Monday, October 3, 2011

V and Co:a thrifting before and after

i love to thrift shop. it's been a long time since i've been able to do so on a regular basis. with all the moves, and the de-junking/selling of our stuff for our move, i didn't feel like i could justify going to second hand places or to garage sales till we were more settled and finally able to see what this house needed.

well here in iowa i've not had very good luck with the second hand stores (as of yet but i hope to change that) BUT garage sales...holy hannah.
okay so a little observation about iowa, or at least here in hawkeye territory. everything around here revolves around the football games. so lets say it's monday, and lets say the hawkeye's had a rough weekend and didn't win (ooh i know i said it out loud i can hear the gasping slash cringing from fellow iowans) there's this almost meloncholy feel to the area, no one is wearing their black and gold and the hawkeye flags are at half mast (not kidding)
okay well lets just say it's wednesday of that said week...people are starting to get all excited about the following weekend's game, and what do you know...GARAGE SALES start popping up in the middle of the week. so from wednesday to friday is prime time GARAGE SALE SIGN spotting. because i don't know if you know this about iowans...saturday is a state holiday (at least in these parts) and everyone is home watching the game. if you look outside your window you can see no humans around, just a whole heck of a lot of black and gold flags a flying. and coincidentally if you don't wear black and yellow on friday/saturday you feel REALLY out of place. no seriously i've never experienced anything like it.
okay back to the garage sales...so i'm taking katie to pre school one wednesday, and i notice a garage sale sign out of the corner of my eye, take note, and put it aside in my "hmmm maybe i'll go check that out on my way home" pocket.

so on my way home i decide: sure why not, i am trying to avoid what i'm suppose to do, lets go to that garage sale...

and well lo and behold i see this hexagon beauty. well not a beauty yet...
and i stare at it and i ask the little cute older lady "how much for the coffee table?"
she answers "$5"
i sit and stare at the table thinking to myself "HOLY CRAP SHE JUST SAID $5!!"
but my silence must of made her nervous so she then said "but i'll give it to you for $3"
to which i almost yelled "YES OH MY GOSH SOLD!!" but instead i said "oh okay, i think i have that in the car, thank you!"


and walked away happy as a clam with my $3 table. even if it didn't work in my living room, which it does, i could of used it downstairs in my family room, or heck given it to someone who needed it. but nope, it's mine.
and with two coats of polar bear white from behr paint in the satin finish with the primer in it, it looks even better and at home in my home.


so hawkeye football, thank you so much for my middle of the week find and i think it's time for me to get some yellow and black garb to show my support. GO HAWKS!!!!!
ps that's not the only thing i've found at garage sales. :) more to come on those finds as well.
we'll talk soon.
pps: i've joined this built a quilt workshop with rachel of ps i quilt! cause you know i don't have enough going on so lets add another thing!!! :) hope to see you there.

50 comments:

ecuakim said...

Oh so fabulous. I love interesting table shapes. Keeping my eye out for a good deal, but I doubt I could beat $3!!!

r4 said...

Your result of those chair is excellent and can 't believe that it is hand made work. I have same table in my garage in oval shape.

Dawn Hendrix said...

WOW.. that looks AWESOME! GREAT FIND!

trish said...

Oh sweet mercy! Three dollars?! I think I would have skipped while carrying it back to my truck. :o) I love the white paint! It looks fabulous.
I checked the weather this morning. Looks like it is going to be chilly and wet.
Trish

Cindy said...

Great find! And, yes, we Iowans love our Hawks. Glad to hear you went out and got your black & yellow...it's much safer that way. LOL!! The next step will be tailgating in Iowa City. :o)

Mama G @ bigcraftyblog.blogspot.com said...

Very cool! The thing I learned about thrift stores in the midwest is to venture a little farther from a big city (but not too far!). The nice older towns that are farther away seem to have the best deals and the best stuff. Hope you find some good ones because I have seriously filled my house with awesome stuff (just ask my husband).

sonia said...

Wow! Hurray for garage sale! Not such a thing here in Spain...

Shannon said...

Ha! Your commentary on Iowa is funny. I grew up in Iowa (near Des Moines) and my family still lives there but we are Iowa State fans. I try to explain football in Iowa to people and I am sure they don't get how much it means to the state.

Love the table, especially now that it is white! What a great find.

cookerpot said...

First off I love the table! I have similar plans for an old dresser bought at an auction a few months back. Second their is another team in Iowa and their colors are cardinal and gold, which may have been the reason the hawkeye flags were flying at half staff!!! GO CYCLONES!

mascanlon said...

Table is fabulous Vanessa. The shape is just perfect for today modular couches. I am not in Midwest but SoCal is a weird football state...on my block we have USC, CAL, UCLA but at my neighbor's house they fly a Nebraska flag and my house...I can only yell BOOMER SOONER!!!!!

Go-Go Kim said...

OMGosh!!!!! That is too cool for school! The paint looks fantastic! I need to start going to garage sales again!!!!

The Riesbergs said...

I just want to say....GO CYCLONES!!! They are the reason your gold/black flags were at half staff. You should seriously consider switching teams.

V and Co. said...

lol! well my across the street neighbor is a cyclone fan, and their flag was flying proud as can be! we're on the fence...but seriously i'm a little scared not to wear the black and yellow garb around here!!!! afraid of what would happen to me and the kids. haha!

Anna said...

nice score! and I love your description of the iowans, maybe it's like that here? I dunno, we're not a football watching family.

Anne said...

V, love the table, love you. And you are right, Iowans love their football... but Hawkeyes wear black and GOLD. And it is GO HAWKS! {Sans E}
Don your black and gold and you'll fit right in!
Anne (a Hawkeye in Hoosierville)

Anonymous said...

Ummm...did you mean half mast, instead of masked for the flag? I know it is stupid. I get stuck on stuff like that though. Anyway, I LOVE the table! I don't think you could have found something more perfect!

SLO Rober said...

The guys from that show American Pickers are from Iowa and they find some pretty awesome stuff in barns all over Iowa, cause apparently there are a lot of hoarders/junkers there. No disrespect, Iowa. Ashlynn is hooked and looks for junky barns to pick now because of that show.

V and Co. said...

Yup, and thanks, I was writing all of this late last night and well I never checked, and didn't even bother to re read what I wrote. :/ lesson learned.

Elsa said...

WOW, what a difference a bit of paint can make ~ great job!

Larissa@Just Another Day in Paradise said...

um...where are those kind of garage sales when I need them??? awesome. LOVE your make over too.

Amnah said...

It came out beautiful! Makes me wish I went to more garage sales.

Amanda Jean said...

Oh-my-goodness! What a fabulous (and cheap!!!) find. I love what you did to it!

V and Co. said...

i also have to say that that round thing on top isn't staying...i just havent found what i need as of yet on there.

Purple Quilter Queen said...

Super score!!! Looks awesome! Jenn

Chadley said...

I'm in LOVE with this table. I've been looking for a round coffee table fo-re-ver and now, I can add hexagon to my possibility list! Nice work...pinterest worthy for sure ;)

Patty said...

Neat table

FlourishingPalms said...

Not all of us Iowans are in love with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Aren't people just over-the-top when it comes to fall football? But I have been seen, occasionally, wearing purple and gold. Go Panthers!

Love your pretty little hexie table. I'm glad to know you could find a silver lining in this insane season.

Lauren said...

Awesome find, and yes... GO HAWKS!

able mabel said...

It's amazing what a coat of paint can do!!

Patty said...

There are 3 football teams in Iowa. The Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and Panthers. So you are surrounded by it!! But I live in western Iowa only 40 miles from Nebraska and they are crazy wild fans. All we hear is Go Big Red. And I don't even like football.

Love the table tho!

Patty said...

There are 3 football teams in Iowa. The Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and Panthers. So you are surrounded by it!! But I live in western Iowa only 40 miles from Nebraska and they are crazy wild fans. All we hear is Go Big Red. And I don't even like football.

Love the table tho!

Patty said...

There are 3 football teams in Iowa. The Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and Panthers. So you are surrounded by it!! But I live in western Iowa only 40 miles from Nebraska and they are crazy wild fans. All we hear is Go Big Red. And I don't even like football.

Love the table tho!

Unknown said...

It is funny to hear a different perspective on Iowa! I love it! Yes, we love our football, but we LOVE our garage sales too! Garage sale days are Wednesday - Friday. The occasional person will have a Saturday sale around here, but it usually does poorly. (Good day for a buyer though.) Google What Cheer Flea Market. What Cheer is a town about 45 miles (?) south of you. They just had their huge flea market last week-end, but mark your calendar for next May. There are deals to be had down there. Half of my house is furnished from it! Get ready to haggle on prices because most of those guys take it as an insult if you don't. Happy garage sales!

Anonymous said...

Wow that's awesome!

mandy said...

Ha ha, everything you said about Hawkeye country is soooo true! When I'm not at a game, I like to go shopping because the stores are empty! LOL! The table turned out super cute. Now we need to see the yellow bench on your porch! Good luck at the summit this weekend!

~mandy

Marci said...

love it miss v! i would've passed that thing right by and look at how darn awesome it is...love your couch btw....and the house looks awesome and cozy!

that cracks me up with the football thing. we'd be lost in a place like that.:D

KendasCrafts said...

love the table. I have a hexagon side table that's a hand-me-down. I think I might now be inspired to paint it white. :-) Looks great. Did you sand it at all before you painted? I never have much luck painting furniture. It seems to always chip off.

Oh, and go CYCLONES!

(maybe you could just wear gold. that way you'd partially fit in with all the schools.)

Connie said...

LOL you have been initiated into fall football in the Midwest :) I'm from Nebraska and not only is it a state holiday every Saturday, major events are planned around the football schedule. Don't even think of planning your wedding on a game day unless you provide TV's at the reception and are fine with everyone having a earphone on during the wedding ceremony :) We are a little crazy like that....lol.

bethanndodd said...

Holy Hannah is right!! Faublous re~do!! Smiles~Beth

V and Co. said...

haha! yeah well maybe i should just wear gold and not get in trouble with any team! and yes, we have found it to be the BEST time to go shopping and to the movies and other things because we zip right in and out!! :) honestly i find it endearing. :)

BluKatKraft said...

Love this! What a great find!!!

Natalie said...

Awesome! All of the trim in my house is Polar Bear whtie- I love that white. It helped brighten up our house that we moved into that was previously inhabited by hoarders with too many cats. Makes everything feel so clean. :-) Nice job!

Camille said...

I'm going to steal it.

You've been warned

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

V... on one hand I'm proud of you.... on the other i'm super jealous. I love the table!! great job!!

Tricia said...

I love the finished table, it is so sleek! Around here you have to wear cardinal and gold evry friday and saturday during football season. It is amazing how fast you can get in and out of stores and restaurants during the games! You just have to avoid the stadium traffic before and after...

Anonymous said...

Whoa! What part of iowa are you from?!?! I'm from lone tree! I thought (for some reason lol) that you lived in georgia!! It's awesome that such a rad blogger lives so close! I hope your paper patterns will be around here soon! Do you know what stores will carry them around the iowa city area? (P.s. you, me, and the canoe ridge creations woman (forgot her name :/ ) need to start a modern quilt guild around here!!!!)

geeta said...

Amazing! What a difference a coat of white paint makes:)

trish said...

Hi V. :o)
I love your makeover and revisiting this post, due to my much needed paint jobs coming up. :o) I was just curious, how the paint is holding up. The paint and primer in one sounds heavenly. :o) And wondering if you did any sanding previous to painting??
hugs, Trish

Annalia said...

That is an amazing table! I love hexies!
...my husband always says I'm too quick to yell, "that sounds great!"...and I guess this just makes him even righter. dang.

Whim and Pearl said...

Love the table, Vanessa! My husband is one of those crazy Hawkeye fans ... but for me, it is a great time to get my shopping done :)

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