Before & After – the Catwalk

The new house is coming along nicely. While I think it will always be a work in progress, spaces are starting to come together enough to start showing full before and after tasty goodness 😄. Today it’s the Catwalk! Yes this crazy house has a freaking catwalk, yet another one of the strange delights this house has to offer. The catwalk was a fun space to design. I wanted to make it as functional as possible for our needs (as cheaply as possible) and think I succeeded. I wanted to have lots of seating, extra sleeping spaces for overnight guests, and a reading/meditation area. We are eventually hoping to have art and music events at the house and this will be a prime spot to watch performances in the great room below.

As you can see on the Before pics, the catwalk was largely unusable, full of nasty old carpet with no structure.

The first thing we did was rip out the nasty old carpet. The wood was in good shape so we did a simple whitewash on it to blend it into the whitewash wood on the walls. I had our awesome handyman build platforms for the black French mattresses (Pottery Barn Teen), build shelves against the east wall and paint the old bookshelves and all the new build outs Sherwin Williams Tricorn black. The desk was moved to my art studio and painted white. I saved a ton sewing all my own pillows. I’m not much of a seamstress but they are certainly good enough. I scored the beautiful designer tiger fabric as a remnant on fabricguru.com, the velvet pink on fabric.com. Most of the art and chotchkies we had, a couple pieces (including the tribal black pieces behind the seating area) we found at the local swap meet.

The area is much more useable now, and I love the way it came out. We go up there to just hang out and watch the sunset out the west windows. We had a couple guests sleep up there recently and got a big thumbs up :-).

Much more to come! Follow this blog and don’t miss a thing.

It’s time for FABULOUS FINDS! Featuring Dolce & Gabbana, Vivienne Westwood and Nanette Lepore!

It’s time for another edition of Fabulous Finds! I’ve unearthed more delightful treasures from my favorite thrift store over the last couple of weeks. First off is this lovely pair of gold metallic heels in very good condition from Dolce and Gabbana! For $8.99! Yee haw, what a steal. Since I already possess a beautiful pair of gold metallic heels (Jimmy Choo! But that’s for another exciting episode 😉 I am selling this pair on ebay to help pay for my other treasures. You can see the listing here:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/121657032070?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

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Next up are these super-fun metallic gunmetal-color rubber heels by Vivienne Westwood. They are so funky, I love them! And surprisingly very comfortable. Only $9.95!

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Last but not least is this darling silver rain coat from Nanette Lepore. So cute, and a mere $8.99! This new addition to my wardrobe is getting lots of use with all the rain we’ve been having lately…

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I’d love to hear about your great designer thrifting finds! Tell me about them in the “Reply/Leave a Comment” section.

New Fabulous Finds! Awesome Z Gallerie Vases from the Thrift Store…

New Fabulous Finds!

I love these big decorative vases from Z Gallerie. I found them at my favorite Goodwill this week, and they look great in the living room. They are in new condition, and still have the original price tags on the bottom ($49.99 each). I snapped them up for $14.99 each. Yay!

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Want to see the DIY on those vintage folding chairs? I found them in the alley and made them pretty.

That great acrylic cart came from Goodwill, too, and only $14.99!

What amazing things have you found lately? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

A Sunday Funday Fashion Post! Yes, you CAN Look Great Wearing Clothes from the Thirft Store…

I know I haven’t done a fashion post for awhile, so here it goes! I really liked the funky outfit I put together last night so I’ll share it with you.

I always like to prove you can do almost all your shopping from the thrift store and look great, so here is what I wore last night, with descriptions and prices on everything…

(Pictures taken at Denver’s Union Station)

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I love a little pop of color when wearing neutrals! It makes the outfit.

From Top to Bottom:

The long-sleeve square-neck black top is by “Velvet”, Goodwill $3.99, purchased this Summer.

Faux Fur Vest by Charlotte Ruse, also from Goodwill, $6.99, purchased last Fall.

DIY Black Heart Necklace (see it HERE) Created February this year.

Leopard-print brushed cotton jeans by Jones New York, Goodwill $8.99. Purchased last year.

HYPE black and gold clutch, Neiman Marcus Last Call, $38 (Originally about $200) purchased about 6 years ago. (this bag was a splurge for me, but I actually use it a ton.)

Costa Blanca Hot Pink satin ankle boots, Neiman Marcus Last Call $18. (originally over $100) purchased about 7 years ago.

Bracelet, Goodwill, $2.99, purchased a couple months ago.

 

So there you have it, more great looks from your neighborhood thrift store. What have you found lately? I’d love to hear about it.

 

Fabulous Finds – September 18, 2014 – Anne Fontaine & Dolce Vita

Find of the Week is now Fabulous Finds!

The September Edition of Fabulous Finds finds me back at my favorite Goodwill Thrift store with these two great scores:

I love this groovy Anne Fontaine Paris blouse I picked up for just $4.99 (retail $300-400!) Perfect for Fall layering, I’ve already worn it…

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And this lovely pair of Dolce Vita D’Orsay heels in black patent and suede are in near new condition! I love the slightly curved heel and gold detail. Just $14.99 (retail around $150.00)

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What great deals have you found this month? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Find of the (almost every) Week – Carolina Herrara & Jones New York!

It’s time for Find of the Week!

This week’s find is a gorgeous leopard-print wrap dress by Jones New York. I LOVE this dress, it’s very comfortable and flattering. Looks like new. I’ve already worn it 3 times. $8.99 at my favorite Goodwill. Also, a very nice pair of authentic Carolina Herrera sunglasses, in near perfect condition, only $7.99 also at my fav Goodwill. Hooray for the Thrift Store!

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Find of the (Almost Every) Week…GUCCI!

It’s time for Find of the (Almost Every) Week!

This week’s find…Gucci Slides! How cute are these? And perfect for this time of year with Spring just beginning to poke in it’s pretty head. They are in near-new condition, too. Oh Happy Me! Found these at my favorite Goodwill for $12.

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What great finds have you scored lately? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Find of the (Almost Every) Week…Theory & Laundry!

It’s time for Find of the (Almost Every) Week! It’s a two-fer this week featuring a perfect black dress from Laundry by Sheli Seagal And a cute wool color-block sweater from Theory, both shown here on my mannequin Tallulah…

I love this Laundry Dress. Comfortable and flattering, can be dressed up or down, and it’s in perfect condition. Retail about $225, Goodwill $8.99.

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And this darling color-block wool sweater by Theory, retail $195, Goodwill $3.99. I love it! I’ve already worn it twice. Totally my colors.

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What did you find at your favorite thrift store this week? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Find of the (Almost Every) Week…Diane Von Furstenberg! (& Dr. Seuss!)

Find of the (Almost Every) Week!

It was a great week at my favorite Goodwill. I found several delightful goodies, including an adorable Diane Von Furstenberg dress for $6.99. It is in perfect condition, but alas, it is too small for me 😦 I am selling it on Ebay to help fund my future thrifting adventures (see it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/121264480095?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 )

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I also found some great goodies for art projects,  a couple cute black tops by Velvet ($2.99 each) and this adorable set of vintage Dr. Seuss nesting blocks ($12.99). I have a thing for Dr Seuss, and I just love these.

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Have you found anything awesome at the thrift store lately? I love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Denver! Resolving to Spend Less in the New Year? Start with a Bang – January FREE Events

Just because you blew your wad on holiday gifts doesn’t mean you have to stay home in January. There are gee-gobs of FREE Events in Denver January 2014, starting with New Year’s Eve:

303live-NYE-GuideImage Courtesy of 303live.com

Downtown Denver Fireworks
December 31 (9 p.m. and midnight)
The sky will once again sparkle over the 16th Street Mall at the close of 2013 with the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown. The two spectacular fireworks shows will occur at 9 p.m. and midnight. For the best viewpoints, stand along the 16th Street Mall. Costumed entertainers will interact with crowds between shows, including magicians, mascots, balloon artists, stilt walkers, comedians and more. Best of all, it’s not going to be that cold; the evening will be 35-45 degrees and clear. It’s very crowded down there, I recommend taking the Light Rail.

Of Course FIRST FRIDAY will be alive and well on January 3rd at all your favorite Denver Arts Districts.

January cultural FREE DAYS: 

Denver Art Museum: Saturday, January 4th (the museum is FREE every first Saturday)

Denver Botanic Gardens (York Street): Monday, January 20th

Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield:  Tuesday, January 7th

Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Monday, January 13th

Denver Zoo (3 Days!): Friday, January 10th, Saturday, January 11th, Wednesday, January 22nd

Clyfford Still Museum: Wednesday, January 8th

So pack a nice lunch and go get your Culture on in January, for FREE!