Welcome back! I cleaned my living room for you! I’ll show you my thrift store finds and, if you’re lucky, my oh-so-small Christmas tree.
I found that dresser on the side of the road. Not kidding. It was dirty, and I took it home and washed it. That’s all. It didn’t even need new paint or drawer pulls. Score and a half! I found this globe in my new classroom one year. The other teacher said it was hers, and she didn’t want it anymore. What? Who leaves behind a globe? Is any reason good enough? The bowling pin was my brother’s. Then he looked away, and very suddenly, it was mine, heh, heh, heh. The red felt garland was the victory of the century. Do you remember when it was part of Starbucks’ Christmas decor years ago? Well, the moment they put that greatness on display, I knew what I had to do: I looped like a vulture between December 26 and January 1. I bought lattes. I got to know people. And then when the time was right, I asked for it. No fear, no shame. Good things happen when you ask people if you can have the things they are throwing away. Or maybe nothing happens. But bad things never happen, so you might as well ask.
Wait.
Sometimes bad things do happen when you ask if you can have things.
I’m not having flashbacks to the junior high cafeteria right now. I promise I’m not. And I am definitely not talking about other people’s French fries. No.
Barely burned candles are always in Goodwill for a few cents. Even this candy-cane candle and gingerbread candle. Look for holiday goods in early November, when they set out all of last year’s after-Christmas donations. Someone I knew was getting rid of that gold plastic mirror, and I took it and painted it red. That ice blue decanter belonged to a dear friend’s grandmother. I loved her so. She took me and her granddaughter to experience high tea at the Worthington hotel when we graduated from high school. I will never forget that day … when she made me feel like I was mature and lady-like and ready to take on the world. I am glad my friend gave me a precious memento of her. The small red gingham chair was from my dollhouse when I was five. That Little Golden Book was my mother’s when she was five. Her name is written in pencil in the front with kindergarten handwriting. So sweet. That big ol’ plaid chair? I found it at Goodwill, and let’s talk about it for a second. When I saw it for the first time, it was obnoxious with stained 1970’s plaid fabric. But you can take one look at this chair and tell it is comfortable and sturdy, can’t you? See, inexperienced thrifters will pass up a chair just because it has ugly “skin.” I am not looking at skin. I’m looking at bones and heart. This chair is as solid as an elephant. New chairs are light and rickety these days, even overstuffed ones. No way. I like a chair that doesn’t make creaking noises when you sit or give you the idea it is going to break if you swing your legs over the side to get cozy and read. So, because this chair was heavy-duty, I bought it and had it recovered in a better plaid. It has been thanking me every since. It was meant to be plaid, so I chose red Stewart. Guess when that was? 1996! True, the upholstery is old again, but you can’t tell. If you are considering reupholstering a piece of furniture, plaids are a fun and flexible choice, but there are some plaids that date themselves quickly. Picture the hunter green-navy-maroon plaid couches in the 90s or the peach-mauve-powder blue plaid couches in the 80s. However, if you want a plaid you can go confidently in the direction of any classic tartan. Stewart plaid never goes out of style. Never as in ever. It has been around since the 1700s and still holds its own in every color.
(Hey, Shh. You over there, Shh.)
Sorry. Someone was about to make an “OCD joke” about my chair’s arm covers being askew. I had to shut it down. OCD isn’t funny; it’s real.
But those arm covers kind of bug. Sorry about that. I didn’t notice until now.
(What also bugs is the fact that the nutcracker on the left has no beard. Man, I am noticing all kinds of things in these photos.)
Let’s all take a look at the door and sigh at all the felt glory. Thank you, Starbucks, thank you. Those were the lovely days before their static cling door decor and before pumpkin spice lattes were a meme. The white paisley curtains are– ready for this?– two twin flat sheets that I found at Goodwill for $1. I used ring clips to put them on the rod. When the red felt Starbucks curtain is not there, I also have a matching curtain that I made by cutting the elastic off the companion fitted sheet and hemming it up. The table under the tree is a table on which I tried to make a fabulous mosaic. It was a fabulous .. mistake!! Apparently mosaics take skill. The only suitable thing to do was cover my attempt with a pink Christmas tree. The antique sewing machine was given to me by a friend when she was cleaning out her house. Hey, I promise that is a pine cone to the left of the sewing machine, not a muskrat. The machine is sitting on a very bad bookcase that I found at a garage sale. It was brown veneer, so I covered it in white contact paper, like I am a freshman in college, or something. Then I lined the inside of it with red houndstooth wrapping paper. All of this was accomplished at two in the morning– a hazy time when things look a lot better to you than they do at two in the afternoon. When I woke up the next day, I saw that this contact paper is wrinkled everywhere. I really don’t have time to care about it, though. If a new friend is going to think less of me because my bookshelf needs Botox, then our relationship already has too many problems.
Princess Leia and disco balls and Clara from The Nutcracker on the same tree? Now, that’s a good tree. Side note: This tree is seriously balding. Very big gaps and holes between branches. That’s what you get when you buy your tree at Big Lots. This year I fixed that by ripping one-inch-by-one-foot strips of calico in various colors and knotting them to a piece of twine. I did this mindlessly while watching two episodes of Hoarders. Bam, seven feet of garland was done, like that. All from scraps I already had. When I wrapped the new garland around the tree, it filled it in perfectly! Now the tree looks full and healthy (as healthy as a fake pink tree can look). This is because the rag garland is so much longer and drapy-er than a typical garland. I recommend it.
That coffee table was a discovery at a garage sale. I took it home and spray painted the top orange. I have some friends who can refinish furniture the right and decent way. These people speak a tongue unknown to me. If you are one of them, avert your eyes from the girl with the can of Krylon. She has an itchy trigger finger. I found this bowl at a garage sale for $3. I made the pom poms from a bag of orange and coral yarn I got at Goodwill for a buck. I realize that I am starting to sound like a dirty scavenger.
It is not like I roam the neighborhoods and dig through cans on the night before trash day. But if I happen to drive by and see something right on the curb … I found that eagle this way, where someone had put it out for trash. Who could do that? Aren’t bald eagles supposed to be protected? I bought those two British soldiers at Goodwill for $5 each. They are favorites and were worth it. That gray Stewart pillow? It was an ankle length dress I made. It had buttons from the neck to the ankle. You have no idea how long it takes to sew on that many buttons and buttonholes (or to button them when you wear it, for that matter). When I couldn’t fit in the dress anymore, I could not get rid of all that work! So I cut the skirt off, buttons and all, and made a pillow. There is not a lot of Christmas going on in this photo, but I maintain that you can throw pine cones everywhere, and that counts as decorating. I hung one from a string on that mirror, because that counts, too. Lastly, I will never get rid of my 1970s Geoffrey stool (You know, the giraffe from Toys R Us).
This floral chair was a Goodwill find. It was originally blue velvet and it stunk like a small woodland animal. Like a small woodland animal who smoked two packs a day, wore week-old socks, and consumed a steady diet of Ranch Style Beans. But this chair had the bones. So I brought it home and set it on the back porch until I could deal with it properly. It could not be in the same room as breathing people, even for a minute. Finally, I had it recovered in floral fabric … that was weak and eventually ripped in various places. Then I had to handle all the rippage! Is it wrong to sew random calico patches on your furniture? Then I don’t wanna be right. I am a fan of Mexican blankets like that one. They are always $3 and are a big bang of color in a room. On the wall, I put a piece of my niece’s old holiday sweater in a hoop. I will be making a few more of those with other old sweaters. It was too easy. The Monarch? Don’t you need to be reminded of a Monarch every winter? I do. No matter how long we have to wait in the cold, dark cocoon of unwanted situations, we know that spring will one day come.
Sappy inspiration is free today with your holiday home tour.
If you live in Texas, you should have real boots, even if you don’t wear them. Boots are kind of like car insurance. You don’t have to get them out often, but you do have to have them within reach, if the moment arises. I don’t really wear my boots much, but I won’t get rid of them. Are you about to give away your boots? When someone invites you to the stock show and rodeo, then what happens? Nikes? Do Nikes happen? A lifetime of extra closet space is not worth one day of manure mashed into the tread of running shoes. Keep your boots. Oh! Look at that vintage kids’ step stool/chair! It was $4! Ok, look closer:
That’s it for today! Thanks for coming!
Only my dining room and bedroom left, which I’ll show you next week. See you then!
