For most of us, the thrill of finding a great deal while shopping can be addicting.  Coming home with something new that we can look at, smile at and show off is lots of fun. But shopping all the time can also lead to trouble.

So today, I wanted to share a way to save some money and still have the thrill of something new and nice – redo old items in your house!

I’ve been doing it all summer, and while it may take a little elbow grease, the money I have saved is downright amazing. Plus, I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from knowing “I did that.”

Here are two of the projects I’ve been busy with.

China Cabinet – BEFORE

I purchased this cabinet in the ’90s and it has served us well, but I was ready to brighten things up 🙂

AFTER

I used Ace Hardware paint in Venice Blue color.  I also purchased new hardware as what was on it before did not match even each other.  I purchased the knobs at Home Depot

Coffee Table – BEFORE

This is a table we purchased in 1994 when we were moving into our first home.  We went to an unfinished furniture store so that we would get solid furniture.  My husband stained it and it stayed like that for years.

AFTER

I used some of the gel stain I had left over from my kitchen cabinet redo.  I put 3 coats on to get a really dark color.  I then painted the rest of the table white and sanded it down in a few places to make it look “used” (that part did not really show up in the picture).  I got the fun knobs at JoAnn’s for under $3 each.

Have you done any fun DIY projects lately?