Thrifty Find: More Cabinets

Sometimes I wish I had a larger home or at least more storage space in my house. On my weekly trip to the thrift store I ran across these beauties. I'm not sure what's gotten in to the Habitat Restore but lately they have been jam packed with some beautiful, high quality solidly built furniture. A lot of them show very little wear and tear. 

I first spotted this dresser. I am not crazy about some of the embellishments but it is still quite lovely. I could paint it a color like red or navy or even your basic white or black. I'd either remove the stars or leave them gold. The lines are great but the best thing was that it was solidly built. Oh and the price was only $10. 

I also spotted two small chests. They were about 30" wide and 36" tall. I'm sure they were once a part of a bedroom wall unit that was dismantled and for sure they are not in good shape. A little sanding, a good coat of paint and new hardware and these would make outstanding nightstands. By the way, they were only $1.00. Seriously. I may have to rethink not taking them and see if they are still available. Buy them, paint them and sell them. It would surely be worth the effort and money.

My favorite find of all is this mid century modern cabinet. OMG. I fell in love with this piece the moment I saw it. It is solid wood, has clean lines and is in near perfect condition. It's about 5 ft wide and would make a perfect TV cabinet. I still have the same problem in that I have no where to put it. I may have to find a spot for it though because one should not pass up a deal like this. Oh did I mention that it's only $10 too. I'm thinking of going back to see if it is still there. With my luck it and the nightstands are probably gone. 

Man I wish I had a big house.

Cheers,

Barbara

Bathroom Reveal

It's finally complete. I have dragged this out long enough and I am ready to show off my bathroom. I had to work with a limited budget but believed if I can get the basics right I can always build from there.  Here is a before picture...

...and here is the after.

     

This was a difficult project because I had a limited budget and as we got into it I realized it  wasn't large enough. To compensate I had to sacrifice on some things but was fortunate to find a few bargins. We stripped the shower down to the studs and found mold. There was no insulation or water barrier and the bottom half of the wall was not tile, but paneling. It was disgusting and a disaster. The replacement of the shower took up more of my resources than I wanted but it absolutely had to be done. We put up a moisture barrier, insulated and replaced the drywall with cement board. No more water damage for me.  

 

For the shower we installed 6x6 ceramic tile in a brick pattern with a glass/stainless steel/marble accent strip. Next we took up the old black tile floor and replaced it with a 12 x 12 porcelain tile floor. We painted the walls gray, added a semi-frameless door from Arizona Shower doors and installed a new Kohler toilet. 

The big hurdle was what to do with the vanity. I couldn't decide if I should replace the entire vanity or just the top. My money started to run low so I decided to keep the vanity.  

Thankfully I got super lucky when I found this beautiful 6 ft marble counter top for $35 at the Habitat Restore.

We cut it down to fit the existing vanity and it turned out perfect. 

We used the leftover marble to create a backsplash, installed a Kohler sink and finished with a beautiful chrome faucet and mirror which was made from a picture frame.                                          

I added new towel bars, a light over the vanity, hung a little artwork and called this project complete.

This bathroom is in a neutral gray and anything will go  with the tile I selected. It would be easy for me or anyone else to change the look or feel of the room with new towels and a can of paint. There are still a few things I want to do, such as replace the door and I need to have a new electrical outlet installed both of which will be done soon enough. 

I've wanted to redo my bathroom for years because I knew it was in bad shape. When my contractor, and my friend, said we are all done I squealed with joy. No really, ask him, I squealed. 

That's all she wrote. Now on to the next project.

Bathroom Update - Mable Sink

My contractor and I finally got around to the sink. I was so excited about finding this beautiful marble counter top at the Habitat Restore for just $35. I never realized it would be so difficult to modify and install it. 

The top was 6 feet wide so we first had to cut it down making sure the sink was in the right spot because the opening was not centered. 

I purchased a standard size Kohler sink but when I got it home it was much too big. I shopped every home improvement store, including plumbing stores and no one had it smaller. I finally found it through Amazon.com. It was the same model as the first purchase except it was the next size down. 

Our next obstacle was the backsplash. The top came with a backsplash that was tapered on the ends and higher in the middle which was meant to sit behind the faucet. When we cut the backsplash to to fit the length and width of the sink it looked horrible because it was not straight and even. I asked my contractor if we could take what was left of the top and cut two 4" strips of marble and polish the edges. 

                                       

                                              

He cut the new backsplash, did a dry fit and it looked so much better because it was a much cleaner detail. The last step was to install the polished chrome Pfister wideset faucet, caulk the edges and now my $35 marble counter is finished. 

  

I wanted a real stone counter top for my bathroom but did not think I could afford it. I am so glad (and lucky) I decided to stop by Habitat that day. I think it looks so pretty and I could not be happier with it. 

Next up, the custom mirror. 

Thrift Store Nightstands

The last few years I've used a TV stand and a small dresser for nightstands. I used to have a matching pair that I got at an estate sale for next to nothing. They were nice little solid oak nightstands but the tops were too small, it had one teeny little drawer and an open shelf that was barely large enough to hold a basket. They just did not suit my needs. I wanted something with more storage and since I am so opposed to buying everything new I kept my eye out for a pair of nightstands that were decent sized with good storage. Finally, on the day i found my marble bathroom top I also found my nightstands. 

They are made of solid pine, have a large top and of course I'm loving the three drawers. They are a little damaged from someone putting out their cigarettes but it's nothing that a little wood filler and sanding can't fix. I paid about $50 for the pair which is more than I wanted to pay but I waited so long to find them. They were still a good price considering they were solid wood. 

The other thing I like are the lines. The material is traditional wood but the plain square feet, top and detailing make it more contemporary. I think it will be a nice compliment to my existing dresser. 

I haven't decided if I want to paint or stain them. It will most likely be paint but picking the color will be the tough part. Do I go neutral or add a little color. Also, should I keep the hardware or replace them with something more modern. Who knows but the answer will come to me. 

Mirror Makeover

Isn’t this a pretty mirror. Notice anything missing. Right, the mirror. I bought it from HomeGoods for $20 bucks because it was missing the mirror. I loved the filigree cut outs and decided I could do something with it but couldn't decide exactly what. I decided that it was too small to be truly functional so I decided to make it more of a decorative piece. 

I spray painted it silver and then went on the hunt for a round mirror. I had hoped to find one at the thrift store but after a few months had no success. Eventually I found them in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby. They are normally used as wedding centerpieces but they still suited my purpose. I attached the mirror with mirror adhesive and since the opening was a little smaller I filled in the gap around the edges with clear silicone. To give it a little extra zip I attached clear marbles all around the edge which also helped to hide the gap. 

Here is the final product. 

I'm not so sure I'm happy with the silver so I may paint over it again someday but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. 

Another Furniture Steal

Here's my latest little find. 

I spotted this lovely 3 drawer dresser at the Salvation Army thrift store last weekend and fell in love with it. It was marked $25 and they had a 15% off furniture sale so the pretax cost was $21. It's solid wood, slightly weathered with super cool hardware. It's in pretty good shape but the drawers will need some new hardware. No worries. When I get around to painting or staining it, I'll take care of any issues. For now, it's right by the front door and is perfect for holding hats, gloves and scarves. Eventually I want to redecorate my living room and at that time I'll decide what to do with it. Until then, I'll just enjoy thinking of the possibilities.