Twelve-O-Eight!

I am so excited to be Rebecca's guest blogger today!  My name is Tanya, and I am the mom-blogger behind twelve-O-eight.  After years in the financial field, I am at home with my kiddos and I am loving it.  I have always been a thrifty gal, but with two little ones in diapers, I have a budget to keep in mind.  I love getting a smokin' deal, and after following Rebecca now for a while, am so excited to meet other Cheapskate-o-nista's like me.  Twelve-O-eight is a blog for all of us who desire to be domestically fabulous for a song.  Today I share the story of a sad little gilded mirror who was in need of an update.  Like, badly. 

I think I remember seeing this little gem grace the swanky walls of the Dallas or Knots Landing set back in the day.  But she marked $10.00 at one of my local thrift stores, and now she was mine.

But, I didn't have to pay full price, it was HALF OFF DAY, WOO HOO!

I usually paint my furniture in neutral tones and update my pillows, curtains, and accessories over time as my tastes change.  I liked the carved frame on this mirror, and felt like the design was really lost in a solid color.  So, after a few coats of Krylon satin black spray paint, I liked the foundation and just needed to shabby her up a bit.

When I am not able to use sandpaper to distress a project, I use paint to do a reverse distressing on it.  You basically add more paint in a contrasting color.  I chose a light robin's egg blue and lightly brushed it over the raised areas on the frame.  I loaded a bit of the acrylic paint onto a dry foam brush and added a bit more until I achieved the contrast I wanted.  After the blue dried I added a bit of ivory paint here and there to give the paint some depth.  I think she is really starting to look like a sassy new mirror don't you?

Here she is with her party dress on ready to hit the town.  The paint has dried and I had to add a Clematis from my garden.  I was able to pair my Grandfather's awesome mid-century vase with it too.  Where did my Grandpa Duke get this vase many years ago, a yard sale! Don't be afraid to mix styles up, and have some fun.  Too much matchy-matchy is not good. 

Getting a great shot of a mirror can be challenging! I discovered that when trying to capture the entire mirror, include shots of distressed accents, and not look at my legs or hands in the reflection.  While I know you would have been kind and not made mention of my paint-covered leggings and lack of make-up, we just met and I don't want you to think I have completely let myself go.  I usually have a very well put together outfit, as do my children, and we are all clean.  And the house is clean too. Yeah, that's pretty accurate. 

If you are interested in trying your hand at upcycling some creative pieces for your home, you may not have to go further than your basement or garage.  You can start out small like a side table, picture frame (or mirror!) and with some paint and a little elbow grease, your creative juices will kick into high gear. 

I will warn you however, and this will not do any good, but I have to so I can sleep tonight.  Thrifting is addictive.  Begin at your own risk, because it is so much fun, you may never stop! I'm hooked, and I don't care who knows.  I am a CHEAPIE, and what could be better than saving money and have fun at the same time? 

Thank you so much for letting me share my ideas with you today.  I wish you a happy, thrifty day and hope I was able to bring you some inspiration and ideas on being fabulous for less.

xoxo, Tanya