Insourcing and Budgeting...quick fix thrift store buys and beautified treasures...

Thrifting is such good fun. For anyone not yet enamoured with sourcing bargains second hand...you don't know what you're missing!

 

It never fails to amuse me that apparently buying antiques is okay, but buying from the thrift store isn't. Well, in some circles anyway. I've sourced many a treasure that has become antique, in my days of shopping at Charity stores! It's not always about buying what is already a treasure, it's about seeing the potential for treasure!

 

Last week, I found this vintage cake storer, seen above. Now, I've wanted one of these since...well...forever. My Mother-in-Law has one, and every time she sends us home with her baking in her tin, I struggle to return it to her! I've hinted, but alas, she still uses hers daily, and isn't giving it up anytime soon!

 

Now this one was just $4, and if you're 'in the know', you'd be aware that they sell for up to $80 in the upmarket Antique stores. Unfortunately, it was not in original condition, as someone had already had an abortive attempt at painting the lid this shade of aqua. They'd then spilt something on it, staining it permanently, and used sticky tape to hold the lid on at some stage, later peeling off the sticky tape and the paint along with it. So the lid really was a sorry affair, hence the price, I guess. But I saw potential! I cleaned it up, gently sanded the lid smooth, and sprayed it with several coats of Rose Gold metallic spray paint, and I'm pretty happy with the result! I couldn't restore it to 'original' so this was a good option. Certainly it sits well in my French/Retro inspired, white washed wood and sage green kitchen. The rose gold paint tones with my soft sage green + woodgrain, vintage inspired appliances beautifully, and for a grand total of $16, I'm thrilled. Don't feel that you have to retain items in their 'vintage' condition, if that condition is well past it's use-by date. There's a difference between Shabby Chic, and just plain shabby.

 

This little bedroom stool is my project for today. This was gifted to me by my Mother-in-Law (so, see she is generous!), and she'd had it since it was new, about 45 years ago. It came complete with shabby (but not Chic!) faded orange faux fur cushion, which I immediately discarded. This one has lots of rust, so todays project is to clean and sand it, and use the same rose gold metallic paint to restore it's beauty. It's then getting a brand new cushion, covered in this divine rose gold sequinned fabric...

 

This was a remnant, sourced for just $4. Not enough for a garment or a throw rug, or even a cushion of a decent size. But it caught my eye, and I knew I'd find a good use for it.

 

Again, it's not about keeping this little vanity stool the same. It's about loving it back to beautiful. Thanks to my Mother-in-Law, that project has a total price tag $6, if you include the Rose Gold paint I'd already purchased for the cake storer.

 

I've posted recently about renewing and embellishing thrifted lingerie too. Just a gentle hand wash and a bit of embroidery, and I now have a pile of pretties to gift or to donate to Womens shelters for the Christmas period....

 

Pay attention to packaging too! It makes all the difference! See my post on packaging for a luxury feel here.

Consider that the silk camisole above, started off life from the thrift store looking like this and set me back just $2...

 





 

...it's quite a transformation!

 

Try to develop an eye for what things can be, rather than discarding them for what they are now.

 

I did a quick tally over the weekend. I looked on Etsy, eBay, and Pinterest, and found similar items to the ones I've gently restored over the last month.

 

My cake storer, would sell for anything from $30-$120, so I'll call that one somewhere in the middle, and say $55.

 

The glamorous little vanity stool, would easily fetch upwards of $150, so I'll just call that $150.

 

My lingerie items...well, the price of those would blow your mind. My silk camisole alone would be up around the $100-$200 mark, and the robes, pyjama sets, and other rescued silk items, lavished with love and embroidery, would set you back in the hundreds. I estimate I've rescued, cleaned, pressed and embroidered my way to at least $800 worth of silk lingerie in the last 4 weeks. If you doubt that figure, go to Etsy here, where you will see the prices of vintage silk lingerie, and much of it hand embroidered. It will blow your mind! $800 is a very conservative estimate!

 

Over the last decade, I've established myself amongst family and friends, as the go-to person for unusual gifts, and the person whose unusual gifts are most anticipated. Nobody hesitates to ponder on how my gifts started their journey to loveliness. It's just accepted that they are lovely. From hand crafted candles in sugar bowls bought for mere cents, to hand embroidered silk lingerie finds that started off rescued life, crushed and forgotten, to re-beautified vintage kitchen and décor items that nobody would have given a second glance before I rescued them, they're all welcomed and loved.

 

Skip the big retailers for Christmas shopping this check out your local thrift stores and kerbside collections, to see what you might find to restore to gorgeousness. Having beautiful things for your own home, or to gift to others, doesn't have to cost much. You just need a good eye, a bit of patience and a few basic skills.

 

You can do it!

 

In the last four weeks, I've outlaid around $110 for my neglected pretties from the thrift store. I've spent a further $40 on materials to restore them.

 

My initial investment of $150, has yielded me gifts that would have a retail value of over $1000. None of them have taken a lot of time to beautify, and each has been a pleasure to rescue.

 

I'll be back tomorrow with my completed Vanity stool, and progress on some other projects too, including my garment embellishing ones! I'll see you then!

 

Five Star Frou-Frou is now a neverending linkup, with a featured blogger each and every time I post.

 

Todays featured blogger is....

 

Debbie at Debbie-Dabble Blog. Debbie has shared some of her own rescued pretties, and these are just gorgeous! Please visit Debbie and soak up more of her lovely blog and sweet treasures.

 

 

 

 

...Mimi...