School House Desk

I walked into a thrift store last week and almost immediately locked my eyes on this little gem of a desk.  It wasn't hard to miss since it was sitting right by the door plus that fun Kelly green color was practically flirting with me.  

When I texted a pic to Chels, her response was "Yay! Kelly green sends my heart soaring."  That settled it: he was coming home with me.  

Admittedly this photo really doesn't do the shade justice since it's reading more forest-y green here, but trust me he's a charmer!  What I didn't care for, however, was the original top: that laminate wood I can so easily remember bored classmates carving into in Freshman Geometry.  

Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

The fake wood was flunking the desk's overall vintage vibe so it had to go.  I nixed it in favor of a freshly stained piece of real wood.

It's amazing how such a simple {and affordable} change-out can make all the difference.  I'm giving your update an A+ mister.

Now that old deadbeat top can no longer hold this vintage charmer back. 

And the top even pulls up for more storage!  A++ 

{Doesn't this take you back?  Who here remembers their old elementary school desk?  You know... back when we had lunch boxes and pencil boxes and everything we owned seemed to have our name written on it somewhere?}

There's even a sweet little pencil tray along the front-most inside edge.  A+++

{And I couldn't resist enlisting the help of the faux pull-down chart from my recent guest post.  It was practically begging me to be included in a vintage school house photo shoot.}

I could totally see this guy acing it in a playroom or nailing that extra credit as a quirky side table with hidden storage.

Now available for sale.
24"W x 18"D x 30"H {adjustable}
$75

  SOLD

Happy Wednesday,

~Cate

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Steve. {Thrift Store Find No. 3}

Good news!  It's finally time to reveal the last mystery item from my fateful trip to the thrift store last Spring. 

Ok, so if you've been following my guest posts here and here, you may recall that I went to the thrift store looking for bookends {which I still have not found for myself by the way} and ended up buying 3 completely not-on-my-shopping-list things: a cane-backed chair, a picture frame, and mystery item No. 3.  Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, may I introduce to you... Steve.

{His name is a nod to Chelsea's post on Ricky the metallic Rhino.}

Now when thrifting it is important to keep an open mind.  You never know what you will find to take home and transform so you can't just look at things for what they are.  Let's face it, everything looks a little gross in a thrift store - sitting on dusty shelves under florescent lights, inevitably sporting some form of sticker residue.  When you're thrifting, you need to look beyond the items for their potential.  

I noticed this brass deer amidst a shelf of knicknacks because it was shiny {my parents can attest to my crow-like sensibilities: always gravitating towards things that sparkle}.  Upon closer look I realized there were two holes in his noggin.  This was no Debby the Doe, this was a Steve the Stag - he was just missing his antlers.  Nothing a touch of whimsy and couple twigs couldn't fix.

Now he has a position of honor where he can nobly pose next to the chandelier terrarium on our credenza.

And I'm not the only one in love with Steve.  His metallic profile is trending everywhere:

Here he is on some illustrious Anthropologie wallpaper.

And with a lady friend on One Kings Lane.

And even making a cameo appearance on Etsy via this lovely gilded portrait.

So when you're sorting through the flotsam and jetsam at your local thrift store, remember to keep an open mind to what you see.  You might find something you could love if you put your own spin on it.

And there you have it!  A happy addition to my credenza's vignette and No. 3 installation to this thrift store mystery series.

Also, this is what's happening right now as I type.  {And yes, he's dead asleep in that position}.

Happy Wednesday,

~Cate

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Earring Holder

Hey readers!  Cate here with a Wednesday guest post.  Ok so awhile back in my Cane-Backed Chair post, I confessed that I went to the thrift store for bookends but left with 3 completely not-on-my-shopping-list things.  As promised, I have the scoop for you on item No. 2 - a picture frame.

I liked the round frame and the keys on the side to tighten it at your desired angle.  I did not, however, like the idea of cutting up a photo just to fit inside.  So let's do the craft math everybody: what does picture frame + paint + cotton batting + burlap equal?

How 'bout an earring holder!

The frame was disassembled and repainted in the same warm gray chalk paint called "Primitive" by Americana Decor that I used on the Sisal Rope Chandelier from last week's post.  I also heavily distressed the edges to bring out the great detailing on the frame.

I removed the glass since I wouldn't be using it and recovering the backing with burlap over a layer of cotton batting from the fabric store. 

After it was recovered, I put the backing back in the frame without the glass so that the filler and fabric would create a pincushion effect.  For some added glamour, I stuck a couple pearl-tipped pins in there to perch the earrings on {although you can easily stick the earrings straight in}.

This was actually my first item to sell at the Garage Sale we had on June 7th.  I am so tickled someone loved it enough to snatch it up within the first few minutes of opening the garage door! 

Now, I know what you're thinking... what about thrift store item No. 3?  You will have to check back in for that post soon ;)  And I truly hope you do because it might be my favorite find of all!

Happy Wednesday,

~Cate

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.