~Simple Pleasures disguised as Thrift Stores!~

'Tis a Gift to Be Simple....

How was your Easter? I hope everyone enjoyed the day. We did, and the weather was beautiful!

I finally made it to a couple of thrift stores in my neck of the woods...... oh my, what bargains! Not only good bargains, but treasures galore! I spent a whoppping $5.67, including tax!

The black box I don't even need to stress sand, it is just perfect the way it is. It will look great with a chuncky candle and fixings. The three 'gold' frames I have already spray painted a black matte and am just looking for some nice silhouettes to go in them. Can anyone direct me to some nice ones of George and Martha Washington, or maybe John and Abigail Adams? But then there is a third frame, so I have to think of something for that one too. I just love them. They came with oval glass and everything for .50 cents a piece. WOW!!



And the SaltBox House Book!!!!! Oh, I am so happy with it, beautiful photos and nice reading. My dream is a salt box. We would have liked to build one here when we built our home 6 years ago, but our builder didn't understand what a saltbox was, let alone know how to build one. You do not see ANY houses like that here, so I settled for the next best thing, a farmhouse cape. I love my home!

I have really gotten backed up on my customer quilts and have been busy in my studio. This is a blessing, to do work that you love. I have a few 'primitive' quilts of my own I want to get quilted, but the customer quilts come first. I have also been reading a great deal about colonial life and the revolutionary war.

My old 70's Lane cedar chest is still in the works. Oh I can't wait to show it to you! It sure looked like it needed a redo, and I have painted it a savannah red on the bottom and olde ivory on the top. Now it just needs a good sanding job and antiquing medium put on. These pieces of furniture take so many 'steps' to refinish, no wonder they cost so much in stores. But since I can't stand it, I will give you a sneek peek, and I am sorry, I didn't take a before photo, but just think early 70's and you can get the idea!!!!


I had to do some saw work on the legs to get them square (think 70's and scrolly, ornate - yep this chest used to have scrolly ornate legs, but not anymore!). And the whole chest is sitting kinda wonky on the table because I have one side propped up with a can of paint to let the legs dry. I also have a few other pieces out in the garage there that I am working on, like the small bench I picked up unfinished a couple of YEARS ago that I am finally getting around to painting and an old cutting board.

Life is good, and bargains are great! Now if I could just find an old metal strainer like some of you have picked up and redone.