Fun Friday Finds #20

Happy Spring everyone!  

Welcome back to another edition of Fun Friday Finds.

 I have some great things to show you this week.

Hubby ended up having to work this past Saturday so the kiddos and I headed out for some yard sales and a local quilt festival.  It was a fun day and I made a few good discoveries.

First up is this large glass cookie/candy jar I found at a yard sale for $2.

It's really big.  I set my phone up next to it so you could get an idea of its size.  I haven't decided yet if I want to keep this or sell it.  Either way I'll probably give the lid a coat of paint to freshen it up.

There were a few booths at the quilt festival that had vintage and antique items.  Some of the booths were charging antique store prices, but a couple of them were affordable.  I got this stack of vintage towels for $7.  So it came out to $1 each.

This set is a soft thin flour sack type material.  Isn't that red edging just the sweetest?!?  It feels sort of Swedish Farmhouse to me.  I might keep one and sell the rest.

This French linen towel looks like the real deal to me.  No faux wannabe's here.  Just look at that texture!  Gorgeous!

Also at the festival I found this German license plate for $6.  The man asked me if I had a German car I planned to put it on.  I said, "No, I'm planning to hang it on the wall."  I'm not sure if he knew what to think of that.  : )

The next fun find was totally unexpected.  If you'll remember back in my post about the DIY Grain Sack Shower Curtain, I used a homemade overhead projector to trace the image.  Even though it worked, it was still kind of difficult to do and the lighting had to be just right.  I had considered going ahead and investing in an actual projector to have for future projects, and maybe to make some things to sell, but decided against it when I saw they were running around $50 plus shipping on eBay.

Well, guess what?  I now have one of my own!  The kids and I were running errands one day and I stopped by the Hospice thrift store to drop off some things for donation and I spied this projector sitting right inside the door.  I asked if it had been a donation (yes), would it be for sale (yes), and could I buy it right then before it ever went out on the sales floor.  They had to get a manager to approve this, but long story short, they let me buy it right from the back door and for only $10!  It works SO much better than the homemade setup!  Now I just have to come up with some projects to use it for to justify its purchase.  :D

Now, on to the finds from today's adventure.  

I wanted to get a few groceries at Publix (LOVE Publix, but it's 35 minutes away so I don't get to go often), so the kids and I just made a morning of it.  It took us all morning to get there because we stopped at every yard sale we saw plus one thrift store and a small flea market, lol!

I got this selection of kitchen items at a yard sale for $2.  There were also some shower curtain hooks in the mix as well, but I didn't think you'd care about those.  : )  I thought the old ice cream scoop would make a cute scoop for something else, maybe in a big jar of oats or something.  The honey swirler thingy (technical savvy lingo) is to keep as well.  My husband was given a big jar of fresh honey from some local beekeepers after he helped them out, and I thought this would be so cute sitting down inside it.  (Well, until we eat it all that is.  It's some good stuff!)  And aren't those little measuring spoons just the cutest?  I already have a metal set for myself, so these will probably get listed.  The copper mold will be listed as well.

I found this great old antique brass hotel counter bell for $2.  It's solid brass and very heavy.

It even has a cast iron knocker/ringer thingy-ma-bob.  

(I'm very knowledgable in antiques lingo as you can see.)

This little silver plated dish caught my eye too.  It needs cleaned up, it looks as if it was used as an ash tray (oh the horrors!).  At first glance it might not look like much, but what drew me to it were the intricate details that lay beneath the grime and ash.

Isn't that pretty?  I forgot to take a picture, but it has an insignia on the bottom for Middletown Plate Co, Middletown, Conn. with the number 200.  Not sure what the number means, but I hope someone will appreciate this beautiful little piece as much as me because I plan to list it in the shop.

I came across this old Royal typewriter at a yard sale for $7.  I already have one of my own that I found last summer, so I plan to list this one.

Ok, now for my favorite find of the day.

This was the very first sale we stopped at this morning, at a local ranch a couple of miles from here.  I had already paid for my other items and was about to walk away when I noticed a section of boxes that I hadn't looked through before because they had just been setting them out.  When I moved away some paper towels and a few old musty sweaters I discovered this beauty.

A very large yellow enamelware bucket.  How often do you see yellow enamelware?!?  I'm not sure I ever have.

I love its sweet wooden handle!

I set the phone up by it again so you could see how big it is.  Awesome sauce, am I right?!?

And how much do you think I paid for it?

A big ol' whoppin' $2!!!  

I left there with a huge grin on my face!  I'm really in love with it so I think I'll be keeping it for now.

Well, that's all for this week!  

Be sure to share a picture of your Fun Friday Finds over in the Facebook Group.  We all love a good deal so come share what you've found!

                                                                  

Sharing over at:

The Scoop #111 - Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Fun Friday Finds #19

 Can you believe that it's been close to an entire year since I've done a Fun Friday Finds post?!?  Well it has.  I looked back and last May was the last one.  But never fear my junk lovin' friends, my yard sale-ing adventures will begin again!  Now that we're settled into our new home I'm ready to get my Etsy shop up and running again which means I'll need some new inventory.  Yay for an excuse to go shopping!  Am I right?  :D

So here's a few things I've found in the past week or so, and one big find that is actually from months and months ago, but I've never shared it.  

This first one is a cute little train case that I found at a yard sale this week.  The kids and I were headed home from story time at the library on Thursday when I spied the yard sale sign and whipped that van around, much to the aggravation of my kids.  (Aggravating them is so much fun!)  We followed the signs and ended up at a storage unit that was being cleaned out.  They weren't really prepared...at all, but went ahead and let us adventurous type dig through the boxes.  The train case cost me all of 50 cents.

I also found this big ol' enamelware pot.  I searched and searched for the lid, but never could find it.  It also cost me .50.

Next up is this silver plate on copper vintage serving pitcher.  It's not really my style, but I've been seeing similar items popping up all over blogland recently so I thought it might sell well in the shop.  It was also a whoppin' .50.

This great set of retro canisters came from my new favorite thrift store.  I've been wanting to stop in this place every time I pass by it, but never had the chance until last week.  They had some great stuff there for really decent prices.  I will definitely be going back.  These canisters, which are in basically perfect condition, cost me $12.  They'll be going in the shop.

I also found this old flag at the same store.  It was flown over the Capitol in 1981 at the request of an Alabama congressman.  I have no idea of its resale value, I just thought it was unique and might be a good eBay sale.  I like to sell unique things just to say I've sold it, ya know?  

 Now this last one is actually a find from last November.  You've probably seen parts of it in some of the pictures I've shared on Facebook, but I've never shared the entire thing or the story behind it.

For a long time now I've wanted to own a set of antique theater seating.  I don't really know why exactly, I just think they're really neat.  It was rare that I ever came across any for sale and when I did they were SO expensive there was no way I could ever afford it.  But on this particular day, my birthday to be exact, the kids and I were on our way over to what is now our new house to do some work.  On the way we stopped at a couple of yard sales.  

At this sale, the old guy had some really neat and unique things for sale, but the seats totally captured my attention.  He had 3 sections of them.  I held my breath as I asked him the price and when he said, "Awww...if  you'll take them all I'll let ya have 'em for 40 bucks," I almost passed out.  I could NOT believe he was selling them so cheap.  I knew my husband would not be happy with me (and that's an understatement) if I came dragging home 3 sections of theater seating, so I asked him what his price would be on just this section.  He said $15 and even though that was a beyond awesome price, I was still torn as to whether or not I should actually get them.  I mean really, what would I do with them?  Where would I put them?  Would Hubby threaten to cut off my yard sale-ing days?  So I offered him less.  This is usually my "sign" when I can't decide on something.  If they'll take less, then it's meant to be mine.  If not, then I walk away.  So I offered him $10 and he accepted!  See...it was meant to be!

The funny ending to this story is how when I went back the next day to pick the seats up he answered the door in a shockingly skimpy state of disarrayed dress with his badly dyed red hair sticking up everywhere (at 2:00 in the afternoon), and how the sight of his wrinkly pale thighs and parts of his fuzzy chest totally threw me off my game and made me forget that I was supposed to ask him if he knew where the seats came from.  

So, if anyone ever asks me if I know the history behind them I'll have to say no, all the while the mental image of an old man in a barely-there bathrobe will be coming to mind and I'll be trying not to giggle...again.

                                                                

* Don't forget about the new Facebook Group we've started! *

Bar Stools for the Kitchen

If you follow me on Facebook then you might have seen that I finally found a set of bar stools on Craigslist for our kitchen last week.  I had been looking for months on Craigslist, as well as thrift stores, etc., but hadn't come across a set that were decently priced.  I kept finding one here and one there, but if they were a set then people wanted way too much for them, even just for a set of two.  Then finally I came across these, a set of 4 priced at $85.  Not too awfully bad for a whole set.  I went and looked at them and offered her $60 thinking she'd counter with $75, but she was happy with the $60!  Woot woot!  :D

In a perfect world I'd have something more industrial looking and less honey oak, BUT...since the ones that I covet so very much are about $130 EACH, these will have to make do.  They're nice and sturdy and in good shape, and who knows, maybe I'll paint them someday.  I don't plan to paint them before painting the kitchen cupboards though.  I'd like to get those painted my dreamy white, and then see what to do with the stools. 

 (You can also see remnants of the orangey spackled walls and dark trim that have yet to be painted in the living room there in the background.)

Here's a little closer look at the top of the cupboards.  I have really struggled with decorating the tops of these.  I've tried to find the fine line of not so much that it looks cluttered and tacky, but not so sparse as to look completely plain and lifeless either.  I'm fairly satisfied with this section, but I'm still struggling with the cupboards on the left side of the kitchen.  Honestly, I would love to do away with the open tops and have glass fronted cabinets that go up to the ceiling built there instead.  Something like this.

(source)

I lurve this kitchen by the way!  Just sayin.'  But that's another one of those, "I wish/someday though probably never/if only/dream kitchen" kind of projects.

Anyways....back to my kitchen.  There was one more thing I wanted to point out to you that I've never shown before.  Can you tell what the arrow is pointing at?

It's our key holder!

We have lots of various keys for different machines and gadgets around here, so I turned an old metal loaf pan on its side and added magnetic hooks to hang them from.  The pan also helps disguise the fish tank pump that's behind it.  And that's Jerry (as in Tom & Jerry), our betta fish, by the way.  He's a funny little spazola who fights the filter pump quite often and likes to swim on his side when he's mad, lol!

  I think this same key holder idea could be used if you like to hang your keys right beside the door where you go in and out.  You could simply screw the loaf pan to the wall, and the hooks could be attached to the bottom of the pan and then the inside of the pan could be used as a little shelf to hold outgoing mail, cell phones, sunglasses, etc.  

Kind of quirky and fun, right?  

Just my style!  : )

                                                             

5 Minute No Sew Curtain

Today's project was so quick and easy, and such a small little thing, that I wasn't even planning to share it.  But after a month of being away from the blog many of you said, "Please don't stay away so long again!"  (Awww, you know how to make a girl feel loved!)  So....small though it is, I decided to go ahead and share it, after all, this blog is all about the ideas I come up with to try and improve my home.  So, without further ado, here is my 5 minute no sew curtain project.

This is the side door to our house, and it leads into the laundry room.  Even though it's the side door it gets used as our main entrance because of the way the driveway leads up to the house.

This curtain was already in place when we moved in, and even though I strongly disliked it I kept it there because I didn't have anything to replace it with.  The fabric was so thick and dark that not even the tiniest shred of light could get through.  And there was so much of the fabric that there wasn't enough room on the rod to push it over and let light in.  The result was a dark and cave like laundry room, even with the light turned on.

It was kind of a dark and depressing view walking up to the house as well, and didn't reflect our personalities at all.  You might think that's kind of crazy to say about one little curtain, but even the small things have a big impact.

The other day I was cutting fabric for another curtain project elsewhere in the house and I looked at the leftover strips of muslin and wondered what use I could find for them.  

And here's the answer.   : )

I just simply draped the strips over the rod and overlapped them slightly, then added another extra strip of checked fabric as the tieback.  The edges are unfinished so it gives it kind of a fun shabby look, and the thin muslin lets in plenty of beautiful light.

Walking up to the house is so much more cheery now!  

And it gives a much better first impression of what you'll find within the house.

My hubby doesn't tend to notice things I do around the house unless I specifically point them out to him, but this one he actually noticed all on his own and made a point to tell me how much nicer it looked when he came home!  Big smiles.  :D

I love how much soft light comes in, and doing laundry isn't so depressing now.  

So there ya go, 5 minutes, no cost or sewing involved, and it made a huge improvement in this little room.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

  I'm off to pick up some barstools for the kitchen that I found on Craigslist.
 I'll be sure to share a picture later.  : )

                                                                 

* If you haven't heard yet, we've started a new Facebook group where there can be more interaction between all of us and you all can share pictures of your projects and thrifty finds with the rest of the group.  Come join the fun {here}!  The regular Facebook page can be found {here}. *

Painter's Dropcloth Becomes DIY Grain Sack Shower Curtain

Hi everyone!  Long time no see!!  

Can you believe it's been a month since I last posted anything?!?  Craziness!  But life around the "farmhouse" has been pretty busy with homeschooling, projects, cooking, housework, and yada yada yada.  

I'm just trying to hang on for dear life.  :)

One of the projects I've been working on is the 2nd bathroom.  This is the kids' bathroom and when we have company it's also the guest bath.

The above is a picture I snapped of it before we bought the house.  The electric wasn't turned on, but even still you can see that it's pretty dark in there with absolutely no natural light (therefore, very hard to get decent pictures in here).  The dingy orangey-yellow walls and dark trim just sucked the light right out of the room.

When we moved in I put up a shower curtain we had from our last house, but the yellow ribbons on the curtain only added to the "depths of despair" theme this bathroom had going on.  It was purely functional.

One day inspiration finally hit and I knew what I wanted for this room.  Little by little during the kids' nap/quiet time I tackled the trim and got the walls painted.  I put together an inspiration board on Pinterest where I pinned rooms with gray walls, white trim, and black accents.  It would be very easy to end up with a more modern and chic looking room using these colors, so I wanted to be sure to include some items that would keep it more on the rustic farmhouse side.  One of those things was a shower curtain I had pinned that had stripes that were sort of grain sack looking.  Nothing says 'farmhouse' more than a grain sack, right?  But the problem was that this particular curtain was $40...more than I wanted to spend could afford for a shower curtain.  So I went searching to see if I could find a basic white curtain for much cheaper and just paint the stripes on my own.  Well, during all of this research another idea hit me and my mind started racing 100mph.

A couple of weeks later, with only $14 invested in the project, I ended up with this.

A giant shower sized "grain sack!"  :D  

I love it so much!  

And it will most definitely keep this bathroom from looking too modern.

I even put in my own grommets, a first for me!

Here's a little comparison of the before and after.  Quite the change, huh?  It took me 5 tries before I got the paint color on the walls right, but finally settled on Benjamin Moore's Rockport Gray at 50% (although it's actually a different brand of paint, just their color.)  You can see we put up beadboard on the left wall, we still need to get the baseboard up as well as the chair rail on the top.  Eventually I want to replace the vanity and flooring as well.  But all in good time.  One project at a time.  :)

So, if you're here just to see the pictures, then feel free to move on to the next blog at this point if you want.  But if you're curious as to how I accomplished this DIY farmhouse shower curtain, then stick around.  I'm about to explain the details.

I started with this 6' x 9' canvas dropcloth that you can pick up from Walmart for about $9.97.  

I followed Miss Mustard Seed's directions for bleaching it since I wanted it to be a lighter cream color versus the tan color it was originally (if you follow the link to her blog, the directions on bleaching are in step #2 I believe).  

On the left you can see how it looked straight out of the package, and on the right is after being washed and bleached.

I kept the width of it the same, but cut quite a bit off the length and sewed a wide double layer tab/seam along the top where the grommets would be placed.

Next I had to come up with the image I wanted to put in the center.  I Googled "grain sack images" and "feed sack images" and came across {this one} that I loved.  Of course, theirs is for sale and I didn't want to steal their image, so I redesigned it and made it more personalized for us.  (The Suwannee River is nearby, and we actually lived less than a mile from it for about 6 months before we bought this house.)

Once I had the image designed, I had to figure out how to get it onto the fabric.  Image transfer methods with freezer paper and such weren't going to work because I needed it to be on such a large scale.  I knew I was going to need an overhead projector.  I remembered that a long time ago I came across something about a DIY homemade projector so I went searching, and sure enough, you can make your own!

I used a cardboard box and cut an opening on both ends.  I didn't have any transparency sheets, but I do have a small laminator that I use for homeschooling so I ran a laminating sheet through the laminator to make it clear.  Then I put that in my printer and printed the image directly on it and taped it to one end of the box. (The curtain was nailed to the wall.)  I used the flashlight app on my iphone as the light source.  We tried a few other things for the light, but nothing worked as well as the app did.  So we propped up the phone to be sure it wouldn't budge even a centimeter, and made sure it was plugged in to a charger.  The setup wasn't as strong as a real projector, and it had to be very dark in the room for it to work, but work it did!

If you look close you can see my pencil tracings on the fabric.

Once I had the entire image traced onto the fabric, my next step was to put in the grommets.  Walmart had these, and the setting tool as well, in the sewing section.  The grommets were about $4.47 for 10 (I needed 12 so I had to buy 2 boxes), and the setting tool was $3.47 I think.  I didn't include these in the price of this project because I had Walmart gift cards from a rebate a couple of months ago, so I essentially got them for free.

I measured out and marked their placement and pounded them in.  (I made sure to put a sturdy wooden cutting board in between the fabric and the floor to protect my purdy floors.)   : )

Once the grommets were in it was time to start painting.  I was SO nervous about this part!  I was so afraid I was going to drip paint or smudge it or somehow mess it up and have to start all over.  But, I just took my time and worked very carefully and it was all just fine.  The painting part of it took me about a week, working on it little by little.  That canvas is actually a little difficult to paint on.

Once I had the image completed it was time to add the grain sack stripes.  This was the most aggravating part of the whole project.  This fabric has so much "give" to it that it was incredibly hard to get them lined up nice and straight.  And even though they looked really straight on the floor, once I washed it and hung it up they looked absolutely drunk.  They were so crooked I was ready to cry.  But then I remembered the "give" factor and started tugging the fabric this way and that and got it all straightened out.  I hung it up damp so the tugging was easy and it allowed it to dry how I wanted it.  

 I actually used different shades of gray and black, but once it was washed they all kind of look the same. I just used regular craft paint for most of this.  I tried adding a textile medium to the paint, but it didn't seem to make any difference when I did a test swatch and ran it through the washer.  So I just stuck with straight craft paint on everything except the words at the bottom.  On those I used an oil based Sharpie paint pen that I already had from my Sharpie mug project.  The final washing served to set the paint as well as give the whole thing the faded aged look I was going for. 

Here's a breakdown of my costs:

Dropcloth canvas - $10

4 bottles of craft paint - $4 

Grommets and setter - $12.50 

(I got these for free with gift cards).

My cost was only $14, much more affordable than $40, and now I have an absolutely unique and original shower curtain that I love.

So what do you think? 

 Is it a little over the top, or is it fun and quirky and perfect for a farmhouse bathroom?  

I'd love to hear from you!

* Update - these customizable shower curtains are now for sale in my Etsy shop and can be found {here}. I'm currently taking names on a waiting list so if you'd like to purchase one let me know and I'll add your name to the list. *

                                                                 

Here's a set of 10 grommets with the setting tool included, as well as a 6 x 9 drop cloth
.

                                                     

Linking up over at:

Party Junk #228 - Funky Junk Interiors
The Scoop #108 - Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Wow Us Wednesday - Savvy Southern Style
Centerpiece Wednesday - The Style Sisters