Monthly Archives

July 2015

Home Decor

Flea Market Tips and Tricks

Do y’all shop at flea markets? It is one of my favorite things to do. I have to admit, it can be a bit addictive. I have found that shopping at flea markets can be great for decorating my home on the cheap. I decorate with TONS of items I’ve picked up from flea markets over time.

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I wanted to share a few tips with you guys for navigating flea markets the smart way (and by smart I mean the way that allows you to bring home the most stuff. Which your husband will LOVE. Trust me.).

1. Separate your money and keep it in separate pockets. 

When I’m shopping, I’ll leave my wallet in the car. It’s a hassle to keep in a bag and pull it out, and keeping it in your pockets can work to your advantage. I’ll bring as many different bills as possible, and put them in separate pockets. For example, I’ll have ones in one pocket, fives in another, etc. I also don’t fold them all together, I keep each bill folded individually. This way you can grab the exact amount that you want without having to dig around and look for it. It also keeps the vendor from seeing how much cash you have on you. If a vendor is asking $25 for an item, he is mostly likely willing to accept $20 if you pull a single bill out without flashing all your cash.

2. Sometimes it’s best to walk away. 

If a vendor just isn’t willing to come down in price, WALK AWAY. One of two things can happen here. First, a desperate vendor might change his mind once you’re willing to leave the item behind. If he doesn’t: keep walking. Walk around, look at other vendors, see if you can find something similar somewhere else. If not, the second of two things can happen. Close to the end of the day, head back to the vendor and see if they still have the item (they may not, and that’s a risk you’ll have to take). If a vendor hasn’t been able to sell the item all day, they’re much more likely to come down to the price you want if you come back for it.

3. Have a list of items that you’re looking for. 

This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s especially helpful if you’re like me. I hate to buy things without a list because I’m afraid I’ll find something better later on after I’ve already spent my money. When I go in with a list, I’m much more likely to pick up something I like and actually buy it. I won’t talk myself out of it for fear of finding something better later because it’s on the list.

4. Know where you’re going to put something before you hand over the cash. 

Don’t buy something unless you know where it’s going to go or how it’s going to be used. If you don’t know, don’t buy it. Buying something just because it looks cool is a great way to add more unnecessary junk to your house. And let’s be honest, no one wants that. Don’t bring in more junk for no reason. Just don’t.

5. Start at the back.

Just like in any retail store, you’ll find the cheaper items in the back. At flea markets you’ll usually find that there are more organized, professional vendors toward the main entrances. Steer clear of these as they’ll be much more expensive. Head to the back where people are selling items that obviously came out of their van that morning. These people are much easier to haggle prices with, and you’ll usually find more interesting pieces. These sections are usually less organized, but so worth the hassle!

6. Be kind, friendly, and courteous. 

A smile and a “hey y’all” goes a long way. Talk to the vendors, make polite conversation. If they feel like they know you, they may offer a lower price, or they may be willing to offer a second item for free along with an item you’re purchasing.

7. Ask questions. 

There may be a really cool story about a piece that you might never know if you don’t ask. Ask where it came from or if they know how old it is. Some vendors can tell you a personal story connected to an item. They like talking about their stuff, and in my opinion, having knowledge of the history of the piece makes it more special.

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I hope these tips are helpful for you next time you find yourself at a flea market. That’s all for today, friends. Happy flea marketing!

DIY Projects, Home Decor, Tutorials

DIY artwork for cheap

Hey y’all! I hope you’re doing well! Summer is winding down over here, and I’ve been super busy with preparing things for my classroom this year. I will pick up the keys to my classroom next week to begin setting up for the school year. I’m excited for this school year, but I’m sad to see summer go! Since I’ve been so busy with classroom projects I haven’t been working on house projects too much lately. I did however, whip up a couple of these easy “art pieces” to use in the house.

I can’t even call this a tutorial because it’s so easy! More like an idea you may not have thought of. I have done this several times throughout my house, because it’s SO easy and SO cheap. I think for this project it cost me a total of $4. Whoop-de-do!

I found these old frames at a thrift store for $1.

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Those ducks are so cute, aren’t they? Kind if a 90’s chic, if you will.

Literally all I did was spray paint the mattes and frames and replace the duck print with a cute printed paper. I got mine from Paper Source. I like to get papers from there because they come in 20×30 inch sheets, which is convenient for many different projects. They also have so many pretty papers! You could also do this with any gift wrap or scrapbook paper.

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I used this spray paint because it’s what I had on hand. I spray painted them, and once they were dry, I added the new paper, and done. That’s it!

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I realize this is kind of an obvious DIY. But it’s so so easy, you have to give it a try! That’s it for today friends, have a fabulous day!

DIY Projects, Furniture Makeover, Home Decor, Tutorials

Cane Chair Makeover…again

Have you ever done a project and just hated the results? You work hard on something, and when it’s finished, it’s just not what you thought it would be? This is what I’m sharing today. About two years ago I bought a pair of cane chairs from a thrift store for $20. I was so excited to work on them. Like, SO excited. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original picture anymore, but they were dark wood, with a gross blue fabric. I knew I wanted to make them over, but I had no idea how.

I picked some fabric out for the chairs with no thought to how it might lay on the chair. I learned a lot from this first makeover, but they just weren’t doing it for me. Here’s how they looked after makeover number one (and don’t judge me):

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First of all, if you look close enough, you can see that the back legs aren’t even painted. How did I miss that?! I don’t know. I also don’t know how I lived with this for so long. Ugh.

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This is a wider shot of the chairs. They are convenient, really. Ethan puts his shoes on here, and they are pretty comfortable. I like to sit here and read on occasion as well. Sidenote, our dresser is my husband’s childhood dresser (a family heirloom), deemed untouchable by the paintbrush. Anyway, looking at these chairs just makes me cringe. I’ve wanted to do something about them for so long, but the amount of work I did the first time around was torturous, and I couldn’t imagine going through that again. So I put it off for a while, thinking that since I had done it, I’d have to live with it.

But that’s just not true. I did these chairs before I got married, before I was making a home, and WAY before I started figuring out what my style was. There’s no rule out there saying you have to live with your DIY mistakes. So, I decided to take the plunge. This time, with a few ground rules. I had to do this the easiest way possible. Because last time was awful.

So let’s go through it, step by step.

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I didn’t want to go through the hassle of all the buttons, so I stuffed them with stuffing. A little hot glue on top of the button, and some stuffing. Easy peasy.

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I bought a $4 drop cloth and placed the seat bottom face down on the fabric.

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Then I carefully pulled the corners over and stapled the dropcloth material to the bottom. The key here is to pull as tight as you can, and keep everything as neat as possible.

The seat bottom took probably a total of ten minutes, but the top section was a bit more involved.

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I cut a piece of material the size of the chair back and stapled starting at the top. I found that the best way to keep it tight and even is to start at the top, then staple the bottom, and finish with the sides.

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I then wrapped the chair back in quilting batting. I did this to make it a bit more comfy, and to conceal the buttons.

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I then wrapped the seat back in the material, and hotglued the extra material to the backside.

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I then put the seat back up against the frame, and stapled as closely to the top as possible. This is tricky, and my staple gun was not kind to my hands.

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I then covered the staples with trim. I make the trim by wrapping the existing trim in the material and hotgluing it. Hot glue for the win.

The new chairs are still not perfect, but they’re much simpler, and I can live with them now. This was only my second time with reupholstery (on the same set of chairs). I still don’t have it down, but I definitely appreciate these chairs a bit more now.

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Overall, they just look cleaner, smoother, and more natural.

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The neutral look will allow them to be moved anywhere around our home and work.

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So the moral of this story is: if you don’t like something, change it! And if you still don’t like it, change it again! I can’t say that these are perfect, but they’re working SO MUCH BETTER than before.

Have you ever done something you hated? What did you do? I’d love to hear about it! That’s all for today, friends. Have a fabulous day!