Patina White

thrift store {war}

greetings show & tell! well...my big sis and niece were home-bound this week...back to the big metro of kansas city. but i sure got me some fond memories. and still giggle @ the recount of them! 

enter in one hot saturday & some time to kill. when in doubt hit the thrift! we all agreed we couldn't think of a better place to go. how can you argue the comfort of air conditioning + one big treasure hunt?! and the hunt became an all out "family feud" due in part that the {3} of us have nearly identical tastes! 

so...we decided to meet there. i arrived late {big surprise} which gave them an early start on the pickins. i spotted sis trying on boots. hold everything! i was missing the action! she held up a pair {seen below}

 

 

& said she was getting them. i begged to slip them on....just "to try". time for the big guns cause i loved them. felt it was appropriate to whine a little lot. she gave in. stating that there were more to peruse. really? well let's just see 'bout that! turns out she wasn't kidding. the staff was stocking the shelves with boots {check out a few below} & hats on this occasion. getting ready for the hoopla of the country musical festival, we fest, to come to town.  

 

 

did i mention hats? all's fair in love in war when you're dealing with {2} cowgirls and one poser. {that'd be me...i used to do my share of riding but now it's all about the look}. so when a fresh cart of 'em came out...my sis and i accoussted the poor gal like a lion making the kill.

it's still unclear who saw it first...but one thing's for sure. and that would be that i am the proud owner of {1} fine looking chocolate leather hat. {below}

 

 

now before you pass me off as spoiled {though the baby of the family often is labeled as such}...i did share a cooler than cool crocodile dundee"ish" number that i really loved. because i can't hog it all. {that combined with the fact it was too tight}. and sis was delighted! so much so that she ran off with it and i haven't seen it since... which explains the lack of photo!

other finds...a silky scarf that i used layered with a tooled leather belt + giant rodeo buckle {yep. both thrift store finds AGES ago.}

 

that reminds me. leather belts. another favorite thing i'm always on the lookout for. i use those that fit & admire those that don't. perhaps someday i'll find a repurpose other than rolling up another on the stack {below}

 

it wasn't just about the accessories. i did find a couple apparel items that thrilled me. i've decided i am going to make a movement to bring acid washed denim back to the area. i might be the only one of the bandwagon but i feel pretty good about the idea of running 'round in my men's oversized jean jacket {below}

 

 

i know. let the 80's rest already! well...i knew when i saw the 1969 tag {below}

 

 

that this was actually a GAP jacket. and surely a great value @ price of $4.95 {proof is in the puddin' below}

 

i lost sis when i pulled out a boldly printed jacket + feather detailed wool hat. but she didn't doubt me. infact she said i was the only person she knew that could pull it off.

by looking @ the happy gathering of my finds {below} it appears i have a good start to my fall wardrobe!

 

so with the family visit over...i guess there won't be anymore "war" raging in the local thrift. til i spot some unsuspecting cowboy trying on a pair of boots and i decide i must make them mine! i wonder if he'd give in to a little whine? better save that one for the family who knows & loves {tolerates} me! 

have yourself a wonderful day and talk @ ya soon!

 

thrift store $ menu {you are here}

hello hello! thought i would share a quick like thrift store $ menu segment that inspired some holiday decor in our home! the other day i was catting around the isles of the thrift store {occupational hazard w/ this place in the direct path to my home} and unearthed in the always favorite "office" section an asst. of sticker letters {below}. that's a whole lotta of fun for a buck!

not that i don't have oodles of letters tucked away in my cupboards. but alas...this "low hanging fruit" came @ a perfect time as i was mentally planning my table setting for christmas eve! thought they would make excellent place markers for my family. so letters added to tags ensure there will be no question to as who goes where! {you are here...below!}

and this photo {below} shows up close one of tags i created using a mixture of the letters. clipped to the slipcover of my dining chair and highlighted with tallow berries and boxwood...it's ready for action! wish i could say the same for myself! but things will come together for a grand gathering as usual in our home!

i hope you find these thrifty creations as nifty as i do! sure appreciate you popping by with all the whirlwind activities of the season! more decorating inspirations coming up...there's still a few days left!

be merry my friends...

 

thrift store $ menu {time stood still}

hello hello! i hope you all are enjoying the fun & spirit of the holiday season! i have been a heavy hitter on the thrift store circuit lately. this time of year i scour for holiday baubles & other seasonal delights that appear in their aisles.

so today seemed like a good time to share a thrift store $ menu post. it's getting increasingly harder to find anything worth mentioning under a buck these days....but when i happened on a pile of "expired" clocks in ho-hum cases...i looked @ their dials with the only thought that came to mind = "it's hammer time".

enter in said "hammer" + pair of safety glasses. a few fell blows to their non-descript cases and...for a cost less than that of a big mac value meal...i produced an artful gathering of "faces" you will see {below}. they seemed much happier minus their plastic counterparts.

so...with mention of thrift stores..i must share a story. yesterday found me visiting my sister...picking her brain for area thrift stores that were not neat & organized. i prefer a challenge.

oh did she have one for me. a goodwill dubbed the "wearhouse". where trains of blue bins on wheels sat in chaos with stuffed animals heaped together w/ pots & pans, area rugs and stray shoes. i asked and she delivered! no organization here!

i held my breath and dove in. then. an announcement.
"please step back from row #4. we are pulling it for restocking". with that a fella ran out and pulled the "junk train" away. 10 minutes later it reappeared heaping with, well your guess is as good as mine, let's say stuff.

i looked @ sis and giggled at the line-up of carts forming near it. but no shopping i learned til the buzzer. and let me tell you. the signal of the buzzer made black friday seem like a picnic in the park. i am going to say one word. HOLYCOW! {ok...really two words} i almost feared for my life! i did manage to make one pick of heap. a monopoly game complete with it's old silver game pieces. that hat and scottie were worth risking my arm.

oh. one last thing about the wearhouse. no prices on anything. nope. you pay for it by the pound! now that was a new one even for this veteran thrifter! we left there will a cart half-full of odds n ends and dropped only $3.81. of course a monopoly game, belts, clothespins and few books really doesn't weight that much though. but the experience was worth it all on it's own.

if there is a next time i am going in with a helmet. and maybe armor. then perhaps i can elbow my way thru the junk bins like the rest of those pros! i'll leave the hammer in the car though. hate to be carted off yielding a deadly weapon. though it may help me score some better bounty!

so go forth and junk @ your own risk. it's a jungle out there!

tis the season to be merry. or in this case...SCARY!

thrift store $ menu {i've been framed}

hey everyone! it has been a l o n g time since i showed you a creation born of a thrifty find. so no time like the present to do so under the influence of cupid himself! some hugs & kisses coming your way in the end result {below}.

it started with a collection of license plates {below}. shocker i know! me...collect something?? more like me...collect everything! but you just never know when you might need...say...100+ expired plates from across the country. today just so happened to be such an occasion!

a snip here & there gave me the XOXO i needed to fit exactly into my thrift store find - a bead-board frame that formally sported a dark hunter green finish and toile paper insert {below}. and of course it met the criteria of costing no more than a fast food dollar menu item for this segment. 

not too bad as is...but i saw greater potential in it. that and i wanted to test out a new industrial steel gray shade of paint that will be working it's way into my home soon. a few strokes of the brush...followed by a quick sanding...finished up with a whimsy wire border brought the frame to it's new glory you saw {above}.

if you haven't done so already & want to take a peek @ my past projects...click ☛{HERe} to see more thrifty reinventions! and keep practicing those {3} R's...

reDISCOVER * reIMAGINE * reCREATE

happy day to you all...

thrift store $ menu {the key to love}

greetings friends! it's that time again....time for me to show you all a thrift store find that i reinvent. my goal is to discover things that are less than the price of a fast food value menu & bring new life to them. no drive thru needed!

just yesterday i was casing the aisles of a favorite joint. the jewelry spinners are always my 1st area of interest. so i sit...flipping thru countless baggies of tschotkes hoping to find me some treasure. shiver me timbers ! there it was...a heavy old brass heart w/ matching key. not worth it's weight in gold but it sure did make me {1} happy pirate!

oh but the fun didn't stop there. nope...onward i marched to find me another diamond in the rough. then...what is that? well it's a tiny weathered stamp box that may very well be this girl's new "best friend". who needs them diamonds anyway?? hello cutie pie ~ you sure would be a beautiful re-purposed locket. and don't cha look pretty w/ the strands of pearl necklaces also unearthed from the depth of baggies? stay tuned for more on this one...i couldn't wait. had to dangle the carrot. got your attention didn't i?

 

meanwhile, back @ the ranch - out comes my faithful collection of stamps. in pops a lively quote...& what a change a little wordiness will do! 

 

oh what the heck. why hold back now. i also nabbed me a slice of heaven. i mean earth. big plans for this little agate number. also to be continued. but here is a glance at the before...

 

are you grabbing your purse and hitting the thrift circuit now? well what's stopping you? drive on by that burger hut & get yourself some real value. and be sure to pop by show & tell again for the rest of that "carrot"! 

have a great day!

thrift store value meal {unit of measure}

greetings! today's post highlights an item re-purposed from a thrift store discovery. originally my thrifty features were to be off the "dollar menu". but it seems i am having a tough time hitting that dollar mark often enough so i am expanding my horizons to include a "value meal" price point...thus giving me a few more dollars to work with!

i happened on a table in the not so distant past that had clean lines + just the right amount of rust on it's industrial-like steel frame. so for less than the price of a fast-food value meal...i had me a project in the making! here is where i started {below}...not terribly exciting with it's ho-hum "faux" wood features. but those legs...they have potential!

 

out comes the bucket of vintage yardsticks {below}. and i honestly mean a bucket-full! i have collected them for years for various projects. and it was time for something different! 

 

next - the layout. should i run them all in one direction? maybe a collage? what shade works off that one? blonde...dark...honey...highlights of red? i sat for a     L O N G time contemplating. after the wheels of invention turned for awhile i got out my arsenal of trusty power tools & went to work. and the end result can be seen {below}. are you loving it as much as i??

 

a bird's eye view of the assemblage {below}

 

i will have a hard time parting with this creation. but my house is pert near full. i did shuffle things around a bit to stage a little photo op for you all so you could see it in a home setting {below}.

 

now those of you who have bought vintage yardsticks know that they can well reach beyond "value menu"...but the foundation was a bargain & inspired me to create this one of kind work of art! a fine unit of measure if i do say so myself! i hope i have sparked you to scour a favorite thrift store in search of your own item of value to put a spin on! 

go forth and create & make it a great day! 

thrift store $ menu {got milk?}

hello everyone! i am highlighting a simple item that can be found in just about every thrift store. the other day i happened on a LARGE box full of clay pots & mingled in it were some nondescript milk-glass vases. at $4.95 for a whole slew of 'em i figure it was worth jumping on. and since there were so many it fits the criteria for my thrift store $ menu feature at an average of a quarter each! a fast...simple...and thrifty way to add some color & texture to your home. {below}

 

now i really am not "reinventing" this time...rather "enhancing" the simplicity of the clean lines of the milky vessels. a perfect opportunity to sprout a batch of wheatgrass! i filled up the various vases and a few clay pots (for contrast) with seed & about a week later ended up with a cheerful gathering on our table that looked liked this {below}.

 

so there you go! now be on your own "milky way" - scouring corners of thrift stores everywhere for your own thrifty repurposing! 

happy hunting!

thrift store $ menu {letter rip!}

hey all! a month ago today i featured a thrift store find reinvented. (click HERE to peek incase you missed it!) holy smokes how the time flies by! i never meant for it to be a month hiatus on this topic...but here goes with the latest!  

my goal in starting this segment was to find something for under a buck. thus the title thrift store $ menu! though it can be a bit of a challenge to hit that price point these days...this little guy {below} only set me back one shiny quarter. 

 

it was a canvas waiting to be transformed! the blank top begged for something artsy to top it off...and back @ the ranch there were some metal letter stamps just itching to make their "impression" on that naked blade.

so i dove into the depths of my cupboards in search of elements to make a cheery statement. here is what i gathered together {below} to do just that! paper flowers, a prized container of vintage watch faces plus some letter scrap with delicate handwriting.

a snip here...a blow of the hammer there...plus a sparkling rhinestone atop a watch face mixed with a little resin for a forever display and voila! a re-purposed letter opener ready to LETTER RIP!

just shows you that it doesn't have to be a BIG project lot to unleash your creative powers! all for the cost of some pocket change! 

and to quote my recent farewell to a pair of high-spirited gals inspired by a visit to my patinaWHITE cottage..."GO FORTH AND CREATE"! just be sure to use your powers for the good of all crafty chicks worldwide!

thrift store $ menu {light up my life}

hey everyone...it's monday! wishing you a great start to a fresh week! i thought it would be fun to start a new feature segment showing items i have picked up @ thrift stores to "reinvent". the challenge is that nothing can cost more than one US dollar. i didn't think mickey d's should get to have all the fun with a dollar menu! so today i am serving up a recent find. something to light up my life! 

i take fast "cruises" thru thrift shops hitting the areas of most interest. i can honestly say i don't check the lamp area often since it seems to be home to more "contemporary" pieces. but from afar i caught a glimpse of a darkened brass light socket. we all know that surface patina usually comes with age. (don't we though!) and this was just the case! it was a sad sight to be seen - gimply sitting on the shelf. but i couldn't resist the pink milk glass. and a dollar. really? why did i even have to sit and think about it? which i did of course. i decided it was worthy of a shot at a second life. 

so here it is {below} bearing a striking resemblance to the leaning tower of pisa! 

 

the base was beyond my repair - badly broken on one side. so...i began by disassembling it all which meant even the wiring had to come out. good thing i have some basic rewiring abilities! inspired by the recent popularity of trouble lights...i decided to make this a bit of a romantic-rustic revival.  i was particularly found of how taking something simple like jute twine and wrapping the cord created an inexpensive cord "cozy". see {below}

 

in my collection of lampshades i found a little number, minus it's covering (love it!), and with the same threads to screw (upside down) on to my current socket! a pretty beaded bulb cover adds some sparkle & it all came together to look something like this...

 

it makes a whimsical side lamp as shown above or would be great in a closet. which is what i have planned for it...that's a "to be continued" story. so if you are like me and enjoy the thrill of the hunt...be sure to look beyond the bumps + bruises that may scare away most shoppers. thanks for stopping today & be sure to watch for future thrift store $ menu items to be highlighted! now...would you like some fries with that lamp?