Do-Over: Rustic Bench & Antique Mirror

My plea for help regarding the outfit I'm wearing tomorrow was an overwhelming, unanimous decision for outfit #1. Since I was already leaning towards that one, I am exciting that ya'll agreed. Now that my outfit is decided, I'm moving on to the next link-up.

Mrs. S is hosting a weekly link-up for DIY projects. Have you seen the stuff she's done? It's amazing. Check out her great projects and many others!

My first project was a rustic bench that I found at the post thrift store. It was $8.

You can see the before shot in the video tour of my house (watch the deck video) in this post.

After 6 hours of paint stripping, I realized it was going to take a lot more stripping and sanding in order for me to be able to stain it.

So I changed to paint instead.

Finished product.

My initial reason for the purchase was to have some outdoor seating on our deck.

We went back and forth on possibly cleaning it up and bringing it indoors to use by our front door as a shoe bench. After measuring, it won't fit in the entryway, so for now it will stay on the deck.

I might run by the fabric store this weekend and find some durable outdoor fabric and batting and make a little cushion for the bench. Then, it will really be a great seat for our deck.

Stay tuned for that project and maybe I'll link up again!

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The second project was this mirror I found at the local Goodwill. It cost me $1.99.

As you can see, the original version wasn't really my style. Mauve isn't one of my color choices, but I loved the texture, size and details of the mirror.

First, I removed the backing a the mirror, so I could paint freely without causing any damage.

Then I lightly sanded. I didn't need to strip all the paint, because of the type of paint I was using, texture was perfectly fine.

I used some "Make it Stone!" spray paint...

...and transformed the mirror into a great new piece!

I haven't even decided where I'm going to put the mirror, but I can't wait to try some of the locations. So far, I'm having fun with these projects and can't wait to do more!

Adventures in Thrifting

I've never been a thrifter.

In college I would stop by a thrift store if I needed something for a costume or for a particular piece I didn't want to spend a lot of money on. But they were pieces I used for that event and tossed.

Beyond that, thrifting was never a big thing. When I realized that it wasn't much different then garage-sale-ing (which I do A LOT with my fam) I thought I should try it more. And with the amount of free time I have this summer to do the shopping, and adapt pieces to my style, it's the perfect time to break into the scene.

I found this great mirror at a thrift store recently:

I'm not into the pink frame, so I have a plan to re-vamp it. Stay tuned this week for that project.

A few years ago, I picked this little gem up at a garage sale:

I LOVE this thing! It's great for quick shaves or when you have just a tiny bit of (hairy) skin sticking out. It has always worked beautifully and has been a saving grace for some very important moments.

And c'mon, it's also frickin' adorable.

We'll see what else I come up with on my next thrift store adventures.