i am a changed woman

Thrifting has changed my life. Seriously. It’s opened up so many doors and a whole new way of life. I look at things differently. I actually LOOK at them….I try to see what it CAN be….The old Loulou used to think nothing of dropping down cash (or credit) for anything that struck my fancy. I had TONS of stuff but stuff that really didn’t mean ANYthing to me. Then life changed…2 international adoptions…one disability…..one early retirement…..2 NICE incomes to 1 nice income….a 3 yr. fight with social security. I’m sure you get the picture. I had resigned myself to the fact that I just couldn’t have things anymore. I had to make do with what I have….that was fine for a while, but I got bored. My house got boring. I lost my zest. Then you know what happened?? The fog lifted. I started visiting Good Will and thrift stores that I would have just ridden past in my old life. Now I stop. I stop, and I look, and I dig. Sometimes I find treasures….sometimes I walk away empty handed (except for my hand sanitizer). The result is a house that I am making a home. A house with beautiful things that I take pride in….things that mean something to me. They mean something to me, because they’re things I’ve worked on….things I’ve restored or revamped. They’re my things. I love this life. I love not wanting to pay $3 for something that I know is worth only $1. I still splurge here and there on pieces that really speak to me, but even those things mean more……If you don’t get everything you want then the things you get are more precious, more appreciated. I hope I am teaching my children lessons….We need to look around us at the things that are already here….Brand new doesn’t always mean better. Good Will isn’t a store for “those poor people”. We are those people now….We are the ones who are careful with our money trying to make every penny count, and you know what?? I LIKE being this person.

You all have been such an inspiration to me….showing me all the wonderful things you’ve done and the places you’ve been. You guys are my inspiration and have played a part in who I am today. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me, and thanks for following this journey with me…….

I thought I’d share some of my favorite thrift finds and show you the befores……The afters will be revealed in a few posts this week.

 

This baby came from my favorite antique store….. Price? $3. It’s been painted and antiqued….thinking of making it a stand for a cloche…..

I found this piece at an antique store downtown. It’s a smaller version of a piece my mom had and redid YEARS ago….That woman has been a furniture rehabber for decades…. I did pay $300 for this piece, but it is SO worth it. Solid wood construction….velvet lined drawers, and the bottom line was that I loved it. It now looks like a million bucks.

I got these iron crosses on clearance at Hobby Lobby. They were around $2 each…..They’re sitting on a diaper box my spray painting area…..they look fabulous now……

$2.12 clearance. Enough said. I’m thinking about painting the frame and covering the back with scrapbook paper…..

I think I ran into my antique store when I saw this sitting up front…price? $6. Look at the precious details……

$12 old window in perfect condition…. I have some vintage botanicals just waiting to find their new home in here…..

This FANTASTIC urn?? $4.99 at GW. You can’t tell in this picture, but it was a hideous pukey yellow….You’ll croak when you see it after it’s redo……

My $5 oil painting from Sister Julie’s

2 wrought iron wall hangings all dinged up and on sale for $3 each….

A year ago I would’ve walked right past these things and driven right by most of these stores….. I would’ve missed out on all this wonderfulness….. Let me tell you something my peeps: Change. Is. Good.