Thrifty Trip Tuesday #1

I often talk here about my finds that I transform.  I also talk a lot about auctions and attending many of them.  I love the hunt & walking away with something that I got for a bargain.  That is what this blog is all about :)

Often times it will either need to be repaired, patched, or used for scrap pieces.  I just love being able to see past all the flaws to get to the beauty, I mean isn't that what life is all about!?!

On Tuesdays I will be bringing to you a chance to take a ride with me on a Thrifty Trip to see what I have picked up.

I am going to go back in time and bring some of the oldies up throughout the journey.  There are some weekends that I either spend my free time with my family, come up empty handed or there just wasn't any places I found that was worthy to go thrifty treasure hunting.

I don't always disclose my picking places, and I won't always disclose my purchase price...sorry just the way this trip works out.

Without further ado today I am going to take you back to one of my favorite online auctions -

One of my first true thrifty finds was this beautiful French Armiore.  You can read here about this beauty.

Disclosure: When I purchased her I had just really started blogging so please pardon the content.  And, unfortunately the pictures in this post are all old & prior to knowing how to truly take good pictures & the importance of editing them.

You can get the idea of just how gigantic this girl is!  I bought this along with the next few pieces at this online auction & paid just $25 for her.

She sits in my basement & serves as my storage for my crafts and painting materials, such as brushes and stencils.  She will have a home there for a very long time for many reasons - one because I love her and two she's a monster to move (ask my husband...sorry honey)!!

The next piece is this very old armiore.

You can see in the above picture that it needed some love.  The rope trim was coming off, and it was dirty...really really dirty!!  But, look at that mirror!!

It sat in our living room for a while

 ....and then I moved it to our guest room.  

What you can't see is just how warped this armoire was.  Unfortunately the door would not stay shut and I to use a nail on the inside for the latch, but every time I needed to get into it I seemed to catch my arm on it :(

I didn't just get rid of it, and the warped sides were too much.  I upcycled it in a few ways.  That mirror is stunning and so it is re-purposed & will be heading into my booth space soon (well as soon as I decide I no longer want need it).

The top comes off of the drawer and so the drawer I have turned into a bench.  I will be showcasing it on the blog very soon so be on the lookout for it. I was waiting on some fabric and just got it!  The bench is lovely!
I recycled the top part (where the mirrored door is hanging) as craft storage in my work area.  I've added shelves and it holds my fabric and wall paper along with my Silhouette Cameo and supplies.

On this trip the last thing I picked up is these side tables that I transformed into beautiful shabby chic tables.

I had originally picked these up in hopes they'd work for my sister in law.  But, they were just a little too big for the space she intended for them.  I got them for such a great price for the pair that I was fine with making them over into these beauties...

I painted them a dark steel grey with a lighter grey underneath.  I lightly distressed them and added super cute knobs to match.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down a thrifty journey and you will come back each week to see what I've picked up & what I did with it.

Enjoy your week!!

With much love, peace, & happiness!
~Lynn