Kristy Bowen

Small wooden trinket and curio shelves are a fairly common sight at many thrift stores and secondhand dealers, coming in a variety of sizes, configurations, and styles. Options vary from primitive Shaker-style wooden shelf units and cubby shelves to acrylic and glass-fronted curio cabinets. While today's more minimalist interiors don't always lend themselves towards a lot of small items to populate these shelves, many clever repurposing projects for them go beyond simply housing a collection ...

Backyard spaces can be a mixed bag depending on many factors, often related to size and growing conditions that make outfitting them as attractive and welcoming spaces a challenge. Small urban backyards typically lack square footage, while many neighborhoods boast sloped yards that suffer from drainage issues and little to no flat surfaces. Homeowners in drier or wetter climates may find that growing traditional grass is a pain and want to forgo a conventional lawn altogether. Others may just...

Buying plants from home stores and garden centers can be a great way to fill your home and yard with flowers and greenery. If you've been plant shopping lately, you may find yourself overrun with plastic nursery pots after you've transferred the plants they held. While there are many handy ways to repurpose planters in and around your house, you may be wondering what to do with these often flimsy plastic ones that usually don't last very long for a permanent planting solution. Well, the perfe...

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Vintage and retro touches in your home can be one of the best ways to bring character, charm, and a sense of history to your home, even if it is freshly constructed. One of the best ways to introduce these touches is in the smaller details, which can give you the desired effects, but prevent your home from feeling too much like a museum dedicated to any given era or design period. Hardware for cabinets and drawers is a great place to s...

Thrift stores can be a treasure trove of inexpensive, second-hand goods that are excellent for filling out your crafting and DIY project supply stash. They are especially awesome finds if you love making things with a vintage bent, since these objects often have a sense of age, charm, and character not found in newer supplies. Many are adaptable for any kind of art or craft making, including sewing, making unique housewares, painting, paper crafts, and other mediums. You can often find a lot ...

While kitchen design trends come and go over the years, many circle back around, finding their way increasingly into modern spaces. This is especially true of the mid-century style, which has been influencing home interiors long after the decades of its origins. While 1970s kitchens are known for hallmarks like lots of wood and colors like avocado green, mustard yellow, and sunny orange, other touches, like stainless steel and chrome, also popped up in '70s kitchens, usually used to create a ...

Thrift store décor aisles are often overflowing with animal and human figures in all variety of styles and materials, including brass, stone, ceramics, and wood. This makes them a great thing to never overlook in a thrift store, even if, at first sight, they aren't in line with your aesthetic. Not only can you change the way they look with materials like paint and paper, they are also great for DIY and repurposing projects, like creating a unique lamp on a budget or a classy piece of décor to...

Gallery rails have long been a chic and easy way to hang art for display, allowing the walls behind to remain pristine and damage-free. These slender rails attach to the wall at intervals and are usually made of brass or other metal for sturdiness and functionality. While your first impulse on how to use them may be for hanging art and décor, there are actually many ways to put these handy metal rails to work in different contexts, including storage and display that work splendidly everywhere...

PowerPoint night parties are fast becoming a trend for events and a fun and unusual party idea that has its own built-in entertainment. Depending on the theme and purpose of the party, they can be informative, hilarious, collaborative or interactive. This makes them great for groups of friends, families, co-workers and even strangers.

The basic layout of a PowerPoint party involves pre-prepared slide shows projected on a large screen or projector during the party, which are enjoyed alongside ...

With the weather getting hotter, it's an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the bounty of farmers’ markets, backyard veggie patches, and fresh farm stands to create delicious Summer salad recipes. This means salads aplenty, incorporating everything from classic leaf lettuces to pastas, grains, meats and other tasty additions. They make excellent Summer dinner ideas or sides, adding not only nutritional value to your plate or bowl, but texture, color and delicious flavor.
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Wooden furniture and decor can be found aplenty at thrift stores, many with charming, retro design details that are hard to find today in retail outlets. Benches, chairs, accent tables, and stools are among them and are often offered at budget-friendly prices. They may just be worth picking up even if you don't need them for their original purpose. Many can be upcycled into adorable plant holders, including a TikTok DIY that shows off how to turn a small bench into a stylish and one-of-a-kind...

Stone countertops come in a gorgeous variety of materials, shades, and styles, making them one of the most popular countertop options in kitchens or bathrooms. While homeowners usually make choices for their counters based on the durability of the material and the price point of installation, other considerations like color and veining can play a huge role in their selection, particularly when following more dramatic kitchen countertop trends. Veining, even when combined with traditional ston...

Shopping for home décor when thrifting can be one of the easiest and most budget-friendly ways to bring unique pieces into your space. Lighting options in secondhand retailers can be plentiful, with many stylish vintage pieces that may be just the perfect lighting for your space. These include pieces that are hard to find today, be they the cool sleekness of mid century modern décor or the bold and mod 1960s and 1970s style. One fun and whimsical piece that hails from the trends of the 1970s ...

Unique accent tables can set the tone for any space, allowing you to get creative and reinforce whatever aesthetic you are leaning toward. Rustic accent tables often incorporate distressed, upcycled, and vintage elements to create beautiful, small tables that not only provide a useful surface but also do so with style. Accent tables created from vintage wash tubs are a common sight online as well as in many retailers, where they can range from upward of $100 to over $400 for new models. You c...

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Burlap fabric can be a great way to add rustic and organic texture to your space both indoors and out. This is especially true of burlap bags, which are used often to hold coffee beans, potatoes, grain, and other bulk goods. These bags can have all sorts of usefulness around your home, from wrappings to protect young trees in your yard to the makings of DIY stylish, rustic wall décor. Sure, you can head to Costco, and buy bulk rice and other essentials for the burlap bags they...