A couple weekends ago I checked out a multi-family estate sale with so many rooms of stuff I got lost trying to find my way out. No joke. It was awesome. I wanted to buy a lot more but I had to pick and choose because a lot of items were overpriced. Here’s what I found: Cute leather shoes: $8 Wood cutting board with feet: $5 Fabric glasses case: $0.50 White linen: $4 Black and white gingham: $2 The pieces of fabric are for projects you’ll see here on the blog. The shoes and glasses case were just for fun. I’m especially excited about the shoes. They’re so cute! Reimagine how you think about secondhand stuff and you can find some real gems. Check out past weekend finds! Have you been to any estate sales lately? Find anything good? Tell me about it in the comments… Keep up with Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. This is the fourteenth post in a 31 days blog series called 31 Days of Reimagining. Start from the beginning....
How to Find Unusual Pumpkins
Bright orange pumpkins are Halloween must-haves. We carve them into Jack-o-Lanterns. They decorate our front porches. Those round orange pump-a-kins are basically the symbol of this time of year. You gotta love them, but you’re not limited to orange pumpkins for decorating your home this season. Heirloom lovelies with twisty stems and haunting shapes are an entirely new level of spooky. You can find heirloom pumpkins in eerie shades of pale green, soft orange and ghostly white. Some even look like they’re covered in warts. Just check your local farmers market or pumpkin patch. Don’t forget to look for acorn squashes and gourds in creepy shapes and colors too. Here are a some beauties from my local market. I love all of these Cinderella-style pumpkins. What do your pumpkins look like this season? Keep up with Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. This is the thirteenth post in a 31 days blog series called 31 Days of Reimagining. Start from the beginning....
Taking a Decorating Break
Sometimes you just need a break. I find that when I’m really frustrated with a decorating project, taking a break helps. When I can’t get an arrangement to look right or when I feel like my home just looks blah, I need a chance to clear my mind. Usually the answer to my decorating problem comes much easier after that. Tonight I need a bit of a break. I’m really proud that I’ve posted ten days straight for my 31 days blog challenge. (This blog post will make eleven.) But sometimes when you need to reimagine your home, you need a chance to let your mind wander. And, I need a bit of mind wandering time this evening. Happy Friday! Keep up with Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. This is the eleventh post in a 31 days blog series called 31 Days of Reimagining. Start from the beginning....
5 Favorite Furniture Finds—For Free!
I’m so not above digging through stuff piled near dumpsters or on the curb. (I get seriously excited about curb alerts on Craigslist.) Often the furniture you can find for free just needs a little fix up. Slick on a coat of paint or use a little wood glue, and you can transform pieces of furniture you found on the curb into your favorite furnishings. No, I don’t do couches or armchairs. Anything with that much fabric that has been left on the curb has an ick factor even I can’t handle. I look for wood pieces: chairs, benches, cabinets, tables. Finding furniture for free doesn’t mean you have to junk up your house. Be picky in what you choose. And know that finding that gem doesn’t happen often. It probably won’t happen the first five or even ten times you stop and check out a pile of junk. But before you dismiss me as a crazy dumpster diver, check out these five furniture finds all of which I discovered curbside. 1. Vintage writing desk Look at those legs! I adore this vintage writing desk with its detailed legs and solid wood shape. I found it a few years...
Reimagining Inspiration: 5 Pinterest Pins
When we reimagine our homes, we come up with some pretty unique personalized ideas. If you follow my blog, you know that this month I’m doing a blog series called 31 Days of Reimagining. After a little Pinterest searching, I found five ideas that I think are particularly re-imaginative. Check them out. 1. Shutter Cup Rack Turn an old weathered shutter into cute plate and cup storage. This would be an excellent idea for my teeny kitchen. See the pin. 2. Frame Jewelry Storage This frame jewelry display gets a little extra quirk by using twigs to hold the necklaces. See the pin. 3. Chair Turned Nightstand Repurpose a pretty chair into your nightstand. Easy and budget-friendly! See the pin. 4. Pie Pan Tiered Stand Make your own three-tiered tray stand using just three pie pans and two candlestick bases. See the pin. 5. Vintage Suitcase Nightstand Crafting a nightstand out of vintage suitcases isn’t exactly a new idea, but I had to include this pin because of its cheery color combination. See the pin. Keep up with Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. This is the eighth post in a 31 days blog series called 31...
Thrift Store Plant Saucers
Instead of buying not-so-pretty plastic plant saucers to catch the excess water from my houseplants, I do something much more exciting. I buy cheap thrift store plates or saucers and place them under my plants. They look so much more stylish than those thin plastic saucers and they cost the same or less. I chose all white plates to give my plants a cohesive look. (If you’re wondering, that’s my dog sticking her little nose into the picture above. She thinks the thrift store plant saucers are pretty neat too.) How do you reimagine thrift store plates in your home? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments… Keep up with Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. This is the seventh post in a 31 days blog series called 31 Days of Reimagining. Start from the beginning....
Reimagining Inspiration: 5 Do-It-Yourself Projects
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that this month I’ve taken a 31 day blogging challenge. Meaning, I’ll be posting every day in October on one topic. After thinking about what I tend to write about on my blog anyway, I chose 31 Days of Reimagining as my topic. I get a little decorating kick out of reimagining home décor in fresh ways. I wanted to share five do-it-yourself projects from my blog where I did just that. You’ll see purchases from thrift stores, stuff bound for the trash and even items from my front yard, all reimagined in new ways. I hope they give you some reimagining inspiration for your own home. 1. Branch Jewelry Hanger Dangle your necklaces from a pretty jewelry holder crafted from a tree branch. See how to make this quirky-cute jewelry holder yourself. 2. Wine Cork Bulletin Board Turn leftover wine corks into a pretty project for your kitchen or office. Find out how to make your own wine cork bulletin board. 3. Easy Tiered Tray Create your own pretty tiered tray using just two thrift store plates and a candle stick holder. Get instructions on how to craft your own...