Another look at that buffet!

Here is the photo of the buffet with all of it's goodies. I picked up the two antique windows at A & J's Antique store with my friend Wendy. I originally bought them to put in the living room but they didn't fit the mood. I love the panes of glass. This decorating project is not complete just yet. I have my eye on a huge french market clock to hang in the center of those windows. It is aged and beautiful. It is from Pier1 and since I work there I get a 25% discount. I am waiting for the clock to go on sale so I get double the discount and then the buffet project will really be finished, but I wanted to show you how cool the dishes (bought the entire set for $12 at Goodwill) look. They are Williams Sonoma. I don't know the retail value but I would assume each plate probably cost around $7-$10 each. I scored a service for 8 with matching mugs and all. The mugs are in a hutch in the living room. The basket was a find from last week's thrifting. It was $2.99. The other pieces were also thrift. I have to be honest. The only thing on the buffet that isn't thrift is the large silver tray at the bottom. Back in the day when I could afford to pay retail (I think it was before children...LOL) I picked up this Arthur Court platter and a glass and silver salad bowl. They are beautiful and have lasted all these years. Our oldest is 26, so it was definitely a good investment. The martinin glasses were new from pier 1 also, but remember, I get a 25% discount on all purchases so I still consider them thrift. You can find wonderful bar ware in thrift stores. I found a 12 piece glass set that was originally from Pier 1. The glasses were $4 each new. I paid 49 cents apiece at Goodwill. They are just small beverage glasses. In the day, my Dad would haved called them a "highball" glass. They are stored in the buffet cabinets. The darling little bird salt and pepper shakers were given to me by my boys as a Christmas gift last year. I absolutely love them. The big glass containers were given to my by Taylor, my oldest. It is our goal to celebrate with friends so much this year that the jar on the left is filled with wine corks from those celebrations. When we go cheap and buy boxed wine or the screw off top, I will just throw in a cork from a bag of plain corks I bought from Hobby Lobby. I will take a sharpie and write the date and the people and the type of wine. It will be a time capsule of sorts. This project literally started with a little tray that I bought at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. I started and finished the buffet within a 26 hour period and I didn't work non-stop on it. Life happened in between. Here is that buffet in full use. I am going to double post today because I found a steal at the thrift stores on Saturday and I am going to re-do them and create so when I am done with that project today, I will do another post. Good luck on your thrifting adventures! XOXO the thrift addict.

Remember those drawers in the original piece. I needed cabinet type space and this is how I am using it.

These are solid silver candle sticks with the Pottery Barn label still on them. I found them at ARC for $4.99 for the pair.

I am using this basket to organize serving items. All of the glass and serving pieces are from thrift stores. I love the way that the glass ties in the glass on the window panes.

I love birds. I even have a pair of zebra finches that I keep in my art studio. My boys Tristan and Kieran, gave me these for Christmas 2009. I love them. They look happy!

This is our time capusle of good times with friends and family. We only just started it around Thanksgiving last year. I didn't have the glass containers yet. I got them from Taylor as a Christmas gift. I had the old corks in a drawer.

I wanted more glass for a statement so I grabbed another jar at Goodwill that matched the one Taylor gave me. I am planning on putting seasonal type items in it. Topiaries for spring, Shiny fake fruit for summer, Big dried sunflowers for fall, pumpkin for Halloween, Christmas ornaments...you get the picture.

This is the silver tray and serving piece display I have inside the cabinet I made. I love how the green marble pulls the greenish tint of the buffet out.

Williams Sonoma dishes...entire set from Goodwill just at $12

You can't find these exact blocks anymore because the company is no longer in business...but they are part of a set of 16 blocks that spell out dozens of sayings...from Happy New Year to Merry Christmas and beyond. I have had them for 23 years. You can find similar sets if you google "wooden word block sets"

HAPPY THRIFTING!