I swore to myself up and down that I was NOT going to buy another chair that wasn’t part of a set. Well guess what? I lied. Technically I only lied twice since one of these chairs was free, so that makes it sort of ok right?

Having a few great chairs is the best way that I know of to make a room. It’s the perfect way to add some interest to the space without having to invest major money for a funky couch.

This first one is one that I just couldn’t pass up. It was $35 at the DI (Utah’s version of Goodwill). It’s a really deep teal (if you cant tell from the pictures) and is in really great condition. The leather is reallllly thick and heavy. Plus its TEAL! I mean sheesh, there is pretty much nothing I am obsessed with more right now than colored leather.

I got this sweet chair for free from my SIL. My MIL had bought it a few years ago from the DI (what can I say, thrifting runs deep in this family!)   I LOVE the mid century style, and it is SO comfortable.

The one super bummer aspect is that the leather on the back is in not great shape. I actually think that when I am ready, I will take it to an upholsterer and see if he can match the leather on the front because its in great shape.

And last but not least check out this tufted beauty.

I bought this way back when I was working on Hailee’s Living Room. I wish that the velvet wasn’t in such craphole condition because I love the color to death.

Oh and it was only $10.00.

Have you bought anything fun lately?! Which chair is your fave?

Love  Your  Guts,  Mandi

The post Meet My New Chairs appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

I have had this idea running through my head for a year and just never took the time to execute it. I love the art at Thrift Stores. Its quirky and strange and cheap and has a story to tell. Sort of like me!

Yesterday I went thrifting with one of my FAVORITE people in the world, Hailee (you might remember her from her Living Room Makeover and The Thrifting Adventures of Wanda and Sylvia)

I found a ton of great crap. Nothing huge furniture-wise just lots of small things, like those sweet books above for $1.00 each, and I am a little obsessed at how they are sun bleached ombre. I love them.

One of the things that I nabbed for $4.00 was this oil painting:

I have been looking for something that has texture in the picture and this wintery landscape was perfect, it had TONS of texture.

I gave it a few really light coats of Classic Gray. With this type of project you have to do REALLY light coats because you want to keep as much as the texture as possible, texture is your BFF right now.

After my paint dried I used just a basic white acrylic paint mixed with a glazing medium and glazed the picture.

For those that don’t know what that means, sit down my child and let me show you.

Cover the area with your glazing mixture. Make sure that you get in all the nooks and crannies and other such orifices.

With a damp cloth wipe it off in one direction.

Then with a damp cloth go back over and clean it up a little bit more, wiping in the same direction.

Let it dry and if you want it to be heavier go back over it again! (Just remember when you are doing something with such small details to be patient and just know that you might have to glaze it a few times!)

SO easy right? Now you are an official glazing genius!! Congrats!

Also, do you follow me on Facebook?

Cause if you don’t you are SERIOUSLY missing out on awesome stuff,  like this little happy nugget of thrift store awesomeness that I shared yesterday….

I mean, HOW could we not buy these?! Finding one was amazing but finding two?! A freakin miracle.

Love  Your  Guts,  Mandi

The post 15 Minute Art From A Thrift Store appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hello friends! I feel like I have been gone all week! (Probably cause I have!)  Hailey and I are workin like crazy ladies to get her living room makeover done…which might have migrated into her hallway last night….. Her husband Mark was REALLY excited about that.

So if you follow me on Facebook you know we ventured out yesterday as our alter egos Wanda (Hailey) and Sylvia (Me). Wanda and Sylvia originally appeared last year while making a back to school video for the PTA. They show up at lots of fun school events and TOTALLY rock everyones world.

So today we decided to head out and liven St. George up a little. Here is an afternoon in the life of Wanda and Sylvia:

Heading to the DI (Utah’s version of Goodwill).

Look at these lamps!!

Little Boy Blue and Little Bo Peep lamps. Pretty much amazing. I think that they are right at home in Wanda’s Camper.

Now you MUST tell me if people are like this at your thrift store. Its crazy what happens when they bring out new goods.

Plus there is some seriously awesome junk there:

We did pass on the lamps. I know you are disappointed. But these are the real scores that day:

Then after the DI we went to Walmart to get supplies for the days projects. Apparently Sylvia loves Krylon just as much as Mandi does…

Then the best part ever. We went to Durango’s (the restaurant that my hubs runs) went through the line, got our food, paid for it AND were sitting down eating for 5 minutes before Court recognized me. He literally looked directly at me 3 times and didn’t recognize me.

At. All.

Plus I also learned that I suck at keeping a straight face.

Have a wonderful weekend! Hopefully we will have a killer room to show you next post!!!

The post The Thrifting Adventures Of Wanda and Sylvia appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Yay! I am SOOO excited to do LWIFF today!!

Its been a loooong time since the last one and I have accumulated a ton of crap.

Mostly chairs.

My husband is not so excited about it but, whatev to him. Who needs to park in the garage anyway?

Lets start out with the Craigslist controversy chairs. If you missed my post Craigslist Etiquette is for Suckers you should go and read it, and read the comments. Tons of valid points from both sides.

What to know what I think?

This may shock some of you but yes, I do have morals.

Here are a few points I apparently need to address.

1. Etiquette is not for suckers, but it sure makes for an attention grabbing title. Truly would you have clicked over if the title said “Some Chairs I Like”?

2. IMHO the seller is the one that makes the call. Unless you have CASH IN HAND you never know what is going to come out of it. I have sold and bought many things on CL and you cant count your chicks before they hatch, just cause someone says they are going to come doesn’t mean that they really will, or that when they get there they are going to pay full price and not try and talk you down, especially when they have had a night to sleep on it. (there have been many a dresser that I never went to pick up).

3. The reason that I was feelin a little guilty is because I didn’t know if the 1st buyer was going to be able to match my offer. They were a little more than what I spend anyway and I automatically assume that everyone is in the same thrifting mode as I am. If I were in their shoes I don’t know if I COULD or would want to spend more than what they were listed for. Does that make sense?

4. How is offering a higher amount different than offering a lower one, which we all do? All that you are doing is telling the seller what you think their item is worth. It is up to them determine if your price is right.

5. This might be a stretch buuuuuut when I do a project thousands of people get ideas from it, that’s why you are here. So technically I guess you could say that I did it for you…(no stone throwing here please that was a J.O.K.E.)

That being said I am so glad that everyone shared their thoughts! This is what a community is, a bunch of awesome gals with their own opinions. I loved that no one was too rude or attacking (especially to each other)  but still was able to share their POV. You guys rock my world!

Ok so back to the chairs.

$150.00 for all 4. The wood needs some work but I LOVE the green leather and it is in amazing condition. Which means…I cant wait to redesign my entire kitchen now!!! What do you think, were they worth it?

I found this awesome lady at an amazing store that I am going to share with you guys on monday.

I have decided that I am going to completely redo Ivie’s room. Say buh-bye to the tree mural and the original acid mirrors project) That’s where this chair’s awesomeness is going to live! 50 bones ps.

I bought this one at a consignment store for $20.00. Its getting a huge makeover and is going to be in my bedroom.

I have no clue where this one is going to go but it is SOOOO comfortable. I think in my sewing room/hoarders heaven. $15.00

I bought this wingback right before I left to Salt Lake Monday morning. $15.00 and I love how its sort of mini.

That is a lot of chairs huh?

Don’t judge me.

Ok now its your turn to show off your junk! Remember you can link up:

1. Crap you have found.

2. Junk you have made with Crap you have found.

3. Anything that you would consider Crap or Junk (in the most loving way of course!)

Click around and make some new friends! That is the best part about linky parties.

The post Look What I Found Friday: Chair Edition appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

I AM SO SAD!!!

Have you ever been just a minute to late for something that you loved?

In all my time thrifting and craigslisting there was only one thing that got away that has stuck with me. They were these awesome barstools. The base was cast iron and they looked like they were from an old ice cream parlor. I fill forever kick myself for not calling sooner on them, cause I had the chance and didn’t.

Yesterday I found a dresser to add to the list of “what might have been”

Isnt it awesome?!?

I am off to cry now!

Oh and don’t forget it’s that time of the month again!! (no not THAT time of the month)

Silhouette Promo time!

That is a Silhouette for under $200.00 people!!

The post The One That Got Away… appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Been forevs since we partied huh?
I cant wait to show you guys all of the stuff I have hoarded over the last month or so!
Get ready cause here it comes!
This freaking awesome $14.00 cupboard is getting some major plastic surgery next week with a new product from Krylon that I am itching to get my hands on.

Found this cuteness on CL for $10.00. I LOVE the exposed hinges and the latch

How about this pair of end tables for $10.00? I left the outside on when we made our trip to SLC and it rained and bubbled the top (I suck at life) so I am going to try and sand it smooth…maybe.

I also found these ornate frames o love on KSL 2 months ago and finally picked them up while I was visiting. I had 2 of the large ones ($20.00) and 3 small ($8.00) but gave my sis a big one and you can see what I did with the small one here.

I also found this cute frame at the DI (thrift store) for $3 or $4.

And I have saved the best for last.
Look at this awesome coat of arms-ish ginorm wall piece. I think that the lion may be anorexic but it was love at first sight.

Phew.
I can not wit to see what you guys have been up to the last while!
Remember you can link up
1. Crap you have found
2. Junk you have made with Crap you have found
3. Anything that you would consider Junk or Crap (in the most loving way of course!)
Make sure that you visit other links from the partaaaaay so that you can make buddies!

The post Look What I Found Friday appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey everyone!

I am so sorry about the linky disappearing last LWIFF. I sent an email to Linky Tools to see if I upgraded my subscription if it would restore it and never heard back. Anyway for some other reasons I have decided to go with inlinkz. So there will be no disappearing and junk.

If you need a refresher on what Look What I Found Friday is, here you go.

I show you crap that I have found. Then you are jealous. Then you can link up any of the following:

1. Junk you have found.

2 Crap you’ve made with Junk you have found.

3. Anything that you would lovingly consider Junk or Crap. Which is 100% of the projects that I have done….

So on with the Hoarders Edition!

This week I was lucky enough to meet up with a Vintage Revivals Super Fan. See Darcy (the VRSF) and I have a mutual friend who is amazing. Lisa called me to see if we could arrange a birthday surprise. Darcy took the bait hook line and sinker. She thought that on her way to her birthday lunch with Lisa they had to really quickly drop something off that Lisa had borrowed.

When I opened the door she was so surprised! I loved it. We did a real life tour of the house and then went to lunch and the OF COURSE thrifting. Darcy is just about the cutest girl that you will ever meet and is sooo talented.

So long story short I was just going to show you the treasures that I scored while thrifting with my lady friends. But then after I took the pics I was trying to find a place to put the junk. And I thought that you might enjoy what the life of a Thrift Store Goddess looks like.

I bought this lamp. The shade was one of those that looks like a huge twirling skirt. I immediately re-donated it. Oh and it was $7.00

And over the last month or so I have been stocking up on china so here is what I have gathered.

You may remember that Secret #3 from 10 Secrets From A Thrifting Goddess is “Don’t Be Afraid To Hoard.” Here a just a few shots of my “stashes”

Now please remember that all of these lamps are in addition to the ones that already have a home.

Oh and check this out. This is behind the scenes of my Crappy Crappy Credenza:

And we wont even start on my project/sewing room. Probably because I can’t open the door at the moment.

Alright your turn! Make sure you visit others links and leave comments cause you know we all love them.

The post Look What I Found Friday: Hoarders Edition appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Are you guys excited to link up your great junk? I don’t have anything new to show because I let it all hang out on Tuesday with my 10 Secrets From A Thrift Store Goddess post. And I broke my pinky toe yesterday. Does anyone know a good foot amputator?

So here is how to play. You can link up any of the following:

1. Crap you have found

2. Junk you have made with Crap you’ve found

3. Anything that you would consider Junk or Crap (in the most loving way of course!)

Please use the before image for your thumbnail!

And PLEASE go and visit the others links! This is how we make friends people! And everyone wants more friends.

The post Look What I Found Friday appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

The #1 question that I get asked most is “How do you find all your awesome junk?!?!” Well my friends, since today is a special day I am going to share with you how to shop at a thrift store. These are the 10 best ways to find the really GOOD STUFF that you are always jealous about.

If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I have had pretty much the best luck ever thrift shopping this past week or two.

I can feel your death stares through the computer.

So I will have you know that I am breaking my own rules, since today is Tuesday. So you better listen and listen good. I am showing you how things look when I buy them so that you can kind of get an idea of what I look for. Keep checking back to see what hidden awesomeness comes out of it.

So on with the SECRETS!!!

1. Know where the good stuff is in YOUR store.

When I go into my store there is a big room on the back that has furniture, lamps, large mirrors, bed frames, crappy toys, bikes, sporting goods, and a strange smell. This room is where I usually find the best junk, so naturally I go there first. There is a place where they put large mirrors and that is always my first stop. (You can see my collection in my daughters room, and on my Wall O’ Mirrors) Large ornate mirrors are rare BUT they do show up. Like this one I just scored for $10.00

2. Go in with an open mind.

I believe that the harder you search for something the less likely you are to find it. Awesome junk picks you and you need to be ready for it. For example I just bought this awesome coffee table for $5.00. Do I need a coffee table? No. But my Mother In Law is still trying to find the perfect one for her living room and until she finds it I am forever buying her coffee tables.

3. Don’t be scared to hoard.

Ok maybe hoard is too harsh of a word. Lets try this again. Don’t be scared to save things for later. If you see something awesome and don’t buy it cause you might not need it right.this.second you will be kicking yourself for the next 5 years.

Now, I am not saying buy everything that you *might* be able to use, I am talking about the kind of pieces that make you say “whoa” out loud and then you immediately have mother bear syndrome and look around to see if anyone is scoping out your treasure.

Like this awesome chandelier that I just found for $15.00. I literally said “Oh my gravy”, and ran to it. Goodness knows the LAST thing in the world that this girl needs is another chandelier (I have 5 that I am saving for later) but this one was THE ONE. Its huge. It almost goes up to my waist and I am 5’9. And I can not wait to show you what I have done with it….after the hubs gets it hung.

4. Look for things that can be refinished.

I rarely find something that I will keep “as is” . Only really cool old junk with freakin awesome patinas stay as is in my house. I never buy plastic furniture. Real wood only people. There are primers that you can get for plastic or laminate if you find something crazy cool but I haven’t used them before. Are you so jealous of this chair? I know. I DIED when I saw it. Cost? Free.

My Mother In Law brought it home from their storage unit 3 days ago. I had a dream about it last night. The hubs came home from work and these were his exact words… “what the crap is that chair doing in this house”  See, that chair is from his childhood basement and weighs no joke, 35+ LBS. He is having post traumatic stress disorder due to the fact that he had his toes ran over with it more than once. Sorry dear, the chair is staying.

5. Don’t be afraid of a little hard work!

Refer to question #4 for the reason why. This is how you save money people. By doing thing yourself. If you want to pay someone to do it, give me a call but I will charge you. Don’t be scared, its just paint. What’s the worst that can happen?

Certain types of pieces are perfect for certain types of finishes. Like this cute pedestal table. With those types of details it MUST be glazed. (You can see my full glazing technique here.)

6. If you see something you love, don’t be afraid to throw some elbows.

Ha ha just kidding. But seriously, if you see something don’t be afraid to act a fool to get it. Or you just might be like my friend Lara who lost out on a ginorm oval ornate out the wazoo mirror for $15.00 because another lady snatched it up first.

If it is something that is too big for your cart have an employee tag it announcing to the world that it is YOURS. Cause guaranteed if you don’t someone else will. And even if you are on the fence have them tag it while you ponder its potential. Just make sure that if you decide against it you take the tag off so that other grabbers can have a chance at it.

7. Look where other people aren’t willing.

Ok story time. While my MIL and I were shopping on Friday we went to a consignment store that we had never been to. Their furniture was way overpriced for my blood but as we were getting ready to leave the guy that works there told us that everything in this cramped side room was 50% off. At first glance there was NOTHING awesome. But I went in and started to dig. In the back corner in a bookcase that was totally obstructed from view and took 7 minutes to get out was this:

for $2.50 I found the coolest tool box ever because I was willing to hunt for something. This my friends I am leaving just how it is.

8. Don’t be afraid to let your style evolve.

When I first started thrifting I hated brass. I thought it was NASTY and every time I saw something I liked that was brass out came the spray paint. But guess what. I am now in love with it. Especially if it has a really old patina, my heart sort of wants to flutter away. I found these candle sticks for $1.00 each.

9. Don’t let un-awesome people stop your vision.

True story here. All of my friends want to go shopping with me cause I am like the best thifter ever, right? So I am a good friend and take them…with one stipulation they have to have an open mind. Of course they agree. But in truth they have no idea what they are in for. They look at me like I have 3 heads when I get excited about some nasty thing. Does that stop me from putting it in my cart? Psssh, ya right. I know what it can become. Would it stop someone who is unsure of themselves? Probably. If something speaks to you LISTEN. (The most random statues and vases usually turn out the coolest with a coat of white spray paint.)

Now when my friends come over to my house they see the junk that I bought when I was with them and compare stories about its previous nastiness. And are jealous.

10. Don’t be scared!

Yes, the store probably stinks.

Yes, there are less than hygienic people there. (Sometimes I am one of them…)

Yes, there is a lot of gross stuff.

But there are also treasures and if you don’t hunt them down then guess what? I will.

And if I run into you whilst thrifting and you have found something awesome….don’t show me,  cause I am totally the jealous type.

So there you go friends, hope this motivates you to go and look for something awesome.

And if you are new here and like what you see I would love it if you became a subscriber (top left corner) that way you can be sure to not miss anything awesome.

Especially all of the afters from this post, cause they are going to be epic.

2751

The post 10 Secrets From a Thrifting Goddess (errr… that would be me.) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Crap, you guys. Here is my word of advice.

When you are doing a project, don’t just finish it 90%. Cause someday The Nate Berkus Show will call you and then you have to use a video camera to take pictures of your house (which means it cant be photoshopped…)  and THEN you will have to finish all 10% of those projects at a feverishly fast pace.

I should have renamed the title of this “Look What I Lost Friday” and show you a picture of my brain.

Also, if you truly love my blog you will notice that I use a lot of the same accessories when I stage my pictures. Like this little owl:

I cant do that for this, so I am digging through my stash and pulling out some awesome junk that I forgot about to fill a the rooms. Oh and here is the best part. Cute Mr. Owls not in any of those spots now. Either is that table and all the crap on it. Or the chair. Or the antlers. Or the typeography picture. Basically the only thing that is still on the wall are the tiles.

Maybe I should have just said that it would have been a lot less typing.

So I don’t have a new awesome find, but here is a picture of a freaking awesome chair that I scored for $15.00 at the DI (Utah’s version of Goodwill) that has had a makeover…..

I think you guys are going to like it….

If you are a newbie and have no idea what Look What I Found Friday is then sit down with me dear children and I will tell you.

Look what I found friday is a linky party. Where you link up:

1. Crap you have found.

2. Junk you have made with Crap you have found

3. Anything you would consider Junk or Crap. (In the most loving way of course….)

Please make sure that you link the before picture in the list and please go and visit the other entries! I swear you guys this is the best way to meet awesome people and build your blog community. So don’t be scared, leave a comment and put yourself out there cause you never know what might come of it.

Ok I am off to do a crapload of crap. Crap.

The post Look What I Found Friday appeared first on Vintage Revivals.