White O'Morn Cottage

Before and After Rocking Chair

There's nothing I like better than restoring a piece of junk into something lovely to look at and even better if it is good to use too. Case in point is my comfy old rocking chair.

I "rescued" (they don't call me "Fingers Flynn" for nothing) this sad looking chair from a skip (dumpster) near my house. I added a little elbow grease, paint , fashioned a few shabby chic cushions and...viola! The cutest piece of cottage furniture you could ask for and my favourite spot for late night reading. Perfect for a cheap chick - rock chick, rocking chick, shabby chic...whatever!

Cottage Bathroom Before and After

1. Hi, here are some pics of my bathroom both before and after.
3. This was quite a challenge. Even the toilet and hand basin had to be replaced as they were cracked and unusable.  Problem was, having just bought the cottage we were skint! So we had to go to plan B....

Here in Ireland we are lucky to have a couple of freecycle sites called www.jumbletown.ie  and dublinwaste.ie - where people who want to give away something, rather than dumping it, can put it online. That's where the new toilet and handbasin came from.

(Special thanks to Tony Doran of Portmarnock who supplied the lovely vintage style toilet and handbasin!)

The lovely cast iron bath was found locally - in a ditch. The flooring was left over from my sister's living room (just two inches to spare!)  The doors of the hotpress came from the Old Schoolhouse, Aughawillan. This is the schoolhouse featured in John McGahern's bestseller "Memoirs"

The curtains and bits and pieces that finish it off came from flea markets, thrift shops, or gifts from friends and relatives. The only thing new was the tin of paint for the panelling and the panelling which we put up ourselves. Total cost? approx €30.  I love the finished look and it has a close to zero carbon footprint. How green is that?