Hey Besties! 🌿 Remember that charming hutch I snagged from the ReStore? Well, it's been a journey, but it's finally (almost) done! 🛠️✨

So, here's the scoop: it's about 99% complete. I still dream of adding some snazzy wallpaper inside and giving the hardware a fresh coat of spray paint. But honestly, after months of painting and pondering, I'm hitting pause for a breath!

This cabinet was initially meant to grace our living space, but life, as it often does, had other plans. We're on a mission to declutter and simplify our decor, and the cabinet just felt a bit too grand for our cozy corners. For now, it's found a temporary home in our basement.

But hey, I couldn't resist sharing the transformation with you! 🌟 This project was like a painting saga. The cabinet started life stained in a deep red hue, and covering that up was no small feat.

First, I tried North Star by Sherwin Williams, whipped into homemade chalk paint. Spoiler alert: the red laughed in the face of my first attempt. Next, I grabbed White Grab-N-Go from Walmart, which was more primer-like but added another layer of defiance against the stubborn red.

The final hero? Baltic Gray by Dutch Boy. You might recall I used Dutch Boy on my kitchen cabinets and loved it. This time was no different – it was the perfect charm to finally mask the red's persistence.

After layers upon layers, I went for a distressed look, sanding down the edges. I kept the original red wood peeking around the glass doors, tying the old with the new.

Oh, and those hinges! I thought, "Let's just get new ones," and painted over the old. But they were as unique as a four-leaf clover. So we refurbished and reused them – a real test of patience and elbow grease.

Phew, what a ride! I'm glad this chapter is closed. It's been a mix of excitement, frustration, and a whole lot of learning. I think I'll stick to smaller canvases for a little while. But hey, the journey of transformation? It's always worth it! 💖🔨

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Check out my awesome Habitat For Humanity ReStore cabinet & help me decide what to do with it!

Even though I mentioned the Habitat ReStore in my 2016 Favorites post, I thought I would take this opportunity to showcase my 2016 ReStore finds just one more time!  I truly love the ReStore and all of the neat things they have to offer!

The bathroom only made a brief appearance on my blog in November during my 1 Year of Homeownership post, but the faucet and the tile as well as the grout are from the ReStore.  I’m a huge fan of the smaller tile and love the sandy grout look.  Even though the faucet looks weird in the picture, it’s just a plain silver finish.

How cute is the lemonade carafe? Again, you really can’t tell from the picture, but there’s little lemon designs in the glass.

Remember my watermelon sangria post & then my nonalcoholic version?  The cups & the pitcher were both from the ReStore.   The cups are also featured in my 4 Last Minute Cocktails post.

I made a strawberry pie over the 4th of July and photographed it on the table I got from the Habitat ReStore.  The table also makes an appearance in one of my ReStore Finds posts.

This pitcher never made the blog for whatever reason, but I think it’s really cool.  I also saw this style of pitcher in Revenge of the Nerds the other day which was awesome.

I shared this post about our living room furniture in July and here’s a peek at what it looks like now in our living room.  I also picked up this tiny table at the ReStore and it’s perfect for our small setup!

Our kitchen renovation was made possible by cabinets purchased at the ReStore and painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

I mentioned this centerpiece in my very first ReStore Finds post.  Isn’t it the cutest?  I’m also missing that warm weather!

I decorated my sewing tables for the fall this year.  Right now, the dark blue one is sitting in my kitchen as an extra countertop!

Looking back at the year of ReStore finds was so much fun!  I can’t wait to see what the ReStore will have in 2017!

Last week was all about buying Christmas items at the ReStore.  We picked up our Christmas tree and I also got a couple Christmas decorations.

How cool is this Christmas ladder?!

Here’s a close up of the snowman!

This vintage sign is the best!

We’re (finally!) decorating our tree today and I can’t wait to show you the end result!

Past ReStore Finds // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07 // 08 // 09

Hey Besties! 🌿 In honor of our local Habitat For Humanity ReStore's first anniversary, I'm resharing a little gem I wrote about this fantastic place earlier this year. Get ready for a treasure trove of finds!

So, rewind to the start of our home renovation journey. I'd always heard wonders about the ReStore but never got around to visiting – you know how it is. But one fine Friday, we made the hour-long journey to the nearest store, and let me tell you, it was like stepping into a DIY paradise! 🛍️✨

From chic furniture waiting for a new life to sparkling lighting fixtures, cabinets, and even doors – it was a remodeler's dream come true. I was buzzing with ideas, already planning my next visit once we got the keys to our house.

🚪🛁 Find #1: A Side Door and Bathroom Beauties

Fast forward a bit, and guess what? A ReStore opened just 30 minutes from us! On opening day, we found a perfect door for our house and so much more. The bathrooms? They got their glow-up with tiles and fixtures from the ReStore. Those chalk paint projects I love? Yep, all from there. And the kitchen cabinets – a serendipitous find that saved us a bundle! It's like every visit brings a new surprise.

🍽️📸 From Home to Prop Shop

Now that our house is a cozy haven, the ReStore has become my go-to for home décor and even my food blogging props. Photography boards, pitchers, cups – you name it, they've got it. It's a goldmine for creative minds!

🌍💚 More Than Just a Store

The best part? The ReStore is more than just a store. It's a community heart pulsing with generosity and purpose. Every item is a donation, and every purchase fuels local initiatives. Like that heartwarming story of the WWII veteran's home renovation or the family who received a lovingly refurbished home – that's the magic of the ReStore.

🏠✨ A World of Possibility

Every visit is an adventure. With a bit of imagination, each find from the ReStore can be transformed into something extraordinary. 

If you haven't yet, it's time to explore your local Habitat For Humanity ReStore. Who knows what treasures await? Find your nearest ReStore and dive into the world of sustainable, heart-led shopping. 🌟

When it comes to my ‘ReStore Finds’ posts, there are actually a lot of items that I buy that I don’t photograph.  Most of them were purchased before my posts began and some of them I just forgot about.  Because my local Habitat ReStore was closed last week and I was unable to make purchases, I thought I’d show you a couple things I bought in the past.

I took this picture of my cat, Cobalt, napping the other day in the wooden crate I got at the ReStore.  I had thrown some fake flowers in there when I took apart a wreath and Cobalt thought it was a good spot for sleeping.

And apparently, her sister, Goober, thought so too!

I thought this hat was kind of fun and it will be nice to wear outside in the summer when I’m doing yard work.

I thought this wooden basket was really neat.  It would be perfect for a table top to hold papers and pens!

I bought 2 of these lighting setups a while ago.  I’ve been trying to use natural light for my indoor photos, but that doesn’t work all the time.  I brought these out this morning because it’s super dark in my house.  I don’t really like the light boxes on their own because I need more space…but I set both of them up to create a bigger area for pictures this morning and they’ll work in a pinch! 

That was only a sampling of the things I got at the ReStore in the past.  As you can tell by this, you never know what you’ll find at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore!

Past ReStore Finds // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07 // 08

Here’s what I picked up last week at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore:

I’m a huge wreath fan and I found 3 wreaths last week.

I picked up two of these wreaths with the bow to put on my front doors.  They’re simple, yet elegant!

I put this wreath outside on the house.

I found another photography board!  For 75 cents, I couldn’t pass it up!  The glass was also purchased from the ReStore earlier this year.

We also purchased our Christmas tree last week, but are going to pick it up when the ReStore is open again next week so no pics yet!

Past ReStore Finds // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07

After a super busy day on Saturday, my husband and I arrived at the ReStore about 30 minutes before closing time.  Since you never know what you’ll find at the Habitat ReStore, I knew even arriving late would still be worth it…and it was!  Here’s what we found last week:

I really wanted a tall, skinny pitcher for my drinks and this one didn’t disappoint.  It also holds less than my other pitchers, which is fantastic for those times when I don’t want to make so much! I used it this week when I made my White Cranberry Peach Apple Cider!

I’m always on the lookout for cups and I found this set of 5 at the ReStore.  They worked perfectly for my pink lemonade that was featured in yesterday’s blog post!

How cool is this guy?  Apparently, he’s guarding all of the dust on my stairs! Haha!

I thought this tray was awesome and I’m planning to use it as a cookie tray this holiday season!

Past ReStore Finds // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06

Last week’s trip to the ReStore was super fast because we were having a cookout later in the day and wanted to get home as soon as possible.  With the cookout in mind, we picked up some grilling/drinking essentials.

Recently, I’ve become somewhat of a collector of pitchers, so I couldn’t pass this one up.  I used it for lemonade at the cookout, but now it has one of my (failed!) Thanksgiving drinks in it!

We also picked up these two pans and placed aluminum foil in the bottoms to put our hamburgers/hotdogs in when they came off the grill.  They’re nothing fancy but they worked perfectly for what we were using them for.

Past ReStore Finds // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05