My mother loved to thrift. When I was young, she would often drag me along to flea markets, antique malls, estate sales, junk shops – my reward for joining her would be a piece of stick candy (it was the ’70s – every antique mall sold stick candy) or she would buy me something that caught my eye. She was kind – I remember being in 5th grade and I wanted an enamelware stovetop coffee percolator I saw at an estate sale. I didn’t even drink coffee at that age – I just liked the way it looked, so she bought it for me. When we got home, she cleaned it up and showed me how to use it.

I learned a great deal from her. Mind you, it wasn’t by choice – I was bored out of my mind most of the time, but her selection process quietly left an imprint. I’d see her pick up something, turn it over, run her hand along edges to feel for chips or hold an object up to the light. She carried a jeweler’s loupe in her purse to confirm a piece of jewelry was sterling silver or solid gold. If she ever forgot her loupe – I served as her eyes. “Look at this. Tell me, does this say 925 or Sterling?” she would ask. She also shared with me her dislike for depression glass – which I hold a lifelong repulsion for, but I am not sure if it is of my own will or if it was implanted by her.

I’d get irritated when, unprompted, she’d explain to me the history of objects and how they were once used. “Who even cares!?” I can remember saying, dropping my head back and rolling my eyes. At a young age, against my will, I had accumulated a very specific knowledge that I couldn’t share with my peers.  No other kid had even heard of tyrollean embroidery or knew what blue opaline glass was. It was a part of me I kept locked down.

And here I am at 57, thrifting on the regular – gratefully drawing from a lifetime of knowledge she imparted. Like my mother did when I was young, I have filled my family’s home with second-hand treasures. It brings me great happiness as it did for her. Added bonus – it saves money and is eco-friendly, which is wonderful.

I love Goodwill, Salvation Army and all charity shops. However, the thing that really gets my blood pumping is a big old estate sale, preferably one where the family lived for 75 or more years and the house is jammed with really good stuff from top to bottom. I love dishes, linens, lamps, paintings, prints, all types of furniture – I even have bought old terracotta pots from basements and garages – I love it all. I get excited by the hunt – I intently move through each room, my eyes grabbing information, my mind rapidly processing it. I would love to be the type who invites a friend and casually walks through the house, chatting and sipping a coffee. However, I am the exact opposite- I go solo. I can’t be distracted by small talk or questions or slowed down in any way – It’s serious business for me. However, I love chatting with other shoppers here and there. I’ve met the kindest people waiting in line to enter a sale – I can honestly say I have never met a single jerk when thrifting.

Every space needs something old and unique, it really can’t be entirely all new things- that gives a flat energy. Mixing in thoughtful finds that carry a history, a patina, help to add personality and interest. Unexpected pairings make a room come alive and I love it when that happens – thrifting makes that happen.

So here is a glimpse into our home – I’d say 70 percent is thrifted, the rest from IKEA, Home Goods, World Market – those types of places. I hope it inspires you to pull into a Good Will or an estate sale and hunt for some treasures for your space! XO, C

The post How I Learned To Thrift first appeared on Family Chic.

January – so obviously less exciting than December. I miss the lights and the evergreens I happily dotted all around the house and the Christmas carols playing on repeat. So here I am doing what I do each year at this time – filling the house with spring flowers and lighting candles (especially uplifting to have candlelight in the morning, I find). Just pick up a few potted spring-blooming plants from the grocery store (from $3.99 each at my local Jewel), transfer to terracotta pots and stick them all around the house. It will boost your mood and help you to remember Spring is near – just hold on a bit longer! XO, C

The post January Decorations first appeared on Family Chic.

When you remove the greenery from your store-bought wreath, you will see a perfectly good and reusable metal frame. Some of these frames have prongs that are folded down over the evergreen clippings while others are simple metal circles that the clippings are wired on to. Either way – it is super easy to strip these frames and use them to create your own design the following year.

Here is how I stripped the pronged frame…

Here is how I stripped the frame that was wired…

Either way it is super easy and you can compost the greenery! Happy New Year! XO, C

The post Don’t Throw Away Your Wreaths first appeared on Family Chic.

I have a fondness for the simple, affordable wreaths that are sold at grocery stores this time of year, but I don’t love the bows that come with them — I always switch them out. Here is a way to repurpose those discarded bows – which are stiff and sturdy – perfect for this project…

With just a few simple folds and one staple, these little pockets can hold greenery — tuck them all around the house.

Bow from grocery store wreath.

I took it apart and steamed the ribbons. I cut some in half lengthwise and others I left thick.

Fold ribbon in half – to create a conical point.

Fold long the lengths of ribbon back underneath.

Fold the ribbon ends down. Nuzzle the stapler into the conical point and staple all folds together.

The post Ribbon Pockets first appeared on Family Chic.

Don’t throw away those used-up tins from your tealights – you can turn them into Christmas ornaments…

For this project I used: burned tealight cups, metallic pipe cleaners, a bottle cap and a gem sticker (from Michaels).

Release the leftover wax from cup by placing in freezer for a few hours, it will slip right out (if not, gently nudge it out with a butter knife). If there is any residue, just wash in warm soapy water.

Using a utility scissor, cut into the rim at equal points to create a fringe.

Flatten the tin.

Do the same to another tin and hot-glue that on top, to create dimension.

I hot-glued a bottle cap to the center, surrounded it with a metallic pipe cleaner and hot-glued a gem sticker to the center.

I created loops from the pipe cleaners and attached with hot glue. I also curved the frayed edges a bit to soften the look.

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out!

The post Tealight Cup Ornaments first appeared on Family Chic.

I love wreaths, but I really enjoy thinking up new decor ideas for our front door. Here’s a project that looks great and can be made quite easily…

For this project you will need: a 3″ diameter cork (purchased online), dried flowers, pine cones, nuts, a square piece of cardboard, ribbon and hot-glue gun.

Hot-glue the cork to the center of your cardboard.

Hot-glue medium sized pine cones to the cardboard.

Fill in gaps with dried flowers, small pine cones and nuts.

Make two wire loops and attach to top and bottom of medallion. Tie on ribbon.

The post Fall Harvest Door Medallion first appeared on Family Chic.

If you have a large ornament collection, like I do, here’s a quick project that puts to use a few of those extras that didn’t make it onto the tree…

This works great for those ornaments that are missing their caps.

Fill a vessel with uncooked rice, stick in some 12″ bamboo skewers (you can cut some skewers down to help with the overall shape and placement of ornaments and create variation in height). Place the ornaments onto the bamboo tips. Fill in any open spots with moss or small greenery clippings.

What’s nice about this project is that no glue is needed – you can disassemble it – the ornaments aren’t damaged.

The post Vintage Ornament Arrangement first appeared on Family Chic.

Grab a bag of apples and some natural rope and make yourself a door swag…

For this project you will need: 3/4″ natural rope, jute-covered floral wire, wire clippers and apples.

Cut jute wire into 5-inch lengths and twist into loops with a 2-inch long stem.

Stick the stem of your wire loop into the top of the apple.

Cut rope into 1-yard lengths. Thread rope through the loops you just made and tie a knot.

Gather your finished ropes together and adjust lengths to create variation. Tie a knot at the top and trim excess rope. Leave a little length so you can hot glue down unruly pieces in the back and create a smooth look.

Use thin wire to create a loop on the back and hang on your door.

The post Rope & Apple Swag first appeared on Family Chic.

Instead of exchanging gifts in your Secret Santa, try a talent swap instead. Everyone has something they do well and can teach to others – it could even be as simple as how to do a handstand. I think the more unexpected the talent, the more fun and bonding the experience is. Draw names in your Secret Santa group and make up a gift certificate and learn something new about your friends or get to know your neighbors better! You can also think of this as an eco-friendly way to gift this holiday season.

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I found a beautiful candelabra at our local Goodwill for only $6.00 – it’s a good piece, very heavy. I knew it needed to be the center of attention on our holiday mantel so I built a floral design around it…

For this project you will need: 2 – 10″ plastic floral trays, 2 – 8″ wet floral foam bricks (both can be found online or at Michaels), floral tape (to secure foam brick to tray), fresh greenery, apples, pine cones, glass ornaments, ribbon and bamboo picks to secure fruit to arrangement.

I created two arrangements on either side and added long strands of ivy from our garden. The ivy was inserted into each arrangement and brought up to the top of the mirror and wired together to create an arch.

As we got closer to Christmas, we added our daughters’ stockings (purchased from Red Chair Stitchery on Etsy).

The post My Christmas Mantel (2024) first appeared on Family Chic.

Use an old metal hanging basket to hold the natural beauty of the season…

For this project I used: an old metal hanging basket, dried miniature corn, small pumpkins, dried grapevine, bittersweet, moss and a small strand of battery-operated LED lights.

My neighbor was throwing away this rusty metal planter – I knew I could give it another life – so I grabbed it.

I started by wiring a bunch of small corn to the bottom – to act as a tassel. Then I wrapped the inside with grapevine, filled the center with pumpkins, pine cones, bittersweet berries, moss and a strand of battery-operated LED lights.

The post Fall Harvest Chandelier first appeared on Family Chic.

Search Salvation Army and Goodwill for baskets and decorate your stairway for Fall…

To create this look, I used: an assortment of small to medium sized handled baskets, ribbon, gourds, apples, pine cones, pumpkins, dried greenery, moss, zip ties and natural rope.

Start by planning your basket placement, then attach to bannister with clear zip ties and trim excess from the ties. Wrap bannister with rope – this will make it possible for you to tuck in your dried branches and clippings. Stuff the baskets with crumpled up paper – this will allow the baskets to look full without the weight. Fill tops of baskets with your gourds, apples, pine cones, mini-pumpkins. Tuck in moss and dried leaves to complete the look and fill in any gaps. Tuck your greenery into the rope and tie on ribbons.

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You can shop your local hardware store for most of these supplies and assemble a rustic-looking candle holder for your fall table in minutes…

Supplies: metal gutter strainer and terracotta pot that proportionally fit well together, a metal candle cup, two large washers, a carriage bolt, a small washer and a nut. Other than the candle cup, all of these items were available at our local hardware store.

Set the strainer on top of the upside-down pot, lining up the holes. Place a large washer and the candle cup in the strainer. Place a small washer inside the candle cup and then insert carriage bolt through all of the pieces. Holding the bolt firmly in place, turn the pot and strainer over and add a second large washer and a nut to the bolt. Screw tight to secure. Never leave candles unattended.

The post DIY Hardware Store Candlesticks first appeared on Family Chic.

We wanted a specific size pot rack for the area above our sink, but had trouble finding it. By simply screwing together pipe parts from the hardware store, we were able to easily create our own…

By using coupling, elbow, tee fittings and flanges we had all the parts we needed and they were easily assembled because the parts were threaded.

S-hooks from Ikea hold our pots.

The post Pipe Pot Rack first appeared on Family Chic.

Don’t walk away from thrift store artwork just because you don’t like the frame or the mat…

I found these large yachts of the America’s cup limited edition prints at Salvation Army for $20 each. I loved the print, but hated the mats – I took them to our local framer and had the mats replaced for $90.

They now hang in our powder room and I am quite happy with them.

The post Money-Saving Framing Tip first appeared on Family Chic.

Add some color and pattern to your outdoor space with this easy tip…

I wanted a striped cushion for our patio bench. Instead of buying a new one, I painted ours.

Before.

I measured my lines and taped off with painter’s tape.

Using a foam paint brush, I applied fabric paint in light blue.

The post Painted Patio Cushion first appeared on Family Chic.

Thrift a few glass peg votives and grab some bamboo stakes and you’ve got yourself new lighting for your garden parties…

For this project you will need: vintage glass peg votives (I got mine at Goodwill and on Etsy), 1-inch diameter bamboo stakes (garden center), a saw and votive candles (real or battery operated).

Cut bamboo to desired length (keeping in mind that 3-4″ will be underground). Cut the bottom on an angle to make inserting the stake into the soil easier.

Bamboo is hollow except at the nodes – be sure to cut the top a few inches away from the node to allow for an opening to insert the peg votive.

Drive the bamboo into the ground and insert your votives. If the peg needs more width, use peg votive adapters (rubber rings that make for a snug fit, available online and at candle stores).

NEVER LEAVE CANDLES UNATTENDED.

The post DIY Bamboo Path Lights first appeared on Family Chic.

Here’s how I painted our Salvation Army piano…

I chose Benjamin Moore Advance paint in Kensington Green, satin finish.

Before.

First I cleaned the piano surface, sanded lightly and wiped it down to remove sanding dust. I taped off brass details. Using a synthetic bristle brush, I applied a primer and then 4 coats of paint. To get into the delicate areas of the piano brand name, I used a small artist brush.

It took 4 days to complete this project, but it was worth it. It has transformed our sunroom.

The post Painted Piano first appeared on Family Chic.

The next time you buy a bag of lemons or potatoes that come packaged in a mesh bag – keep the bag and reuse it as a support for your flower arrangements. Secure the mesh in an embroidery hoop and trim excess, place on top of vase.

Stems will stay in place to form a nice dome shape rather than leaning around the rim.

The post Embroidery Hoop & Produce Bag Flower Support first appeared on Family Chic.

Turn an old wooden crate into a fun drinks cooler for the 4th!

For this project you will need: A hefty wooden crate, vintage cast iron American eagle, sandpaper, flat white chalk paint, self-adhesive trash bag cinches, a clear plastic garbage bag, a drill and screws.

I used a second-hand crate I found at a garage sale and I purchased the eagle on Etsy.

Trash bag cinches can be purchased at hardware stores and online.

I sanded the crate and wiped it down with a cloth. I cleaned the eagle and dried it with a cloth. I applied 3 coats of white chalk paint to fully cover the crate and then sanded it lightly to give it a worn appearance. To keep the detail of the eagle, I lightly brushed it with paint in order to keep the recesses dark.

Once everything was dry, I attached the eagle to the front of the crate with screws.

I applied the self-adhesive trash bag cinches to each corner.

I placed the clear plastic trash bag inside the crate and pushed it into each of the cinches to keep it in place. This creates a liner for the cooler.

Now you can fill with ice and drinks!

The post Summer Drinks Cooler first appeared on Family Chic.