Cozy Kitchen

I no longer live in this house - we sorta move a lot - but I always loved this kitchen. Mostly because of the window seat I had built for a total of $40 in materials and I bartered the labor. I am a firm believer that anywhere there is a window in a nook, there can and should be a window seat.

What is more wonderful than having all the comforts of being inside (like AC in August and heating in January), but feeling like you're outside? This was my favorite place to read, check email, do puzzles, you name it. The cornflower blue table with turned legs gives it a cottage-y feel, as do the plates on the inner walls and the bubble curtain - Target's Simply Shabby Chic line for $16. I bought the foam and fabric for the cushions and pillows at Joann's when it was on sale and/or I had a coupon. The foam was the most expensive part, but altogether it cost about $75. Totally worth it for my favorite place EVER!

Cheap Fix

Hate your kitchen? Wish you had a new kitchen? One that has personality and flair and is just more you? New cabinets are very expensive, and new cabinet doors are also pricey. New knobs are a good option, but do not always make a big enough impact and depending on the style, can cost a pretty penny. Time to look at other options - like a paint treatment on your cabinets. Check these out.

Now, if pink's not your thing, envision this in classic black on natural wood, or blue or even Kelly green. If you like funky, think purple or lime or turquoise on wood or white or even another painted color backdrop.

Once you've picked your poison, you'll need a pencil and a ruler, some tape, a brush and paint and you're set. Here's how to make diamonds (or harlequin for you fancy pants out there) without swanky geometric implements: Measure the width of the cabinet and put a pencil mark halfway. Example: the cabinet is 12 inches wide, mark at 6 inches. Measure the height and put another mark halfway. Example: 22 inches high, mark at 11 inches. Do this for all 4 sides of the cabinet. Place the ruler between the mark in the center of the top and one of the side-center marks and draw a line. Repeat this with all four points going around the edge, like connect-the-dots and the end picture should be a diamond. Go inside the box if your cabinets are not flat faced, all the way to the edge if they are.

 For the stripes, the easiest way is to use painters tape in the desired stripe width. Start on the end with a taped space, no tape, tape, no tape... you get the idea.

Once you're all marked, tape your lines and paint inside them. Once the darker/fun color has dried, paint a layer of base coat over top - in this case white - and use another dry brush to go over it and remove roughly 40% of the paint. This will give it a streaked, white-washed look. Let it dry, take off the tape, and voila!

This project took me 2 afternoons and cost $8 for a quart of hot pink paint. That's a seriously cheap, high-impact change. And the best part? If you get tired of it, it's super easy to paint back over it with white. (Which I did when I sold the house - only took an hour.)

The Study

This is my study/sitting room. After going back and forth for a little while on what I wanted to do, I decided to make this a rainy-day room.  The climate here is sunny and warm for such a large portion of the year that it made sense to make the house airy and light. Every room, with the exception of my son's, is a lighter palette and more spacious in design. However, I found that on rainy days, cold days, and dark afternoons in January I wanted something a little more homey and crowded in a darker palette.

I designed this room after an English study. The walls are Vine Green from Benjamin Moore - my favorite paint - and all the furniture is a mix of things I've picked up here and there. I bought the chairs a few years ago at a hotel liquidation sale for $60 each. They were upholstered in a HIDEOUS orange and teal floral fabric - very early 90's. But I loved the shape and they were in excellent condition - who sits in the chair in their hotel room? I bought the fabric, a white denim, on clearance for $10 a yard and had them reupholstered locally for $350 for the pair. My total cost for the chairs was $550 - for both. I've seen chairs identical to these at Havertys and Ethan Allen for between $900 and $1400 each.

The zebra rug was a liquidation find for $20. I got the piano at half-price day at Goodwill for only $75!!! The ottoman was another Goodwill find for $12, and the bookshelf was a gift from my in-laws - $200 at the unfinished furniture store plus an $8 quart of stain. My husband picked up the Hepburn posters at the grocery store for $2 each and I got cheap $10 frames for them a the the hobby store. The pics above the piano are mementos from the trip we just took to NYC. I think there's a total of $16 in pics there.

The brass floor lamp is another half-price day find, only $3.50, and the table lamp was $6 at Goodwill and I topped it with a $15 Target shade. The side table is one of my favorite finds - $3 at Goodwill! It would be fun painted a bright color like pink, orange, yellow or lime or emerald green. Since my room was already pretty bright, I left it natural. I topped it with a $5 piece of glass that I had lying around.

Here's the dresser I scored last week. I haven't hung anything behind it yet; not sure if I will. It's kind of nice to have one small blank wall, but I may change my mind about that later.

 Now I have a sophisticated space to be a grown-up in. There are no baskets full of toys, no train tracks in the corner. I feel smarter just sitting in here. ;-)

Wahoo!

I stopped by one of my favorite second-hand stores the other day and found these two dressers. I originally only wanted one of them, but he gave me a deeper discount for buying both. The one with three drawers is now in my study with a television on top of it and games, blankets, and movies in the drawers. The other is in the living room, again topped with a TV. Both are solid oak and VERY heavy-duty. (more pics to come later) I like to buy old furniture because I figure if it can survive the last fifty years and who knows what kind of treatment, it can probably survive my family. Originally $85 each. Price for buying both: $55 each.

Half-Price Day

At the last half-price day at Goodwill, I scored this great highchair. It's sturdy and well-made and sits lower than the last one I had, so even though there's no tray, it slides up to the table perfectly with enough leg room for my four-year old son. I don't like to use boosters attached to chairs. I had them for a while, but the chair beneath the  booster got unbelievably dirty and then when I had adult guests over, there weren't enough seats. Now there is space for everyone and my son is at a comfortable height. The best part: I only paid $3.50 for it! THIS is why I love half-price day at Goodwill!

Timing is Everything

When shopping for a bargain, consider where you are and the time of the month. If you're headed to Goodwill, most stores have a half-priced day the first Saturday of the month. This is generally when they are the best-stocked. If you miss the half-price day, don't bother with Goodwill again until the middle of the month. This gives them time to clear out the recently purchased merchandise, receive new stock, and get it on the floor.

Also bear in mind the town you're in. My personal experience is that more well-to-do areas have less to offer in the furniture department. Goodwills receive merchandise by the truckload from all over the place, so it is not just your area donations they are selling. Higher-end areas don't have as many bargain shoppers, so in turn, the stores have less furniture to offer. Small town Goodwills can be a gold mine when it comes to wing back chairs, funky art deco pieces, and pretty much anything made out of solid wood.

Second-hand stores are similar timing-wise. They have the best merch at the beginning and middle of the month. This is when many people have more money and when large items are often purchased - the stores stock accordingly. A couple of weeks later, the owners have had time to deliver purchased items, buy new things from auctions and pickers, and cash the checks from the first-of-the-month-flush, leaving them the cash they need to fund their next great buy.

Bottom Line: Shop with the crowds at the first/end of the month for the largest selection and longest lines. Shop between the 13th and 20th for unique items, smaller crowds and store owners ready to make a deal.