Star's Threads: Thrift store bargain causes shoe and necklace makeover!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Thrift store bargain causes shoe and necklace makeover!

I love to go thrift store shopping. A few weeks ago, I ventured into my favorite local Salvation Army store and found this fabulous deep teal blue dress hanging in the window. I asked the store clerk if they knew what size it was and they brought it down for me. It was a size 6 and "The Limited" brand - BINGO! There were a few stains on it, but my trusty stain remover at home would surely get them out so I opted to splurge on the $4.50 dress. Who knows how much this would have cost when it first graced the aisles of The Limited retail store.

Of course, I had nothing go wear with the dress which spurred on a few new projects I had been wanting to try.

First, I had no shoes to wear with the dress. I wanted to try dying a pair that was destined for the donation bin, so I pulled them out. I figured I had nothing to lose since I was going to get rid of them anyways.

Next, it was off to the internet to find some shoe dye. I found this kit for only $6.99. It comes with the preparer solution, instructions in every language I could think of and then some, a sponge, brush and finally, the dye. After briefly reading the instructions, I was on my way.

After the first coat, it didn't look to promising and I had my doubts, but decided to hold out until the end to give my final verdict.

Here's the final product. Voila! This was after about 6 coats of the dye. I learned a few things in the process. First - be sure to follow the directions! I probably needed to wait a little longer between coats and also tape off between the bottom of the shoe and the part you want to dye. Common sense should have told me that since the directions didn't. Second, I should have used the sponge more to swirl the dye around rather than painting it on so much with the brush. Either way, I think they turned out great! A new pair of shoes that only cost $6.99 for the dye!

Another technique I wanted to give a whirl was using fingernail polish to paint a necklace. I had an old prom necklace that I was never going to wear again so it was going to be my test piece.

Here's the set before....

And with two bottles of nail polish - totally $3.00, I was off and painting.

I am quite happy with the final product! This was after 3 coats of nail polish.

And, it perfectly matches the dress! I'm very happy with it! Now, I have a bunch of other jewelry to tackle as well. With all of the colors of nail polish out there, the possibilities are endless!