What I bought for $1.98

Like many of you, I enjoy seeing all the wonderful garage sale and thrift store bargains people purchase. It is amazing to me what can still be found with patience, a little bit of luck and imagination.

That being said, since I do not have a shop or an established way to resell, I try to only buy things which I can use and truly love. To me, a bargain isn’t a bargain if you are just buying something because of the price. So in all honesty, I do my best to limit yard sale and thrift store stops. However, every once in a while I do visit the local Salvation Army. Most times I leave empty handed but a few days ago I was lucky and found a few great deals.

Here is the brake down of my purchase - two silver-plated utensils at 10 cents each, one milk glass vase at 79 cents, and a large vintage ironstone platter for 99 cents. My grand total for the day was $1.98!

Not bad if I do say so myself!

Have you found any great bargains lately? If so, I would love to hear about them.

Linking up to:
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous
Show and Tell Wednesdays at Blue Cricket Design
Whatever Goes Wednesdays at Someday Crafts

Spring Tablescape

I took a little break this week from my normal activities to create this cute spring tablescape.

This simple setting includes vintage white ironstone dishes, a linen ruffled end table runner, yellow tulips in a milk glass vase, a large bunny with paper mache eggs, and spring “baskets” filled with Easter treats. A great mix for a spring lunch for two!

The baskets are a fun project I have had in the works for quite some time. They are super easy to create and make great place cards as well as take home gifts for guests.

I will be sharing a tutorial on how to make them in a few days so be sure to check back.

Sources
White Ironstone – Vintage Ebay purchase
Glasses – Vintage flea market find
Table runner –Linen. Click here for tutorial.
Bunny – Home Goods – repainted
Paper Mache eggs – JoAnn Fabrics – painted
Napkins – Pottery Barn

Linking up to
Spring Party at Centsational Girl
Tablescape Thursday
Show and Tell Wednesday
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Open House Party

Top Projects and Posts of 2010

Before diving into 2011, I thought it would be fun to take a look back on this past year. It definitely was a busy 365 days filled with numerous projects and house updates. The following are my favorites (in no particular order) from 2010.

Metal Top Table Redo
Using my favorite painting and glazing technique, I transformed a metal top coffee table a friend no longer wanted.

Daughter’s Room Redo
My daughter’s room went from little girl blue and green to big girl pink, tan and gray. Projects included dog silhouettes, embellishing a cork board, creating a marble top side table, and adding ceiling molding.

Dining Room
Paint changed a mismatched group of furnishings – a floor sample clock, thrift store chairs and buffet, and a Craig’s list table – into a cohesive grouping. With the addition of a zig zag rug, Ikat fabric to cover the chairs and a mirror (which has yet to arrive) this space started the year almost empty and finished almost full.

Bye Bye Red Room
We lightened up our red living room by painting it white, removing accessories and adding new curtains. This space is still a work in progress and is on my “to do” list for 2011.

Secrets to Finding Roadside Treasures
Here I shared the three reasons I have been so successful in finding roadside freebies.

Block Printed Pillows
Vintage printing blocks and letters were used to create unique patterns on fabric which were then turned into pillows.

One Dollar Decorating
I found a mismatched group of milk glass vases at the thrift store and created a pretty table and mantle for only one dollar.

My Sewing Machine
The only sewing machine I have ever owned belonged to my Grandmother - proving it does not take a fancy sewing machine to sew!

Worth the Wait
This post highlighted the landscaping transformation our house has gone through since moving in nine years ago. We began with nothing but dirt and have slowly created a yard we are proud to call our own.

So there you have it – the best of Red Door Home 2010. Hope you enjoyed the past year as much as I have. I am looking forward to 2011 and all the great projects and posts the year brings.

I would love to know your favorite post of 2010? What would you like to see more of in 2011?

Paperwhite Perfection!

Here is a quick update on the paperwhites I potted back in November – almost exactly one month ago.

Today they are blooming and are at the peak of perfection!

For some reason this year adding alcohol to the water did not keep them from growing tall. I have used this trick in years past but to no avail this time. Oh! Well! They are still beautiful and fill the kitchen table with prettiness.

I have so enjoyed watching them transform from bulbs . .. .

. . . to buds . . .

. . . . to flowers!

I will probably have a few more days until the flowers start fading. Until then, however, I am going to enjoy these wonderful white flowers in all their glory.

Paperwhites – Step Number One in My Holiday Preparations

Creative Home / Photographer – Michael Partenio
Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications 

The official start of the holiday season begins for me when I plant my paperwhites. I head to my local garden center where the bulbs can be purchased individually instead of pre-packaged. They are less expensive this way and I can choose the best ones. It seems every year I buy more bulbs than the previous year. I guess I just can’t seem to get enough of these pretty white flowers during the holidays!

You may remember last year I wrote about one of my favorite holiday hostess gifts – a single paperwhite in a vintage tea cup. This year I did more of the same as well as add some new pots to my repertoire for my own house.

For several months I have been collecting milk glass vessels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each one cost between twenty-nine and ninety-nine cents. Many of these will undoubtedly end up in the hands of friends as well.

At the moment the containers are all housed on my kitchen table. I am always amazed at how even the simplest items become more important and beautiful when placed together. Although I do love how this grouping looks, I am sure they will be moved once I begin decorating in earnest.

You may also have noticed I have mixed in some simple baby tear plants with the paperwhites. My only holiday decorating plan this year is to simplify and use natural elements. We’ll see how it all turns out!

So, how do you begin your holiday decorating? Is there a tradition in your family which signals the beginning of the holidays?

Linking to a few of my favorite parties HERE

Final Bedroom Reveal

For the past few weeks I have been showing various parts of my daughter’s bedroom makeover. I so appreciate everyone who has followed along and shared such encouraging comments. Thank you! So, without further delay, here is the room in its entirety.

Where we began
As I have mentioned before, my daughter’s room was decorated around a blue and green Laura Ashley bedding set I used when I was in college.

I made the curtains from an extra set of sheets. The dressing table was a roadside find which I panted and stenciled. You can tell from the before photos, I was very much into everything matching perfectly. I have since come to realize by mixing things up a bit, a room becomes more interesting.

Putting it all together
Although my daughter has not reached double digits, she wanted a room where she could make some of the decorating choices. We were not initially on the same page, but through compromise – she wanted pink and dogs and I wanted a space that would fit in with the rest of the house and one she would not out grow in a few years - we were able to create a room we both love. The starting point for the entire project was the curtain fabric.

I have to admit it was a real struggle to find coordinating fabric to use for the Euro shams. After many hours online, I finally found the pink zebra fabric. (I apologize for not remembering the source.) The regular shams are made from left over fabric from another project and the long pillow with the flowers I made from inexpensive suiting material.

The bedside table is topped with a piece of marble I purchased at an antiques store. I love how the gray veining picks up the other gray features in the room and adds another layer of texture to the space. (To see the story behind the marble click here.) The lamp is one of a pair which I painted and glazed.

For artwork, I created inexpensive dog silhouettes, . . .

. . . updated a bulletin board with ribbon . . .

. . . and added a simple frame around the chandelier.

The dressing table was updated with a fresh coat of paint . . .

. . . and accessorized with vintage and yard sale finds.

Unplanned Changes
One of the biggest changes in this room was the flooring. You may have noticed from the before picture, the bedroom was carpeted. Installing hardwood floors was not in the original redo plan. In fact, the room was basically finished when we decided to replace the carpeting. We were at the point where something had to be done - markers, nail polish and lotion just do not work well with white carpet.

Replacing the carpeting with wood floors meant purchasing a rug. After what seemed like endless searching for the right color and size, I finally splurged on the pink and white rug you see above – the finishing touch to the room.

So there you have it – my daughter’s room redo! It is hard to believe the entire process started over 8 months ago. Overall, I think we achieved the goals of this project. I am very pleased with the results and most importantly, so is my daughter.

Sources:Bed – Ethan Allen
Dresser – Ethan Allen
Rug – Madeline Weinrib
Dresser lamp – vintage yard sale find
Bedside lamp – repainted brass lamp
Curtain fabric – Calico Corners
Pillow fabric (gray and pink) – JoAnn Fabrics
Pillow fabric (tan velvet) – Calico Corners
White faux fur throw – Home Goods
Sunburst mirror – Wisteria
Upholstered cubes – Target
Upholstered cube slipcover fabric – fabric JoAnn Fabrics
Bulletin Board – Ballard Design
Small Shelf below bulletin board - Target

Linking up to some of my favorite parties.

One Dollar Decorating

I have seen so many fantastic purchases from thrift stores lately that I decide to pay my local Salvation Army a visit to see what I could find. While I didn’t come home with an undiscovered treasure, I did manage find these wonderful milk glass vases. The total cost for all five – one dollar.

As the saying goes, there is power in numbers. I love how they look all grouped together and filled with coordinated flowers on this silver tray.  The simplicity of the white color and the different textures and shapes of the vases creates a wonderful display.

They also look pretty lined up across a fireplace mantel.

My original intent when I purchased the vases was to use them as gifts for friends. Fresh flowers are always wonderful to give or receive and when they arrive in a pretty vase it is an added bonus. Some of these vases will undoubtedly find their way into other homes but most, I think, will end up staying here.