Nifty Thrifty

What is better than a surprise quickie visit from your best friend on your birthday? How about a surprise Thrifting Trip with your BFF on your birthday!

My awesome Hubby did some research on the best thrift shops in our area, different from the ones near our house that I frequent for us to go to. He even printed out directions! We managed to hit a few new spots, like Savers in Anaheim. A long, long time ago, there was one in Huntington Beach near my parents’ house. It looks like the one in Anaheim is the closest now.

I think Lani is ready to go!
Similar to Goodwill, they have tags with different colors. On certain days, those colors are an extra % off. Of course, the things we picked weren’t part of the special colors for that day. I should’ve taken more pics of the inside for you because it was very well organized and they had a ton of stuff. I was busy coming down from my excited-ness and catching up with Lani.

There wasn’t that much in the way of furniture or accessories that was to our liking. We both found a few things. I found these Tod’s heels.
$59.99 is a far cry from the regular retail price of around $400-900 depending on the style… It looked like they were maybe worn once, if at all. I wasn’t sure what I would ever wear them with, so I passed. I might head back today, since it’s 50% off blue tags. $30 is definitely more doable!

Can you tell what Lani got based on her crazy face? Ha Ha! In the 1st picture, she’s showing you some pillow shames she found. They are super cute leafy pattern in colors fit for maybe her dining room, or maybe her bedroom depending on the teal-tone. They were reversible with a complimentary/contrasting fabric on the other side. There were two for $3.99 each. Not too shammy… Since she has limited carry-on luggage space, she opted out of those shams. Instead she got some patterned jeans for super cheap. $4? or less? Of course she’s not going to wear them as-is. They will be going under the knife for a little makeover. That’s a post for a different day.

Look! It’s a DUCK-Oven! Get it?! Instead of a dutch oven…
I thought it was hilarious. It’s my birthday, I can quack a lame joke if I want to.

Oh, see the guy in the background? He was following us around. It was weird and creepy.

We made it back towards my house. After a quick run into Goodwill, we found a skirt that didn’t quite fit on either of us (one was the navy floral skirt from Jason Wu for Target’s collection for $5 vs. $14.98 online right now). Then we ran into Home Goods (I’m super lucky that they’re in the same shopping center. It’s also super deadly.)

Will found some keepers:
A wicker “addigador” and a giant “maga-fwying gwass”.

 

 

 

 

 

This 3 shelved console was adorable & a steal at $179.99. Love that teal!

 

[Left] Lani liked this cute yellow piece with some distressing and curvy legs. I was loving the green cabinet with mirrored doors.

[Above] there were all kinds of fun goodies. A metal airplane, that trunk with key fabric and stud details, the little wood side tables that looked like mushrooms. Even the driftwood sticks formed together to make a side table was cool!

  [Below] Of course I loved this white owl table. I think it was only $50, too!
We need a bigger house!

 

 

 

[Above] No shopping trip is complete until you make it over to the white ceramic accessory section. Lani was checking her life line with the hand statue. Those were freaky. And look! They had my white owl! I was ogling those little owl bookends below Lani’s arm.

Will and Hubby found this owl chair. I am in love. I’ve seen that owl fabric before (Premier Prints Hooty), but never in this taupey-grey tone-on-tone color weigh. How many owls is too many? It’s probably a good thing I’m always on a budget or else I’d need an Owltervention. Even the side chairs behind it were cute. Need a little formal mis-matched set for your existing dining chairs? Boom! Sold!


Lani and I both went “OH! Dwell!” when we saw the cute arm chair with the Dwell Studio Bella Porte fabric on it. Definitely a good deal for $399.99 since the fabric alone is usually $25/yard.


Swoon again when we saw the ikat side chair. Again, not bad for $399.99. Of course, not a screaming deal, either. I’ve had my eye on that fabric (Magnolia Home Fashions Java Ikat Pewter) though. And Look! It’s on sale now!

All in all, I walked away with nothing but a fun outing. It’s just like shopping for clothes or anything else… When you’re in the market to buy something, anything, you aren’t going to find it, especially when your husband gives you carte blanche to pick out what ever you want! Ha Ha!

How about you? Any good deals or steals lately? Do you have a favorite thrift store that you frequent? Or even a thrifty website?

A colorful Birthday!

My little Jagger turned 2 this week and I couldn’t be more mixed in emotions!!  I’m so happy that he’s big and healthy and adorable….and I’m so sad because the older he gets…the more likely it seems that he will be my last little baby!  WAH! 

I wanted to share with you all the party that we threw for him.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking…since with this many pics I can get a little wordy!  Since Jagger is a huge drawing fan, we did a colorful rainbow of a party…complete with a colorful cake, balloons, and crayons!  The table covers were the biggest hit with the kids and adults alike.  We just covered them with craft paper and set out crayons and let people go at it.  I also went insane at the last minute and decided that making a bunting out of scrap fabric 2 days before the party was a good idea.  Blah.  I was practically sewing my face off.  All in all it was a fantastic little party where everyone had fun…and that’s the whole point right?  Enjoy!

Soda Pop Of Color

Oh….see what I did there?  With that title?  I should be the writer for the “Before and After” category on Wheel of Fortune.  Snap.

Anyway…I just wanted to share with you guys a little teeny weeny décor fun that I will give full props to my husband for.  One night…about a month ago…he brought us home some sandwiches with glass soda bottles.  As simple as he is (not in an insulting way…he just likes the easy life…does not need anything fancy) he has a passion for retro stuff.  He wouldn’t call it a passion per se…but everytime he sees an old fashioned ANYTHING….he thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world.  SO he saw them selling Coke out of glass bottles and snagged 2 of them with straws.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that they sell those in the grocery store.  He’s just too cute when he’s excited.

Anyway….again…after dinner he said “You should totally keep these and spray paint them or something.  You know…make some kind of decoration out of them.”  I laughed and said “that’s a good idea!” (and although I was thinking the same thing…it will forever be known in this house as his idea….I’ll give it to him.  Again…so darn cute when he’s excited.)  So since Mr. Jagger’s 2nd birthday party was this weekend and it was all about color (more on that later in the week!) I decided that now was the perfect time to get some color on these baby’s.  In true Lani fashion…no before’s were taken.  But it was a Coke bottle and a Fanta bottle.

I love it!!  It’s so sweet!  I sprayed them in Rustoleum’s “Green Apple” in Satin.  Just the right green.  It’s funny because I was debating between a lime green and this soft green and I asked Hunter to choose.  I can’t imagine going with that super bright green now.  That kids got a good eye for color! 

And I just love the way they look with the ranunculus flowers I picked up.  So sweet.  I think ranunculus are my new favorite flowers.  Mostly because I like to say that the “ranunculus look redonkulous!!!” and laugh maniacally.  Because I’m dumb like that

Love this.  So sweet!  Can’t wait to show you the party later this week!

Avengers Assemble! – a Tricycle

I had planned to get Will a cycle of some kind for his birthday. It was a long debate about getting him a big wheel, a tricycle, or a two wheeler with training wheels. Decisions, Decisions. It just ended up being what I found for the best deal. Thankfully, I am addicted to Goodwill. Yes, it smells a little funny… but that’s the smell of a deal lurking around the corner!And even more thankfully, it’s right next door to the grocery store. So I push my luck, too often, with Will in tow, run into Goodwill to see what’s there… God forbid the day when I find a killer dresser for $30 that I have to have and try to shove in the back of my Rogue. Hubby will come home to quite the surprise that day… “Honey…can you help me bring in the groceries … and the dresser?”

Well, lucky be this lady that this cute Radio Flyer tricycle was $14.99 at Goodwill. I snapped a pic, texted it to Hubby, and made Will sit on it while I called Hubby to see what he thought. Spoiler Alert – Hubby said to grab it! This little baby retails for around $66. Ouch. $14.99 is much better.

You’re probably looking at the pics above going Oh! Cu- Oh my god! Why did you take it apart?!

Well, we can’t just leave things alone in this house. I asked Hubby what he thought about spray painting it. And since Will is still obsessed with Iron Man, the obvious choice was to make it an Iron Man trike. So Hubby go to work…

After he disassembled the trike, he taped up the black wheels. Those were the only parts not getting sprayed.

The arsenal:

Primed:

The trim was gilded:

Then Hubby taped up the gilded hubcaps:

Time to get our Rustoleum-Glossy-Colonial-Red-On!

Ta-Da!

A quick recap of the before and after:

I think one of these will be added to the lid on the “trunk”:

The added bonus to taping up the wheels was when we took the tape off, they were clean! The trike was in great shape from the get-go, but this made it look even more spiffy.

It turned out to be a great birthday. It wasn’t a surprise. Since we have thismuchroom to do spray painting and DIY stuff, Will saw the whole process. But I think it made the whole thing more fun. He’s walking around asking Hubby when his Iron Man bike will be ready. “Dad! My Iron Man bike?! It’s so cool!”

Cost Analysis:
- Trike – $14.99 Goodwill
- Rust-oleum Primer – $3.87
- Rust-oleum Gloss Colonial Red Spray (2) – $3.87
- Krylon 18k Gold spray paint – had it, but $5.99 at Joann’s, and use a coupon!
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Total – $26.60

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. We definitely put the $39.40 we saved (since buying a brand new trike would’ve been $66) to good use for other fun gifts that were a surprise. Squinkies & Star Wars Fighter Pods are taking over my house…

Have you revamped a Goodwill/Thrift find lately? We love a good deal and a good makeover combined! Please share!