Room with a MOOSE [Coat Hanger]

For those not familiar with Invader Zim, you have no idea what this entry title is referencing.
So here's a little help.


Now to the acquisition. I present to you....
THE MOOSE!














I've had a strange, prolonged obsession with owning taxidermy items. It's one of the few interests I have yet to pursue. So when I spotted this metal surrogate at the flea market for $15 I grabbed it immediately. What's extra awesome is that the antlers can serve as hooks (in addition to the two actual hooks).

Avocado End Table

This end table has an amusing beginning. See what I did there? End... beginning? ;)

I've been looking to locate a third, unique style of end table for our living room. It had to be sturdy, it had to have at least one drawer, and it couldn't be too wide or too deep due to spacial limitations.

For some reason this cute little $25 table was shoved in at the front of the Habitat store among the kitchen cabinets rather than on the other side of the store with all of the other end tables and night stands. For that reason, I didn't even see it until I was leaving with my initial purchase. So I turned around and went right back to the counter with table in tow.

Then, while loading it into my car, I got quite the surprise. There are certain risks associated with thrift store purchases. In this case, the risk consisted of a family of spiders living in the underside of the table. FORTUNATELY I had a few small sample blocks of granite counter top in my backseat (from my last trip to The Scrap Exchange). This resulted in a swift execution of my arachnid squatters.

So the first thing to do was get a good coat of primer on the entire piece. Of course, I was SO excited that I forgot to take a picture before I started. So instead, here's a shot before the primer coat was complete.











Primer complete!
















I decided to paint this piece with the Retro Avocado sample from my accent table project. Unfortunately I ended up needing a bit more paint than I had left, so a third coat will have to come later. You can see how I cheated and only put the initial coat on the inside of the shelves.










Here it is, nestled next to our couch. MJ isn't too fond of the color choice. Since we'll shortly be painting the lower brown color a much, MUCH darker and richer brown I thought this bright green would help break up the brown tones of the wall/couch/floor.

We shall see...

Vintage Chair Wall Accent Piece

This is a quirky little accent that has just claimed space in my shabby chic half-bath.


















The decanter-style bottle was $0.50 at the Habitat store. The tiny wood bird (~2" tall) was $1 from the same place. The white chair was found today at the State Fairground flea market for $5. (Once again, already being painted and even having the mounting hanger on the back made the price worth it!) Together, these items create a clean, refined accent piece that screams my love for vintage style.

Vintage Shutter Wall Decor

So everyone who has seen this next piece has told me how cool it is. Which makes me laugh, because this shutter was living in the backseat of my car for probably a month before I finally took five minutes to put on the hardware and hang it!

It has definitely added a "country style" to my mudroom/laundry area and provides a nice transition from my folk art kitchen to my shabby chic half-bath.

















The shutter was picked up at the Habitat for Humanity store for $5 (a bit much, but worth it for a piece that doesn't need to be repainted or distressed).

The two handles were picked up a LONG time ago at the same store for about $1 for the pair. I knew I wanted to use them for something crafty but I had no idea what that project would be.

Bell & Howell ZOOMATIC 414 Director Series

This acquisition also came from Habitat for Humanity. I have no idea if it works. All I know is that I spotted it and immediately felt that I had to have it. It cost me $20 (about the same as eBay with shipping), but there's something to be said about instant gratification...

Avocado Accent Table

Okay, so here's the first entry in the Awesomesauce Acquisitions blog of shame (and pride)!


This old wood table was picked up at the Habitat for Humanity store for $10. It was missing one of the carved wood detail on the side, and the top was cracked due to someone putting it on WAY wrong. Other than that, the table was completely solid and free of wobbles.


Most people see a defective table. I see a great spot to put my cup of tea while I knit in my craft room in the attic!






I reinforced the top as much as possible using 2" screws, which wasn't much of an improvement but at least made it as level as possible. Then I laid down 3 coats of "Retro Avocado" by Behr (the sample size is under $3 at Home Depot).

This picture was taken before I flipped the table over to do the feet and underside, but you get the idea.







This little table now lives happily in my attic. It's even made a few appearances at Lord Ozwald's Curious Goods!