Exploring Arizona: Golf carts, treasures and getting lost

After having lunch with the fiance and his coworker yesterday, I ventured to the vintage-hunter's paradise that is downtown Glendale. My first trip to the self-proclaimed antiques capital of Arizona resulted in some amazing finds that stayed in the stores. This time, I purchased a few of the items, which I'll show you next week.

My next stop was Sun City, one of the nation's largest retirement cities. Higher numbers of senior citizens means lots of antique goodies waiting to get a new home from this still-kind-of youngster. I had heard of Penny-Wise Thrift Shop and it didn't disappoint. 

Heading south to find a cluster of thrift stores, I got better acquainted with the area i.e. lost. In my travels, I noticed tons of golf carts in driveways, store parking lots and cruising down the road. It was creepy and funny all at once. Gotta love living (and driving) in the AZ.

Antique Treasures finds

Penny-Wise finds

If only I needed a new couch and had a truck, this baby would've come straight to the townhouse. Definitely a candidate for reupholstering, but I am in LOVE with the gorgeous wood detailing. Hello, pretty geometric shapes. And if you can believe it, the couch was only $60!

Both chairs have such pretty bones. Their new lives are just a paint brush and new fabric away.

I almost asked if I could just buy the beautiful vintage handles and knobs from this hutch. They are that pretty.

Celebrating 100 with a little DIY

What better way to celebrate my 100th post than revealing my latest DIY transformation. I've been searching for a tray to adorn the coffee table for what seems like forever. Finding one I liked within my price point was proving to be a challenge.

Enter the Goodwill. It was the end of the day of my thrift store window-shopping tour and I was perusing the frames section when I found one that caught my eye. Nevermind it still held the picture of a small child. Sketchy. But there was potential.

The layered frame had pretty detailing and looked deep enough to be a tray, so the creative wheels started turning. It was nothing a few coats of spray paint and fun pattern couldn't fix. And the best part? The frame was only $2.99 and the total cost of the project was about $10.

The creeptastic before:

The fun after:

The DIY journey from sketchy to fab:

1. Remove picture, sand, spray paint and add poly.

Finding the right yellow was difficult. I wanted a pretty and non-seizure-inducing shade. I chose Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch in Sun Yellow and couldn't be more happy with the color. This was my first time using a protective finish, and it made the tray look polished.

2. Create image in photo editing program of your choice.

The picture slot was 10x13 and I made four different patterns of that size to change out in the future.

3. Print images.

We don't have a printer yet, so I saved the four patterns on a thumb drive and headed to the FedEx Office up the road. It was 40 cents a piece to have the patterns printed to 11x17 cardstock.There was the option of plain paper, but the cardstock looks more professional and sturdy. 

4. Cut out images.

Since FedEx Office only does standard sizes, I had to go with 11x17 paper. It's fine if you don't have a steady hand. The frame hides any wobbly cutting job.

5. Choose pattern.

The chevron is in the tray now. Is anyone surprised?

6. Insert pattern and cover.

The frame came with a plastic cover that was pretty gnarly, so I gave it a good scrubbing with a multi-purpose cleaning solution.

7. Style, admire and love.

The new tray is begging for some fresh blooms. It turned out just how I hoped and my assistant Wazzu is a fan. The final result also proves it doesn't take a lot of money, only a little imagination, vision and spray paint, to give a scary and old picture frame new life.

Thrifty window shopping

My search for an affordable credenza took me to three thrift and vintage stores in the Melrose District and Biltmore last week.

I left empty-handed regarding the main objective, but a few fun finds from Retro Ranch, Seconds 2 Go and Goodwill came home with me. I'll keep those a secret until I'm finished with projects involving two of the acquisitions. 

In the meantime, here's some of the stuff that stayed at the respective stores, but would be a great addition to any space with a little cleaner, paint, fabric and creativity. 

Pardon the crappy photo quality. I had to use my iPhone since I forgot my good camera at home.

The hunt made easier

Living in a huge city such as Phoenix is both a blessing and a curse for second-hand shopping. There are a bevy of vintage, thrift and antique stores in the area, but the vast amount of options can be overwhelming. 

Enter online helpers The Thrift Shopper.com and Estate Sales.Net. All it takes are a zip code and desire to find fun and unique items that may need a little love. Happy, more efficient, second-hand hunting.

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