Treasure Hunt Saturday

It's great when you can stop by a neighborhood garage sale and pay $2.00 for an antique dresser or $3.00 for an antique mirror. Definitely shabby chic finds! Here are a few pics of some of those treasures.

Why I Love Shabby Chic

I really love shabby chic and part of the reason is the flexibility of the style. You can take some odd piece dry wipe a little paint on it, add a bouquet or a miniature, group some things together, a couple embroidraid table covers or crotcheted throws and get a high eye appeal for low dollar price. Also, because of the flexibility of the style you can change it up, re-group and keep your look fresh! Your friends will enjoy coming to your place to see what new thing you've done.

Don't be afraid of your own creativity and you will be pleasantly surprised with how things will come together. Don't rush it though. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the picture to develop. Have fun with it.

There is not a thing in this living room that cost me over $5.00, with the exception of the iron futon frame, the antique iron baby bed, the old decorative windows above futon and the tv. The little wire heart I found at an antique store for $2 and the lovely little shelf under it was $1 at a garage sell. You just have to look carefully through antique stores to find little low dollar treasures. The cabbage rose boa wreaths were at an old 3 story antique store with a basement. There are several old shops like that on the town square where I live that have been there for 20 - 30 years and they are just packed full of goodies for your browsing pleasure!

Saturday morning garage sells will turn up all kinds of buys. I am on a tight budget so I will start out with a certain amount of money and have been amazed at the deals I run into! It is all fun too and makes what would be an otherwise lonely Saturday morning a great pass time. Sometimes I find things that I sell online too and that is always a good thing~Always be open to the odd and unusual at yard sells. The wooden lamb I got for $1 and I have NO IDEA what it was used for but it makes a great magazine /book holder. Very unique item. It was all just bare wood and I used sheetrock mud and went to work on giving it a curly coat. Then big button eyes.

That sweet angel (on the night stand that a friend was going to throw out) was $2 at a yard sell. I gave it a white wash and a bouquet of pristeen silk rosebuds I had found for 50 cents at a little resale shop. Sweet deal for this empty nestor.

Did you notice the lovely embroidard pillow cases and the sweet lace bed skirt on the antique baby bed turned day bed? I love finding things like that for a dollar here, 50 cents there. It just amazes me what is out there!

Those great ruffly shabby chic window hangings? Got the whole bunch for only $5 at a local Pregnancy Crisis Center in perfect condition! The upolstered slide rocker was also $5 at a Center to raise money for missions. The room sized ottomen had been thrown out by a furniture store.

I love crocheted throws strewn across things but never pay more than $3. There are people who have near to new stuff they want to just get rid of and turn a dollar. You just have to find them!

Notice the shelves between the windows? I went to a hardware store, bought a 12'X7" foot board and ask the guy to cut it into 3 even pieces. I bought 3 sets of those cheap white shelve holders and mounted them on the wall and placed my painted white boards them screwed them in place! It wasn't so hard and yes, I did it alone. There are always places you can mount shelves to give your duplex or apartment some dimension and interest. I love little houses of all kinds and always have my eye out for one. Again, never pay more than $3 at the most. Ask for a discount and watch for sells.