Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Before & Afters

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a great week so far.
One of my favorite things to do when we travel is visit thrift shops, as well as consignment and antique shops.  You never know what treasures you might find!  When we were in the UP on our camping trip, I lucked out and found loads of goodies!  Thankfully I had plenty of room to stash things not only in the motor home, but in hubby's car as well!
So today I thought I would share with you a few of those things that I have made over so far.
I nearly passed up this mirror, as I just couldn't get beyond all of that blindingly shiny gold!  Not to mention thick, thick dust!  I picked it up and put it down several times, but now I am so glad that I brought it home with me!  I wasn't trying to get Katie's shot in the picture, but she just was pretty insistent on being part of the picture!
So, after giving the entire piece a good cleaning and painting it my favorite creamy white, this is what it looks like! 
So much better, don't you think?
I really love the unusual floral and swirl design on the side.  It's made by Syroco, and is now in my Etsy shop.
Mirrors, shelves, and picture frames are always good sellers in my shop, so those are the things that I am always searching for.  Below are a few shelves and mirrors just waiting to be transformed.
I've already painted the oblong mirror. I thought this glossy turquoise really took it from drab to fab!
Ok, I was a bad blogger and forgot to snap a before shot of these pretty sconces.  I was just too eager to cover up the gaudy gold with creamy dreamy white!  Actually I only found one of these sconces on our trip.  I thought that I might have one that matched back at home in my "to paint" stash.  As luck would have it, I did indeed have the exact match waiting for me!

Also getting in the makeover act is Katie!  She had a haircut the other day, so I just had to get a few photos of her and her new 'do!  The groomer did a great job, I think, and even gave her a cute little candy corn print bandanna.
Getting her to sit still, let alone look towards the camera and not away, was no easy feat!
Ok, once again I was too hasty and neglected to take a before shot, but trust me when I say that this shelf looks oh so much better now that she is painted!  Actually I'll have to give hubby credit for finding this beauty!  It is a vintage Syroco shelf, very heavy and big!  Much bigger than any other Syroco shelf that I've seen, at around 2 feet wide.  Anyway, hubby spotted her in a carriage house turned antique shop, that was filled to the brim with dusty overpriced stuff  treasures.  The price was way more than I was willing to pay, so hubby asked how much they wanted for it, since there were "sale" signs everywhere.  Well, the price ended up being right, so after bringing her home and giving her a good bath, I think she is so much happier in her new creamy white!  Although it's very tempting to keep, she is in my Etsy shop right now.
I have many more goodies that I bought on our trip, and I'll be sharing their transformations with you in the coming weeks.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Au revoir!

8 comments:

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Donna, WOW you sure found some great treasures. Love the first mirror after your great makeover and then on to the others waiting for your creative touch. The last shelf already painted is just gorgeous. I remember those syroco pieces from the 70's and now they are great finds to own and redesign like you have done for your etsy shoppe. They are not going to last long.

Katie is a little doll baby for sure in her "new do" and festive bandanna. I love how she gets into the pic here and there.

Looks like you are going to be mighty busy filling the shelves of your shoppe. Have fun.
Hugs!!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

My favorite make over was Katie...OOOHHHH so cute and all dressed for Halloween. I love all of your syroco pieces, I have found them selling too. It seems years ago they were not, but now they are hot!

Carol

The Bear's Blog said...

Katie Bug looks so cute. She sure looks like she enjoys the photo shoots.

Happy Weekend my friend.

Hugs

Musings from Kim K. said...

You really find the best treasures to glam up with your special touches, Donna. Gorgeous, as always! Katie is just darling in her Halloween bandanna. I just want to give all kinds of kisses.

Susan EvelynAndRose said...

You brought home quite a stash with you Donna. Wow! As always, your transformations bring back the true beauty of the 'stuff'/treasures. :)
Katie is adorable!

Debbie said...

Great finds, and even greater looking now that they've received your special touch! The mirror, and shelf are especially beautiful in their new color.
Katie is the BEST in her new do, and cute scarf.
Have a fun weekend, Donna.
xo

Connie said...

Oh, Katie looks so cute in her new do and candy corn scarf. All dressed up for autumn :)
Love that first mirror with the flower coming into the mirror area, that is very striking.
Great job!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Your blogging sister, Connie :)

Little Miss Maggie said...

Those are great finds, Donna. Katie really looks cute with her new hair cut. I love that bandanna she is sporting for the upcoming holiday.