Decorating on a Dime

For those who know me know that I love to decorate on a dime! My husband and I are thrifty decorators. My style is similar to what you would see at Pottery Barn, however I can't even imagine spending that much money on my furniture and accessories (especially with young children underfoot), so I often frequent local thrift stores, antique troves, yard sales, and craigslist. 

Check out my latest find:

Wood bookcase in need of some TLC! $10 at Deseret Industries


Enter a can of dark blue spraypaint - $2.94.

The refinished bookcase!
A side view of the boys "new" bookcase for $12.94 and some tax!

Here are some other items we have found for a real bargain: 

A lovely leather club chair found at a yard sale for $25!

This wood window frame was found on the side of the road with the glass still intact! I simply smashed out the glass, sanded and repainted the wood frame and then my husband had the idea of using it as a picture frame! So for the price of half a can of spray paint ($1.47) we now have a cute picture frame for our front room. (The vinyl on the wall can be found here)

This bed frame was found on Craigslist for $10! I love the way it looks with my IKEA duvet cover and throw blanket.

The blue trunk was from D.I. for $12 and the brown trunk was my husband's Great Grandma's steamer trunk.
This lovely upright grand piano was free - this is the only piece that wasn't worth the bargain. I had a piano tuner out to see about fixing a few broken hammers but when he examined it he found that there was a large crack along the base clef board which was unrepairable. He said it would be cheaper to buy a brand new piano than to get this one in working order.

Bummer - not all good deals are the real thing! However, more often than not, patience and determination will land you a good bargain.