Upcycling/Thrifting

Ever since Justin and I moved to Ohio, we've had a lot more space in our home to fill.  Our apartment in Indiana was very small and we barely had enough room for all of our stuff there (we stored quite a few things in my in-law's basement).  Now that we have a house with more space, it's been fun for Justin and I to find things to fill it with.

However, decorating with new things and purchasing furniture can be VERY expensive.  (When Justin and I were looking for a new couch, I couldn't believe the cost of furniture!)  Fortunately, Justin and I love upcycling.

This is the definition of upcycling according to a Google search:

up·cy·cle

/ˈəpˌsīkəl/

verb

reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original

We LOVE to recycle old things.  I love inviting people into my home and showing them some of the projects that Justin and I have taken on together.  We find things to upcycle almost anywhere - thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, flea markets, vintage and antique shops, etc.  I have a hard time buying something new with a high price tag when I can spend a little money on something and then put my own style and color into it while spending time with my husband.  We love to do these projects together and often end up covered in paint or cleaning up big messes, but it's all a part of the process.  

I wanted to share a some things that Justin and I have upcycled for our home or found while thrift shopping.  I love redecorating and adding lots of color to my home, and upcycling and thrift shopping is a way to do it on a budget!

Here are some of my favorite things that make our home my favorite place to be:

I love posters and art prints, but they can be expensive, especially when trying to find affordable (yet durable) frames.  I got this art print for 75% off at Urban Outfitters because it had a bent corner and I found the frame at Goodwill.  It was baby blue and had a print already in it, but I took it apart, spray painted it red, and then painted a black background for the print since it the frame wasn't a perfect fit.  (The globe lights were $3 at Target and the flowers were a gift from Justin on our first Valentine's Day together). 

Justin and I found this print (and several others) at Hollander's in Ann Arbor, MI, for around $4 a piece.  I found this frame at Wal-Mart for around $10, but added my own splash of color with some seafoam green spray paint.  (I also painted the black background since the frame didn't fit the print perfectly).

These prints are from the Art Supply Depo in downtown Toledo and were even cheaper than the ones we found in Ann Arbor.  I decided not to paint the outside of these frames, but I still painted the background black to make the prints pop (I love anatomical images and vintage bikes, so I am in love with these prints).  The jars are a cute thrift store find and they are full of old buttons.  The lantern was a gift from my grandmother and the faux roses (a gift from Justin) are in a vintage-style milk jug. Justin and I bought some chocolate milk from Whole Foods and then I washed the jug and used it as a flower vase.

I love cork boards because you can decorate with whatever you want without having to buy expensive frames.  This one is in our room and I cover it with photos and Bible verses along with this vintage map I found at an antique shop of my great grandparents' hometown.

Vintage suitcases add a wonderful pop of color to any room.  My great grandfather gave me this one.  (This is our spare bedroom and the furniture in here was mine from when I was growing up!)  Re-using furniture is a great way to save money.

I found these pillows for a bench in our spare bedroom at Goodwill for $2 a piece.

I love this vintage anatomy print, but I didn't want to spend $100 getting it framed.  I bought this old frame at Goodwill for $3 and spray painted it before painting a black background for the print. 

This is my office area.  I found the "imagination" print at a thrift store and painted the frame red.  The jars holding my art supplies are from Goodwill.  The picture board was made by my husband with a Goodwill cork board, some twine, and clothes pins. 

This radio and the records were gifts from my great grandfather.  The Beatles print is an old one from college in a frame I found and spray painted green.

My typewriter was a gift from my husband and those coasters were handmade by Justin and I from old 45s and cork sheets.

I could have bought a stand from Urban Outfitters for $145, but I decided to use an old record crate and a vintage briefcase from Justin's uncle as a stand for my record player. 

I have a lot of second-hand and vintage anatomy books, so I use them as decorations because of the fun colors and designs.

Old vintage prints of some of our favorites - The Doors, The Beatles, and the Rat Pack.  They were about $3 a piece at a vintage store and they are in Wal-Mart frames with black construction paper backgrounds. 

I love vintage bikes.  This one is from Goodwill and I'm still trying to track down some hardware to hang it in our living room.

Our vintage corner in the living room.  The radio belonged to Justin's grandmother and the cameras are all thrift store finds (for about $2-$3 for each one).  The projector is also from a thrift store (I think we paid $15 for it).

Some of our antique store finds.  (We found that Samson box at an antique shop in Saugatuck, MI, while celebrating our two-year wedding anniversary). 

All you need is love.

I had this photo hanger from college and we used it to hang some vintage photos of cars (they were 10 cents a piece) that Justin found at an antique shop in Warsaw, IN.

I love decorating with records, too.  These album frames are super cheap and the Mellencamp album only cost us a quarter at Goodwill.

Cheap crates to keep my records on display.

Our curtain rods and hardware were all found at Goodwill in the original packaging for around $3 a piece.

Vintage prints from Hollander's in our kitchen.  These frames were spray painted, as well.

Justin and I just recently re-did our bathroom.  These colorful bins are great for organizing and are $1 at Dollar Tree.

We found these rugs to match our colorful shower curtain at the At Home store in Toledo for $3 a piece.

This is my FAVORITE chair.  This was a $15 find at Nu Way Thrift Store in Niles, MI.  I love antique yellow.  (Don't mind the army jacket - that was a Goodwill find from when I was in high school!)

I love Urban Outfitters, but they are ridiculously expensive.  I found this quilt for our bed at an 80% sale at UO when they decided not to carry bedding in their stores anymore.  (You can still order bedding from them online).

This porch furniture was given to us for free but the pieces didn't match, so we spray painted it yellow. 

Our latest upcycling project is re-furbishing a dining room table.  We didn't have room for a full-size dining room table at our old place, so we found a table at Goodwill for $15 and four chairs (for free!) and are working on re-painting them now.  (There will be a post about that when we are finished with that project!)

I love adding things to my home, but I like it even better when I've been able to put time and effort into it to make it exactly what I want it to be, and it's even better when I'm spending very little money!

If you've never tried upcycling or have never been thrift shopping, try it!  You might find just what you are looking for.