Close

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I will pinch a penny until it screams. Any new clothing I purchase WILL be from the clearance rack. Digital coupons are my best buddies. (Thank goodness I’m no longer cutting them out of the newspaper! I could never find the one I needed! Sorry, flashback!) I spend money where I have to, like on good quality paint and tools and such, but that doesn’t mean I like it. 🙂

When I went to the lumber department of my favorite big box hardware store to look for a piece of wood to put on top of the wall cabinets I was converting to a standing cabinet (See Wall Cabinets Reimagined), I about had a litter of kittens. Lumber is EXPENSIVE! Oh my goodness! My vision for the project instantly shifted from having a nicely stained piece of wood on top to having a nicely PAINTED piece of wood on top. That allowed me to use good quality plywood with trim to disguise the ugly plywood edge. But it also raised my awareness of the need to think creatively when it came to sourcing materials. I’m not always going to be willing/able to use plywood. I LOVE stained wood!

 

Here, in a nutshell, are some ways I go about making my pieces special & unique without breaking the bank:

Think Outside the Big Box Stores

You’ve heard of the story, “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, right? If not, what the heck?! Were you raised by wolves? It’s a classic!! Just in case, here’s the basic premise. A boy and a tree were friends. The tree gave the boy, and then the man, various parts of itself over the years to serve whatever need he had at the time. And each gift ended with, “And the tree was happy.” I look for “Giving Furniture,” whether it be at garage sales, church sales, Goodwill, ReStore, etc. It made the tree happy, right?

The world is full of furniture that does not, and never will have, the potential to be a phoenix. They are, at best, flaming sparrows. (Not saying every piece in this picture fits that description.  Just that Goodwills and other thrift stores overflow with possibilities.) For very little money, I’ve obtained nice big pieces of oak (Coffee tables are GREAT for that!), cute little carved feet (Ottoman central!), and unique cabinet hardware. In fact, on more than one occasion I’ve purchased a dresser, borrowed a screwdriver, removed the knobs/pulls, and then re-donated the dresser without it ever leaving its spot on the sales floor. I get my hardware, and they get to sell the dresser a second time. Everybody wins! 

Never one to waste leftovers, anything I don’t use immediately, I save for future projects. I currently have several sets of coffee table legs and oak boards out in my garage, waiting to be needed. It feels GREAT to be working on something, and realize that I already have exactly the ingredient that will take it to the next level! Talk about instant gratification!!

Take Advantage of Other People’s Mistakes:

Obviously I can’t buy used paint at a garage sale, or at least, I WOULDN”T. There are too many ways paint can be mishandled and ruined. I DO, however, look at the Oops paint section EVERY time I go to the hardware store. $2 for a quart of alkyd paint is ever so much more attractive than $17, don’t you think? 🙂 As I’ve confessed elsewhere, I tend to be a bit of a color snob. Once I have a vision for how a piece should look, the color and shade need to be exactly right. But if I already HAVE a $2 quart ready & waiting, I can usually start there for the vision and fill in the rest as I go along. Even now I have a lovely gray-green paint can sitting on my paint shelf, waiting for its soul mate to be rescued and brought home.

Look for Love in Unexpected Places:

There are a number of places you may be surprised that you can find really unusual, lovely, and inexpensive knobs and pulls. If you’ve ever replaced those things, you know that they can cost anywhere from $3/piece (for really the basic), all the way up to $20 or more (for the high end, designer stuff). Stores like TJ Maxx, Homegoods, and Marshalls will often have boxes of 4, 6, 8, or even 12 knobs/pulls for less than $2/piece! When we remodeled our master bathroom, I found some gorgeous knobs made out of bubble glass at TJ Maxx to use on the new vanity. My contractor asked how much they had set me back. He was sure I had paid a fortune, because they were so unusual and so pretty. I laughed. My total for all 8 knobs? $7.99. Please, please, hold the applause! It was just a matter of knowing to be looking, and getting lucky. 😉

ReStore and Goodwill also get donations of knobs and pulls when people replace their old ones. Sometimes the very thing someone else can’t wait to change out is exactly what you’re looking for!

Remember That YOU Are the Boss:

When you’re looking at pieces of furniture, look beyond their current state. Paint and a saw can make a find that is ALMOST what you need into EXACTLY what you need. Too tall? Cut part of it off. Too short? Add legs/longer legs. As long as you’re precise with your measurements and cuts, a wooden leg can be made whatever shorter length you need it to be. You can cut out a whole level of drawers or shelves and put a new top or bottom on, depending on which you decided was best to remove. Knobs cute, but super worn? Spray painting hardware works very well. And you can get exactly the metallic or color that you’re envisioning. (Color snob rearing her head again!) Drawer broken beyond repair? Make it a shelf space!

Or even go further outside the box. Look beyond what it is now. What COULD it be? A shelving unit can become a cabinet with doors. A dresser can be a tv stand or a shelf. A cedar chest can be a storage bench. A side table . . . a small bench! You get the idea. Be creative. Be bold. Be the boss!