Thrift With Me | Turning My Cheap Rental into A Cottagecore Dream

There's no way I could afford my dream cottage rental, not in today's market, and definitely not where I live. So instead of waiting until one just happens to appear, I've decided to make the rental I'm living in now feel like one. Today we're heading to the thrift store to hunt for pieces that can transform this plain rental into something that feels cozy, charming, and full of character. One thrifted find, one DIY, and one little burst of creativity at a time. So, let's see what we can find. I'm home from the thrift store and I can't wait to show you what I found. The first thing is this little blue canister. I have to admit, it is quite a bit out of my comfort zone. If you've watched my videos before, you know I usually stick to warm neutrals and greens, so bringing home something blue felt like a bit of a gamble. I bought it thinking it was a sugar canister for coffee or tea, then I got home, looked underneath, and realized it was actually a candle holder. However, I don't plan on using it for either of those things. My first thought was to use it in the kitchen as a toothpick holder, but the second I set it down, I realized I might have created a much bigger problem than I was thinking. I absolutely love the shape, but the second I saw that blue sitting in my kitchen, I started wondering if one thrifted piece had just changed the direction of this whole room. Suddenly I wasn't just styling a canister anymore, I was asking whether I was willing to rework my entire main floor color scheme. The next thrift I want to show you is this little vintage book. This is actually something pretty new I've been hunting for. A little while ago, I came across this photo that changed the way I looked at decorating with books. I loved how those little pops of color made the room feel collected and lived in, and ever since then, I've been hoping to find a few of my own while thrifting. It turns out they're much harder to find than I expected. This is the first one I found in just the right color. I was so excited when I spotted it that I didn't even stop to read the title or find out what it was about. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I should probably start doing that. I really want our home to reflect our family and the things we value, so from now on I'll definitely be paying a little more attention to the title and what the book's about. As for Willa, I honestly have no idea who she is, what she does, or how she conducts herself, so hopefully she's a nice lady. Now the question is, where does she belong? I tried a few different spots around the house before finally landing here, at least until I can build up a little collection to display in my living room. The next thrift I want to show you is actually these sheets. I don't plan on sleeping on them though. The second I saw the floral pattern, I knew they would make for a perfect project. For months now, I've been searching for the perfect shower curtain for this bathroom. The one we have now is just a cheap, temporary curtain, and while it does the job, it definitely doesn't make me feel like I'm living in my dream cottage home. After months of looking, I finally faced reality that I'm probably never going to find exactly what I'm picturing within my budget. So if I can't buy the perfect shower curtain, I guess I'll just have to make it myself. At first I was planning to use these green sheets, but once I held them up in the bathroom, they didn't feel quite right. They're beautiful, but the green suddenly felt a little too dark and heavy for the space, and that's when I had a bit of a lightbulb moment. Over the last few months, I've been collecting these beautiful blue sheets and pillowcases to make my dream patchwork dress. I haven't started on the dress yet, so I thought, what if I just switch the projects instead? Perhaps the blue sheets could be the shower curtain, and the green sheets could be the dress. Blue still feels a little outside of my comfort zone, but if I'm ever going to experiment with color, a tiny bathroom feels like the safest place to do it. Besides, this little blue canister is a perfect match and would be the perfect storage for q-tips. As with any little makeover, I always like to consult Pinterest to make sure I'm heading in the right direction. Here's some of the blue inspiration I found that I really love. Now it's just a matter of whether I can actually pull it off in my own little rental. This is actually my biggest sewing project I've ever attempted, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm doing. I have this picture in my head of a beautiful patchwork shower curtain, but whether I can actually turn a pile of thrifted sheets into that vision is another story. It seems like every creative project has that one stage that feels more like work than creativity. For me, in sewing, that's the cutting and prep. I just want to skip ahead and jump right into the fun sewing part. So it was definitely at this point that it was getting late, I was tired, and my patience had pretty much run out. I definitely got a little sloppier than I should have and was no longer cutting rectangles at exactly the same measurements, nor were they even very straight. So hopefully I don't end up regretting that later. Originally I was planning on making a quilted star pattern. I hadn't seen any examples of this on Pinterest, but it looked beautiful in my head. After getting going on this project, I realized I had seriously underestimated how much work this was going to be. And looking back, I'm glad I didn't go the star block route, because it would have taken way too long, and anyways, I think it might have ended up looking like I just draped a quilt over the shower. Although, there's still a chance I've accidentally done exactly that. The one thing giving me confidence about this project is the color palette. I was nervous about mixing the cream with the bright white, but seeing everything together, I actually think it's working. It has me secretly hoping I have enough fabric scraps to still make that blue dress. As for this curtain, I just have to hope the finished curtain looks as good as these little patches in front of me. I almost forgot, there's one more thrift I haven't shown you yet. As a stay-at-home mom and one-income family, I do my best to save money where I can. So when I saw this little iron for $5, I didn't hesitate to snag it, as I've been needing one for a while now for my sewing projects. I'm honestly not sure how I made it 5 years into marriage without owning one. I'm not quite done with this project yet, but I've gotten to the point where the whole front is sewn together, and I can't contain my excitement to see what it will look like in the bathroom. I've still got to thrift one more sheet to finish the back, but for now, let's see what we're working with. After staring at a pile of little fabric squares for the last couple of days, it was finally starting to look like the picture I'd had in my head. There is one thing, however, that I'm still not completely convinced about. The blue still feels a little outside my comfort zone. Every time I walk into the bathroom, part of me absolutely loves it, and another part of me wonders if I've just spent hours sewing one very time-consuming mistake. I've learned that whenever I make a big change in our home, I almost always need to live with it for a while, before I know whether it truly belongs. So now, I'd love your opinion. Should I embrace the blue, or should I stick with the warm neutrals I usually decorate with? I'd love to hear your thoughts. This little bathroom is definitely far from finished. In fact, I feel like it's only just beginning to become the cozy cottage space I've been dreaming about. And while I may not be able to afford my dream rental yet, little by little, thrift by thrift, and project by project, this little rental is starting to feel more and more like home. I already have a few more ideas I'd love to try, so I'm looking forward to sharing those with you soon. I want to thank you so much for spending a little part of your day with me. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I'll see you next time.