GoodDaughter
12-13-2008, 08:11 PM
I'm really having fun with Photobucket now, sort of. It's slow, but it works.
I was sitting here at the desk looking at the back doors today and was thinking how much I bought them for. So as I was sitting there, I was mentally tallying up what I spent on various things, and realized it was surprisingly little because I love to hunt for bargains and refurbish things. I thought I might take a couple of pictures and post them along with what I can best remember paying for things.
ETA after my post about not decorating for Christmas, I was bummed out and so I got out the decking materials and decked the halls. Turned out nice this year.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/bythebackdoor1.jpg
Most of what's in this photo was bought at flea markets, junk and resale shops, or garage sales, or bought on clearance at retail stores. (Exception is the flooring, which is laminate and bought new).
First are the French doors. I bought them to replace a sliding glass door. I bought them at a flea market for $25 each. Hardware was from a resale shop, paid $2 each for brass door hinges, door lever, and deadbolt. Colonial light fixture bought at a JUNK store for $4. It was originally wood and brass, but I bought a $4 can of Rustoleum spray paint called 'Aged Iron' to look like pitted wrought iron. Painted the brass hanger, ceiling plate, arms and candle cups to look like wrought iron, new candle sleeves @ $5, for a total of $13 and some bulbs I've had for years. These light fixtures can be found in 'Country Sampler' and other country decorating magazines for $200 and up. *The oak dropleaf table was bought for $50 at a resale shop. I had to glue some pieces of the leg ornamentation back on, looks fine. Oak chairs were $10 each from an auction. Faux painting of rabbits in a heavy wood frame has a Kirkland's label on the back for $65.00. *I bought it for $5. The little statue of St. Francis on the table as well as all the garland and berry garland and tabletop Christmas decorations were bought on clearance, after Christmas, at Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Small Yellow dog *was free, from neighbors. Wood trim and baseboards were salvaged. Yellow paint was $5 gal. clearance from when Ace Hardware converted to a Do It Best Hardware and they were getting rid of all Ace brand products. Yellow was a mixture of canary yellow, hi-hiding white, and a partial tube of yellow ochre from my acrylic paint set. Yes, even the paint on the walls and doors are cheap.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/P1010368.jpg
Not much to add here; kitchen island made by a family member out of birch plywood scraps and the top is a factory second from Olshan Salvage, think it was $15 years ago. Plate rack made of remilled, salvaged pine and some dowels by same family member, can't be more than $20 in it total. *Clock was from a garage sale, just a few bucks. Old gas stove was either $40 or $50 back in the late 80's. Works well. Folding door to laundry room was salvaged, no cost. Light fixture over island was at Lowe's, on clearance for $5 because all hardware and set screws were missing. Ancient stereo console in front of island was free, works fine, I use it every day. Again, silk poisettias & etc were bought only on clearance.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/P1010370.jpg
Artificial tree and boughten ornaments bought on clearance or at resale shops or picked up out of the yard. Sugar fir and Digger pine cones were free for picking up on a trip to the west coast. Antique wood dough bowl was $10 at resale shop, amazingly no one snapped it up before I got it. Wingback chair was $10, fabric in good shape but I hate it and want to make a slipcover for it. Burlwood armoire and Sheraton side table were from a consignment shop, table was I think $20 or $25 and the armoire was $75. It holds a stereo/cd changer and speakers, cd's, and my office supplies. Indian chiefs on wall are part of a set of 4, which I paid $50 for all 4. Again, paint is Ace clearance paint on walls and trim, and woodwork througout house is salvaged.
Finally, all work/labor/installation done by me, so I didn't have to pay anyone to put in the lights or paint or lay the flooring or trim.
While I don't believe in spending thousands of dollars on household possessions, I do like having a nice comfortable and attractive home. I've lived in a couple of dumps before, and believe me, if you can have something look nice, it's so much better. You can have a nice looking home without spending just tons of money on things, you just have to have in mind things that you want to get or replace, and keep your eyes open for them when you are out and about. Also, you have to have the ability to see the potential in something. That light fixture for example...I hated the oak wood and brass, but when I painted the brass with the aged wrought iron looking paint, and it was then oak wood with wrought iron, it was perfect. A can of paint took it from 1980's tacky to 1790 perfection. Hope y'all like the pictures.
I was sitting here at the desk looking at the back doors today and was thinking how much I bought them for. So as I was sitting there, I was mentally tallying up what I spent on various things, and realized it was surprisingly little because I love to hunt for bargains and refurbish things. I thought I might take a couple of pictures and post them along with what I can best remember paying for things.
ETA after my post about not decorating for Christmas, I was bummed out and so I got out the decking materials and decked the halls. Turned out nice this year.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/bythebackdoor1.jpg
Most of what's in this photo was bought at flea markets, junk and resale shops, or garage sales, or bought on clearance at retail stores. (Exception is the flooring, which is laminate and bought new).
First are the French doors. I bought them to replace a sliding glass door. I bought them at a flea market for $25 each. Hardware was from a resale shop, paid $2 each for brass door hinges, door lever, and deadbolt. Colonial light fixture bought at a JUNK store for $4. It was originally wood and brass, but I bought a $4 can of Rustoleum spray paint called 'Aged Iron' to look like pitted wrought iron. Painted the brass hanger, ceiling plate, arms and candle cups to look like wrought iron, new candle sleeves @ $5, for a total of $13 and some bulbs I've had for years. These light fixtures can be found in 'Country Sampler' and other country decorating magazines for $200 and up. *The oak dropleaf table was bought for $50 at a resale shop. I had to glue some pieces of the leg ornamentation back on, looks fine. Oak chairs were $10 each from an auction. Faux painting of rabbits in a heavy wood frame has a Kirkland's label on the back for $65.00. *I bought it for $5. The little statue of St. Francis on the table as well as all the garland and berry garland and tabletop Christmas decorations were bought on clearance, after Christmas, at Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Small Yellow dog *was free, from neighbors. Wood trim and baseboards were salvaged. Yellow paint was $5 gal. clearance from when Ace Hardware converted to a Do It Best Hardware and they were getting rid of all Ace brand products. Yellow was a mixture of canary yellow, hi-hiding white, and a partial tube of yellow ochre from my acrylic paint set. Yes, even the paint on the walls and doors are cheap.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/P1010368.jpg
Not much to add here; kitchen island made by a family member out of birch plywood scraps and the top is a factory second from Olshan Salvage, think it was $15 years ago. Plate rack made of remilled, salvaged pine and some dowels by same family member, can't be more than $20 in it total. *Clock was from a garage sale, just a few bucks. Old gas stove was either $40 or $50 back in the late 80's. Works well. Folding door to laundry room was salvaged, no cost. Light fixture over island was at Lowe's, on clearance for $5 because all hardware and set screws were missing. Ancient stereo console in front of island was free, works fine, I use it every day. Again, silk poisettias & etc were bought only on clearance.
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp314/HortonAndSuzy/P1010370.jpg
Artificial tree and boughten ornaments bought on clearance or at resale shops or picked up out of the yard. Sugar fir and Digger pine cones were free for picking up on a trip to the west coast. Antique wood dough bowl was $10 at resale shop, amazingly no one snapped it up before I got it. Wingback chair was $10, fabric in good shape but I hate it and want to make a slipcover for it. Burlwood armoire and Sheraton side table were from a consignment shop, table was I think $20 or $25 and the armoire was $75. It holds a stereo/cd changer and speakers, cd's, and my office supplies. Indian chiefs on wall are part of a set of 4, which I paid $50 for all 4. Again, paint is Ace clearance paint on walls and trim, and woodwork througout house is salvaged.
Finally, all work/labor/installation done by me, so I didn't have to pay anyone to put in the lights or paint or lay the flooring or trim.
While I don't believe in spending thousands of dollars on household possessions, I do like having a nice comfortable and attractive home. I've lived in a couple of dumps before, and believe me, if you can have something look nice, it's so much better. You can have a nice looking home without spending just tons of money on things, you just have to have in mind things that you want to get or replace, and keep your eyes open for them when you are out and about. Also, you have to have the ability to see the potential in something. That light fixture for example...I hated the oak wood and brass, but when I painted the brass with the aged wrought iron looking paint, and it was then oak wood with wrought iron, it was perfect. A can of paint took it from 1980's tacky to 1790 perfection. Hope y'all like the pictures.