Can't miss Junior League of Knoxville's Bag-A-Bargain

Knoxville bargain hunters, this is the weekend you've waited all year for: The Junior League of Knoxville's Bag-A-Bargain! This event raises money for Mission of Hope, which is reason enough to come. But, truly the best part is the gigantic warehouse of amazing deals and rare finds. Last year, I bought a mid-century modern side table for $5.00! No joke! Grab your friends and join me this weekend. 

Thirfty Shopping

I love spring because it means I will spend countless hours at garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores due to spring cleaning. Here are some features of great finds and also my tips and tricks for thrift store shopping.

 

 

Create your own record bowl

 

 

 

Record Candy Bowls (Under $1 and less than 30 minutes)

Record bowls are great for Halloween candy but can be the perfect statement piece or gift item for the music lover.  This repurposed project only requires a baking sheet, bowl, oven and record. Goodwill has hundreds of records for about $1 a piece. I picked up five and created these great bowls in an afternoon.

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Once your temperature is set, place your bowl upside down with the record on top of the bowl. As the record melts it will curve into the bowl. Bake your record for 20-25 minutes. When the timer goes off you have about two seconds until it dries. Quickly take your melted record and place into a sizeable bowl to dry. If the record isn’t soft enough to conform to the bowl, just place back into the oven to soften. It’s just that easy!

Create a Game Day Dress from a T-Shirt

You can easily create the cutest tailgating dress from your old sports t-shirt. I love the idea of making typical sports wear more fashionable and unique.  

 

Items Needed:

T-shirt

1 Yard of fabric (for skirting)

Ribbon (optional)

Execution:

Option A: Sewing Machine

Option B: Iron a Sem 

Option C: Liquid Stitch

If you sew your dress it will be more durable.  The next best option if you don't own a sewing machine is ironing your seam together. If you also don't own an iron (you should get one) then you can use liquid stitch. 

Cut your t-shirt first by removing the sides and collar. 

Cut your skirting by tracing a skirt or dress with a similar shape. This will help you achieve a fitting size. Allow 1/4 - 1/2 inch around your template for seams. 

Make sure the top of your skirting is the same width as the bottom of your t-shirt. 

Next, Sew (or iron, etc.) your top seams, skirt seams and then attach the shirt to each of the skirt pieces. Lastly, attach the front to back for your completed dress. I tied an orange ribbon for a more finished look. 

Completion notes: I added orange to each side of the t-shirt to allow it to align with my skirting width; the photo doesn't clearly show this. I suggest (if your t-shirt is very worn) to iron on fusible interfacing to stiffen the t-shirt for easier sewing and durability. I also didn't need to add elastic to my dress but depending on your fit you may need to use some. I completed my dress in two hours. 

Modern Daybed vs. Modern Foldout Couch

I love having company stay at my house. We currently have a guest bedroom but I feel that it's a wasted space since we only have company a couple times a year. I'm interested in a modern daybed or foldout couch. Here are the best modern options that don't look or feel like the foldout couch my fmaily had in the 80's. All couches and day beds are designed for sleeping.

$700 Furnituredepot.com

$900 Ikea



$850 Ikea

$2,100 Crate and Barrel

$500 West Elm

$900 West Elm

$1,800 2modern

 

$900 Room and Board




I'll keep you posted about if we go with a modern daybed or modern couch as an additional sleeping option for guests. Feel free to post your comments and ideas about what you do for your occassional guests.
 

Shop Local: Knoxville, TN

I am excited to share with you some of my favorite Farmer's Market vendors who also sell on Etsy.  So shop local Knoxville from ANYWHERE.

I purchased  the cutest cards and baby gift from Meghan McCrary. 

I love the combination of pottery and lace from Burning Fork Studio.

Talk about cute as can be. Upcycled sweaters into cats by Zuparoo.

Worth the Trip to Asheville

I love spending the day in Asheville, NC.  Each time I visit Asheville, I make sure to stop into one of my favorite modern furniture shops, Mobilia.  I highly recommend the boutique for the perfect statement piece and new family heirloom. 

The Great Couch Search of 2011

To say that couch shopping is time consuming is an understatement. I spent over fifty hours researching, shopping, calling, and web searching to find our perfect couch. I plan to not buy another couch for a very long time.

We thought our desires wouldn't be very difficult. After the first couple of shopping trips we narrowed down our wish list.

1. Sectional (optimal for our lifestyle: dogs, narrow living room, and lots of movie nights)

2. Modern Shape/Style

3. Tufted back

4. Fabric (long-lasting, stain-hiding with texture or slight pattern)

5. Optional bonuses- nailhead detail, warranty, in-stock and under $2K

This seemed to be reasonable in our minds. We were in for a long ride. All things were considered when choosing where to purchase our couch. We investigated all of the options- web purchase (can't see it prior, reupholstering a couch (more expensive and long delay), big box discount furniture stores (lots of options and affordable), local shops (better customer service), and all of the options in-between.

We encountered a lot of salespeople who were clearly working on commission. The adventure lost it's excitement when walking into a store and being attacked by salespeople. We felt watched and unable to express our true opinions about the items until we left the store. We also didn't enjoy the stores who didn't mark the price on the couch- it was a negotiating game and I don't play that game. I want to walk in and know how much something is.

BEFORE

BEFORE

The long saga ends with us purchasing our couch from Bliss Home, a local modern furniture store. We were able to design a couch with no extra charges. All of the options are available in one price (except fabric). We picked a 3x3 sectional with wood feet, brown tweed fabric, matching pillows and a tufted back. Our final sale price was in the middle of the big box stores and design furniture stores. Our couch has a new loving home.

Knoxville Wholesale Discount Section

Comfy, good deal but kinda ugly

Not a good color for dogs

Bassett Furniture, we liked the shape and price

This picture doesn't do this couch justice. It was crazy expensive though.

Bryan loved this couch but I didn't love the price.

Thomasville, love the details but they couldn't do tufted on a sectional. Crazy!

Thomasville, floor model on clearance. To order a sectional felt like buying a used car from a bad car lot with a lying salesman.

Bliss- what we actually ended up customizing.

Bliss- so easy to customize. No extra charges!!

READY!

Finally here!

The lighting is bad but here it is!