Not long ago, a dear friend that I have not seen in a while stopped by my house. Upon entering she commented how the change ups in the living room looked great. Of course I accepted the comliment but in the same moment felt very awkward. My furnishings and home decor are thrifty flea markets, garage sales ,and thrift stores finds. How could someone really think these second hand things look good together. I mean really… can’t you tell they are used?
Being my dear friend she is fully aware of my obsession with repurposing castaways into my decor. However, I feel like a deep secret of mine was exposed. Especially, when I’m asked specifically where a particular piece is from and I answer with, garage sale, or Good Will or whatever. That is what happened this time when I looked around my space and could only identify a few things that we’re not second hand.
She must have seen it in my expression, the way I was looking around. She called me out. Encouraging me that what I do looks great and more importantly it made her feel happy . Wow! what a great compliment. You see, I live in a house of boys and I’m sure my decorating goes unnoticed unless something has changed in a way that impacts them personally. (“Don’t move the chair over there. I won’t be able to see the t.v.’) My changes are more of a bother than appreciative.
Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do we need external validation to make something ok to do? For me its a hobby. I like the whole process… hunting, getting a good deal, and then giving a piece new life. I should not be ashamed . Heck, there are professionals on tv that do this exact thing and share it with whomever is tuned in.
So I have decided that this blog would be a venue to slowly share my secret. My wish is to share with you my personal space with all my treasures. I am not a professional on tv. Just someone who has a passion. I personally think that when you do something you truly love, it turns out beautiful. Even if its just my opinion.
So let me give you a narrated tour of the living room….
I had to break it up into a number of photos
Thrifty home decor
More thrifty home furnishings
garage sale and thrifty store home decor
home decore from garage sales
As I look around, the large substantial pieces.. sofa, dining table, tv , area rug are purchased new. The majority of the home decor, however, are found, thrifted, or reclaimed from some old pieces of years past.. Heck, even our pooch is a found off of Craig List. This has been my secret passion. I hope sharing this might inspire you to look at “junk” in a different way. What do you think?