Searching for bargains online is one of my favorite pastimes, and if I can find beautiful old pieces of handmade lace or crochet, then that’s even better! I try to look beneath the surface to see whether the piece has potential, so little problems have never bothered me much. I love it, in fact, when a seller admits that something has staining or brown spots, a few missing stitches, a ripped seam, whatever. That’s when I get my best buys, and I can usually fix the problem fairly easily. Usually.

I found these whimsical vintage coasters on ebay. “What cool 1950s retro,” I thought. “You’d never find these in a store!” My excitement faded the minute they arrived, though. They looked so bad up close that I wasn’t at all sure I could save them. The discolored coasters were much worse than their photos … and not at all suitable for my guests without a major makeover.”

Then I went ahead and bleached a couple of them just to prove to myself that Mama’s Miracle really works. Judge for yourself by checking out the photos below: The coasters on the right are in their original condition, the ones on the left are how they look now. All of the stains are gone!