two dollar throw pillows

I was so excited about my new shelves last week that I didn't even mention these great throw pillow covers that I found on the same thrifting trip for 99¢ each. I first spotted the blue one and was smitten with the color and texture. Thinking that finding a second one would be too good to be true, I almost walked away without doing a thorough search. I'm glad I decided to look anyway, because a few feet down the rack I saw another great textured cover. The orange one was slightly different, but when I looked inside, the tags were identical—"Fabindia" handwoven in India.

I purchased the feather pillow inserts about ten years ago at pottery barn with a 40% off discount. I've since ditched the original covers, and for quite some time, these have sat in the closet, waiting for me to sew them some new ones. The thrifted covers are much nicer than anything I could have sewn, so I think it was worth the wait.

The majority of our furnishings around the house are pretty neutral, so it's always nice to add a little pop color. I didn't realize how well these pillows would go with the handful of colorful accessories we already have until I put them on the couch. Here are some books that are sitting on a shelf a few feet away from the couch:


And these are some wheat-paste collages that we made that hang on the wall behind our dining table, directly opposite the couch.

beaten by a ballpoint pen

I like to think of myself as fairly proficient when it comes to the duties of homemaking. I can cook meals from scratch, I know the proper method of folding a fitted sheet, and typically, I can remove just about any stain that I encounter... until now. Recently, our new chair was tragically marked by a ballpoint pen. The sound of that might conjure up imagery of a certain little boy deviously coloring on his daddy's new favorite spot, but in fact, it was an accident and with the amount of sketching Alden does in an average day, it was bound to happen.

Apparently, Patrick had told me that he saw the marks one evening, and though I'm sure I acknowledged his remarks, they seem to have not stuck in my brain. The next morning I was surprised when I walked by the footstool and saw two 3" pen marks along with several smaller spots. Not to worry, I thought to myself, I've read more than a few stain-removal guides in Martha. I grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and got to work. The black pen quickly changed from dark purplish black to royal blue. It was working! But after several more minutes of scrubbing, the marks were still bright royal blue. I had several other products that I thought might work, and after all, I had never really been beaten by a stain on anything important before, so I still wasn't really that worried.


I worked on the pen marks for two more days. Folex, hair spray, fingernail polish remover, Magic Eraser, toothpaste, and Simple Green all failed me. Though I didn't give up without a fight, I realized there was nothing I could do about those stubborn marks. They had won and I had lost, it was as simple as that. But what was more was that I had been humbled by a tiny ballpoint pen. I was faced with my pride as a homemaker and wife, and I realized that my "I can do anything" attitude was absolutely delusional. No one—except me—expects that I can be Super Woman. It probably sounds silly that a simple thing like a stain could send me into deep self-evaluation, but sometimes it's through those unexpected moments that our hearts are revealed.

new shelves & an eye patch

This weekend started with a friday find so big that until now, I haven't even had time to post it. It ended with a call to poison control and an eye patch on my right eye. If you're thinking that those two things are unrelated, you'd be wrong.

Goodwill was full of great stuff last friday afternoon. We've been looking for some nice storage to use in our office, but we haven't been able to find anything in our price range until now. To my delight, I found these two Danish wall units for $39 each. In our old house, we had three rows of shelves above our desk that were about ten feet long, but we had to leave them when we sold the place. For the last few months we have been temporarily storing all of our art tools, books, and office supplies on a steel shelving unit. It has been a complete eye sore, but it was either that, or keep them in boxes and rifle through the piles every time we needed something.

Re-organizing the office has been a huge undertaking. We have piles of old artwork, sketchbooks, and paperwork that goes back who knows how far. The new shelves have a nice balance of drawers and cupboards for hiding the unsightly airbrush hoses and kids play-doh, and open shelves to display items like books, and Patrick's pipes.

Part of the sorting and storing process was examining our art supplies to determine what was still usable and what had dried up. As I was editing my box of oil paints, I came across a full bottle of linseed oil. At first glance I couldn't tell if it was still the same consistency as it used to be, so I gave the bottle a little shake and a squeeze (don't ask me why—I don't know). The plastic bottle instantly cracked and the oil exploded... right in my face. It wasn't just a little squirt, either. The oil shot about three feet in every direction. Fortunately, I was wearing glasses, which managed to protect my left eye, but somehow it made it into my right eye.

After a quick call to poison control, a few minutes of hot saline flushes, and an hour of sporting an eye patch, I'm back to normal. Now it's time to get back to organizing. Hopefully I'll finish up this project tomorrow and I'll be able to post some pictures.

charmed by a tea kettle

Last fall, I was making a quick run through Deseret Industries. It was late in the day, and most of the store had been picked over by the astounding number of ever-present antique dealers. But there, sitting on an old tattered couch, was a bright orange, classic Chantal tea kettle. Of course, I really had no clue about its make or model when I picked it up, or that the orange color was no longer in production, I just knew that it was beautiful. Heavy, enameled cast iron, and shiny, stainless steel—it would look great in my kitchen, and I was eager to take it home and try it out. I examined it to make sure the lid fit properly and the spout closed all the way. When everything seemed to be in place, I paid my four dollars, and drove home feeling quite good about my keen eye.

Patrick affirmed my new find when I walked through the door, and I headed straight for the kitchen to fill it with water to test it out. As the water began boiling, I stood there anticipating the classic whistle of the steam, but to both our astonishment, this little beauty let out the unique sound of a harmonica. The tune resonated in our kitchen as I squealed with delight. I then grabbed my french press, ready to celebrate this new culinary addition by enjoying some coffee. Patrick—always more cautious than I—hesitated, suggesting that we pour the water in a mug and examine it before imbibing. Reluctantly, I agreed.

A minute later, we both stood there staring at a white mug filled with steamy water and little black flecks of something. Not wanting to admit that the tea kettle might be worthless, I concluded that it probably just needed a good scrubbing. That method failed, and again the water was speckled with little black particles. We searched the internet looking for some solution in order to salvage the tea kettle. Every site said the same thing. The bottom had been scorched, and the kettle was ruined.

Since our house was on the market, and the kettle looked so stylish in our kitchen, I decided to keep it for a while. Every time we had an agent come through the house, I would pull it out of the cupboard and put it on the stove, wishing each time that it was usable. Sometimes I even boiled water in it just to hear the harmonica. After we moved, I had intended to throw it away, but somehow, I think it got mixed in with our donation pile! I think it probably ended up at Goodwill, enticing another poor victim with its charm, only to later disappoint them. I feel terribly guilty for donating it—even if it was by accident—as it goes against one of my thrifting principles.

For months, I searched the thrift stores hoping to find another Chantal. I even checked bargain stores like Marshalls and Ross, thinking that maybe I would come across one with a price tag lower than the $99 regular price. Nothing. Then today, my doorbell rang and a box sat outside on the doormat. It was a brand new Chantal tea kettle, this time in yellow, from my sweet husband for my birthday. I love happy endings.

garage sale of the season

Recently, a Modern Thrifter reader sent me a link to be what promises to be the garage sale of the summer. Mark your calendar for Saturday July 17th, and head to the North Seattle/Shoreline area. Here’s are just a few of the items they will be selling:

Funiture:
Hans Bolling teak 2 tier table
Folke Ohlsson upholstered Dux lounge chair
Danish teak side and coffee tables
and more

Household:
Dansk
Le Creuset
Descoware
Copco
and other enamelware and cast iron

Fabric & Clothing:
Marimekko (!!)
Sven Fristedt
Marjatta Metsovaara fabric wall panels
1940's florals, dress fabric yardage, prints & Hawaiian
1950's, florals, prints, dress fabric yardage, atomic barkcloth & childrens prints
1960's & 1970's cool midcentury prints, abstract, dress fabric yardage, nursery & children's fabric

Other:
Vintage kids books
Vintage Games
Vintage linens

The sale starts at 8 a.m. and if the prices are reasonable, I'm assuming this stuff is going to go fast, so get there on time! The craigslist ad didn't have the exact address listed, but it's near the intersection of Greenwood Ave. N. and 145th St.


Thanks again to Marin for sending this my way!

local shop: birch paperie

It was a weekend full of cards—a preschool graduation card for Alden, a birthday card for me, and father’s day cards for the dads in our life. My new favorite card shop around is Birch Paperie in Tangletown—that hard to describe section of Seattle that isn’t quite Wallingford, and not really Greenlake, and is best known for it’s bakeries and coffee shops. Birch Paperie is located next door to Mighty-O Donuts, and if you blink, you'll probably miss it. But don’t let the size of the shop fool you, it’s packed with carefully selected letterpress cards, beautiful patterned papers, and a few other handmade and luxurious items.

The first time I went in the shop, I expected the prices to be pretty high, but I was surprised to see that most of the the cards were in the $4 to $5 price range with a few as much as $7, but several in the $3 range. If you've bought cards at Hallmark or practically any other retailer, you'll know that most greeting cards these days—even the most basic—are at least $2 or $3. I'd much rather fork over an extra buck to support a local business, selling the work of mostly local artists.

Patrick was able to stop by Birch on Friday to get the cards he needed (isn't the birthday card he and Tula picked out for me cute?!) and I had planned to slip in after our usual Saturday morning donut pilgrimage to pick up a father's day card—yes, I know I’m a procrastinator. Plans quickly changed when I woke up on Saturday, my birthday, with food poisoning. Instead, I spent the morning curled up in a ball, thinking my body was going to turn itself inside out.

Because the shop has very limited hours (it's generally only open Thursdays and Fridays 11–4, and Saturdays 9–2) I was out of luck this holiday. The kids and I decided to go the homemade route, and put together a card and some stories that they each wrote for their dad.

Good thing I have a few more family birthdays coming up, though, so that I can still go card shopping. Maybe the Father's day cards will even be on sale. Stop by and check out the shop if you're ever on the hunt for the perfect card. It's also a great excuse for a detour to Mighty-O for arguably the best donut in town.

friday finds: salt & pepper shakers!

Tomorrow is my birthday, which means I get spoiled by my wonderful husband and kids, but it also means that my driver's license needs renewing. Before I could do any thrift store shopping this morning, I needed to make a stop into the DMV (woohoo). I was prepared to spend all morning waiting to hear my number be called, but I was pleasantly surprised that the whole process—picture and all—took under ten minutes. Here's a little tip for when it's time for you to renew: go to the Department of Licensing on Aurora and 185th! They are so much better than any of the other locations I've tried.

Because the licensing office was so efficient, I was able to make two stops this morning to do some thrifting. First I stopped into Goodwill. There wasn't much there that I was interested in, but I did find some salt and pepper shakers for $1. They aren't quite as impressive as some of the other ones I've seen on Etsy and other sites, but I'm happy with how clean and simple they look.

Next, I stopped into what may have been the worst advertised church rummage sale I've ever seen. I noticed a sandwich board on my way to drop Alden off at preschool that said "CHURCH 9-3 Friday & Saturday, 8th NE." I assumed they had unintentionally left off the important words "Rummage Sale," otherwise, that would be one long church service. I drove to the church, and I didn't see any other signs, but I parked anyway, and walked around the building looking for the sale. While I was circling the building I saw this sign—on the ground, with some deflated balloons:


Finally, I found a back door with a little flyer and some arrows. The sale was about as good their signs, but I still managed to find a few nice things that were really cheap—a gorgeous wood bowl for $1, a super cute winter hat/scarf combo for Tula, and some other clothing items that I won't bore you with. Between both places I spent a whopping $3.50 this morning.


Send a photo of your most beloved thrift store purchase to modernthrifter@gmail.com, and I'll pick a few to feature each Friday.

teacher gifts - ABC3D

Tomorrow is Alden's last day of preschool, and he's loved his school and his teachers so much that we wanted to get them something special. You might have already seen Marion Bataille's pop-up book, ABC3D, because it's been out for a few years. It's been one of our favorite books since Alden was given one for his fourth birthday by his cousins. We thought it would be a great thank-you gift for his two teachers and we hope that the kids that come to preschool next year can enjoy it, too. Watch this quick video of how amazing all of the pop-up letters are:

my not-so-thrifty food budget

Something you might not know about me is that I love food almost as much as I love thrifting. I enjoy baking, cooking, reading about cooking, and shopping for food. For years it was a struggle because I tried to be as thrifty with food as I am with furniture. The problem is, most of the time the cheapest food is void of both flavor and nutrition.

Last fall I read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A year of Food Life, after which Patrick and I watched Food Inc. together. I highly recommend checking out both, but be prepared for your philosophy on food to do a 180. I won't go into all of the details of what changed our minds, but we both came to the realization that our food budget needed to be near the top of our financial priorities.

We switched to all organic, and as much local food as possible. We started shopping weekly at the farmers' market—something I suggest starting in the summer when the bounty is plentiful. It wasn't long before the freshness and flavor of the food convinced us that buying local and organic was well worth the extra expense and effort. There are other benefits to joining the sustainable food movement, too. Here's an excerpt from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:

"If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. That’s not gallons, but barrels. Small changes in buying habits can make big differences. Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast."

In order to buy better food, we had to increase our grocery budget by about 30%. Like most families, it wasn't an option for us just to increase our spending by that amount, we needed to figure out a way to compensate for the higher food bill. We were committed, though, to figuring out how to make it work. Here are just a few ways that made it possible:

1. Stop wasting food. This was huge for me because I tend to buy something and use a small portion of it, letting the rest go bad in the bottom of my refrigerator's vegetable drawer. It's pretty much the same thing as throwing money directly in the garbage. I still struggle with this, but I'm slowly improving.

2. Determine financial priorities. We don't have cable TV or fancy electronics, and our newest car is ten years old. We don't spend very much on entertainment, but for us going to the thrift store and to the farmers' market are both sources of entertainment. We go to the market as a family every week, and the kids get to go around to all the booths and taste all of the samples. Our favorite market, the University District Farmers' Market, also has a playground attached, so on the dry days the kids get to play while I go back around to make all of my purchases.

3. Eat at home. Our family seldom eats at restaurants, although we have recently added a weekly Sunday lunch out together because Patrick works a fourteen hour day and it's really the only chance we get to spend time together that day. We usually go to chipotle, and the tab for the four of us is $20. The great thing about eating at home is that we save so much money by skipping the restaurants that we get to eat really delicious food, and drink nice wine everyday.

4. Reduce the number of snacks you buy. I've tried to significantly cut back on the pre-made packaged snack foods that I put in my shopping cart. These are obscenely overpriced and wastefully packaged. Instead, we buy things like granola, raisins, popcorn kernels, and nuts from the bulk section at the grocery store. The summer is great because there is more local fruit available for snacking, too.

5. Create a weekly meal plan. By planning meals for the week that share a few ingredients, I can significantly reduce my grocery bill and the amount of food I waste.

Though I'm no expert, there is so much more I could say on this subject, but since this is a thrifting blog, and not a food blog, I'll just leave you with a few links worth checking out:

Local Food Resources:
Edible Communities
Slow Food USA
USDA's Farmers' Market List

Budgeting:
Dave Ramsey

Recipes and Food Blogs:
Epicurious
The Sated Palate
Not Without Salt
Good Things Catered
Jamie Oliver

photo credits: Laura*B, & Tapir Girl via Flickr

grilling with MacGruber

It's mid-June, which in most parts of the country means that sunny days, shorts, and grilling are already routine. In Seattle, it means it might finally be time to put away the raincoat. Just don't tuck it too far back in the closet, because the weather is still spotty at best. This past weekend was the nicest by far that we've had this year, and we were longing to hear the sizzling sound of burgers on the grill. I recently bought some hamburger patties from the Skagit River Ranch—organic, grass fed, and the best tasting beef I think I've ever had. Unfortunately, we are grill-less at the moment, so I had to cook them on the George Foreman—not quite the same.

Several summers ago—after we purchased our first house and were flat broke—we thought we scored a great Char-Broil gas grill for free on Craigslist. We set it out on our back patio and grabbed some bratwurst to inaugurate our first summer in the new house. Patrick fired it up, I threw on the meat, and we stood back admiring the spiffy new grill, which was pretty nice for being free. The illusion was shattered, though, the moment we noticed that flames were coming out of the bottom of the grill and traveling down the propane line toward the tank. We were momentarily frozen. Should we reach down to try to shut off the tank or just run before the whole thing exploded?! Thankfully, Patrick was able to close the valve before the tank could blow us into the neighbor's yard. Thanks, generous Craigslister, for the free deathtrap.

After doing some tinkering, we discovered that only one side of the grill had malfunctioned, and we could still use the right side without having to fear for our lives. Like I mentioned, we were totally broke, so a free, half-broken grill was really all we could afford. We used that grill for four years, until some friends kindly loaned their charcoal grill to us for a few seasons. We have since thrown the Char-Broil bbq into the dump—something that I hate doing, but we were not about to let someone else blow up their backyard. We have also returned our friends' grill to them and I think after six years, we are finally ready to buy a new one.


Although I like the look of this grill, which is only about $1500 over our budget, I think we'll probably end up with a classic Weber charcoal grill.



Let me just remind people of something that is a little pet peeve of mine. If you plan on selling something on Craigslist, listing it for free, or donating it to the thrift store, please use full disclosure. I think this is especially important when it comes to things that hook up to a twenty pound tank of flammable gas.

friday finds - saturday edition

I wasn't able to post this find yesterday because we were headed out of town to visit family on beautiful Whidbey Island, and to visit the farm in Skagit Valley where we get our milk. If you've never been up to this area of Western Washington, it's well worth the trip.

Back to my find... I picked up this Thonet stool last friday at Goodwill for $9. It's really solid, and has only minor scuffing on the wood legs. It's also white and wood, so I suppose no one should be surprised that I brought it home. It is marked with the Thonet name on the bottom of the seat, and also has the name of an optometry clinic written on the bottom.


I'm not sure if I've found a permanent spot for it in our home yet. So far we've tried it in the entry and in our bedroom as a little side table. It's the perfect size for the awkward little space between the bed and the closet—narrow enough that the closet door can still swing nearly all the way open, but big enough to set my ipod, a book, and a cup. But, I've also contemplated using it outside on our deck.


Show off your most treasured thrifted find! Email a description and a jpeg file to modernthrifter@gmail.com.

insight from a 5-year-old

Sometimes my kids catch me off gaurd by saying something surprisingly insightful. Yesterday my 5-year-old, Alden, out of the blue while playing Legos said, "Mom, you and dad are always looking for new furniture. You never stop looking, you just always get something new and then find a place for it, 'cause that's what people do."

Crap. Is that what I do?

I can say in my defense that we really don't own more furniture than most people (with the exception of our chairs), and in many cases, we probably have less. We have just acquired it over a very long period of time instead of in a few massive pottery barn shopping trips. The boy has a point, though. Will I ever stop looking? Am I always in need of something new? There is something thrilling about thrift store shopping. The hunt for the treasure buried in the piles of junk is often times just as exhilarating as the actual find. I think it can be a lot like gambling—it's hard to quit after you've won a few times, because you know there's always the possibility that you'll win again.

The question is, where is the line between thrifting as a hobby, and thrifting as an addiction? Thrift stores, ebay, and craigslist can all become forms of retail therapy, and can be used to self-medicate. It is frighteningly easy to let passions and hobbies overtake our real priorities and become the objects of our worship, giving them too much of our time, heart, and money.

Thankfully, I think I'm still in the "hobby" category, but I know I'll need to regularly check my heart on this issue.

window safety

Our house has tons of windows. One wall in our living/dining room is almost entirely windows, but the weird thing is, there are only four windows in the whole house that open, and one is painted shut. There is one in the kitchen that opens, one in our family room downstairs, one in Alden's room (the non-functioning one), and one in Tula's room.

It hasn't really been a problem yet because our house is very shaded and is cool all the time. We also have several doors that open onto our deck if we need a little more breeze. Our big concern is that the windows that do open, swing out. There are no screens, and no child-safety locks. That's a problem because our house is built on a very steep slope, so although the corner of Tula's room is at ground level, there is about a twelve foot drop outside the portion of the window that opens.

The latch on her window is particularly hard to maneuver, but I'm not relying on that because just when you think something is impossible for a 2-year-old, they figure out a way to surprise you. Since this situation would have much more serious consequences than say, figuring out how to lock oneself in the bathroom, I think it's imperative that we come up with a solution to prevent a dangerous tumble out of the window.

I'd like something that doesn't look like a jail, so vertical wood slats are out, but I don't want to block off the whole window. My idea is to frame in some sort of wooden geometric pattern with holes large enough to reach through to the latch to open the window, but small enough that a thirty pound little girl can't wiggle out. I found these modern headboards from West Elm that have the kind of look I'm going for:

And here's one of their headboards that I cropped and shrunk to mock-up the actual window:


Now I just have to figure out how to actually build and install something. Has anyone ever seen this type of thing done?

thrift thief

Thrift store pricing is not perfect. Sometimes it's too high and sometimes too low. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels that way either. I was perusing the children's clothing one day and I pulled out a dress that was several years out of style, dotted with stains down the front, the pattern faded beyond recognition, and marked with a price of $3.99. That's the same price you can get a new dress from the clearance rack at target. Stapled to the front of the dress was a note printed from a home computer that read something like this, "This price is too high! Take this to the manager and demand a better price. Goodwill has been raising their prices in these tough economic times when people need them the most..." I think it went on further, but that's all I can remember.

I laughed to myself for a moment, imagining a mother with her stack of notes and protesting with her stapler. I agree with her sentiment that if you think something has been wrongly priced you should ask (but don't demand) the manager to discount it further, and in fact, I have done this several times. Usually, they are willing to accommodate, taking an additional 20–40% off. I have also, though, noticed another avenue that seems to be too often taken. The floors of the fitting rooms are littered with hang tags. Even the fronts of the benches have price tags stuck to them that have been peeled off merchandise. I'm fairly certain that these are there because shoppers want to cheat the system. Since thrift store tags are vague—usually just noting the department—they can be swapped without raising any flags at the register.

Let me be very clear, I whole-heartedly disagree with doing this. It's the same thing as stealing. In fact, I overheard a conversation between a Goodwill employee and a customer a few weeks ago about this very issue. The customer was convinced that a stereo should have been much cheaper and had asked the employee to change the price. When the employee refused, the customer stated that he would simply swap the tags with another item with a lower price. The employee then made a point of telling him that the store considers that the same as stealing and would (and does) call the police.

It makes me wonder if people view thrift stores differently than a regular retail shops. Does the fact that the items are donated to the thrift store somehow make people feel entitled to pay whatever price they see fit? I can imagine that the tag-swapping shoppers are far less likely to try to steal from the Gap.

a game of musical chairs

Against all craigslist odds, our recent chair purchase was fast and problem-free. We picked up the chair Friday night in SeaTac from a young woman who has had it since she was twelve. Coincidentally, she was selling the chair because she's relocating for a job to a town in Montana that is only forty miles from where I grew up. The chair is heavily influenced by the Eames Lounge Chair, but has some subtle differences that I find particularly endearing. The back is one solid piece of bent wood instead of two, the legs are bent wood as well, while the Eames legs are all metal, and there is no tufting, which I see as a bonus because it means fewer little places to collect cracker crumbs.


We love the way it looks in our living room, and Alden loves to sit in "daddy's chair," but we have run into a few logistical problems. It's funny how acquiring one new piece can throw a wrench into the whole flow of a room. First, in order to make room for the chair, we needed to remove the two black chairs that were previously in our living room. In case you missed it before, we have a lot of chairs in our house. I'm not really willing to give any of them the boot yet, although one particular chair will probably get its marching orders as soon as we save up enough for a new couch downstairs.

Since we decided to keep the black chairs, I had to figure out a way to work them into another room. They are more like office chairs than armchairs, so it seemed fitting to move them to the office—currently the least organized and most unfinished room in the house. Moving them to the office meant moving the two dining chairs out that were being stored there. The dining chairs haven't been in the dining room because I hadn't ever managed to recover the seats to match the first four that I had done two years ago. I guess I finally got the motivation that I needed to complete that project, and we now have six matching dining chairs around our table!


Now the only problem I'm left with is that our coffee table no longer fits in the space in which it used to reside. The ottoman of the new chair sits just a few inches too close to the corner of the rectangular coffee table, creating an awkward pathway, and with my bruise-prone shins, it's an injury waiting to happen. The solution: a round coffee table has now been added to my thrift store master list.

friday finds - june 4

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I agreed to accompany Alden's preschool class on a field trip to Richmond Beach this morning. In my temporary lunacy, I must have forgotten that it has rained nearly every day this spring! I woke up this morning to what sounded like a torrential rain, although if you've ever lived in a house with a flat roof and no attic, you'll know that even a minor storm can sound like a monsoon. So, I'm about to bundle up in rain gear and herd twenty excited five-year-olds through the mud and sand, in hopes of spotting a few sea anemones.

All that said, I've bumped my usual Friday morning thrifting to this afternoon. I won't let that keep me from sharing a new find, though! This one is credited to my husband, who is a much better craigslist scavenger than I am. He was recently given some money for his birthday by a few family members, and has been on a chair hunt ever since. Yesterday he managed to find a tuftless lounge chair by George Mulhauser for Plycraft for $200. He's picking it up this evening, and I can't wait to see how it looks in our living room. I'll post some pictures next week, although it is craigslist, so there is always the huge possibility that this will all fall through!

Next, I want to share some great finds sent to me by Judy. Although we have different styles, we share our love for thrifting and decorating. Here are some of her favorite thrift finds:

1. Bernhardt Furniture Antique Sideboard, good condition: St. Vincent De Paul's $50 after Memorial Day discount.

2. Floral arm chair, great condition: St. Vincent De Paul's $15 after Memorial day discount.

3. Antique Player Piano with auto player function disabled, good condition + bench: Free on Craigslist.

4. Velvet & wood rocking chair, great condition: Value Village $19.99 - 30% off coupon.

Show off your most treasured thrifted find! Email a description and a jpeg file to modernthrifter@gmail.com.

creating a master list

Part of the fun of thrifting is discovering something unexepected—something special that you weren't looking for, but if you're like me, you probably go into the store with a few specific things you are hoping to find. I've found that it's helpful to carry with me a list of things to search for, so that I don't get overwhelmed when I go inside. Some of the things on my list have been there for a long time, and I don't know if I'll ever find them, and some are recent additions.

I also keep a list of things that I'm hoping to find for other people. I've been searching for some serving dishes for my mother-in-law, for example, and I'm looking for a particular pattern so that she can add to her set. I know I would never remember the name without having it written down.

Here is a small sampling of things that are currently on my list:

floor lamp (something vintage)
rain boots
vintage clocks
coffee table
danish lounge chairs
vintage suitcases
cast iron skillet
converse shoes
salt & pepper shakers
drawer unit for my office (something like the varde from ikea)

Do you have a list? If so, what are some of the things you've been looking for?

Photos via flickr:
clock - H is for Home; suitcases - mollypop; converse - thejonoakley; coffee table & lounge chair - stewf; rain boots - Rodrigo Quinones

weekend project: the results!

I love a good deal and I don't splurge on all that many things, but paint happens to be one of the few items on which I'll spend the extra money. We have purchased a lot of paint over the last five years—everything from Behr to Sherwin Williams, but my absolute favorite is Benjamin Moore. Without sounding too much like an infomercial, here's just a few quick things that I think make it worth the price...

The Natura product line comes in a zero VOC with virtually no odor. If you've ever used primer, you'll know how bad it can stink—for days. We can use the Natura primer without worrying about making our kids high. It also covers really well and has a great texture when applying. It's not stringy, sticky, or watery. Lastly, they have a great color palette to choose from.


I've never been one to be indecisive about paint colors, but choosing the right color for our entryway was really hard! We narrowed it down to blue and yellow, and then bought samples of each color. We stared at the small patches of paint on the wall for at least half the day, changing our minds every twenty minutes. Dolphin's Cove or Yellow Rain Coat? Maybe it was the names that pushed us over the edge, but finally we decided to just go with our first reaction and paint it Dolphin's Cove. Also, I liked the way my yellow purse looked hanging on the blue as opposed to the yellow (I know, it's silly). So far, we love it, and it's really lightened up that whole area of our house. What do you think?