Tricking Out the Trash: Thrift Store Chic

Have you ever gone clothes shopping looking for an outstanding outfit that highlights your complete and utter awesomeness.  One that conveys your personal brand of quirk all while reducing the appearance of your muffin top and double chin.  Only when you get in the dressing room you realize that the shirt that looked so gorgeous on the hanger/mannequin is actually too short, and has a pretty intense pair of shoulder pads.  So instead of the cool look you were going for you look like you have the shoulders any linebacker would be envious of, and a food baby that you are so proud of that you want to show it off.  Hopefully that's not where you choose to throw in the towel because with some searching you will find that outfit that makes you look fantastic...in theory.  I've had to take a knee, and come back to the search again on a different day. (Clearly I need to listen to a little less NFL radio with Señor Hotness because I'm just chalk full of football references today.)  

This was the design equivalent to that.  This all started with garbage (the title to my biography someday I'm sure).  A year ago I found this really cool kind size bed frame that someone had left on the side of the road, and due to it being taken apart like an animal it wasn't useable as a bed frame anymore.  This one find has been the garbage that keeps on giving.  I have already used a piece to make something really cool for my formal living room.

The sweetest trash pile EVER!  I was having a morning walk when I came across this.  The bulk trash truck was in the neighborhood when I spotted this.  I've never finished up a mile so fast in my life!

The bulk trash truck and I went head to head, and I won because I'm awesome, and apparently swift when good garbage is involved.

So after lightly sanding down what I assume was once part of the headboard I gave it a coat of kilz spray primer.  Then I lightly sanded the primer layer, and followed that up with krylon white spray paint in a gloss.  I don't have any pictures of the process because the weather was sketchy at best, and I was playing chicken with the rain clouds.  So I sped through the process (as much as I was able), and didn't get any pictures.

Here it is after I'd distressed it. I used glaze tinted to a dark brown color called barista that I've been rocking for over 6 years now.  Then I got it hung in the breakfast nook.   It was better than the weird bare wall that was there, but still missing, something.

This is what I'm going to refer to its hipster phase (get it? because of the chunky black frames).  I thought that frames with pretty scrapbooking paper in it was a good idea.  Clearly I was mistaken.  This look only lasted about a week when I realized I didn't have an inner hipster to embrace. 

Then I remembered my garden burlap that I bought a while back at Lowes.  I still have a huge ton of this left.  It was the purchase that keeps on giving.

I used furniture mod podge in gloss to adhere the burlap to the surface.  I rolled it on with a small roller.

Then I used a pair of sharp scissors to trim around the edges.

I loved the texture that the burlap added, but it was still missing something.  It wasn't as boring, but it wasn't what I wanted.

Then there was this unfortunate little turn.  This also didn't last long.  I thought doing something fun with utensils would work great since it was in the breakfast nook, but alas no.  It just looked stupid and boring.  It wasn't awful looking, but didn't work with what I already had.

Then I had an epiphany.  The breakfast nook tends to be kind of dark.  So something mirrored would be a great way to reflect light, but it needed to seem random.  I didn't want it to be to matchy because that had tanked so very thoroughly in my past attempts at something awesome.

Then one day I was strolling through the local thrift shop, and came across these silver style platters.  These are usually easy to find in a variety of shapes, and sizes and are usually cheap.  I wasn't looking for a fine antique.  Just the look of one.  I was looking for something that had a formal look, but also something that was obviously aged and used.  It gives it instant character.  The little round plates are actually silver plated, but everything else I'm pretty sure started out its life as a dollar store platter.  I was okay with that.  I bought all of these for less than $4.50, and the effect was magical.

I love how it turned out.  The platters give it just the right amount of character, and the silver gives a very pleasing reflective surface for extra light.

Other than giving these a quick wash down for any serious grime I left all the awesome imperfections to contribute to the aged patina.  I just hot glued these directly onto the burlap surface.

Not everyone is a fan of the aged patina.  This is my two youngest "helpers" pointing out all the flaws on the platters.

In the end the randomness of the different shapes, and shiny platters on the textured burlap surface was a home run.  This is now one of my favorite pieces in my house.

So lets do a quick rundown of the cost of this project.

Architectural Feature Piece: free (garbage baby)

Burlap: free (left over from numerous projects, but if bought brand new it was $9.98)

Furniture Mod Podge: free (leftover from a previous project, but if purchased new it would be $10.63)

Silver Platters: $3.55 at a local thrift shop

GRAND TOTAL: $3.55 out of pocket

So after months of trial and error it only took me about 10 minutes, some thrift store finds, and hot glue to get the look I wanted.  That and a willingness to dig is someone's garbage pile. 

linked up at: jannolson.blogspot.com, mythriftstoreaddiction.blogspot.com, lifewithlorelai.com, www.funkyjunkinteriors.net, www.acrosstheblvd.com, www.the-chicken-chick.com, www.create-with-joy.com, www.thededicatedhouse.com, www.simplelifeofafirewife.com, savvysouthernstyle.net

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