From Trash to Treasure Tutorial: Decorative Accessories

1) Framed Fabric Display Shelves

I found these shelves at a thrift store near a Target that receives a lot of new merchandise whose packaging may have been damaged or were returned & could not be restocked. 

They were brand new, never used, & white when I brought them home. I wanted to 

use them in our entryway next to our formal living room, so I rubbed the corners 

with a little wax & painted them, using a dry brush technique to give them an 

antiqued look, the same color as the accent wall in the living room.

Rather than putting pictures in the frames, I framed pieces of fabric with satin ribbon 

going down the middle. I reversed the colors in each, displaying brown fabric with 

green ribbon in one, & green fabric with brown ribbon in the other.

2) Dry-brushed Picture Frames

In the same area as the shelves, I wanted to hang some pictures that were special. 

One is a photo from our engagement & another is a print of a church that looks 

similar to the church I attended when I was growing up. I dry-brushed the frames 

with shades of green to match the rest of the decor.

Here is a picture of the entryway at this moment. It won't be staying this way for 

long because I'm still working on the entryway cabinet in an earlier post, 

"From Trash to Treasure: Entryway Cabinet."

3) Antique Lamp

I found this lamp at my favorite thrift store.

After some cleaning,

4) Clustered Mirrors Display

I found mirrored candle holders at the thrift store for $0.50 a piece. I decided that they would make beautiful mirrored wall art. I attached plate hangers that you can buy at any craft store (or may even be able to find in any other type of store where they sell hooks or wall-mounting hardware) & laid them out on the floor first to figure out how they would go on the wall. Then I hung them & voila! It's like an expensive mirror cluster that's sold for $30 at Bed Bath & Beyond,  $50 at Pier 1, & as much as $250 at Pottery Barn for the cost of only the mirrors & hangers which came to less than $10.

This was such a good & inexpensive idea, that I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out 

for more mirrors & other things that can be hung on the wall as a cluster of art. 

I've always hung plates in my kitchen &/or dining room. It's such an easy way 

to decorate, & since it's all for the cost of the plate hangers, you just can't beat 

the awesome price & convenience! That makes me think that I need to make 

a post about decorating with everyday things already in your home.

5) Tacky Mirror Makeover

"It was more than discovering something that I loved to do - 

It was discovering someone I had always been." 

 ~ Natalie ;-*