For The Home- Second-Hand Stuff In My New Kitchen

I recently bought my first home. Well, the first home that I own all. by. my. self.  

I'm quite proud of it, but it really does need work.

Some of the work I was able to do before I moved in, with the help of many friends.

Some of the work I continue to chip away at, when I can find some time....which is tough with 3 boys- let me tell you that! Like the work that I did on my Pretty Powder Room (I found pretty much everything I needed at the ReStore for that project).

In this post, I want to let you in on what I've done in my kitchen. So far, it's only cosmetic... I hope to paint out my cupboards and redo my counter tops (I'm considering concrete?!?), and install a 'real' back splash.

But for now, here is my kitchen/ dining area that I love.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

For now, I've freshened up this space with a couple coats of paint, some blackboard paint next to the fridge (an area that the kids LOVE!), and a faux-brick wallpaper back splash (from this locally-owned wallpaper shop).

And I love the way this little sign looks above my stove that I picked up at Value Village a couple of years ago for $2.99. 

Before:

After:

 In my dining area I obviously painted, and changed out the light fixture. I absolutely fell in love with this Wagon-Wheel Chandelier that I found on kijiji for $50. My pantry I bought from a friend who needed the space for around $40, I believe. And my table and chairs I also snapped up on kijiji... post on that here. (Since this photo was taken, I have also put down some barn-wood-type flooring and painted out my trim white).

In my dining area I also found a new use for an old shutter that I used to have as a bulletin board here... it is now an extremely useful coat rack for my back door. I found these mis-matched-yet-match-ey door knob 'hooks' at The ReUse Center.

I wrote a blog post about other fabulous uses for old shutters here.

That's all for tonight, friends. Hope you were able to get some great ideas for using second-hand items in your own home.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings.