Second-hand finds

I'm on the once a month posting kick at the moment. Not because I'm not thinking about you all, but because I can't manage to scratch together the time it takes to really put together a post. So here's the quick 'n' dirty lowdown. No, not in the new house yet. Yes, counting the days till it does happen (and literally...could be days now...electricians finish next week). Kitchen is almost finished. Only thing keeping us out is the fact that the only appliance hooked up is the fridge.

We arranged the furniture for the downstairs, and the futon was going to be too big for the space, yet we needed more seating than just our sofa, so off to the secondhand store I went. Actually, I was really going to look for a wardrobe as we don't really have a downstairs closet. Instead, I found these:

A vintage 1950s sewing cabinet complete with functioning machine. I initially fell for the table because it was a great size for our front entry, and I loved the color. I realized on closer inspection that it had a door, and when I opened it, voila!

It has the original attachments, a vintage pattern for a blouse, and some thread. It needs a couple of the rubber parts replaced, but other than that, it actually does sew.

It also came with a chair that looks pretty beat up, but if you pull the seat off the top, there is storage inside. Makes a great chair to go with something else I found.

Second find is this hurricane lamp. My great-grandparents (who are in their 90s) have some in their home currently, and growing up my mom had a couple that we eventually broke the glass in, but I've always loved the style. I was on my way out of the store when I saw this one and how perfectly it matches the blues in our bedroom and had to have it. You can light up the bottom only, top only, or both.


Third find is this little desk. It's now residing behind the sofa (show you in a minute) with the chair that came with the sewing table, and is a perfect place for me to work downstairs. I'm working there as I type this. The lady who had it before painted dark paint over top of the glossy finish, so the paint is coming off in places where things have rubbed against it. I actually think it adds to the charm of the piece, and when I finally do get around to refinishing it, I'll probably keep it a darker color.

Last find is a loveseat that was priced at $100. It has fantastic bones, feels like it's barely been used, and really only needs a good steaming (it's really not that dirty!). The true color is an ivory/cream. The shape goes well with the pieces we already have, and I'll likely make a slipcover for it.

Needless to say, I didn't find the wardrobe I was looking for, but I spent under $200 for everything I showed here. The thing I love about shopping this way is finding interesting pieces that have a history behind them, that have some life in them, and even though I don't know what that history is (I know a little about the desk, as there were some old bills shoved in behind the drawers), it is fun to speculate about who had them before I found them. It's very easy to go into the secondhand shop and be overwhelmed by all the stuff (much of it is junk). I always make sure I spend a lot of time, and I go through the entire store several times very slowly, because it really is easy to miss a great find if you go too fast.

Look! A mostly finished bathroom!

The powder room is 90% done. Just needs a mirror, paper holder, and outlet/switchplate covers. The walls are a lovely shade of pale purple. Thanks to handy FIL and hubby, who did a great job on the tilework and plumbing in this room.

Holy Cow! (picture heavy...)

Okay. Seriously. Can't believe it's been a month since I posted an update here. I'm thinking that's a bit crazy. Really, it's more a symptom of the disease here. Hubby and I have realized that we were already overcommitted before we bought the house. Now? We're obscenely overcommitted. More like needin' to be committed. In straightjackets. In a rubber room. We've decided that we might finally finish everything some time around the time Corinna turns 18. Well. Maybe not 18. Maybe 8 months.


So how are things progressing, you ask? Well, we have first coats of primer and paint in 3 rooms. The upstairs bath has two coats of paint. The floor in what will be the baby's room is finished (fiasco that I'll talk about another time). Two other floors have multiple coats of polyurethane on them (but aren't yet done (again...fiasco to follow)). The powder room has tile and now needs the grout. We have updated electric and completely new guts to the well system. MIL scooped three shovelsful of cat crap out of the basement and scrubbed the floors down there so it no longer smells like cat box. The most recent update is the demo of the kitchen.


So here's a photo tour of our progress:

We begin in the foyer, where the nasty white glazed brick tile was lovingly pickaxed away by my hubby and hardworking FIL. Left behind is some kind of double-sided sticky tape that was used to hold the tiles down. The grout was some funny rubberized stuff that I swear must have just been poured in. Freaky stuff. You can see the hardwood peeking out from under the sticky tape in spots. With some Gooph Off, we think we can get the sticky stuff off so we can refinish the hardwood beneath.

Looking from the foyer into the kitchen. Under the tile in the kitchen is subfloor. And not nice subfloor either. Note the white cabinets and countertop in this picture.


We all got to take turns doing some demo. What woman wouldn't be turned on by a hottie like this wielding a big hammer? I made him pose before he hit the cabinet with it. Then I got to take a turn. We didn't get that on camera.


Both boys got a turn with the smaller sledge hammer. Liam enjoyed it....


but Jonah took it to a whole other level. He really got into it. He would put the glasses on and announce that he needed to go do his work and off he'd go to pound in the kitchen. He seriously got some oomph behind his swings for someone so little. I'm tellin' ya, that boy's got contractor written all over him.


Even I took a turn with the sledge hammers (my tee has a drywall company name on it. Fitting considering I'm tearin' it up). The big one was loads of fun for bangin' on the stubborn cabinets that had been built on site and were nailed to the drywall. Once we got to disassembling the wall, I really had a good time. I karate kicked the wall as a joke and did a Funniest Videos moment when my foot went through and kept going while I ended up in the splits with my leg hooked over where the drywall was still attached. Hubby and I both laughed hysterically while I hollered about being stuck and needing help up, and I've got some nice bruises and scuffs where I went through. There's probably a good reason the pros don't do that. Like, you could get hurt.


We had to leave a couple of the studs, because there is an outlet attached to one that has a wire that goes up to the second floor that will need re-routed. But this view looks from the new eating area into the kitchen. Much of the ceiling has been pulled down (we'll get the rest down this weekend, needed an empty dumpster), as there had been water damage that the previous owners didn't want to address. You can see the living room in the distance.


New! Improved! Now with no added cabinets! We have to keep the soffit over the sink and the range because of plumbing, but we took out the soffit that was attached to the wall we took out. I will be able to stand in the kitchen when the new cabinets are in and see what's going on in the dining room, and vice versa. We have a lot of work left to do before the new cabinets can go in, like replacing rotten subfloor, new tile floor prep, replacing drywall, patching other drywall, putting in new shutoff valves, new lights in the soffit, new ceiling fan, can lights, gas line for range, water line for fridge....ooh...gettin' woozy just thinkin' about it.


Looking from the living room into the new kitchen and eating area. See how open?


Speaking of the living room, here's the paint scheme (and temporary clutter). The mantle was really dark wood before. Still needs a second coat. It's not as pink as it's appearing in the photo. Floors will also need refinished.


And these built ins were also dark wood. Painting them white has really helped to brighten the room. Love the new door to the garage that hubby and FIL put in.


New tile floor in powder room. These walls have been patched and primed and are ready for some color! Once we get the grout down and let it cure, that is. I have a nice white beadboard front vanity to go in here.




The family room is a nice calm shade of green that matches the rug in our other house perfectly. Well, when it's clean, anyway. The carpet here is coming out, and the blond hardwood underneath will be refinished.


Speaking of hardwood, here are the floors in the boys' room. Still needs some work on the floor and painted.

Our upstairs bath in a super cool shade of blue. Just needs the trim painted.

Roo's room in a buttery shade of yellow. Just needs a second coat and trim painted.

Because I have a complete lack of time to work outside, my feeble attempt to spruce the place up with some hanging baskets of impatiens. The containers on the porch are all perennials, so once the weather cools, I'll find spots for them for the winter until I can do something with them next spring.

So now you all are in the know!