Chandelier

A Little Work Goes a Long Way!

Here is one of my favorite and least expensive updates of all.

There were innumerable light fixture and ceiling fans missing that all needed replacing upon moving in.  As the dollar signs started adding up in my head I began to think of ways to keep as many things as possible in the house. Instead of replacing, I thought updating was the better option. This way I still got rid of the things I don't like and got something new at the same time...just not brand new!

There was a not so lovely brass chandelier in our dining room when we moved in. Here is the exact chandelier that I found online so you get the idea of what it looked like before. Not horrible but definitely outdated. 
                      before...

 

After some thought, searching, and shopping at our local hardware stores (which I surprising really enjoy doing with Aus now), I found the perfect solution.

Rustoleum MultiColor Textured Aged Iron Spray Paint

It works great, is only $6.27
at Lowe's and 

imitates wrought iron.

A little work goes a long way.  I had Aus take it down (and put it back up) for me. I removed all the light bulbs and went to town. A little spray paint on the deck (oops) and big stiff finger cramp later and finito! I don't think this picture does her justice but she's a beauty. She's more of a dark brown color resembling the other two chandeliers below. With the addition of some mini chandelier shades, I think she's complete! (will try to provide better picture soon)
                        after...

             

Instead of spending a fortune on a new chandelier...like the ones below...

Pottery Barn Graham Chandelier for $179
                 
                                                                  Ballard Design Talia Chandelier for $299

 ...I updated mine for less than $10!

Dirty Ol' Toilet

By the title I know you are already thinking..."No Way"!  But I say, "Yes Way"!

Our house sat empty for over a year after being foreclosed and my my my it was DIRTY.   After moving into our house and giving it a good deep cleaning, we decided to go ahead and replace one of the old toilets. We were able to clean and replace toilet seats on the others. The old toilet sat in our garage for quite some time before I got the idea to try and sell it on Craigslist (as the garbage men wouldn't take it with them). 

(I unfortunately...and fortunately...don't have a picture of the actual toilet we sold.

Sorry...and your welcome! This is someone else dirty ol' toilet. )

Let me just tell you how gross that thing really was. Not only had it been sitting for a year in our house but it hadn't been cleaned in over a year. The previous tenants left the house filthy. Add a year to that, some hard water stains, some sitting in the garage, and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. YUCK!

We posted it with pictures on Craigslist and to our surprise we had a buyer not long after posting.  That nasty thing sold for $50!!! Fifty buckaroos for a Dirty Ol' Toilet aint bad if you ask me...it's awesome!