Double Chair Love
I spotted this very gorgeous desk chair at Wide Open Spaces. It happens to be in a lovely photograph by Ngoc Minh Ngo, but look closely at the chair. Isn’t it beautiful?
The picture below that happened to grab my attention as well. The two chairs in front of the couch are the exact same as the chair we found months ago in the garbage!
A little bit of black paint on the legs and our chair is a copy! I’d still like any info on those chairs! See the photos (as well as other beautiful ones) on the blog here: http://wideopenspaces.squarespace.com/. See our chair in an old post here: https://makemineeclectic.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/our-officeden/ and here: https://makemineeclectic.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/name-that-chair/.
Mid Century Paintings For Sale In Shop
I went back to the thrift store and those paintings were still there. AND, they were 1/2 off! So, I snagged them and cleaned them up a bit. Now for sale in the shop! Check them out!
I think they would look really cute with the new roadside find chair!
Maybe in a little girl’s mid century room?
***SOLD***
Roadside Find
On a quick drive to Peoria yesterday to pick up some new lawn chairs I spotted the oddest, cutest little chair on the side of the road in Kewanee. On my way home it was still there, so I quickly threw it in the back of the truck and sped away!
It’s so ugly right now, but I think there is a lot of cuteness potential under there! That storage could be very useful too! Some scrubbing and some new fabric… maybe even some paint? Mid century lovers should love this one when its finished, so keep your eyes peeled because it will be another shop addition!
Lawn Chairs and Cookouts
Yesterday I finally got the garage sale lawn chairs finished! Remember the old blue metal set we got for $10? The one that looked like it belonged next to pink plastic flamingos in, well, not our yard? Yes, those are nice shiny black now! Before:
Now:
All we needed was a couple fun cushions. Well, that has been a task. Since these chairs are so old no cushions are the right size! And, have you noticed how dull this year’s “summer” colors are? Blah! But, we stopped in at K-Mart just to check, and found a decent, fun and bright set. Not what we thought we wanted, but it will work for this year! They are a bit different shape, but when you sit in them and squish them down they are perfect. I would also like to add a couple red throw pillows to match the ones we would like to throw on the hammock (coming soon!). Here’s what we have so far:
Better! And Tony even helped me pick ’em out! So, we decided to celebrate a productive day (and the fact that it didn’t rain!) by grilling out and having dinner at the picnic table.
The pups even joined in! Have a great weekend!
P.S. Just for the record, the blue on the chairs was a really pretty color. But, we have a lot of red in our yard and it just wasn’t matching what we wanted to do out there. But, after already painted the set black we realized the new cushions do have the exact blue in them! Oh, well, sticking to the plan! Now they are versatile enough to change our minds on cushions all the time! (if they weren’t so ridiculously expensive!)
Bad Thrifter
It’s true, I’m just not a very good thrifter. I try, I really do. But I often come home empty handed and disappointed. First, a cute picture, and then the reasons I’m a bad thrifter- use them as reverse tips! 🙂
This was the only thing I was interested in after two thrift store stops yesterday. I am probably the only person who even thinks these are cute. But, I did think they would be a neat retro touch to a little girl’s room. I was actually so attracted to them I almost bought them just to save for the day when we might have a little girl’s room. But, that seemed waay too far away, so I left, once again, empty handed.
The reasons why I am a bad thrifter- things not to do:
1. I get disappointed and discouraged. I know very well that thrifting is about enjoying the hunt. I know very well that I need to relax and enjoy my time going through all of the junk on that dig for the perfect treasure. But, sometimes I am in a hurry to snatch something up and get upset when I don’t find anything that strikes me.
2. I am not open minded. I go into thrift store and flea markets with an idea of what I need and what exact items I am on the hunt for. Once I stop looking I know I will eventually find something like that, but until then I need to have an open mind and keep my eyes peeled for unexpected finds.
3. Sometimes I am just not creative. I see the items only exactly what they were meant for. I know that so many treasures can be repurposed, but often I forget to look at an item itself, and not its intended use. More interesting things can be noticed when thinking creatively.
4. I do not go often enough. I sometimes feel that on every trip to the store I have to leave with something. This should definitely not be the case. This hunt could take multiple trips. If you stop back often you will eventually happen upon the perfect find.
5. I forget that value is irrelevant. I find myself on a hunt for some treasure of great value. This is rare, and I know it. I need to remember that I am on a hunt for unique things that I love and want to surround myself with, not things with fancy brand names.
6. I need to remember to enjoy myself. I know perfectly well that this is a hobby. It probably won’t make me rich or famous, so I need to be doing my thrifting for me. If I forget about everyone else’s opinions I will enjoy my trips and eventually have unique and personal items.
Although these are things not to do, they are a good list of things to keep in mind when thrifting. Now, if only I could take my own advice. Can you think of any other thrifting tips?
Weekly Chair Love
I spotted this weeks chair love on Flickr. Yellow is not really my color, but I see so much potential in the baby. A nice white vinyl? Or black? This chair could be gorgeous. I love that tufting and the curved back!
“‘Yella’ Chair” By Robem.
My New Book
I finally got my new book in the mail!
“The Find,” by Stan Williams. I was super excited when I heard about the new book. I order it right away and have been impatiently waiting ever since. I have had it for about a day and have already read half of it. Ha.
The book discusses thrift and vintage finds, and gives tales and examples of inspiration. So far, I definitely recommend!
Curvy Chair Love
This week my chair love comes from a random internet search. The fun, curvy arms on this baby just jumped out at me. What a beauty. I’d take a couple of these for my dining room.
Hopefully we get some sun tomorrow so I can show you a few pictures of the yard progress!
Kitchen Lights
We found the cutest vintage lights for the kitchen! I had been scouring ebay for a set of school house lights- the hanging kind. I found a few, but was always outbid and they went to high in price for me to stick with it. The other day Tony was in our local hardware store and spotted a set of milk glass lights, although not hanging, but still super cute. The lights even came out of a local library in a recent remodel! So, here is a peak at how they go so well with our newly remodeled kitchen!
Aren’t they much better than the old burnt up stip lights? Also, we did a hole lot of yard work this weekend… so stay tuned to see how the yard is coming along! 😉
Vintage Cofee Table
We have another coffee table added to the shop. This one was so cute, but in bad shape:
And… Here’s the after:
Actually, it is also getting little white feet, but I couldn’t resist showing you how it turned out. Let me know if you are interested.
SOLD!
Make Mine Eclectic 
