Garage Sale Finds Friday

Welcome back to another week of garage sale finds Friday, where I share with you some of my favorite finds from garage sales.  Do you ever go to garage sales and sense a theme of the day?

This actually happens to me quite often.  I'll go to one garage sale and think "I've never seen that before", then the next five garage sales I go to all I see is that particular thing.

In sticking with this "theme" I thought I would share with you my sewing/crafting garage sale finds.

Sewing and crafting are expensive hobbies. 

If you can keep your eyes peeled for the right items, you can save yourself a ton of money.

*Remember several months ago when I found some twine?  I immediately thought I would make bakers twine.  I finally did.  Don't worry, the tutorial is coming soon.  It's easier than you would think!

*Scrabble tiles are great things to craft with.  I got this bag full for $2

*I have found fabric by the yard at more than one garage sale.  This week, I found 2 bolts of tulle in the color I needed for $1.  Score!

*Gingher scissors are a dream.  Vintage Gingher scissors in great shape...a dream come true!  I paid $7 for the pair of regular scissors and pinking shears.

*Pins, pins and more pins.  I can always use more, especially when I participate in Paula's Pillowcase Project.

*Bags of buttons always catch my eye.  I picked up this bag for $1

*You can never have enough bobbins.  I got these metal bobbins in the container for $1 (despite their $2 price tag!)

So what did you find at garage sales this week?

Catch me if you can!

Come visit me today over at The Southern Institute.

You won't want to miss my secret family recipe.

What I did with my garage sale finds

Every week I head out to garage sales.  On a good week, I am able to go on Friday and Saturday.  It's been my thing for years now.  Sometimes I pick up projects to do while I am out at garage sales.  Not everything is perfect, sometimes I have a plan for the things I pick up.

Today I will share with you a few of those things that I had plans for and how they turned out.

In May I shared with you how I was looking for a buffet table for my entry.

The next week, I found this dresser on the side of the road for FREE!

It was in great shape, and was the length that I had in mind for the spot in my house.

However, the color needed a little umph.

So I painted it black.

Notice I hadn't put the knobs and handles back on it yet.

And while I was out at garage sales, my daughter decorated the top of the dresser for me.

It worked, but I wanted something about a foot taller for the space.

Cue Persnickety's Awesomeness Emporium.
In my hunt for the perfect front entry piece, I mentioned to several people about what I was looking for.
Mandi, the owner of Persnickety's listened and called me about a week later with this vintage Ethan Allen piece.  I saw this sideboard and fell in love.  I was concerned about the boldness of the color {my house is pretty boring}, and how it would match with my entry.  I am still not sure why the builders put travertine in the entry and didn't carry the hardwoods through the whole downstairs.  I dragged my husband along to have him look at the piece {we named him Otis} and he didn't hate it.  So we bought it.  With the understanding that I would bring my free black dresser to Persnickety's to sell.

I painted the frame on our family picture the next day to match Otis.

The mat needs to be changed out now.  

In time.

So what do you think?

This is a visual progression of what I have put in this space.

I think it slowly gets better.

I think I forgot to show all of you my wonderful glass canister set that I got for $5.

They started out with blue tops.

And not a cool blue, it was a country blue.

A quick coat of spray paint, and the tops were black.

These types of jars are great for wrapping a ribbon around and putting a label on for a party.

Do you remember these from a few weeks ago?

I got them for $1

I knew from the moment I got them what I wanted to do with them.

I took the curvy top part off.

And then had my kids go search through their legos.

They were on a hunt for every mini fig they could find.

They started lining them up on the box lid.

While they did that, I spray painted the boxes white.

As a side note, not all spray paint is created equal. 

I should have bought the more expensive can.

Learn from my mistake people!

Don't they make the best mini fig display cases?

My son was so excited about them that he could hardly wait for the paint to dry.

He woke up early one morning to put them together before I even had time to offer any direction for him.

Oh well, it's his thing and he loves it!

What have you found at a garage sale lately?And what have you done to make a thrift store or garage sale find better?

Nails, nails, nails!

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.I'm amazed at what I find on there, but until a few months ago, I had no idea what a big deal nails were.

I really don't like to paint my nails. If I paint them, the paint always chips in a few days, and the time doesn't seem worth it.However, I do almost always have my toenails painted.Polish on your toes lasts so much longer and I'm always flip flop ready!
Because of Pinterest (and my 10 year old daughter), I have been inspired to save a few nail polish how to's.There are some really cool designs I wanted to share with you, and they seem easy enough.
I love these Dandelion nails with the wispy fluff (technical term) flying from nail to nail.Snapguide has a tutorial on how to make your very own Dandelion nails.Seems easy enough since it can be very random.

I pinned these newsprint nails months ago but haven't gotten around to trying them yet.All you need is newspaper and alcohol.What could go wrong?

Ombre is the new "it" thing, so you can't go wrong with this gradient nail design.You just put your nail polish on a flat surface and dab the polish on the tips with an eye shadow applicator.I think I'm going to try this because there isn't much polish to chip.  This is a manicure that would last for some time.

More ombre nails. Who doesn't love glitter?Lyndar the Merciless  describes how she does it and you can too.

I can't find the original source for this picture, but there are several genius ideas going on here.Hello tape, where have you been all my life?

We all know we can use stencils for painting the wall, but for your toes.Why yes you can!See how at Remade simple.
I actually did try these Mickey Toes from Random Thoughts of a Super Mombefore our Disney trip.I used leftover vinyl from a project and a hole punch.So easy!

Here's what seems like an easy alternative for a french manicure.PopCosmo shares her method of using paper hole reinforcements.
Again, not sure on the source for this (darn pinterest pinners!), I pinned this idea for next year.Somebody will be searching the free box at garage sales looking for paper hole reinforcements this year!

So are you a nail gal?If so, have you found any methods I should know about.Pinterest is starting to make me come around!

Mod Podge Silhouette podgeables charm bracelet

Silhouettes are nothing new, in fact, they have been around for hundreds of years, but the timeless classic feel of them is what draws me to them.  

I must say I have been a little intimidated to try making my own silhouettes of my kids, but I got inspired and jumped right on board and am so glad that I did.

I recently got a package in the mail from the Plaid Company with all of this ah-mazing stuff inside.

Seriously, the whole line up of Mod Podge in all it's goodness.
All these supplies are available at a Michael's store near you.


Mod Podge has something new called podgeable shapes and podgeable papers.
When I saw the podgeable shapes I immediately got inspired to make some silhouette charms.
The possibilities with the podgeables are endless.  It's hard not to be inspired and want to get creative with the whole line up of awesomeness from Mod Podge.
My first project was to make the silhouette bracelet.
Want to see how I did it?

I took profile pictures of my three kids standing against a blank wall {are blank walls hard to come by in your house too?}

I tried my best to let technology be my friend and tried several programs to darken the kids profiles but finally ended up just sizing the pictures in my Silhouette {how fitting} studio software and printed them off.

Once the pictures were printed {see how small they are?}, I painted the back of the page black.

Once the black paint was dry, I used my scissors to cut the profile of each of my kids out. {easier than I thought it would be}

I picked out my podgeable shapes that I wanted to use, and found some paper in the podgeable pad.

I love the podgeable paper because it's double sided.  The paper I chose was cream on one side, book page on the back.

Mod Podge has some great printed paper with birds, maps, vintage scenery, you name it, they have it.

I took my podgeable shapes and traced around them before cutting them out.

Once the shapes were cut, I used the super gloss mod podge to glue the silhouette to the paper.

A final layer of mod podge super gloss on top of the silhouette and paper and then I put the podgeable shape on top, pressing it firmly in place to remove air bubbles.

Once the podgeable shapes were dry, I added a protective layer of mod podge on the back of each silhouette to seal the paper.

But why stop there?

Mod Podge has a really cool product called three dimensional magic.

I loved the silver and thought I would use it to make a bow on my daughter's silhouette.

I put a drop of the three dimensional magic on my silicone craft mat {this mat is a crafters dream!  If you don't have one, pick it up, it's totally worth it.  The glue comes up easily once it's dry and saves all your work surfaces from damage}.

I used a toothpick to apply the dimensional magic in a bow shape above my daughter's ponytail.

Subtle, but awesome.

Look how it dries clear with just a little sparkle.

Here are the three podgeable shaped silhouettes finished and ready to accessorize.

I found an old charm bracelet and attached my new {more awesome} charms with jump rings.

Isn't it great that the back is just as awesome looking as the front?

So what do you think?

Do you love them as much as I do?

Want to make sure you don't miss out on any of the mod podge happenings and be inspired by the creativity in the mod podge community?Check out Plaid here:

• Plaid Crafts on Pinterest
• Plaid on Facebook
• Plaid on Twitter

**I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.**

Free Patterns to try this summer

I can sew, but don't always get struck by the sewing bug.Usually when I do, it's when my sewing machine is broken!I've been keeping my eyes peeled on Pinterest for free (my favorite word) patterns to try when I do get bit by the bug.I'll share them with you today and maybe you can try a few yourself!
Dixie Mango provides an adorable pattern for The Olivia Bag.While it seems really complicated with inside zippers, magnetic snaps and fusible fleece and interfacing, I think you can tweek the pattern a bit and make it a little less complicated.The shape of the bag is adorable and would be perfect for a diaper bag or large purse for smuggling popcorn in to the movies!

This Ellie Inspired ruffled halter dress is a great way to use lots of fun coordinating fabrics from your stash.Or, to try new ones and use fat quarters.

This is one of the best men's inspired shirt to girls dress transformation's I have seen.Girl.Inspired. offers a tutorial on how she did it.Perfect for that first day of school that isn't as far off as you think! Shwin & Shwin has done it again!I want these paper bag pants in my size.

Everyday Chaos offers this adorable pattern and how to for these easy pillowcase nightgowns.Wouldn't these be great on those hot summer nights?

I love picking up cheap clothes at garage sales and re purposing them.  I have has this dolman sleeve top pinned for months and just haven't done it yet.Trash to Couture offers this great tutorial on how to make this top out of an over sized mans t-shirt.

And just in case you needed another dolman sleeve tutorial, here's one from Merricks Art that offers a pattern that you can make from about 1 1/2 yards of fabric.

My feet are always cold, so I love these slippers from Prudent Baby.The possibilities are endless with great fabric choices!

The Life of a Cheap Chickadee provides lots of tips on how to make ruffling easier and how to use an existing top in your child's wardrobe to make this adorable ruffled tee.

Luvinthemommyhood has a tutorial for this adorable Autumn Tunic.
Sew (get it, sew...!) that's what is on my to-do list.Now to figure out which one to start first!