Knitpickity

Feeling Thrifty

There is no part of my house even close to being ready for prime time - still too many things to fix and update and hang.  My beautiful house in Memphis was architecturally pretty enough that if it was not all gussied up it stood fine on its own.  This house, well it needs the lily gilded. 

Gilding and budget are often mutually exclusive so I turn to garage sales and thrift stores and discount stores and craigslist.  Eventually with lots of hard work and a tad bit of vision (and maybe some rose colored spectacles) I can pull it into a cohesive whole.  But in the mean time I have to collect things as I find them.

Here are some of my latest finds . . .

  $20 chair off of craigslist - probably from a local casino hotel.  It had never been used and in fact needed to have the cushion covered.  Covered in $3 damask from Joann remnant table.

$9 Bunny picture - salvation army - want to have a porch with this as my central decorating point some days - I am not a rooster person but do love Bunnies.

$7 pair of mirrors from Goodwill - I am always attracted to square frames

  $300  Craigslist There is a matching sleeper sofa to this that I did not snap a picture of as well.  Broyhill and while 15 years old in great condition and perfect for the playroom

$7 Goodwill  for a pair of 26" square Matelasse pillows - one had a slight dirt mark on it - a quick wash in tide and oxyclean and both are absolutely pristine

$30 Craigslist - pair of Lexington end tables - if I get tired of the pine finish I could see these in a neat painted finish with new hardware - or done in pastels with crystal knobs for a little girl's room

$80 - consignment store - Ethan Allen reading chair in Catherine's sitting room - I need to find a footstool for it but it is oh so comfy and perfect condition

  $100 desk/vanity craigslist $7 chair craigslist $2 chair pad Garage Sale - need to get the right accessories

And my newest find - you have to look at the lines and the potential not at the current picture lol - we spend lots of time on our covered patio and I am tired of the cold iron mesh chairs and table with no personality so I thought these could be dressed up with indoor/outdoor fabric and would be fun to decorate around.  But do I leave the chippy paint and simply reupholster in stark plain white, repaint the chairs - black or white do I add touches of silver or gold?  Dramatic french scroll upholstery or something simple? Not sure but here are my "new" Henredon chairs $40 for all 4

 

Here are three great excuses if you are need to excuse your secondhand shopping

1.  It is less expensive and you find some real treasures

2.  It is a "greener" solution than buying new

3.  you are giving funds to charity when you buy at the thrift shops

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

In Defense of the All White Bed

I truly love white bed linens - I can happily layer sheets and duvets and comforters and blankets and pillows and keep the all white theme - I have had an all white bed for years . . .

 

You can change accent colors, furniture styles, architectural features and the bed stays pristine.  If a piece wears out you can replace it with another white piece - no going out to buy a whole new bedding set.  And trust me it washes clean and bleaches again and again.

Which brings me to my next love - Matelasse fabric.  I have had hairballs, nosebleeds, kids stomache flu, beverages etc all spilled on my Matelasse Duvet cover.  (Charter Club bought on Ebay for like $40-$50 new 7 or 8 years ago)  I have 2 kids, 2 cats and a dog - it is still snowy white - been laundered and bleached so much that the lining is finally beginning to show some wear but the matelasse is just softer and lovelier than ever!

So I had been contemplating dressing my guest daybed (French cane) in all white linens and came across this item  . . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/Matelasse-Daybed-Bedding-Shabby-Cottage-Vintage-Beach_W0QQitemZ390113145081QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Daybed_Covers_Sets?hash=item5ad48e30f9

Oh be still my beating heart - white and matelasse and oh so fresh and clean

but eeeeek $250.  Well my sewing skills are barely more than basic but gathers and straight seams I can manage so now I am on a quest to find a reasonable matelasse fabric or coverlet that I can convert into something similar to this beauty! 

I apologize for stealing the sellers image and posting it here but I am hoping she will see it in the light of free advertising and if not I will remove :)  And if you can swing the $250 please bid and win this wonderful piece!

Please go to www.google.com/images and type in "all white bedding" - be prepared to drool and be inspired - you can go modern, romantic, shabby, traditional - you will find an all white bed that fits your style

 

Halloween on Facebook but some scary chairs here lol

So more of my friends keep up with me on facebook than on typepad so I have posted my halloween pictures over there - more to come as the evening progresses.

In 2005 I won 6 Baker dining chairs on ebay and happily replaced the ladder backs I had been using then with these cane backed cuties.  However even when I got them *all 6 delivered for under $300* I knew they needed to be recovered and refinished.

Well it is 4+ years later  and that day has finally come.  Actually it is a series of days because we use these chairs every day and we need to have them available for dinner

I won some truly fabulous fabric on Ebay - Pierre Deux Campano Coral - $40 with shipping for $200 worth of fabric - and even had it not been an incredible deal I would have been thrilled because I knew when I looked at it that it was the fabric I wanted for my chairs - right colors scale pattern to be visible from my family room of many colors. 

So this is what I started with - worn fabric - foam destroyed - cane and finish worn . . .

 

Step 1 - bribe teenage son to remove the 9 million staples from the old cushion - ok well the first one was assigned as a punishment and the last three are bribes

Trace wooden base onto 2" thick foam with Sharpie

Step 2 - Cut out shape with electric knife - yup the one you use to carve turkey . .  .
 

  ok some pictures are being evil and not uploading correctly - will go back and fix
 
  

Step 3 - Place on old wooden form and wrap foam with batting and staple and staple and staple

 

Repeat with fabric - leave corners until last and be patient with them and then add cording and replace the bottom fabric if you have it

Then I repainted the chair - made a mistake and went with Valspar Antique White - ugh too yellow and too shiny - finally repainted with Rustoleum Heirloom White and have fresh new chairs . . .

The one on the right is the "correct" chair - the one on the left is the evil shiny yellow valspar and has been reclaimed already

 

Now I just need to find the perfect table.  I have lovingly used my Mother's first dining table for almost 20 years now and it is a clean example of danish modern but I am looking for something maybe round and a tad bit french . . .

Happy Halloween - may your costumes be scary and your chairs be not!