Home Remodel, a work in progress

Three years ago we bought our first home. It wasn't the perfect home that I had imagined growing up.  But we have made it home.  We live in a single wide mobile home.  It's a 1984, and when we moved in, it looked like a rundown old home.  The first thing we did when we got the keys was paint the rooms.  Last minute before the furniture was to be moved in, I decided that we needed new flooring.  So off to Ollies for laminate wood floors. My husband started installing the living room floor at 4 am the morning our friends were coming over with the furniture.  Luckily, we had a friend that knew what he was doing with the floor, and he helped finished as hubby cleared out the apartment.
Here'a what the outside looked like when we got the keys.  It's very plain.

With a little landscaping we made the outside prettier. We bought a pergola from Target.  I think this style of pergola is the best.  The top canvas rolls out for shade, and back for sun.  We put a small chain on the handle for when we close the top, the wind doesn't catch it and rip it. And since we are going into winter we take the canvas of so the snow doesn't fill it up and tear.

Since we are always outside and didn't want to mess up the grass, we laid a boardwalk from the front of our home to the back. It also helps keep some dirt out of the house.

We are trying to get a beachy feel around here.
UGH a 1984 trailer kitchen is horrible.  There was so much water damage in the cabinets the shelves were warped and falling apart.  I couldn't live with it.  So slowly we gathered cabinets from Lowes.  We would walk the clearance sections probably 3 times a week, looking for the cabinets that were out of box or slightly damaged. Most of the damage was to the backs of the cabinets, so you can't see anything.  Our pantry was actually in pieces because the glue that the manufacturer uses let loose on all the joints. We got our $295 pantry for $20 because it was apart. We also picked up a three drawer unit for $5 because the drawer faces overlapped, we had to move 1 drawer face, and it's perfect! Here's the pitiful before.

There are more pictures on my other computer, but you get the idea.

So much better!  But what would make my kitchen perfect is if all my cabinets and pantry had roll out shelves.  But I am so happy with the results. My hubby does great work!

She's SOLD!

I sold my first piece.  It was really difficult for me to part with this beauty. It was a dresser that my husband picked up along the side of the road for free. It was dirty, and I'm not sure if someone tried to paint over the varnish, or if it was so much furniture polish build up over the years.  Here's what she looked like before.

It took some elbow grease, but I got her all cleaned up.

I followed directions of many of my favorite bloggers a bout making your own chalk paint.  So I mixed up some black.  I left the drawer front and top natural, and painted the rest.
Here she is, and now making someone else very happy in their dining room as a buffet.

And while I waited 3 days for a buyer...lol, I followed more fav bloggers and made some drop cloth curtains for my living room. I bought a 9'X12' drop cloth at Ace Hardware (my hubby works there so I get decent discounts). Right now the are plain, I am trying to figure out if I want a design on them, or some trim for the edges.  Not sure right now.  But they are hanging.

Sunday yard sales!

I think I got some great deals today!  I was looking for some wood furniture, but the antique metal pieces really caught my eye.   And old tall cabinet (which my husband stole immediately upon arriving home), a old metal kitchen cabinet with bread drawer.  2 fold up chairs, a wood chair that matches my kitchen set already, a music seat, an old fold up kitchen stool and some odds and ends.Here are a few pictures after getting home.  Now I want some good weather to get these things painted and fixed up.