I am pleased to bring you a new feature: The Five Dollar Find. It is a treasure hunt with no map. Just girls scavenging through thrift stores on a quest for buried treasure, with only five dollars to spend. With my found objects I will then breathe new life into them, some might need major resuscitation.
Yes, thrift stores can be overwhelming: the volume of things to go through, no Nordstroms sales girl to start a fitting room and suggest a blouse for your eye color, they can be packed with people, and the prices are so tempting that you might impusilvely purchase a $ 2 dollar toaster, even though you have a properly working one at home.
That is why our gal pal Malory, a.k.a Thrift store fashion minx, came along. Malory has talent. In this photo below you see evidence of such talent. Red shoes and cobalt blue blouse recent thrift store purchases. Also, a good thrift store lady bud will tell you where the goods are and will tell you that those purple velvet pants are not doing you a favor.
Right away, I did not have much of a plan other than I was going to focus in the houseware section. Recently, a vase from Jonathan Adler had caught my eye. I thought I could capture such dimensional qualities and create a sea urchin look on a vase. Malory pointed out where the vases were and I began searching for a small bud vase, I wanted the right shape and size and ended up finding a small bottle that had a past life for serving Sake, the sticker price was 99 cents. Sold. BUT wait I still had money to spend. I knew the next thing I wanted was a frame with an interesting design. I have been wanting to frame items from my wedding such as the hankie I made my husband. I found a frame for $3.99. Now, you math wizards out there already know that I went over my five dollar budget (slightly) by .34 cents, but I figured it was only doing my overflowing coin purse a favor. Leaving with my purchases I felt victorious and ready to go home and repurpose. Well, after a happy hour session with my gal pal Malory , of course!
THE BEFORE: 99 cent vase and 3.99 frame
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:
Spray paint- I chose to mix it up and picked a Robin’s egg color (Straying from my love of white frames). Also, White puff paint.
HOW TO: Sea Urchin Inspired Vase:
Wipe your vase clean. Use a dry erase marker to create your design. If you mess up, the marker will just wipe off. Then go back to 1992 and get your puffy paint (haha, just kidding you can get it at the craft store). Make dots or lines (it is up to you the artist) allow a couple hours to dry. I did one side of the vase and allowed it dry, and then did they other side. After, the puffy paint design is fully dry (5-6 hours) Spray paint the entire vase. Allow it to dry for a day and then go to the farmer’s market or pick out a flower from your garden. This would be beautiful for a planter’s vase or soap dispenser.
HOW TO: A Splash Of Color Frame:
Remove all materials from frame (glass, borders, etc) Pick out a coat of spray paint. Spray an even amount until covered. A few useful tips on spray painting: Buy one of these, and make sure your can is not cold. Sit can in the sun for a bit, shake it a lot. Cold spray paint will bubble on your wood surface. Also, you can save yourself a mess by getting one of these.
AFTER: Bud vase for my nightstand and new blue frame to hold a handmade wedding hanky. Overall, a decent start but looking forward to more $5 dollar finds.
