Fun Finds | This Old Colonial Home

October 28, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 8 Comments

New to Me Nightstand

In my last post I admitted I was addicted to discounts. But I have another confession: My name is Kelly and I’m addicted to garage sales. Phew! I’m so glad I got that off my chest. (As if it was really a secret.)

I have been lucking out lately and I’m so giddy about a recent find that I just had to share!

Here she is.Isn’t she a cutie?! And it was only $5! Whaaat?!

We have been in need of replacing the nightstands in the master bedroom ever since we painted and I stenciled an awesome accent wall. (Read about it here.) So I was very excited when I came across this piece.

It needed a good, deep cleaning (I think I used half a roll of paper towels), but then it was good as new again!

It’s a nice solid piece made of real wood and it already has that distressed look I love! I’m not sure if that’s intentional or not, but at least I don’t have to do anything more to it. Wahoo!I think the yellow goes well with the pillows on our bed and helps brighten up the room. Even though it doesn’t have drawers, I like the uniqueness of the tiered shelves.I even love the little crescent moon cutouts on the side. It truly is a “night” stand. Haha!Now we just have to find something for my husband’s side of the bed (and replace the lamps).We — and I mean he — may end up building a nightstand, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking around. The hunt is half the fun! Don’t you agree?!

Linking up with Dagmar’s Home

July 26, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 1 Comment

Garage Sale Scores

If you’ve been following my blog, you know by now that I love a good garage sale, yard sale, estate sale, etc. I go through the classifieds of the local paper every Friday morning to see where sales are happening on the weekend. I also get a weekly email for estate sales in my area. I don’t get a chance to go every weekend, but I try to make an effort when I can. And lately I’ve been snatching up some pretty good stuff!

A few weeks ago I snagged this wooden rustic-looking mirror at an estate sale.It was $20 and I thought it’d be perfect for our entryway. However, once I got it inside the color didn’t really go. I’m now in the middle of painting it. (Look for that post soon.) I think it’s still a bargain when mirrors tend to be $50 and up!

Yesterday I stopped at a sale on my way home from work that I had seen going on the day before. I managed to get this white medicine cabinet for only $10! We could use one in our upstairs bathroom. I thought it might need to be spray painted but it just needed a good cleaning. Now we’re just hoping it fits in the space above the toilet. Even if it doesn’t, I can always resell it.

Oh I also picked up these two Christmas pillows for $5 total (Christmas in July)!People always seem to be getting rid of decorations, so yard sales are a great way to find a bargain. Plus can you ever have too many Christmas decorations?! Well, maybe if you’re Clark Griswold!

And then just today I was running around town doing errands when I passed a garage sale. I went around the block and came back around to check it out. You never know what you might find! And I’m glad I stopped. I walked away with this cool bottle and this pretty sweet book shelf for only $15!!I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with it yet. But I liked the wood and metal of it too much to pass it up for that price! We’ve got a lot of house to fill so I’m sure I’ll find a spot for it somewhere.

What treasures have you come across lately?

May 21, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

Dresser Makeover

You may recall several months ago I snagged a free dresser that someone was throwing away. It was literally sitting in the snow amongst other garbage before I rescued it.The plan was to turn it into a TV stand. After a good cleaning and sitting in our dining room through the remainder of our endless winter, that idea has finally come to fruition!

It needed to be refinished and I knew I wanted to paint it, so I started with the drawers. I took off the hardware and began sanding it with my new electric sander. (Thanks, honey!)I highly recommend using an electric sander for big jobs. I had a battery-powered one for a previous project and it always died quickly. Electric is way better because, in my best Tim the Tool Man Taylor impression, it has more power! I used course sandpaper – 80-grit – to start and then went back over with finer 150-grit to smooth it out.I then took the same approach on the base, going over some of the smaller areas by hand.The plan was to keep the top two drawer areas open. This is where we would put our DVD player and such. My husband drilled out two holes in the back for the cables to go through … and he measured, cut and added plywood to make for a sturdier shelf.He also added a few brackets on the inner sides to support some minor splits in the wood.

After wiping it all down with a wet cloth, I then started to prime it. I used one coat of Zinsser Primer that I applied with a paint brush. Once it dried, I lightly sanded it with 180-grit sand paper and then wiped it down one more time. It was finally ready to paint!I chose regular latex paint – Mystified by Valspar in semi-gloss. I applied light coats using a foam roller and foam paint brush. To get the dark look I was going for it actually ended up needing 4 coats! I thought the painting would never end! The drawers weren’t so bad, but doing the shelf area was kind of a pain.I’m not sure how necessary it was, but I also ended up sealing it with Minwax Polycrylic. It was easy to spray on and I was able to do the recommended 3 coats pretty quickly.Once it was dry, I added new hardware, which I had ordered from Lowe’s. Love this antique look!The entire project definitely took me way longer than I had anticipated (3 separate weekends), but I am so happy with how it turned out! And all of my hard work paid off, literally — the total cost was less than $100!!

Quick reminder of the before

February 5, 2014
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Free Find

It amazes me some of the stuff people throw away sometimes, and some of the awesome things I come across while just walking my dog! Another great item was sitting out on the curb for garbage over the weekend. My husband helped me lug back this great find!

Their garbage is my (FREE) gain! I actually found it at the same house where I got those free antique sleds. (Don’t remember? Check it out here.)

I had been looking around for an old dresser to make new again — with the idea being to turn it into a TV stand for our family room. Something like this, which I saw on Pinterest:

The one we snatched up is in pretty good condition. It just needs some sanding and paint and new hardware. I haven’t decided yet what color it should be. What color do you think I should paint or stain it? Be sure to check back at a later date for the makeover reveal!

November 23, 2013
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

One Man’s Trash Is This Woman’s Treasure

I’m so excited about the major find I just scored that I had to share! I was walking our dog, Luca, around our neighborhood when I came across these out on the curb for trash (gasp!)

Two gentlemen happened to be outside at the time so I asked if they really didn’t want them. They said no because they’re rusty (which is even better I think) and said I could take them. They’re perfect for Christmas decorations! I quickly walked Luca home and returned right back to pick them up. Best part – they were free!! Check back later to see how I incorporate both into my holiday décor.

August 16, 2013
by This Old Colonial Home 1 Comment

Flea Market Finds

Don’t you love when you find something that really speaks to you … especially when it’s at a bargain price?! My husband, Jamie, and I may not even have paint on the walls yet in our new house, but that’s not going to stop me from browsing flea markets, garage sales, etc. You never know what you might come across. During a recent flea market trip, I was pretty happy with the treasures we found.

A nice, simple nightstand. It’s a little wobbly, but nothing that can’t be reinforced. I think we plan on painting it at some point, but for now it actually matches well with the bed in our guest room. Not bad for $12.

Two rustic scales. I don’t plan on cleaning these up at all. I like the authenticity of them. The bigger one will be for décor. The smaller one might eventually get used for a hanging plant or something similar. The pair cost only $19.

Wooden bottle carrier. Normally you see a lot of these with Coke or Pepsi logos. So when we saw this one with Crystal Club, I knew we had to get it. Jamie drank this soda growing up in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was actually made in Scranton. So not only is this great to display somewhere, but it also has a little meaning. Price? $15.

What fun flea market finds have you come across lately?