Nifty Thrifty Girl » Collections

weekend roundup

niftythriftygirl — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:48:01 +0000

I’ve been good all summer and haven’t gone to a single yard sale/estate sale. As the season winds down, I find myself yearning to hit a sale. So…last week I hit several and gathered a few items…

vintage yellow tin

bottle brush trees and misc ornaments

mid century modern dresser

I also, finally, got my new pendant lights up in the office and dining room. Here’s a shot of the new office light…

Thank you, O.co, I LOVE my new lights!

Here Birdy, Birdy

niftythriftygirl — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:57:50 +0000

I’ve always wanted a fancy bird bath but could never afford one of the lovely vintage cast stone bird baths nor did I want to shell out the cash for a reproduction. And then at an estate sale I stumbled across an old metal ice cream parlor chair. It was rusty and falling apart, but for a mere $1.00 I decided I would purchase it and come up with some clever way to reuse it.

I took the chair home and started to disassemble the various pieces. As I sat and looked at the base an idea came to me. I grabbed an old ironstone platter and …TA-DA!… it rested perfectly on the base of the chair. I now had my very own, unique bird bath.

I do bring the bird bath into the garage for the winter as the platter would surely crack under the extreme NY weather we have. But as soon as spring arrives I always look forward to setting up my bird bath in a quaint little corner of my garden.

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Put Your Collections to Use!

niftythriftygirl — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:18:34 +0000

One of my favorite organizing tricks is to make use of the assorted glassware I’ve collected over the years. Most of these pieces were found at thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales. I’ve made a rule for myself to never pay more than $4 or $5 for a particular piece – most of them were actually found for under $2.

I use these pieces throughout my house for organizing; here are just a few tips/suggestions on how to use your collections to your advantage:

- Use small containers to organize bathroom supplies such as cotton balls, Q-tips, makeup brushes

- Use on your dresser top to organize earrings, jewelry, miscellaneous items

- Use on your desk to organize office supplies such as pens, scissors, paper clips

Put your collections to good use, get yourself organized and have fun!

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Collections – Turn your Obsession into Decorative Expression

niftythriftygirl — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:36:26 +0000

One of my favorite decorating tricks is to make use of the many collections I have. Whether it be ironstone, cut glass, milk glass, quilts, or enamelware; displaying collections is a great way to enhance your style. If you are like me and have a variety of collections, you can rotate them with each season for a quick decor change.

I have a large collection of transferware which includes several plates and platters. I keep plate hangers on all of these pieces so I can just grab one and switch it out as often as I like.

Ironstone and milk glass pieces are great additions to your collections. White goes with everything and makes for a calming, eye pleasing display.

Experiment with different combinations – use pieces from several collections, or focus on a single color or pattern. For vignettes on tables or shelving try mixing cut glass vases, candy dishes, and bowls. Or try arranging several kitchen items of a similar color for an interesting wall display. The possibilities are endless!

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.