Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

I don't think you heard me when I said: I'M GIVING AWAY $1,000! 🔥 I've teamed up with ‪@arrowfastener‬​ to give away, well, a $500 American Express gift card, and a $500 gift card to be used at ArrowToolGroup.com (valued at $1,000). You can buy some new furniture, tools, staplers, and craft supplies with these gift cards! And 29 additional winners will earn $100 gift cards to use at Arrow's site.

Have you entered yet??! 😍 Don't wait. Your odds are good! There are about 300 entries so far. Here's what you need to do for a chance to win (no purchase necessary, rules apply, US-only):

1. Go to enter here: sweepwidget.com/c/92152-8vil34mp

2. Enter your name and email, then click "Enter Giveaway."

3. Then click "Join Arrow's email list" to make sure you join the email list and get extra entries.

4. Unlock more entries by following them and me on Instagram.

5. Submit a picture of a project you'd like to work on during the month of September for my 30-Day Fall Overhaul Challenge, where you and me will tackle one project, one space, one room of your house! By submitting a "BEFORE" pic, you'll earn an additional 5 entries!

Go enter now!!! Who doesn't like free gift cards? 😍🔥🔥🔥

sweepwidget.com/c/92152-8vil34mp

Thanks to Arrow for sponsoring the giveaway and challenge! ❤️

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3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 39

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

Note to self. ✅ Got it. Check! Anyone else need this daily reminder, too?

5 days ago | [YT] | 79

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

Want to learn how to use power tools?? I have been working sooo hard on editing the video "How to Use a Table Saw" for newbies! It's part of my EmPOWER Tools 101 power tools course I am launching soon, which is why I have been so quiet on my channel. It's hard to edit AND do projects at the same time. But I am here, and putting together everything you need to learn how to safely and accurately use tools! If you want to join my wait-list for the course, go sign up here: thriftdiving.com/tools. See you in class! 🥰

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4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 80

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

I'm sick! EEK! Well, I'm recovering......which is why I don't have the video of this GORGEOUS vintage dresser that I just finished! My voice is still rough. But the blog post is done!! I'm willing to spoil the "AFTER" and send you over to my blog if you want to see how it turned out! :) I can't wait to see what you think. I almost ruined this with paint simply out of laziness because I did NOT want to strip and sand the nooks and crannies of the feet and grooves. But it was worth it, when you see the results. The link is below in the comments! What do you think?! Do you like the stain, or do you think I should have painted this dresser?

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5 months ago | [YT] | 65

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

I haven't died! 🤣 It's been a while since you've seen or heard from me, but I'm still here!! Working hard on this dresser makeover, stripping and soon staining, and it's been sloooooow. Trying to get into the nooks and crannies is always the hardest part. I had asked me everyone months ago if I should paint this, or refinish it, and the clear winner was "Don't you dare paint it!" 🤣 I promise a new video tutorial of its refinishing is coming soon! How have YOU been??!! I've missed you!

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6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 79

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

Imagine you're painting wood furniture--an amazing, gorgeous dresser that belonged to your grandmother...and only minutes after painting it a pretty soft white, it starts to turn yellow. Or you're about to finish painting your oak dining room table chairs and realize that you have messy paint drips down the backs of the chairs (and even worse--the paint has already dried!) These mistakes are actually pretty common when painting wood furniture. It happens to the best of us. Or maybe you started painting a piece, thinking you'd get a silky coat without brush strokes, but when the light hits it....UGH...it looks terrible, like your 5-year-old grandson took a brush to it!

The thing is, it's not difficult to fix these painting mistakes. But even better, you can prevent them to begin with.
The 10 most common furniture painting mistakes include:


-Paint drips and runs.
-Brush strokes.
-"Bleeding through" light colored paints
-Chipped paint.
-Peeling paint.
-White paint turning yellow
-Missing bare spot.
-Painting looking streaked
-Paint that gets dirty with debris while it's still wet.
-Choosing the wrong color.

Go read my blog post on how to prevent and FIX these 10 common furniture painting mistakes: thriftdiving.com/painting-wood-furniture/

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8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 26

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

GIFT IDEAS: I honestly think the best gifts are the ones that people put time and effort into making with their own hands. Why? Because they're giving you the gift of their "time." They took time to make something that was especially for you and not just something they ran to the store or ordered online at the last minute. If you're considering some DIY gifts this year, consider getting some cute little jars like this and making your own scrubs, and then head over to a hardware store and get a hand sander thingy like this. Wrap some sandpaper around it. And give someone the gift of scented foot soaks with this "repurposed" sander that can be used for homemade DIY pedicure set. Add in some cozy socks (even better if you knitted them yourself! ;) haha) and you've got THE best thoughtful, handcrafted gift that didn't cost you much, but I bet they appreciate it. :) Read my blog post with a few more ideas for homemade DIY gift ideas!

BLOG POST: thriftdiving.com/10-diy-gift-ideas-that-wont-cost-…

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8 months ago | [YT] | 23

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

Hanging lights outside this week?? ~~> Here's how you can easily hang lights outdoors on brick! You're welcome. :) (TIP: Just don't rub it into the brick or else you'll have to pressure wash the moldable glue; just press lightly and it should come off when you're ready to take down the lights!).

9 months ago | [YT] | 15

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

What do you think of dark green for a bedroom? Did you miss this bedroom makeover I recently posted?? I know how YouTube likes to be the gatekeeper behind what people see and don't see! LOL.

9 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 12

Thrift Diving (Serena Appiah)

Have you ever taken a piece of furniture to a professional upholsterer to see how much it would cost? It’s freakin’ expensive!! For the price they charge, you can get a whole new piece of furniture, shipped, and a matching foot stool.

But have you ever thought about why it’s so expensive?

The reason is because most people don’t know a thing about reupholstering furniture! So when you have a subset of people who know how to take something that’s ugly and make it look brand new with fabric and stuffing (pssst….did you know a professional upholstery can reupholster a wingback chair in less than 5 hours??), you best believe they get paid handsomely for something most the general public doesn’t know how to do.

But here at Thrift Diving, you and I are not about paying professionals to do things that we ourselves can learn. Right? We also enjoy (and can be quite skilled!) at taking something ugly and blinging it out with decorative furniture tacks and luscious velvet.

While it may not be perfect (don’t look too closely!), it’s good enough for our homes.

If you’re a beginner, I’ll share with you some tips that I learned during my time in upholstery classes and after reupholstering many pieces of furniture. Keep swiping for a few tips. But for all the tips, read the blog post here: thriftdiving.com/upholstery-tips-beginners/

Is there a project you're planning to reupholster soon?! Let me know in the comments!

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9 months ago | [YT] | 71