and to hold a cute little turkey Trevor made three years ago :)
Alright, I’m ready to unveil another room!
I have officially become obsessed. Any mention with DIY, garage sales, Goodwill, flea market, design blogs, or Pinterest, and my heart is sent aflutter. In all seriousness, it really is great to have found such a fun hobby to keep up with. I am first a wife and mother, but this gives me an outlet just for ME!
Dining Room when we bought the house:
Dining room phase one: (such a long story, but its a TERRIBLE picture because I had to take a picture of the picture on my old phone…haha!)
Our dining room has undergone several changes. And not just the original ones! I must have rearranged and redecorated and changed the style 100 times now. I just couldn’t get that room right. I think it all stemmed from the color. I loved the “Coffee Bean” paint swatch, but once it got on our wall- not so much. I originally had reds and browns in the room and I think that added to my distaste. Everything I tried just wasn’t working!
Then Emily gifted me a bluish/green table she couldn’t use in her house anymore, and I decided to go a whole different direction!
Dining Room NOW!
The blue and white has lightened the whole room so much!
Now for all the fun behind the scene details…
First, Michael and his dad replaced the carpeting with hardwood floors.
Then, Ryan primed and primed and primed because the previous owner did a crackle effect (or something) that would NOT cover!
I love this room because nearly everything was re-vamped, a hand me down, or thrifted. It is like a treasure hunt for me…SO fun! :)
The dark brown china cabinet in the first set of pictures was given to us from Michael’s Aunt and Uncle. I painted it blue and the inside white and changed out the knobs.
The white candle holders used to be black but not after I got a hold of some spray paint! I also painted my Aunt’s green baker’s rack in the corner white!
Will I have rearranged everything again by the time this blog circulates? Oh, absolutely. But I have to keep life fun for Michael. :)
I think I have finished a room in our house. Only two and half months after moving in, but whatever! I love to find decorating ideas and copy them, and yes I may have spent hours just the other night trolling design blogs looking for some new ideas. My current fave? http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ Much to Michael’s dismay my new love is spray paint. I never realized all the possibilities! I revamp old things we have that need a lift, or pick up treasures at Goodwill that need some love. Emily has introduced me to antique shopping at Amazing Grace and we recently found the wonderful world of the Flea Market! Oh my, my love for garage sales just got even more intense! This could be dangerous…
Here is what our living room looked like before…
And now after!
(A shoutout to Michael and his dad who did all the painting and hardwood floors! And to Michael and Ryan for hanging the TV!)
See the little blue truck on my big green chair? Yep, evidence that little boys live here. Or the cute little sleeping baby? More evidence. Or the picture frame that still has the picture of the models in it because I haven’t gotten around to getting an 8×10 printed yet? Or the clutter that I quickly pushed into the dining room so I could take these pictures? So really, these pictures are an illusion. Real life doesn’t look like this- at least not in my house! I took these not only to share with you all, but to remind myself that beneath all the dust, piles of toys, and fruit snack wrappers, that I’m still here. I still love to decorate and create new masterpieces. I can still have passions of my own- my identity is not in my children. My identity is in Christ and who He has created ME to be! But I embrace the stage He has me in- WITH my children. So the sticky remotes, dirty socks under the couch, and fingerprints on the glass cabinets can stay. :) The verse in the frame with our Dr. Chuck memories reminds me of this on a regular basis. He used this verse (Psalm 16:6) to encourage me back when I wrote this blog post (see his comment?) For the boundary lines HAVE fallen for me in pleasant places. I’m blessed with a supportive helpmate, three amazing little bundles of boy, and deep relationships in all circles of my life. I can have fun doing things I enjoy like thrifting and spray painting creations, but I have JOY knowing that I’m investing in the eternal by mothering confident leaders in the next generation and helping them to know Christ and bring Him glory. He IS good.
These are some of the sites I troll on a regular basis. *Usually between 10 pm and 12 am when everyone is asleep and I’ve just drank a huge glass of iced tea (also obsessed) and can’t sleep*
The CrEaTiVe CraTe In Between Laundry: Front Entry Makeover with Stenciling Tatertots and Jello Tattered and Inked Dukes and Duchesses: IKEA Inspired Shelves Thrifty Decorating Simply Mod Mom Vintage Revivals Sweet Peas and Bumblebees: {{What I Made Wednesday}} #4 Paisley Passions: Thrilling Thursday Linky Party! Lovely Crafty Home » Lovely Crafty Weekend #16 It’s a Hodgepodge Life: It’s a Hodgepodge Friday Dandelions and Dust Bunnies Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time The Shabby Nest Sew Dang Cute Crafts: “Family Motto” Sign I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar Centsational Girl Southern Hospitality — Adventures in Decorating, Thrifting, Cooking & Gardening Tracy’s Trinkets and Treasures: Potting Bench Gets A Makeover icandy handmade Blog | Finding Home | the tale of the journey we are all on, Finding Home House of Smith’s for the love of a house Cre8tive Designs Inc.: Interior Design & Crafts by Stephanie Norris: Page 2 Funky Junk Interiors http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/04/linky-party-41311.html The Lettered Cottage — Interior Design Blogs | Decorating Blogs | Cottage Style Holly Mathis Interiors - jones design company | stylish custom designs for life Grace Happens: trash to treasure C.R.A.F.T.: C.R.A.F.T. Lil’ Luna – All Things Good Johnny In A Dress Thrifty Decor Chick Between Naps on the Porch sassy sites! 320 * Sycamore: bright and bold chair: before and after P&P The Pioneer Woman | Ree Drummond * Remodelaholic * brown paper packages Cookie Cutter House Hoosier Homemade ~ Making Your House A Home Scissors & Spatulas The Sunshine Girl Karas Party Ideas Junk Style Learn and Go Learn and Go 365 Days to Simplicity Positively Splendid Ucreate Infarrantly Creative — Today’s Creative Blog | Craft & Home Decor Ideas — Creative Blogs for DIY Crafts and Home Decor Skip to my Lou Skip to my Lou Not JUST A Housewife Creative “Try”als Sisters of the Wild West http://lemontreecreations.blogspot.com/ ** Happiness Is…** C&C Made it on Monday Bower Power MaryJanes and Galoshes A Beautiful Living Room Makeover {by Emily from Decor Chick!} | Beneath My Heart Houzz- Home Design, Decorating and Remodeling Ideas and Inspiration, Kitchen and Bathroom Design Bump Smitten The Macs Little Lucy Lu {Fun.kyti.me} | Home
Aye. It’s intense, isn’t it?
Well I attempted a DIY chair makeover! We have a really neat Pottery Barn table and chairs we were given second hand, but they needed some love. Michael filled grooves with wood filler, sanded, and re-stained the table (I’ll post later) and I worked on the chairs!
Before:
And After:
I unscrewed the base, added some cotton batting for cushion, and used a staple gun to attach the fabric! Then screwed the base back on and viola! LOVEEE ittttt!!! :)
