Favorite Places to Thrift and a Mirror Rehab

I've been hitting my usual thrift and antique store circuit quite a bit lately. The turnover in alot of these places is pretty fast, so when I have the time, I'll hit my faves a couple times a week (don't tell my husband that). My top five favorite places to find deals are:

1. Local Antique Malls/Stores
2. Goodwill
3. St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
4. Architectural Salvage Stores (we have a couple of great ones here in STL)
5. Friends and Family

Up until this point, I haven't been much of a garage sale or estate sale gal. I think it's all the driving around. Not knowing what will be there. And, getting frustrated when it's all junk. However, I recently learned of estatesales.net. You can put in your zip code and how far you are willing to drive and each week you'll get an email of everything that's near you, including pics! I'm hoping to check some out soon.

My find of this past weekend was this guy here. He weighs no less than 89 pounds. Has great detailing on the top (I knew the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint would take very well to this). And, was $20. I literally snatched it up the minute I walked in the door.

I used two coats of Paris Grey (bottom) and a light coat of Pure White (top). After a coat of clear wax, I distressed all the edges. I took the dark wax only to the detail at the top. In certain lights, it looks like gold is coming through. I love it! I can't get over how smooth it is...it feels like butter.

I've considered antiquing the mirror itself. Muriatic acid is involved. I'm willing to bet that acid+me=disaster...so, we'll see!

Have a great and creative week!

Linking to Shades of Amber, Brassy Apple, Singing Three Little Birds, DIY Showoff