Adventures in Op-Shopping: A Tale of Success and Woe.

Sorry for the recipe-heavy nature of yesterday - I guess the cold weather has my brain switched to the Food setting!

Last weekend was a busy one, but while I was waiting around for a doctor's appointment on Saturday morning I snuck into our local Vinnies for a quick peek. They usually have tonnes of kooky knick-knacks that are fun to look through, but the real gem is the furniture "showroom" downstairs. It's always hit and miss, and fun to have a look around.

I scored a great raw timber A1-sized frame for the princely sum of $3, that I have plans for (showcasing some of Isy's art and craft) and I spotted a delicious chest of drawers, that was screaming for a makeover and a new home in our living room (maybe even as a TV unit?)

I sent a picture message to Sparky that said something like: "$35?" but he sensibly reminded me that we actually need a lounge first. So I had to let her go. But it hurt just a little bit, I have to say.

I'm really enjoying the process of decluttering, but I'm also surprised by how much I'm enjoying scouring second-hand furniture shops, ebay and garage sales for new furniture for our house. I know it's not everyone's cup of chai, but I love the positive environmental implications of not buying everything new as a matter of course as well as the fact that these pieces have a history to them.

Bonus: this coming weekend is a long weekend (yay!) and it's also hard rubbish night for our area (double yay!) I am going to try and convince Sparky to take a scouting drive with me, but we'll see how successful I am.

Rescuing Old Furniture

The furniture hunt over the weekend has really sparked my interest in rescuing and renovating old furniture for our house. Often older furniture is better made which is a plus, and I love the idea of giving something old a new lease on life, and potentially rescuing it from landfill.

I've seen a lot of repurposed and renovated furniture featured on design*sponge and other sites, and am super keen to try my hand at it. I've got a few pieces already that could do with a makeover - a chest of drawers for Isy's room, a tragic desk we bought at Reverse Garbage, a hall stand and our timber outdoor setting.

It's just a matter of finding time to do any/all of these, considering we still need to finish painting the house first. But in the meantime, I'm keeping a little inspiration file:

source unknown

via design*sponge

via Martha Stewart

via design*sponge

via Smile and Wave

via design*sponge

The Before and After Basics column on design*sponge has given me a heap of really good info, and when I finally get around to working on some of these projects I'll be sure to put together a little how-to myself, because I know the product info will likely be different than those available in the States.