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.

New Fabulous Finds 2015! Roberto Cavalli & Badgley Mishka!

It’s time for a New Edition of Fabulous Finds!

One of last week’s spectacular finds at my favorite Goodwill is this awesome pair of Roberto Cavalli Jeans in perfect condition for only $4.99! Perfect for the floral trend this Spring.

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I also scored these gorgeous and glamorous Badgley Mishka sparkly T-strap platform heels, looking like they have maybe been worn once! Grabbed these at auction on http://www.shopgoodwill.com for $19 including shipping! Yippee! I love these shoes!

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

 

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.

How to Deck Out Your Mantle Like a Pro for the Holidays (A DIY…on a Cheap-Ass Budget, of course)

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In today’s blog I’m going to share the secrets of the pros for doing up your holiday mantle. I used to be a pro. I worked as a floral designer and event planner for over a decade, so I have a few industry tricks up my holiday sleeves. I’ll be showing you all kinds of holiday goodness over the next couple of weeks, but today it’s all about the mantle. (Note: I am a serious Maximalist, the Liberace of Holiday Decor. If a minimal look is what you’re into, this may not be the DIY for you.)

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Find of the (Almost Every) Week – November 29, 2013. Tadashi & Eileen Fisher

Find of the (Almost Every) Week – November 29, 2013
Tadashi & Eileen Fisher

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I was thrilled to find this gorgeous black layered strapless gown from Tadashi, in perfect condition, at the Goodwill this week. I love it! This dress retailed for around $400. I paid $8. I also scored this lovey grey Merino wool Eileen Fisher sweater, in new condition, and perfect for this time of year! I’ve already worn it a few times. It retailed for around $250. What did I pay? $4. These are the sort of deals I live for! I can’t wait to wear this dress to a holiday party…

 

What amazing finds have you made? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comment section.

Find of the (Almost Every) Week – November 18, 2013, Fall Boots & D&G!

FIND OF THE WEEK – November 18, 2013

Jeannot Black Suede Boots and D&G Sunglasses

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I love finding exactly what I’m looking for at Goodwill! I wanted black wedge boots (right on trend for Fall) and I found them! I honestly was not familiar with the Jeannot name, but they look great, fit well and are Italian-made, so I grabbed them. I looked them up when I got home and discovered they retailed for over $450. What did I pay? $12.99. Nice! I also snagged these D&G (Dolce & Gabbana) sunglasses, with case, for $9.99.

I want to hear about your Fab Finds! Tell what you’ve recently snagged in the Leave a Reply/Comment section.

 

 

Recycling Halloween into Thanksgiving, Part 2…Outdoor Decor Redo for Zero Dollars

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Fall, Part Deux! As I said in the last Thanksgiving post, because I go a bit over the top for Halloween and Xmas, I like to chill things out a bit in between and go for a simpler look. It took me about an hour to “recycle” Halloween into Thanksgiving out front. Here’s what I did:

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Recycling Halloween into Thanksgiving…A Mantle Decor Redo for Zero Dollars

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Halloween is over, sniff sniff. I always wax a touch melancholy packing up the skulls and bats, simultaneously mourning the end of the Season of the Witch while savoring the tiny bit of caramel wedged between my molars from the final mini Milky Way bar. Yesterday I bid a fond frightful farewell to my favorite holiday, and made room for the next one: Thanksgiving. Because I go a little nutsy coo-coo for both Halloween and Christmas, I like to go a bit simpler in between the two for Thanksgiving. (Though admittedly my “going simple” is still over-the-top for most people. I’m like the Liberace of Holiday Decorating 😉 I’m also saving for holiday gifts, so spending cash on decor is a big fat no-no. It’s time to recycle!

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