Piece by piece

I've found my first piece of furniture!
While visiting one of my local Goodwill stores, as I've decided to do at least once weekly to scan for glasswares and picture frames, I came across this:

she's kind of sad, right? it's pretty obvious this adorable little piece of furniture once (probably recently) sat in a kid's room. Note what I believe is playdough on the big door. I fell in love at first sight. All I could think is "how cute would THAT be if someone loved it?" That someone is me. And, for the super-awesome-makes-me-really-happy price of FIFTEEN DOLLARS, I immediately dialed up my husband, vultured around a bit to stake my claim, and had it in the truck about half an hour later. Swoon.

Here's the breakdown of her door/drawers:

 (it smells so nice inside this door, like a hardware store. I love that smell. Already considering the storage possibilities!)

 The two-disguised-as-one drawer thing always kind of confused me, but it's cute, it's quirky, and I will make use of it.

I also, as you might have assumed, found some more glassware:

 The husband thinks this might have been like a sake server or something of that nature. I just think it's cute.

 I love love loooooove this teapot. it's the cutest shade of light blue, and although it has a chip in the spout (see below, which I think gives it character anyway...), I think it's just darling. I got a set of raised eyebrows from the husband when I held it up, but some pleading smiles and the promise that it wouldn't be used in the kitchen (which, for some reason seemed to ease him) earned me this adorable little thing.

I'm so pleased! We're going out of town next week, and then it all begins! A trip to the hardware store Friday should prove interesting. I'm going to guess at least ten minutes will be spent contemplating paint swatches for my dresser. I'm already thinking blue, it's just the shade that's going to take some work. We shall see! I'm so excited to see how it turns out! :)

~Marilyn

Starting small

Welcome to 'Marilyn makes a home', my attempts (see: successes and failures) at making a livable space for my husband, our dog, and myself. We live on a military base, so painting the walls isn't really an option. I'll be redoing the (small) spaces based on pieces alone. We'll see how it goes. With a little luck and some work, I'm hoping to have a house I'm proud of. :)
I've already started creeping Craigslist and perusing our local Goodwill stores, and I've found a piece already I'm really happy with. I've given myself a 30 dollar limit on stuff, furniture and so on, to keep things thrifty. I may make a couple exceptions, we'll have to see. But, I wanted to share my find from yesterday, a vintage Mouquin brandy decanter. My husband and I both love old bottles, and this was a steal at three bucks! there was some residue in the bottom, which you can sort of see in the picture, but a little vinegar cleaned out most of it. I plan on using a hose to help blast out what's left. I'm excited to see where I can fit it in to the rooms! :)

Thanks for reading, check back soon!

Marilyn