Maternity Shirt Renovation Episode 2...

Continuing in the thrifty renovation theme, I cut up some more Maternity shirts and made em all nice and sassy.

First up, you need to meet Mrs. Blah Black Maternity Shirt, sister to Mrs. Blah Yellow Maternity Shirt.

What can I say, I find a style that works and I go with it...should I go ahead and admit that not only did I buy black and yellow, but I also have it in pink and sky blue as well? Hmmm. Yeah, that's FOUR of the same shirts. They looked good, and they were ON SALE!

Internets, meet Mrs. Blah Black Maternity Shirt:



See? BLAH.

Notice the pins running up the left side? That's right, I sliced and diced and un-maternicized it.

However, it was still BORING, BLAH and PLAIN.

I dug around in my fabric stash (one or seven tote bins full) and pulled out two neglected leftover knit sleeve pieces. They are a dark gray with white polka dots on them. PERFECT! Fall is upon us, and gray is still in!

Slice off the edges:



and cut even width lengths (eyeball it, just say no to measuring with this project) and you have:



I got five per sleeve. I tried to quickly baste and ruffle them with my fussy, haven't had a tune-up in five years, sewing machine...which not surprisingly balked at the project.

What to do, what to do.

Craft bugs are a'biting and no sewing machine! NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Send sweet hubby over to borrow MIL's sewing machine (thanks Mom!) and get right back at it.

Quickly basted and ruffled those repurposed sleeves and sewed them onto Mrs. Blah Black Maternity Shirt, which transformed her to Miss Sassy Black Ruffly Shirt, sister to Miss Sassy Yellow Bunchy tank:



Ah, Miss Sassy Black Ruffly Shirt, I believe you and I are going to be long-time BFF's...

A

A Flock of Frames...

I have some very blah walls. They are painted a dark contractor yellow-beige and are quite boring. While searching for something wallet-friendly I found this beautiful wall mirror:



Drool.

But I can't justify the $599 price tag.

I've been digging the idea of clustering empty frames to achieve a simplistic yet eclectic feel:

Apartment Therapy

I think all black or all white create a stunning, pleasing result:


Country Living

So I traipsed down to the local thrift store and lo and behold, picked up about 4 decorative edged frames. PERFECTO! I also had a few lying around awaiting inspiration.

I turned Bubbalu's neglected swimming pool over, threw on a drop cloth and started spray painting.

Frames before:



Can I just say? Get that handy dandy snap and spray paint can handle thingy...I have a massive case of spray can-itis.

I picked up one more large vintage frame at a garage sale last Saturday for $1.50...my kind of price!

Spray spray spray...

Once dry, set out the frames on the floor, rearranging until you feel the look is cohesive and makes you feel all happy.

Enlist hubby's help to hang on wall, as hubby may or may not be the king of centering, leveling and measuring.

Looky there, now I've got something on the wall other than paint!

After:



Really now, this project cost me about $10.00.



Thrifted frames - $6 ish

Black spray paint- $3.99

Lance was doubtful that this would look good. Once I hung them up (and told him I spent only $10) he conceeded that it wasn't a complete disaster.




Off to spray paint more treasures...

A

Check out more DIY transformations at the Thrifty Decor Chick Before & After Party:

Mrs. Goodwill Drab to Miss Sassy N. Fab Chair Revamp...

I've been feeling super inspired by all the thrifty crafty DIY and fabulous revamp blogs I've been reading. So I gathered up my spending cash (less than $20.00 - whoopadeedoo....can you buy ANYTHING anymore for less than twenty bucks?), pawned the kids off on my dear hubby, jumped in the car and headed to our local Goodwill store for some thrifting therapy.

I eagerly browsed around looking for something horrible and decrepit with a splash of potential.

There was one fabulous chair that I passed up because it was too expensive.

Y'all - Here I am, IN A GOODWILL STORE, turning my nose at a perfect revamp project because Mrs. Stinginess did not want to shell out $14.99! Ha! Told ya I was thrifty...or dutch, but whatever.

However, I'm glad I passed up the aforementioned overpriced chair because tucked in the back high up on a shelf I spotted this sad, forlorn and forgotten chair:

Goodness gracious, HELLO POTENTIAL!

I was muchly thrilled. And even better? The stingy dutch woman living inside of me (Hi, Mrs. Stinginess, I know you are in there) was pleased as punch to see a price tag of $3.99.

YOU BETCHA!

I picked this sucker up for less than a Starbucks Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte!



Can ya tell I was slightly ecstatic? I wheeled my chair-laden goodwill cart proudly, wondering if the other patrons were kicking themselves for passing up my treasure.

The seat fabric? Detestable. Fuzzy orange with shiny gold stripes:

Blech!

I unloaded that thing into my garage and took Bessie to it:

Yeah, I named my cowtastic screwdriver Bessie.

Yanked that seat off, threw the fabric DIRECTLY into the garbage, then sanded, primed and spray painted that chair to gorgeousness:

I added a bunch of batting layers to the squashed seat pad:

Stapled on some fantastic new fabric (that cost more than the chair), Bessie reattached the seat and voila!

Meet Mrs. Previously Goodwill Drab, now known as Miss Sassy N. FAB:

LOVE the lines of Lil Miss Sassy...properly distressed, of course.

I have a slight obsession with green. I actually gasped OUT LOUD in the fabric store when I saw this bit o green gloriousness.

Before and after shot, from DRAB to FAB! :

Check out more DIY projects over at : A Soft Place To Land, the Shabby Chic Cottage and Thrifty Decor Chick...

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