The Best Thrift Shops in Tacoma, Washington

I've been shopping at thrift shops for decades. In a world of fast fashion and disposable trends, I love that there is a shift towards second hand. Not only is it great for the environment, it can also be a great way to save money too. Many of these shops are a fun treasure hunt for one-of-kind pieces while embracing sustainability and maybe getting a deal too! I love exploring the thrift shops in my area and thought this blog post from 2013 needed an update! We will also explore the differences between each of the different retail destinations from resale boutiques to consignment and vintage shops. I'll even share my local favorites. No gatekeeping here! Come along for the ride!

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Easy Off Refinishing Furniture Stripper

After remodeling our whole downstairs last year, we knew there would be some furniture we would need. If you've ever done a remodel, you'll know that you basically just bleed money for months on end. The idea of paying upwards of $3-5 thousand dollars for a table, had me reconsidering my options. I kept going back to my DIY days and thinking I could make that! Like Goldilocks, I spent last summer hunting for the perfect table that I could refinish in the raw wood finish I was looking for. I bought and sold no less than six tables in about six weeks. I ended up refinishing most of them, and kept two tables. Both of which I took to the raw wood finish look but ended up using two different methods. I already shared how I used Citristrip and bleach to finish the table in our dining room. This time, I'm sharing how I used Easy Off oven cleaner {yep...oven cleaner!} to refinish our kitchen table. A year later and I'm still obsessed with it!

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5 Frugal DIY Swaps for Expensive Decor

If you have been trying to redecorate your home, then chances are you know that it can get expensive very quickly. It takes a lot of cash and a lot of time to put together a beautiful home, and cash only gets you so far. These DIY swaps are inexpensive and so easy to put together! So if you’re looking for a cheaper way to redecorate your home, here are five frugal DIY swaps that you can do to replace that expensive home decor.

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Must-Have Thrift Store Decor Finds to Create with the Cricut Explore Air 2

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
You all know how much I love a good thrift store! Shopping second-hand is like a fun treasure hunt for me and I'm always taking the time to dig for that diamond in the rough. I love reimagining something that someone has had stopped finding joy in, and give it that spark again. I also like the price tag! I can usually DIY something with my Cricut and some imagination for a fraction of the price of something I could find retail. And there's something about taking someone's trash and making it into a treasure that is part of the real fun for me. Unique bespoke items are kind of the norm at a thrift shop, which sometimes makes it hard for me to share a project and for you all to feel like you could recreate a piece, but I have found through decades of thrift store shopping that there are a handful of staple items you'll always find easily second-hand. I'm sharing those items with you and giving you a few ideas on how you can upcycle them using your Cricut Explore.

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How to Make Money Buying and Selling on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist

Making a little cash is my favorite part of decluttering. It's also one of my favorite parts of buying secondhand. I love picking something up for a deal, enjoying it for a bit, and then making money on it. It literally gives me a rush. I've been reselling for more than a decade. I've seen how online selling platforms have changed through the years and I have gotten pretty good at figuring out how to make some easy money in not a whole lot of time. Today I'm sharing how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist and giving you all my tips to make some extra cash on the side!

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DIY Painted Wood Bead Garland

When it comes to home decor, DIY is my middle name! I think it's because so often when I was younger, my mom and I would be shopping and she'd always say to me, "you could make that"! {Side note, also one of the worst things you can mention out loud at a craft fair to the vendor.} I always liked the challenge of creating something and making it my own. This mostly came out of being thrifty but it also comes out of some weird calming effect the art of mass-producing things gives me. I've seen these painted wood bead garlands all over the place, from the shelves at Magnolia Market, to the baskets at the local hobby shops. I thought I'd try my hand at making them and am sharing how you can do it too! Let's go and make some DIY painted wood bead garland!

Speaking of Magnolia Market, here are 5 things you need to know before you visit!

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How to Get the Fixer Upper Style from a Thrift Shop

If you’re on a tight budget or just looking for a few ways to save some money while giving your home the Fixer Upper treatment, you don’t have to look far to snag a great bargain. Thrift shops have so many great options that need a little coat of paint or some DIY work to give you that Fixer Upper look you’ve been dreaming of! Here is how to get the Fixer Upper style from a thrift shop.

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How to Fix a Crooked Picture Frame on a Gallery Wall For Good!

Know one of my pet peeves? Crooked frames. I just cannot stand seeing a crooked frame hanging. There is one frame on my dining room wall that is constantly moving. I literally walk to it at least once a day just to straighten it. It's become my little OCD habit. One frame is one thing, but when you have a gallery wall and there are eight or twelve frames askew, watch out. I'm looking for a solution. I took to Twitter to see what you all would recommend and I loved the creative solutions. I decided to try one simple thing surprised that I hadn't thought of it before and dangit if it didn't work like a charm. So I'm sharing my secret tip on how to fix a crooked frame for good!

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Simple Paint Update on Fireplace Finials

I've been trying to inspire my readers for years to think outside of the box and look at how something old and dated that would otherwise be cast off, could up be upcycled to fit into your home. Not only is it a good way to use what you have or even to pick up something for a deep discount at a thrift shop or garage sale, but it also keeps more waste out of landfills. I found these two large wooden finials at a garage sale this past summer and knew a coat of paint would do them a world of good. Sometimes, that's literally all it takes to update an item. I'm hoping that this post will inspire you to think outside of the box and pick up something you would otherwise consider dated and give it a transformation with some paint, just like I did with these fireplace finials. 

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Easy Paint Projects to Update Your Home Decor

You don't need me to tell you how much paint can transform your home. Paint is one of the most inexpensive ways to give your space an update, but it's not just limited to your four walls, my friends. Nope, you can use paint to update your home decor and create a space that is full of personality and style all without spending a whole lot of money while doing it. Now that is my kind of update! 

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5 Tricks to Decorating on a Budget

I do not claim to be an interior decorator. Heck, I could probably use someone to help me, but I do know how to stick to a budget and replicate high-end looks at a fraction of the price. I have decades of budget decorating under my belt and want to share my secrets so you can decorate on a budget too! Here are 5 of my best tricks for decorating on a budget. 

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Goodwill Upcycles Lives: Taking Another Chance on the Thrift Store

Several years ago, I wrote a post titled "Is Goodwill too Expensive?" I got a lot of response from it on my blog and I was just reminded of it when I saw a sponsored Facebook post this past weekend. The sponsored post that was intended to get people to shop at their local Goodwill had people sharing some of their own thoughts {as one does on the internet}. It saw a handful of comments, some of which expressed the same sentiments I've thought. Things like "you get the stuff for free, why are you marking it up so much?" and "your merchandise is too expensive" and "I can get brand new stuff at my local Walmart or Target in the clearance section!" 
After the blog post that I wrote about Goodwill being too expensive, I pretty much stopped shopping at the regular Goodwill store altogether. {Side note: I did continue shopping at my local Goodwill Outlet because I do love a good treasure hunt and their pay by the pound prices were far more affordable I thought}. I was recently invited to an upcycle event with my local Goodwill and it was like this event was created just for me because I do love a good upcycle. That day, I learned that Goodwill upcycles more than just donated items.

I'm a firm believer in second chances, not only for donated items, but for people and places too. And after my recent visit, I'm ready to take another chance on Goodwill and here's why.

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Painting a Room Navy

I'm not afraid of color. I'm pretty sure every room in our old house was some different color. We even had a red bathroom. But I do love neutrals. Our whole house is fairly neutral but I am getting an itch to paint a room navy blue. I've been seeing navy as a home painting trend for awhile now. I know I want to paint my dining room, and I've started narrowing down colors, but I think navy can be tricky. I don't want it to be too blue or too black or too light or too dark. I want it to be perfect. So I started looking around because I thought if I saw a paint color I loved in someone's home, maybe I would find the right one. So here I am, narrowing down my options so I can paint a room navy and sharing some inspiration with you. I'd love to hear your opinions, especially if you've painted a room navy before. 

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Sheet music wreath

Easy to Make Sheet Music Wreath Tutorial

On Monday, I shared with you how I made my sheet music Christmas trees.

Today, I will be sharing with you how I made my rolled sheet music wreath.

Isn't it beautiful?!

I started with a large piece of sheet music.

Roll the sheet music lengthwise.

I always knew I had a good roll when I would end up with a triangle in the middle of my cone.

Glue the end of the paper in place with your glue gun.

I used a Styrofoam circle from the Dollar Store.

You all know how much I love the Dollar Store!

I marked the center with a dot, but I don't think it really matters one way or another.

Once I rolled a fair amount of cones, I was ready to start gluing them on to the Styrofoam circle.

I made a large cone pattern to start off with,

then slowly starting to fill in the spaces as equally as possible.

Once I finished gluing the cones on as full as I could, this is what it looks like from the front.

I did the same thing to the front of the wreath filling in the Styrofoam with cones until I was pleased with the fullness of it.  The center needed to be finished off with something, so I decided to attempt to make a sheet music fan for the center.

I took 3 sheets of 2 inch wide paper for the big fan

and one sheet of one inch wide paper for the small fan

Small fan tutorial

1. fold the small paper accordion style

2. glue one end to the other end and place on it's side

3. carefully gather and pinch the end pushing down in the center to make a flower.  Place a small piece of glue in the center to hold it together.

Large fan tutorial 

1. fold the three sheets accordion style

2. glue each end to one another

3. form a circle with the paper

4. pinch and glue the inside together 

 I glued the big fan and the small fan together, and then glued it to the center of the wreath.

You could also glitter the edges of the fan if you wanted to.

 That's it!

Glue a ribbon to the back and hang your wreath in your favorite spot!

As you can see, I really love sheet music. Have you made anything beautiful with sheet music?

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DIY Floral Globe

Last week, I shared how I updated my master bedroom closet with some contact paper that I pretended was wallpaper. I took everything out of my closet and as I slowly started to put things back in after the {faux} wallpaper was hung, I realized that I needed some new decor. I had a few things in mind, and while I was walking the aisles of Joann fabrics {I know, I said I broke up with her...but I just can't quit her!} I saw some scrapbook paper that I thought would look amazing in my closet. I just wasn't sure how. And then it came to me! I decided to take an old globe and upcycle it to create a DIY flower globe that would match my new {contact} wallpapered space. 

While I love globes as is, I think this little upcycle was pretty awesome. It cost me less than a dollar and took just a few hours of my time. I'm sharing with you how you can make your own too.

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Contact Paper Used as Wallpaper for a Sewing Closet Reveal

Redoing my master bedroom closet has been something on my to-do list since January. It was kind of an accident though. I happened to find some contact paper at my local Dollar store {you all know how much I love my Dollar Store!}, so I purchased ten rolls of it and it sat on the floor of my closet for months before I did anything with it. I had the idea in my head, I just didn't have the motivation for the execution. Please tell me I'm not the only one! One of my biggest regrets when we put built-in's in my master closet is that we didn't paint the walls before we installed them. I love love love my master bedroom closet and all the built-in drawers but the yellow walls that are in THE WHOLE house were starting to get to me. So, I decided to be a little unconventional. I took those rolls of contact paper and used them to wallpaper the walls of my closet. 

No big reveal would be fun without a little peek at the before. We have lived in our home for over six years and my master closet has had the most transformations over time. When we toured the home, I fell in love with how big and spacious the closet was. Lucky for me, there is another closet that is in our master bedroom, so I don't have to share. All of our bedrooms were being filled up by kids, so I envisioned the back wall of my closet as my craft room/sewing space. 

It's evolved over time. The shelves got filled up with baskets in an attempt at organization, then one long weekend, I took the kids on a trip and I came back to some built-in shelving in the back of the closet. It's been a great space for me to create. I leave my closet door open and on the other side of the door is our master bathroom. I stand by the sink and stare into the visual clutter at the end of my closet to my craft space and I knew it needed some attention. I'm so much happier with the space now and can't wait to show you the big reveal!

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DIY Aged TerraCotta Pots

I love a good deal almost as much as I love a good before and after. It's even better when both come together and create a project I've been drooling over in the stores but haven't necessarily been able to pull the trigger to buy. There is far more satisfaction in creating something rather than purchasing a completed piece, and if I can do it on a budget, then it's a major bonus! I love the current farmhouse style trend and love being able to bring some living greenery inside and this project mixes both of those with an updated thrift store find. 

I do a lot of thrift store and garage sale shopping and while it's sometimes hard to get creative and see past the current state of an item, it's possible. I usually have to remind myself multiple times to look at the bones of something and get past the current color. In fact, color is one of the easiest things to change. I have a huge stash of spray paint in many different colors because it's such a quick transformation for so many items.

I found this hot pink wooden tray at my local second hand store. It looked like it had a bad spray paint job, but overall, it was an interesting shape and I knew I could look past the color since I could easily change it with some spray paint.

I love the look of an aged terracotta pot but not necessarily the price tag or the time it would take to create one, so I found a way to create my own DIY aged terracotta and I found that four pots would fit perfectly into my newly spray painted tray. 

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Dollar Store Succulent Wreath Tutorial

I am still crazy over the succulent trend. I remember as a kid we called them hens and chicks. Do people still do that? So, I was shopping at my local dollar store, as one does, and found a box full of succulents. I snatched them up because I had been eyeing them at my local craft store and at $4-5 each using them for a craft project of this size, was going to add up! I bought 19 of them because that's how many they had and was excited to get started on making a succulent wreath. It took me less than twenty minutes to whip this wreath up and I love the end result. I'm showing you how you can make your own today.

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Paper Succulent Terrarium for the Black Thumb

I love plants I really do, they just don't really seem to love me. It's about this time of year that I start getting the itch to plant anything, inside and outside. We get these glimpses of spring with sunshine and rising temperatures and then BAM!, back to typical rainy Pacific Northwest weather. I have learned through the years that even though I want to be good at gardening and plant growing {I'm sure there is a word for this...}, I'm just not. Especially with indoor houseplants. I keep trying with the plants outside because heck, everything seems to grow here, but I have finally succumbed to the fact that I'm not really good at keeping plants alive inside and that's OK. So, I'm slowing making a shift to faux plants like this paper succulent I'm showing you how to make today. You can still bring in a little green inside but not have to worry about keeping it alive. It's really a win win and the whole project will cost you just a few bucks...less than a houseplant.

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How to Paint a Blank Door Mat for Your Home

How to Paint a Blank Door Mat for Your Home

I saw this little mat on a trip to Ikea last week. It was screaming to me and I couldn't pass up this blank slate. I'm pretty sure it cost less than $8.

This was what I thought I would do with it.
What are those? Man hands? Yep, I set to work taping off the mat, but my hubby quickly stepped in and said he would be happy to help. He's pretty good at geometric shapes (he's a mechanical engineer after all!).
And then I took a bottle of black paint and a brush and set to work dabbing the paint on. I'm not sure how it will hold up with dirty wet feet, which is why I didn't take the time to put our last initial on yet. In the meantime, I think it looks pretty good.

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