Even more Goodwill Outlet finds

It's been two months since my last thrifting trip, but honestly, we've been so busy, I hardly noticed.

I finally made it back to the Goodwill Outlet for a whirlwind 45-minute trip with my brother in tow. I know 45 minutes in a thrift store doesn't exactly sound whirlwind, but this place is so big with so much to look at, it's pretty hard to get out of there in under an hour.

I got everything you see here for just $5.05! 

I've never met a house-shaped shelf I didn't like. And I might need to take a trip to frame-aholics anonymous. I just can't pass them up for so cheap! They will all find a use someday. I like having a stash to dip into.

The gold oval frame is probably my favorite find. It's wooden, so I may try to strip it at some point in the future. You know, when I can safely breathe stinky stuff again.

p.s. The next day, I stopped by a small church rummage sale. It turned out to be a bust, and the prices seemed crazy to me. Three bucks for a 5x7 picture frame? The cheapo Goodwill Outlet has warped my mental pricing structure.

Fixer upper dollhouse: Prepped and primed

I started fixing up the dollhouse I found at Goodwill last month. Looking better already, right? This is one of those basic dollhouses that probably isn't intended to be painted or decorated, but it had so many battle scars, something had to be done. 

I couldn't wait to rip off that ugly contact paper and start cleaning this thing up. Luckily, it came off without a fight and didn't leave much stickiness behind.

After tightening all of the screws holding the house together, I filled the holes with wood filler and sanded them smooth.

I actually ended up lightly sanding the entire house just to rough up the surface. After that, I wiped the whole thing down with mineral spirits to get rid of all the dust. I used to just use a damp rag, but mineral spirits work so much better.

I primed the whole house, inside and out, with a stainblocking primer. There were pencil and marker scribbles and a layer of grime that didn't wash off, and I don't want any of that peeking through the paint later. 

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, next up is the fun part -- planning, painting and decorating. I know that I want to do something simple and cute (nothing super fussy). And having spent so little on the house itself (just $2!), I'm not interested in gussying it up with a bunch of expensive extras. Dollhouse furniture is surprisingly expensive (even on eBay) so I might have to get creative.

Thrift store makeover: Nautical print

Wow, I totally did not intend to blow off last week, but a bad cold knocked me down for a few days. I hate that helpless feeling of having a thousand things to do and no energy to do them.

Anyhow, I'm back today to show you a small painting project. Let's get to it.

I found this nautical boat print at the Goodwill Outlet last month. I liked the print, but the orangey oak frame did not complement it at all. Nothing a little paint can't fix.

The frame is very sturdy (it hasn't pulled apart), but there were wide cracks in the corners. I filled them with a tiny bit of painter's caulk and let it dry.

A couple of coats of craft paint, and the oaky color was no more. Now you can actually see the print instead of the frame!

Another Goodwill find: Fixer-upper dollhouse

I found one more bargain at the Goodwill Outlet last week. A dollhouse! Honestly, I didn't really ever picture myself buying a dollhouse for Elise. They take up so much space! (The footprint of this one isn't too bad at around 15"x24".) But seeing it languishing in the bins at the Goodwill Outlet and knowing it was a quality piece, I felt compelled to rescue it. It's made of super sturdy classroom grade birch plywood and is nice and heavy.

It wouldn't fit in the cart, so my brother (who was along with us) carried it up to the register to ask if they could hold it until we were ready to check out. They wouldn't hold it, so he bought it on the spot and took it out to the car. I was out of earshot, so I didn't hear how much it cost. I figured it would be around $10 or so, but after he came back in, he told me it was only $2. TWO DOLLARS!

I'm pretty sure it's an older version of this one selling at Amazon for $139, so hooray for deals!

Of course, my fixer upper needs some cosmetic work. That Disney contact paper is pretty horrible. I actually peeled it up a bit in the store to see how easy it would come off, and I don't think it's going to be much trouble. There are also some marker scribbles and it's missing half of the floating stairs, but I can take care of all that.

Elise keeps asking to see her "doghouse," but girl's gotta have patience! There's a lot to do here!

Return to the Goodwill Outlet!

I haven't done one of these finds posts in a while, but it isn't because for lack of trying. I've been shopping, I just haven't bought much lately. I've probably been pickier and tighter with my wallet, but in truth, I just haven't found much worth spending any money on.

But we went to the by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet again and I found a few things. I got everything you see here for $6 total including tax!

There's one more thing I bought not pictured here, but it was such a bargain, it probably deserves its own post.

I'm always a sucker for frames (especially ovals, which are next to impossible to find new), and I have a future project in mind for the candlesticks. I am undecided on what to do with the long rustic wooden box, but it will find a purpose I'm sure.

This little footed Raffiaware dish will likely find a home near my sewing area.

And I thought these two small prints were too nice to leave in the bins. Of course, the oaky frames are doing nothing for them, but that will soon change.

See what I got the last time I visited the Goodwill Outlet >>