Thrifting tip: Goodwill Industries was founded in Boston, MA in 1902. I love the stores, but did you know that prices vary significantly from store to store?
Are the 80's vintage? Geez, I'm getting old!
Necklace: Thrifted
Welcome back to Life on Greenwood. I found a really sturdy-looking chair at the
thrift store that I thought would be perfect for a makeover.
So, this is a five dollar thrift makeover on a chair that I
got from Goodwill. This was my first thrift purchase and my first makeover for
2021. I was so excited! This chair had
great bones, so I thought, you know what, I’m gonna see if I can freshen her up
a little bit!
My plan was to do a replacement chair cover. I set out to replace
the cover to the cushion without removing the existing cover. I do this sometimes
when I’m not sure what’s going on under all the layers of fabric or when I just
want to get the project over and done with.
Seriously!
Before I started painting, I noticed that the chair had a
stale odor. You know that smell that some old furniture has? Yeah. I
must say that I gave the chair a thorough cleaning with mild soap and water. When I first brought it into the house, hubby
was really going crazy, so I sprayed it with Lysol and then left it in the
garage for a few weeks. I also sprayed it with insect repellent. I can't take any chances!
I had several pieces of fabric in my stash so I chose a piece that I thrifted a couple years ago. If you have never upholstered a chair before, it's quite easy.
Here's how to do it! Cut a piece of fabric that's at least 3 inches wider than needed on each side. You can cut away the excess later if necessary. Lay the fabric on the floor (right side down). Place the cushion face down on the fabric. Pulling the fabric up over the cushion, put a few staples on one side.
Pull the fabric very taut and staple
the fabric on the opposite side. Repeat
the process on the remaining sides. It’s important to remember to pull the
fabric tight so that there is no sagging. And that’s it!
I used Americana Decor chalky finish paint in white to finish the
chair frame. No sanding required! This
is some great chalk paint! Last year I
did a few paint comparison videos and included a sample of Americana Decor. I
was quite pleased with the coverage. I ended up using three coats of paint for this project.
This was so easy! Like I say, don't sleep on the thrift
store! You never know what you will
find. I knew I liked the bones of this
chair. It was made of really sturdy stuff. All I needed to do was remove six screws to
get the cushion off. Once I figured out
how to put it back on, everything came together so nicely. I love it!
These are the confessions of a thrift-addict.
I want to share some of the changes that I went through as a result of being on lockdown due to the pandemic. I hope everyone is doing well.
I was ( and still am) on lockdown, but I noticed some of my buddies on YouTube were already out there thrifting and shopping at other stores. They were going places and I had not left my house in months.
I gotta tell you it was not easy. I have to take a deep breath every time I think about it. I'm doing better now, but I have to tell you it was really, really hard!
I'm used to going thrifting at least once a week -- sometimes twice a week. Sometimes I'm thrifting for myself. Sometimes I'm thrifting for resale. Sometimes I'm there just because I love to be in that kind of environment.
Yeah, I'm dependent on that thrill. I'm always looking for that next big find. It's such a rush just going through the store, aisle by aisle, rack by rack, slowly touching things. I'm getting chills just thinking about it!
I saw that some of my fellow social media creators and thrifters in other states had already gone out shopping while I was home waiting for stores to open in my area. I wanted to get out there too! I was chomping at the bit!
I am emotionally dependent on thrifting. I don't know if that's a bad thing.
I guess if you're bringing stuff into your home and you're constantly going out and spending your last dime on things that you really don't need but you "just have to have", then that could be a bad thing. I don't think I have gotten to that point yet.
I store my finds in my car until I can safely sneak them inside without hubby noticing. Sometimes that could be days or weeks later. I then squirrel them away in the garage and later into the laundry room where I can clean everything. Whew! The life of a thrifter ain't easy! Who can relate?
I think I did kind of go through a withdrawal of sorts when I was stuck at home and my thrift stores were closed. Did I get the shakes? Did I get sweaty palms or pull out my hair? Did I start grinding my teeth? Was I pacing the floor and going to the door and just looking out?
I kept thinking about what it would be like when I made my return to the store for the first time after being in lockdown for so long. Would the store be clean? Would it be safe to be around other thrifters?
Thrifting is up front, close and personal. Touching items is a big part of the thrifting experience for me. I have to touch everything! When I'm thrifting, I'm going to pick up that picture. I'm going to pick up a bowl. I want to touch a sweater or a coat. I have to look at things. I want to touch things when I'm at a thrift store.
Just the thought of putting on protective gloves and a mask and going into the thrift store during the pandemic was overwhelming. Couple that with the anxiety of bringing thrifted items into my home, and I was fit to be tied. Cleaning and sanitizing my thrift finds had taken on a whole new meaning.
Yeah, these are the confession of a thrift-addict
During the lockdown, I didn't shop at any online thrift stores like some of my fellow drifters did. Some resellers went to online sites to buy thrifted goods in order to sustain their way of life. Their situations may be a little different than mine.
If you're a full-time reseller and you make your living from thrifting, you have to find inventory wherever you can. And that explains why I saw several thrift haul videos of folks who were frequenting online thrift stores. I'm a part-time reseller and for the most part I go thrifting for personal reasons, so I am not financially dependent on thrifting.
Funny story, but I started picking through my inventory that I had set aside to resell and it felt a little like thrifting. I saw a pair of walking shoes in my stash that I had listed on Poshmark that I may take out and wear. Essentially, I went thrifting in my own thrift pile!
I can empathize with anybody who was feeling anxious about not being able to go to the thrift store. I certainly understand.
I kind of rode the wave and now I think my thrift withdrawal is on the downside. Happily, thrift stores have opened up again and I've done a little shopping!
I don't think I'll ever get over being a thrift-addict.
But I'm going to be okay.
Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.
Welcome back to Life on Greenwood! I'm putting together a
little tablescape for Easter. I don't usually display a lot of Easter décor, but
this year I wanted to decorate a table. No, I’m not expecting company for dinner. Is anybody these days?
So, I’ll be adding a few things that I recently purchased
from Marshalls. The napkins are pink and white gingham with a cute little bunny
looking straight at me. They come in a
pack of four. I’m also using four miniature
ceramic bowls that also have little bunnies on them. They are so adorable! They
come two to a pack and I think they were like $4.99.
The plates that I’ll be using are from thrift days gone by. I’ll be incorporating an enormous pink and white
ceramic egg, which when open, resembles a cookie jar. I guess it could be
used for cookies or other goodies. This was a Marshalls purchase for $9.99. It’s
so pretty!
Using Thrift Finds to Decorate
Let me say that the majority of the décor on my dining room table is
thrifted. The set itself was a Craigslist find that I painted a little while ago. Since painting the table white, the colors of my dinnerware and other décor really comes to life! When
the table was a dark cherry, my table runners always seemed to clash. When I
go back and look at old videos of the table, I wonder why I waited so long to
paint it!
I anchored a garland table runner with two large white ceramic
teapots. These teapots were second-hand purchases. I used them as flower vessels and filled them with pink tulips and hydrangeas.
My pink chargers had been brown in a previous life. They too
were upcycled thrift finds too. Love it!
I am so happy with this the way this turned out! I’m loving
the pinks! Do you set a table or decorate your home for Easter?
There are so many second-hand finds in this tablescape! It really makes me happy that I can reuse
things and give them new life!
Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.
I’ll be the first to tell you that I do not have a green thumb. Over the years, I’ve killed my share of houseplants; mostly due to neglect.
I recall bringing home clippings thrown away by the landscapers at work and rooting them in water and later planting them in soil. I would nurse those babies until they grew nice and strong!
And then, I would forget to water them! And I’d forget for a week or two until there was no coming back for them.
I was bad!
I am getting much better. Currently, I have four Spider Plants. Actually, there’s one mother and three offspring.
Spider Plants are supposed to be some of the easiest plants to maintain. My biggest challenge with the mother Spider Plant was figuring how much water was needed and how much sunlight to provide.
Research states that Spider plants should not receive direct sunlight. So, I relocated the plants near a window in the living room where they would get low to medium sunlight.
To help with the watering situation, we purchased Self-Watering Globes. These glass globes can be filled with water and stuck into potted plants to provide water as needed for up to two weeks.
After
trial and error, I am happy to say that I am seeing new growth and my Spider Plants
look much healthier.
1)
Do research before buying house plants. Understand if your lifestyle and home
environment is compatible with successfully caring for a house plant
2)
Determine the plant’s need for water, sunlight
and fertilization
3)
Be prepared to groom, re-pot and control plant
pests
Finally, enjoy the beauty that healthy houseplants will add
to your home!
Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.
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