, I put a ring of glue over the top of the candlestick holder. I pressed the candlestick onto the center of the back of the plate to form a ring of glue on the plate. After that, I pulled the candle stick holder off and re-applied the glue both to the back of the candlestick and to the plate where the ring of glue was left. After about 5 minutes of letting it dry somewhat on both objects, I pressed both pieces together. The tutorial says to just glue one piece and attach but my art teacher taught me this method of gluing both sides...it holds better in the long run. To finish, I put some books on top of the plate and let it sit for two hours. 

This is an extremely simple tutorial that I know you will be able to follow. Now it's your turn to go to a local thrift store and start hunting around to customize a cake platter just the way you want it! 

Some tips at the thrift store:

• Look hard. I picked up several plates and put them down because I kept finding a better one. This one was buried underneath some baskets and wasn't even in the plate section.
• If you're a perfectionist like me, make sure that your plate color and candlestick/base matches. If your plate is ivory and your stick is white, it will show!
• If you can't find something you like, don't settle! I make thrift store trips often and the first few times I went I couldn't find anything. They are always getting new inventory so you will find what you are looking for eventually.

DIY Bench Cushion

I don't like to walk out of the thrift store empty-handed. It's always a disappointment when it happens, but to be expected when you want to save money on whatever you are looking for. A few weeks ago the same disappointment dawned on me until something caught my eye as I was leaving. There was a piece of furniture that looked like it had lots of potential sitting in the donation cage outside of the store. I snuck in to get a better look. It was a vintage, wooden filing cabinet. I fell in love. The only problem was that it wasn't for sale yet (and some places are very strict on stuff like that) and even if it were, I would need to think of a way to justify it to Ethan. I asked a worker and she told me they normally don't sell on the spot like that, buuuuut it would help them from having to haul it into the store. The damage? 10 bucks! We put it in the back of my truck and I realized it would make a perfect bench for our entry way :) All it needed was a bench cushion... the only problem was that 1) They are so expensive and 2) It would be hard to find one that fit the exact dimensions. I searched the internet and found this amazingly simple tutorial!

Skill Level:

Beginner/Easy

Time:

It took me 1.5 hours :)

Total Cost:

$15.00 (with leftover fabric and polyfill)

I got my fabric from Wal-mart. It was on clearance for $1.50 a yard. I didn't have a certain motif in mind...I just wanted to find the most inexpensive alternative to a cushion. I bought two yards but one yard was more than enough. I forgot that the width is doubled since they fold it over!

Based off the tutorial and my dimensions, I started to cut my fabric to size.

And then I pinned the edges so that it would be easy to sew with my machine.

After the sewing was finished, I had to sew in the corners a certain way (extremely easy) to ensure clean edges all around.

 The most time consuming part was filling with polyfill. This was also the most expensive material too. $8.97 for a bag at Walmart! The small bag sure wouldn't have been enough but at least I have some left over for future projects.

I sewed the buttons on to balance out the fluff and voila! It was finished.

I should have combed through the fluff better so it wouldn't be so lumpy when I put it in...I recommend you do that if you take on this project!

Here is the tutorial link again --> http://jadeflower.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/diy-sewn-bench-cushion/

PS. Ethan loves it. No justification needed :)