I have some AMAZING neighbors! I want to introduce you to the

I had so much fun photographing all the fun things they have created! Lucky for us, they are sharing their secrets on how to give old stuff new life.

Wait 'til you see what they did with this...

But first Margaret (one of the Fancy Farmchicks) tells her secrets:

"We're all supposed to be into this reduce, re-use, recycle way of life, so refinishing furniture is our little help to Mother Earth. It's also cheap, easy and fun (mostly). You could read books worth of info. about the how to's on the subject but to simplify, just remember the S.P.P.S. method (which, by the way I just made up, not the process itself but calling it S.P.P.S.) So let's begin, shall we. Find pieces with good lines or "good bones" as they say. Try to have "vision" for not what it is, but what it can be. Look for sturdy and preferably solid wood. Yes, you can paint laminate, but that's a topic for another day. Now the method of S.P.P.S.

For our specific set-up we took an old sewing table, an ugly boring lamp, a chair with good lines but very scary upholstery (the upholstery didn't even make it into the "before" shot - trust me, it was scary), an everyday run of the mill magazine rack and gold picture frame.

The table we painted and scuffed up to give it that aged look. You might want to "age" your pieces when your hubby's not around, this step thoroughly confuses them. "People pay more for you to make it look old?" Changing out hardware can also make a HUGE difference. This one wasn't built to be able to remove knobs, but little glass knobs would have been cute.

The lamp we chose for the drum shade because these are the easiest to recover. Put spray adhesive directly onto the shade and then wrap the fabric onto it folding down over the edges. You can do other lamp shade shapes, but they get a bit more tricky.

The magazine rack we primed, painted and distressed. We painted the existing gold hardware by priming then painting. Notice how the hardware shape kind of matches the damask design on the lamp? Cute huh.

The picture frame we primed, painted, used liquid glaze to age it. Liquid glaze, you rub on and then rub off leaving behind just some of the glaze to get that aged look. Then instead of a typical picture, we put in a burlap background with a painted letter glued to the outside of the glass. Just something different."

before:

after:

I need another look...

You guys are incredible! Thanks for sharing your secrets with us!

Like what you see?

They are having a sale!

You can come shop for this stuff...

that is if there is anything left after I get there:)

go ahead and try to get there before I do...

Not going to happen.

Now accepting vendors.

Go check out their website for more information and to leave them some comment love:)

 

Times may be tough and some of us may be having to do some scrimpin' and some savin'. However, lest you feel down, we are here to show you that you don't have to scrimp on style no matter how unpadded your wallet is feeling. We wanted to show how good bargains and good style can go together and go together well.

1. Absolutely NOTHING could be purchased from a "regular" store (no Pottery Barn orders happening here). 2. It had to be from a 2nd hand store, yard sale, homemade or your own back yard (or nice neighbor's backyard). In fact all of our paint comes from a second hand store (no foolin'!) And the best part....the house these pictures were taken in was FREE! Forty years ago they were gonna bulldoze her down and my dad went and moved her to her new home and went on to raise 9 kids in her. It's true. Now that's what I call a good "curbside find". Ok, back to the rules. 3. NO exceptions! We were tempted to cheat just a tad a few times, but we kept each other strong. So, if it's in the picture, it fits within the rules. 100% furniture, bedding, accessories, lighting, all of it! (have we been clear enough on this point!) =) So, without further ado, we present to you, Style On The Cheap.

First up, our Fall Display:

Next, red white and blue:

And last the best of all the game, (according to Missy) our little girl's room:

o.k. the cute little blondie was obviously an exception to the rules

So, did all our "treasures" come like this? No. Most of it required some "diamond in the rough vision" and a whole lot of paintin' and sandin'. Did we walk into a thrift store and find it all in one day? No, but hey that's half the fun! It's the thrill of the hunt as they say. Does it give us more satisfaction knowing we did it and how much we saved? Yesss! (Dave Ramsey would be so proud). So, get saving and get decorating! Who knew you could do both? Like what you see? Well you're in luck.

Come visit the Fancy Farmgirls Sale and see first hand how a whole lot of painting and sanding can turn the drab into oh so fab! We've got a barn filled to the rafters! Furniture, accessories, linens, holiday décor and more! Something for everyone. Come shop. Come browse. Come be inspired.

Margaret, Jennifer and Liz (the fancy farmgirls)

Do you want to know some GREAT tips on how to get this look? The fancy farmgirls taught us how, here. Their daughters also had a genius idea, here. Hop on over to their site for all the details about the sale and then come join them, I will try to leave something for you:)

Wait until you see these amazing transformations brought to you by the Fancy Farmgirls!

So happy you are back! If you missed them before, you can learn more about them, here. Be sure to catch all the info about their upcoming sale at the bottom - my favorite sale of the year!!! Last year they even had people drive in from Utah and Oregon just to come get in on the action!

Teach us!....

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One Man's Trash......

I'm not much of a fluorescent color girl, muted pastels are more my thing. But come May, there's no more beautiful color than the sight of a neon green sign on the side of the road on a Saturday morning. Aw, yes, yard sale season.

The time of year that truly makes my heart go pitter patter. Yes, I'm one of those and yes, I truly get giddy every Friday night in anticipation of not sleeping in and driving around randomly in search of the beautiful neon sign. One man's trash, is this girl's treasure. Take this stash of "junk" for example.

What do you see?

Grody chairs that should have bypassed the yard sale and gone straight to the curb.

An 80's brass light fixture.

Old paint splattered ladder.

70's scenery picture that looks very similar to the one in your Grandmother's basement.

Oversized lamp missing it's shade.

White pitcher with "lovely" fruit motif that also looks very similar to the one in your Grandma's kitchen.

Beat up wooden side table.

Really? Come on, look again!

Here is what I see...

Grody chairs with beautiful lines that could be reupholstered in linen.

The frame painted white and distressed and glazed.

The brass light fixture would look really cute painted hot pink hanging in a little girl's room.

The old paint splattered ladder could use some sanding and white washing, leaning against your bathroom wall with white fluffy towels draped over each rung.

70's scenery picture that will receive the chalkboard paint treatment and will now become your family's message center.

The oversized lamp could be painted a fun turquoise color with a crisp white shade.

The fruit pitcher will be spray painted white and look cute displayed in a hutch or on your kitchen counter holding your utensils.

The wooden side table painted any color to match any décor.

See! That's not junk, that's treasure! So, how do you spot the treasure? Don't look at it for what it is, look at it for what it can become.

We bought this dining set last week at a yard sale which, without a blink of an eye, the lady dropped from full price to half, just because we asked (never hurts to ask, remember these people don’t want this stuff anymore). It's your typical oak table with outdated dirty upholstery. But, the lines were great. Look at the backs of the chairs and the legs of the table. We saw it with new paint and new fabric seats and VOILA!

Pretty huh!

Rethink the function of the piece.

It's not too often we have the need for an old door. However, the old patina on this one was calling our name. Use it as a backdrop leaning against a wall to add a fun pop of color. Hang it horizontally to become a headboard. lay it across some sawhorses and cover it with glass to become a very rustic, original desk.

Think paint, paint, paint!

There's a lot of old, outdated furniture out there. It usually comes with its fair share of wear and tear but it also comes with a lot of character and great lines! Paint is the ultimate in freshening up a piece.

I bet this Grandfather clock is a lot cuter than the one in your Grandfather's house.

This hutch was your typical dark wood with brassy handles. She had her fair share of dings and scrapes, but take a look at the lady now! I love the pop of blue in the back.

And yes, all these white dishes have been acquired over time, all second hand. And let's not overlook that dresser.

They just don’t make furniture like that anymore. I got this for a steal! It was her Grandma's and the seller was scared to death that her Grandma might show up at her yard sale and see what she was doing with the family heirloom. She wanted it gone fast. It's o.k. Grandma, I looove your family heirloom.

Enjoy the process and give it time.

See that chandelier? You want to know how much I got it for don’t you. Are you ready...? Six Bucks!!! I know! That's what I said too. I've had her for about 9 months and have yet to install it, but I'm happy to wait for my room to slowly come together so that she will fit in and look fantastic.

You really can find "treasure" in the "trash". Beauty can happen on a budget and you can have a lot of fun in the process. So what do you do with three girls addicted to thrifting and yard saling and refurbishing? You get a barn full of treasures! Come check out our stash without spending a lot of cash.

Check us out at fancyfarmgirls.blogspot.com to be updated on upcoming sales!

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WOW.

WOW.

WOW.

You girls are so talented! Thanks for sharing those awesome tips. I REALLY need some fun colored paint. I NEED to paint something now!

If you need more of the Fancy Farmgirls creative goodness, don't miss this post or this post!

I'm counting down the days until June 3.....

 

 

The Following is a HowDoesShe.com Featured Post:

 

 

Hurray! The Fancy Farmgirls are back to share some serious inspiration with us!

Take it away, Margaret (fancy farmgirl on the left)....

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"Everybody loves a good "before" and "after". Well, last time we "spoke" we gave you the "before" and then left you hanging for the "after". Not very fair was it? Well the kids are back in school and yard sale season is coming to a close (could we please have a moment of silence.....) Sooo, what does this mean? We, (as in you and I) have some time to tackle the stash of junk (treasure) that has accumulated from all the treasure hunting you may have done this summer. And if you never had time to treasure hunt, well we are all in luck because thrift stores and Craigslist operate year round (could we please have a moment of silence......) O.k., on with it. Let's refresh your memory with the "before" picture.

These were some of the things that we picked up that needed a new identity.

You all know someone who has this exact light fixture, don't you? Refer them to How Does She and let us be the ones to inform them that brass no longer has class! But, lest you feel down, the shape is great! It just needs some spray paint love. White, black, bright and bold. They'll all work great. And the best part; you can actually spray it while it's still installed! Ask me how i know, but just don't pass the answer on to my hubby. Spray painting indoors with hubby around causes lots of anxiety. Some things are better left done when he's out of town.

Next up, remember our "lovely" scenery picture? We primed it good and then topped it with some chalkboard paint and a new frame color. Cute and functional!

Ugly lamps are easy enough to find. Add a new fun color and she's ready for her new life. Embellish a plain white shade and you've got yourself a one-of-a-kind lamp.

Paint a magazine rack end table any color to coordinate with your decor. Change your decor next year and paint it again! Ah, I love paint.

Ladders; you might be able to skip the yard sale for this one. You probably have one sitting out in your garage. Your honey won't mind a turquoise ladder right?

These are great for draping linens, towels, magazines, etc.

Or haul it out to the front porch and add some festive fall decor to welcome your guests.

All these items are a dime a dozen at yard sales and thrift stores. With a little paint love and a little vision, you can give them new life. Check out some of our other revamped, renewed treasures.

FANCY FARMGIRL SALE