Thrifty Thursday Small Easel From Vintage Finds

I didn't quite know what I was buying at thrift store, but the sturdy, worn cardboard box and the wood instrument inside told me it was something old. It was with the sewing stuff so I thought it was maybe a hem gauge. Dear daughter encourage me to get it, that I could do something with it and it was only $1.50. So I bought it and when I took it out and looked at, I discovered it is a vintage ophthalmologist tool. It came with complete instructions on how to use.

It was made by the Bernell Company in South Bend, Indiana. It was founded in 1954 and this was one of the first instruments made. The company is still in business today.

I saw an easel and in minutes made one. I simply hot glued the small slider piece in place and then hot glued the upper piece that was supposed to be attached to extend the viewing stick horizontally to the slider tool.

It makes a great place to display a vintage oil painting that came in a lovely frame (that will get repurposed) all for $2. I got two of the little oil paintings and I love them.

I love this sitting on an end table in the living room. It would also be cute on a shelf.

And isn't this vintage oil landscape simply lovely?

Today's thrifting lesson is if it is the right price, looks old and interesting, you will probably find a way to use it. Also, look through the pictures and frames always, you never know what you might find. Happy thrifting!!

Make it Monday Tabletop Photo Holders

I think I dreamed up this project, literally. I am a vivid dreamer and when I very first wake up in the morning, I like to keep my eyes closed and try my best to consciously remember my dreams. The other morning I had a clear picture of this tabletop, shelf sitting photo holder as I awoke.

This is a very easy project and, as I love to do, I will give lots of ideas on how to vary it to make it your own.

Thrifty Thursday From Foot Massager to Boho Garland

Well, I am pretty sure this is a first (I know it is for me): a thrift store foot massager becomes casual boho decor.

I have seen these foot massagers many times at the thrift store. This week I had and aha moment when I saw one and realized the wood beads would be perfect for crafting. For $2 I got 33 beads. Wood beads this size cost 50 cents to a dollar EACH if bought brand new. 

I took the foot massager apart using a reverse clamp to push it apart and used some of the beads to make a casual, boho garland.

How to Update a Thrift Store Lampshade and Lamp

I always check the lamp shelves at the local thrift stores. There is typically a plethora of discarded lamps, all different shapes and styles. I recently refound this wood lamp that I purchased for $4 a few years ago at the thrift store (it got tucked away and forgotten). I decided I needed to find a shade for it. Because the lamp had a harp, which I like because it helps the lamp to stand a little taller without showing the bulb, I wanted to find a shade that would fit onto the harp. Often thrift store shades are the type that have the circle piece that fits on the socket part or the shade that clips onto the lightbulb. I found just what I needed for $4 at the thrift store last week. HINT: If your thrift store doesn't let you know something has been tested and works, you can usually find a plug in the store and many of the lamps have bulbs in them that you can use to the lamp before buying it.

I liked that wood on the lamp, but wanted a more organic, casual shade so I decided to dy some fabric to recover the thrift store lampshade.

Make It Monday Boho XO

Today's EASY DIY project is something a little boho and a little modern for Valentine's Day, an XO made from embroidery hoops and embroidery floss.

All you need to create this is three embroidery hoops, the inside hoop, two the same size, one smaller (the smaller one isn't picture below because I had a change in project plans after starting), some embroidery floss--4 or five colors of your choice, double stick tape, and scissors.

Thrifty Thursday Update a Wood Stool with Paint

My guess is that if you go into any thrift store at any time, you will find a wood stool 75% of the time. They come in varying heights and conditions. Ten or so years ago I would buy all of them and then spend too much time making them sturdy, painting them, and selling them for too little money. They are often wobbly and the many spindles on them can make them time intensive to sand and paint. But, if I find a good, sturdy one that is well made and perhaps a bit unique and that is a good price, I will buy it. Such was the case with this recent shorter, heavy-duty, oak stool I bought. 

As you can see it was probably used as a little side table and that is what I thought it would be perfect for. So some sanding, taping, and paint and I have a fresh, updated stool.

I did sand off all of the orange finish and the rings on the top. A couple of the rings could still be faintly seen after sanding, so I made sure to paint over those spots. After sanding, wipe rally well so the tape will stick for clean paint lines.

DIY Heart Tassel for Make it Monday

Happy Monday! Today's MAKE IT MONDAY project is easy and perfect for Valentine's Day and only takes a few supplies to create--wire, wood beads, and some yarn or string.

A wood heart tassel can hang in so many different places and has a natural, boho look that I love, especially for winter.

Three Twists on a Simple Winter Centerpiece

If you saw my Make It Monday blog post I mentioned that I had purchased two fake cedar boughs that I purchased for 70% off. I separate fake greenery to make it more manageable and it helps stretch the amount that I need to use. So, after making a simple wreath (SEE HERE), I still had plenty of the fake cedar to use in a centerpiece. 

I decided to create three, different, simple centerpieces with the faux greenery, some twigs from my yard, and a few thrift store finds. Each centerpiece has its own feel and vibe or style, but all of them are easy to create in minutes.

The first one I created definitely is perfect for farmhouse decor.

Thrifty Thursday Temporary Eclectic Wall Hanging

Today's project started with something I almost left at the thrift store--a $3 bag of about 50 wood curtain rings. I actually did leave it, but went back the next day and grabbed it. I used 20 or so to make some cute ornaments this year, but still have a good pile of them. These are a pretty common thrift store find--look for them and get them when you see them.

I am calling today's project temporary wall decor because well, it is. 

If you happened to read my post yesterday, I shared that we have some home projects in the works. These include removing trim, repainting walls, refinishing floors, and then adding new trim. Definitely an "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" situation. Because we just (ok, 5 months ago) moved back into our home after renting it out for a year, I haven't done much decorating. BUT, it was time, I couldn't handle the blank walls any longer.

Creating Sunshine and Warmth on a Winter Day

Today was a stay at home day. I don't think it got above zero degrees and it was grey and snowy. I wandered around the workshop, picking up pieces of wood, trying to decide what to build and what to work on--nothing was inspiring me. I spied one scrap of wood and somehow saw a sun ray in it so I decided to make my own sunshine from reclaimed wood.