Thrifting and DIY Plans

We just sold our condo that we've owned for four years in the mountains.  We're under contract to buy another one nearby with a little more space for our little family and a few more amenities for our visitors.  When we bought our first condo, we furnished it with hand-me-down furniture from family and garage sale finds.  I was pregnant (and incredibly sick!) so beyond reupholstering a couch, I didn't do much to spiff up the garage sale finds.

My goal with the new place is to completely transform it on a shoestring budget. I'll post before and after photos as I go room by room with the renovations and transformations.  Meanwhile, I've been scouring Craigslist, Ebay and local thrift stores for budget finds.  Last week I found a round oak table with two chairs that I'm going to make into a game table for the boys.  All at the low, low price of $15.  The next day, I scored an amazing cherry dining room table with four chairs at the Evergreen Animal Protective League thrift store for $61.  It was 20% off all things with legs day, so I got the set for a steal. The wood is in really good shape.  I'll need to refinish the top - but it's nothing a good sanding and resealing can't help.

Last night, I found a coffee table and two end tables on Craigslist.  Total cost was $25 for all three pieces.  Here are the before photos:

The coffee table has a cute design, and I think with a fresh coat of paint (I'm thinking white with black accents) and a new set of hardware, it could be a winner.  The end tables are in rougher condition.  You can see the water marks and scratches in the wood above.  I'm hoping to have great before and after photos of these little guys.

I'd like to transform them from this:

To this:

The wood may be too far gone to restore it completely, but I think I can pop out the lower panel and fashion a shelf.  With a couple of finials from the hardware store and a coat of paint (or stain if I'm really lucky), I could have two Pottery Barn knock-offs for a fraction of the cost.  I'll let you know how things pan out once I get into the stripping and sanding stage.