Frames, frames and more frames!

When I first started this little blog, I wandered what I was going to write about.  I thought "this will give me an excuse to go thrifting more!" I also didn't update much since I started because I haven't been able to go as much as I would have liked either.  However, looking around my place for inspiration has made me realize there is VERY little that I paid full price for.  I really am thrifty like that!  Looking back at how little I have posted is actually pretty funny considering this.  So it looks like I have a lot of work to do and I better get started.


I don't know if there is anything more boring than bare walls.  I always love it when people have intricate tapestries and fabrics on their walls.  I love seeing it but I personally don't think that I would do it myself.  I know my husband would like to and has gone as far as to pick something out online, but didn't order it.  That's just how he is though, procrastinator.  So instead I've been looking around for frames.

This first frame I picked up at the thrift store I used to volunteer at and it was about 8 dollars but that was mainly because it had a signed ink drawing in it buy a local artist.  The ink drawing was really nice so I kept it just incase I find another frame to put it in eventually.  Seems a little redundant, I know, but I was looking for a frame for THIS painting and unfortunately for the ink drawing this happened to be it.

I have more paintings than I have frames for, so I just need to keep looking for nice ones to go with them.  These next few frames were also purchased from local thrift stores as well.  The large one was about 15 dollars but I made an exception for it because it is in really nice condition.  The original print that came with it is not hanging in my bathroom in another frame that I picked up for 3 dollars.  The 2 smaller frames were 99 cents each and hold these little Counter Culture coffee cards from a tasting my husband went to at a local coffee shop.  If you haven't tried counter culture coffee I highly recommend it.  We first came upon their coffee when we lived in Philadelphia.  Both being coffee nuts we researched the cafes all around the city find the one with the best coffee.  It was all the way down in the "gay"borhood, as the locals used to say.  Spruce Street Espresso is right in the middle of a quaint part of philly with tons of rainbow flags fluttering in the breeze.  I miss it!  Needless to say, when the cafe here advertised a tasting my husband was there!  I had already given up on coffee at this point because I was pregnant :-( or I would have been there as well.  Oh well, a little reminder of our past and one of the good things in Philadelphia is good enough of me now.


This next little frame doesn't quite have a space yet.  I picked up this little hand made, unfinished gem at the same time I picked up the 2 little frames in the above photo as well.  It was an unintentional thrift shop outing, well KIND OF unintentional.  I may have, sort of planned to stop in on my way back from my intended destination.  It's just an opportunity I can not pass up, sans hubby.  It was 3 dollars and I just love it.  You can tell that it is hand made by the imperfections it shows in the alignment.  The bottom right corner is not aligned properly, and to a lesser degree so is the top right. You can see all the natural wood grain with all its cracks and knots.  <3  I just need a place to put it!

This last frame holds my first attempt at calligraphy.  "God is great" in the shape of a heart.  I eventually want to redo this with better attention to the line thickness.  I am happy with it, as a first attempt but I like it as a reminder as to what got me back into and inspired to paint again.    This frame was also just a few dollars as well.  I can't quite remember as I picked it up a couple of years ago.

This last photo is not framed but I am including it because it helps out with my solution to covering bare walls and making my home feel more "complete"

This photo of the Blue Mosque in Turkey was taken by a friend and printed, matted, and finally gifted to us by another good friend.  A long and unintended progression to us, but known by God. It's perfect and huge at 3' by 4' and I absolutely love it in our dinning room.  The whole year that we lived in this new place we always wondered what we were going to do with this wall and the solution just fell into our hands, thank to the Creator.  I love it for it's beauty and above all that it serves as a reminder that He is the ultimate provider. :-)

Anyway, my search continues for more frames and mirrors to put in bare places and if we sign the year lease to continue living here my next plan is to cover more wall space is a inexpensive floor to ceiling bookshelf plus entertainment unit.  I will know whether that post will be made in about a month so stay tuned!

Many lives of a wooden crate.

So as you know, I like old wooden crates.  Well I like anything old.  Unfinished food or metal with a nice patina, I can't get enough!  I picked this one up at the rummage sale I mentioned in my last post as well.  That old man sure was awesome because he had a few gems that I really love!  This one was a little on the "steep" end at 8 bucks but I look at it as an investment in awesome ;-P This old crate had a couple of lives already within my home.  First it just sat at the doorway because I didn't immediately know what I was going to do with it.  Then I decided I was going to put shoes on it, so I did that for a while.  But that role made the crate a little under appreciated.  Next it became a sort of side table.  I just stood it on its side and it held up a lamp for a while.  I was sure that I liked that until I got ANOTHER wood crate that I wanted to use for the lamp MORE.  Sheesh, so then it was out of a job while I looked around my home and tried to find a place for it.  It was then that I realized the width was a perfect size to hold books.  Our old DIY bookshelf is and always was overflowing with books so this actually worked out perfect.  Now our books sit on top of the desk! I always wanted to do this but I never found the "perfect" old brass book ends that I imagined but I definitely like this better because I can still put my painting on top!  But, in the end, who knows where this old crate might end up.  All I hope is to enjoy it for the next little while in whatever roll it takes on next!

And a fun song.  My better half turned me on to this one.  It has become my "go to" fun song.  It has become the first one I listen to when I buckle down to actually try and get something tedious done around the house.  :-)

Dusty Antique look? or just lazy to clean? hhmmm...

It seems as though I can't keep up with this space as much as I can't keep up with my living space.  Everything is being neglected and collecting dust while I try to keep up but fail.  Life of a new mother is grand!  Maybe my "thing" is the dusty antique look?  You will see what I mean in the upcoming posts.   Joking aside, I think that these next few items would have to agree.
My husband has to take the credit for finding the incense burner.  Not only did he score it for just over two dollars, he also brought me back a loyalty card!  I didn't know loyalty cards for this particular thrift store existed, so that was a nice surprise.  Thanks mi amor!

Incense burner and oddly shaped glass

One item of interest for us is oddly shaped glass containers of any sort.  Whether it be vases, jars, bottles, whatever, we just love 'em.  I found this little guy at a rummage-ish type sale last summer for a buck!  This was interesting because it was the same time that I bought the crates for my DIY bookshelf I showed you a few posts back.  The gentleman was very interesting and I admired his way of life, seemingly wayfarer/drifter/hobbyist/collector/hillbilly.

Rich man poor man, The Sartorialist

 He reminded me of this "type" which I guess is hobo chic. He had the look of a crazy person, but you just knew there was much more to it then that.  In the case of this fella, he actually works at Ralph Lauren.

Baby Saddle shoes?  I actually purchased these months before my son was born.  In fact, before I even knew I would have a son because we chose to wait.  Good thing saddle shoes can be for a boy a girl.  I had visions of a little boy in a classic cable knit cardigan or a little girl with a silhouette of a poodle sewn on a puffy skirt.  Either would be perfect with saddle shoes!  Months pass and we are blessed with a baby boy!  The best part is that I can put them away and save them to go along with that little poodle skirt! God Willing :-)

Saddle shoes, on our way to a potluck

Well that will be enough from me for now, I hope all is well out there with everyone.  Please enjoy another "new"ish find.  Would have been newer if I posted sooner...c'est la vie!

Incase the imbedded video is not working, click here.

Freecycle treasures

One of my Charcoals

I think I may have been the last person to sign for free cycle. I heard about free cycle a few years ago when I lived in the Bay area, but it wasn't until a few months ago that I actually made an account. So for I've received a few interesting things and likewise gave away things that I could no longer use. Why didn't I use it sooner! Especially since we have moved from state to state and place to place within the same city most recently. I always just used to old 'put it on the curb' method and that seemed to work fine. But I myself hardly ever found anything as interesting on the curb as I have found on free cycle.

Paper maker

My latest freecycle finds have been pretty awesome, to say the least. A home made paper maker, a print frame and a resistance band. Hey, a girl has gone to get her strength training too! Although I haven't had the chance to use the paper maker yet, it has already been fruitful as I have already learned so much about hand made paper and bindings. Did you know you can make paper out of denim? It looks a little like blue construction paper and its incredibly soft. Along with the denim paper I saw paper made out of another cotton that was used in little journals bound in dried goat and calf skin. Pretty neat! All I need to do now is get a blender and I am in business.

I just went out to a thrift store this afternoon so I'm already looking forward to what I am going to show you next! Stay tuned...

AND just something I've been enjoying while alone in the car.

Burlap belt?

Salvation Army find

Wow, I haven't posted in ages. A lot has happened since then, such as little Qais monster coming into the world. Which by the way has been awesome. Some how that tiny little fact has changed everything, including which the amount of time I have to visit thrift stores. I don't mind though. Things have seemed to even out a fair bit and he is figuring out his own schedule.
Months have passed and I finally made it to The Salvation Army! The initial plan was to find a bread maker and get out. That plan dissolved as soon I was confronted with the accessories as we walked in the door. Gotta love sifting though fabrics! It definitely paid off because I found this amazing braided bet made of natural fibers, from a far as I can tell. I wouldn't be surprised as the buckle is very simple and has quite a nice patina to it. They just don't make things like they used to, that's for sure.
'Twas a steal at just 3 cents over a quarter.

Crate bookshelf

Over the summer I was volunteering at the thrift store and someone donated some old wood crates that I absolutely loved. They lasted less then a week at the thrift store because other people loved them too. During my shift I kept walking by them and envisioning what could be done with them. Since I am terrible for bringing home everything I think is cool I decided that I should exercise my restraint and just let them go. BIG MISTAKE! I still think about those crates! Anyway, a few weeks later my husband showed me this post of "Colorful Crates Turned Awesome Entryway Storage" on apartment therapy. What comes to mind? The crates I walked away from!! grrrr. I confessed that I let some crates go at the thrift store that were very simular and of course he said I should have got them. :(

Anyway, time passed and I was again, on my way to the thrift store when I see this sign on the street "SALE". I drove a couple of blocks thinking, "no no, I don't need anything" but of course I turn around as soon as I remembered the crate incident. Guess what I found? Old wooden crates, yup. But before you get too excited I almost made the same mistake as last time! I walked to the crates looked at them and decided, "not right enough". A few minutes later and I walked only a few feet away and a couple walks up to the crates and is discussing them! Nope, not this time. I spied on them for a bit and as soon as they walked away I scooped them up and even got a deal since I bought all 3!

So far, this is what I have done with the crates.

Ideally I should have more crates because I have too many books for just 3 and it's looking a little cluttered. But for now, sans bookshelf these are perfect! Eventually after I get a bookshelf, or more crates, I want to use 2 above my computer desk for storage/decoration. Maybe paint the insides a bright color? Maybe not. Time will tell and when it does, I'll show you. :)

Wisconsin Great River Road

I really love the beauty of Wisconsin. After living here for a year I am just now getting into the out doors and seeing all of the natural land formations that I had no idea existed right in my "back yard". Just recently we took a couple days drive which was very refreshing and relaxing as well. Not only was it awesome, it was also inexpensive. All the money that was "required" was a full tank of gas, 1 night's stay at an Inn and food, which is also very inexpensive out in the rural towns. An awesome spontaneous trip that did not flash by in an expensive whirl of lights and busy city streets!

Just a couple of highlights from the trip and of course, a thrifty find.

Laue House Inn, Alma WI, Buena Vista Park, Alma WI, Thrift find in Eau Claire, WI

The Laue House Inn in Alma WI was a real gem that my husband found in all his research of the perfect place to stay along the Wisconsin Great River Road. At $40.00 a night it was a real steal because of the charming design and amazingly nice owner. The WGGR is all along the Mississippi River along the Wisconsin/Iowa and Wisconsin/ Minnesota boarder so there was tons of amazing views. Overlooking Alma was Buena Vista park which has an amazing rocky lookout point. All along the way on the WGGR are tons of historic towns where the air is clean and the people are super nice.

After we finished up the drive which also included a stop at an Apple orchard, which had the most amazing apples I EVER tasted we decided to come back home. On the way we made a pit stop in Eau Claire and I was able to convince my Husband to stop at a garage sale! We found this antique scale for .25!

All in all it was a lot of fun and I got to spend some quality time with the hubby. What more could I ask for?