Beachy Bargains

I posted about my Master Bathroom Re-Do here. I had too many photos on that post and I didn't want to overwhelm everyone! I wanted to share my bargain accessories, too!
In the photo above:
Blue Wooden Tray - TJ Maxx ($3 or so)
Wicker Basket - Yard Sale 25 cents
Blue Fish on a stick - Hobby Lobby (Clearance 66% off!)
Candles - Hobby Lobby (got them when candles were on sale)
Floral thingy in the background - Michael's (cheap!)


The best part about this collection is the 2 shelves that I got at a Yard sale for Six bucks for both! I priced these at Target and they would cost around $50 in a store! Woohoo!
The framed art was from Bed Bath & Beyond and I waited until it was 40% off! The 2 small canvases are Hobby Lobby - also 40% off. I grabbed some sea shells while I was there. The Star fish are from Michaels - cheap!

The aluminum LOVE sculpture is an original by the artist Robert Indiana. I bought this years ago at a store in Dallas called Millenium. It is the real deal and I love it. I would never part with it, although I have checked it out on ebay and I could get a nice chunk of change for it!

MORE BEACHY BARGAINS FROM MY BEDROOM:



Chair and ottoman from Kirklands. I wanted this look when I first saw it in the Pottery Barn catalog! But, I couldn't afford their prices, so I was so happy when I saw it at Kirkland's! And even happier when I went to the store and saw that it had been discontinued! They were selling the last chair off the floor (the ottoman was new in the box). I even got him to lower the price because it was a floor model. I can't remember the exact price (it was last year) but both pieces together were less than $100! That's not bad!



This is just some things I have on my dresser. The basket is a bargain I picked up at Hobby Lobby when they had a sale. The table runner is from a yard sale. Round wicker box is a 25cent yard sale find, as is the thing with the wooden planks in the background. The vase and the greenery is from Michaels, too (on sale of course!)





I loved these little beachy things on a stand when I first saw them at Hobby Lobby! I bought one with a coupon and then went back and got the other when they went on 66% off.



Lastly...not my most brilliant decorating move, but I got these frames for 50cents each at a yard sale. I didn't have anything to put in them, so I printed off some photos from the internet. I will change them out someday with something a little better.

That's the end of my Beachy Bargains tour!


EDITED TO ADD: I am participating in Trash to Treasure Tuesday over at Reinvented! Please go on over and check it out!

Bathroom Re-Do

I am joining the Met Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch.

I have done some transforming to our master bath. It's not done yet, by any means, but atleast I can stand it now! When we moved in it definitely had a real 90's Southwest vibe! Check out the wallpaper:

I will say they got some nice quality fixtures. They may be mauve but atleast they are Kohler! These babies are solid! Not a chip or hardly a sign of wear and tear on them!

I wish I had the funds to completely rehab this bathroom, but that's just not in the cards right now. So I started with what I could do something about - the wallpaper! You wouldn't think it would be a big deal to remove one wall of paper and a border in a small bathroom...but it really was! I am more of an instant gratification kind of person and I don't like long processes! The spraying and the scraping and the cleaning up all the little pieces...yuck! I did it over 2 weekends, so the bathroom was a mess for a while! Thankfully we have two! I chose a paint color that reminds me of sand, wet sand that is! I am going for a beachy theme in my bedroom.

I also replaced the towel bar and bought new, really nice knobs for the cabinets. I kind of splurged on the knobs, but the way I look at it - they belong to the house and I am always thinking of re-sale. I want the changes we make to the house itself to be something that will add value. Which brings me to the cabinets...

I am trying to decide what I want to do with the cabinets. I like this new distressing paint kit I saw over at A Soft Place to Land. The doors have a more contemporary detail on them and I am just not sure how it would look. And the big question is - what color? Should I go with an off-white distressed look or maybe a black stain?

More later on where I got my beachy accessories...

This Humble House

This is our Humble House! It was built in 1958 and sits in the middle of a beautiful old neighborhood full of tree-lined streets and gorgeous homes. It's just the kind of neighborhood that I always wanted to live in, like something out a TV show. I love to just go on walks and just study the houses. They all have such character! So many details to look at - the gabled roofs, the multi-paned windows, the landscaping! I can't say enough about how truly Blessed we feel to live here! We waited a very long time to buy our first home and it has meant so much to us!

We searched on-line every day, but in the end it was up to us to hit the streets and just drive up and down looking. That's what we did! We drove and drove and drove some more. That is how we really narrowed down where we wanted to live. And, once we had the neighborhood figured out - we just tried to be patient and wait.

We only found our house by accident. Our on-line searches were for 3 bedroom houses, not 2 bedrooms! My hubby found it by driving around the neighborhood.

At that time our house was built, 2 bedroom floor plans were still popular. But, thanks to some remodeling over the years, the front living/formal dining was divided into 2 parts. The old dining room was changed to an office and the door was added. This created an extra room with out a closet. Because of the missing closet, it can't be called a 3 bedroom. (If we ever move, we will probably put a closet in before we sell)

As for what we did about the missing closet in what is now our son's room...
We gave him a section of a large closet located near the hall bathroom. It has worked out just fine so far. If it does become a pain for him, we can always build a closet in his room. He got his bunk beds that he always wanted and he likes the location of his room, near the action. So he's a happy camper right now!

Here's the floor plan we were given by the appraiser:

It is the classic floor plan, with the formal area across the front and the big picture window. I am so thankful to whomever it was that decided to close up the dining end of the front room! We would never have been able to consider this house if they hadn't!

Here's some photos I took on the day of closing and right before we moved in:

This is the family room. I really love the beams across the ceiling and the tube skylights. The fireplace had been painted, and I really liked how it looked.

To be honest, I was not a huge fan of tile floors. I would have much preferred hardwood floors. But these are really pretty! I love how they laid them in a diamond pattern. On the right side of the picture you can see the opening to the sunroom.



The sunroom is what really sold us on the house! We really wanted some kind of extra room or space to have a home office and just another place to hang out in the house. I asked for the furniture as part of the deal and they agreed! They even threw in the rug! This is my favorite part of the house. I really enjoy the views of the backyard and all the windows.

The dining room also has the beams across the ceiling. Like I said before, this was the formal living area when the house was originally built. It makes for a pretty big dining room! That's a good thing, because I have a large table and hutch. We can keep the leaves in the table now and it fills up the room. It was already painted the perfect green for my country Italian theme. It just needs a new light fixture and maybe a different window treatment that is less formal.

The kitchen was remodeled by the former owners. This was a huge plus for us, all the work was done! The appliances were all new and they really did a nice job. I actually liked the wallpaper, too! I have been able to work with it - I like the colors and the grape theme just fine.

This is the corner bedroom and guest bath. Both the bedrooms have a pink-toned carpet. Not my first choice! But it is a neutral tone atleast! This bedroom has the lovely multi-paned windows that I always wanted!
The really neat thing about the bathroom counters is that they are the extra tall height. It is really nice to stand in front of to get ready in the morning. The wallpaper has to go and eventually we hope to replace the sinks, toilet, tub and tile. But with a little paint and some accessories we can live with it for a while. It is a nice size for the kids to share and I love that it has 2 sinks. There is also plenty of storage for them to each have a section of drawers.

Another really cool thing about the house is the doors! If you look closely in the photo of the dining room above you can see the hall closet door. All the doors in the house are solid wood multi-paneled doors. They are so beautiful! I think they really add charm to the house.

Lastly, this is the master bedroom. We really liked the size of it. It also has 2 large windows and nice his and hers closets. The bathroom is a good size for a house from this time period. I don't mind not having a tub, the shower is really nice. Notice the octagonal mauve sinks! There is also a mauve Kohler toilet to go with them! More ugly wallpaper that had to go. But in this bathroom the tile is a nice clean white. I can work with that for now.

Well that's a little "before" tour of our house. I will post the "afters" soon. Thanks for looking!