Work what you got!

One of the things I love most about decorating is the ability to be resourceful and creative with what you already have...or in my case, a more honest interpretation might be work what your mama gave ya! The ability to take things we already posses and turn them into cool additions that make a home feel unique to you and your family can truly set a house apart  A helpful tip when trying to update forgotten items is: clear the area you are wanting to update and then look through your old items to see what might work. It's much easier to be inspired when you are looking at a fresh palette or have a specific function in mind. Here are a few ideas to get your head turning!

This leather belt turned tieback is a great example of using creativity and repurposing items that you might have laying around the house.

 This is an awesome example of using what you've got to create something show stopping! Imagine how different this room might look without an old barn door sanded down and painted with a beautiful pop of yellow.

One of my favorite ways to update what you have is repainting/reupholstering furniture. I love the crisp white woodwork on this chair paired with the warm neutral upholstery. It would look amazing in nearly any space! Did you also catch the baskets turned side table in the bottom left corner?

Repurposing items doesn't always have to be on a large scale, it often works well when incorporating old accessories in a new way.  I recently repurposed this jewelry box to hold a few bathroom necessities in our son's bathroom...it will also make a handy spot to fill with travel items for guests who visit overnight.

 This is a vase that I got from Marshalls for 6$....it makes for an interesting peice to hold all our daily used kitchen utensils.

 I decided to use a small chain to hold the curtains in our dining area back. It coordinates beautifully with the nailhead trim along the edge of the panels and adds a bit of spunk that I would miss with a standard tie back. Please feel free to share pictures of ways that you have utilized what you already had laying around to create a stylish space, I would love to see them!

Progress with the Office

Things are moving along in our playroom turned guest room/office. New Paint and a lucky happening have helped it along and so far I am quite happy with the progress made.

After trying to make a wood desktop on my own to attach to legs we already had stored away in the attic, I was offered a beautiful black marble top that my mother in law had laying around in her garage! WAAAY better than my original plan and 100% free! I attached the legs with a silicone adhesive and used a level to mark 1/4 inch inside on each side, then used a level to make sure that all legs were angled correctly. Here's a peek at the outcome! A big shout of thanks to my mother-in-law Lisa for the awesome freebie! 

Next I painted the room in tidewater by sherwin williams. Side note: I do a LOT of painting and I really love their harmony paint, It's better for the environment, your health and your nose and it covers very well!

I also spent a few hours (eh hem... not minutes as I had hoped!) changing out my first light fixure.  Did I mention that it's really time we invested in a ladder!  I used a clearance pottery barn shade I had previously purchased and a pentant kit from Home Depot. It's amazing how lighting can enhance the mood and feel of a room.

 Next, I will start working on the sidetables, built in shelving and curtains. Stay tuned-because I might just  have you vote for your favorite design!

the daybed project

Our little family owns a 3 bedroom house and until this past few weeks my 3 year has dominated 2 of the 3 rooms---Okay so really probably 2.5 of the 3! After getting our closet halfway organized to add a desk area...I realized it was time to steal some space from my three year olds playroom and make it a space we could all enjoy. Trying to make the most of our 10x10 space, I have decided to make a daybed so we can use it for lounge space/guest bed.

 I used the twin size box spring that we already had and turned it into an ottoman of sorts to support the mattress.

                                 First, I wrapped the front and sides in batting and stapled it on.

 next I carefully wrapped my fabric (which I LOVE!! and it was discontinued to boot!) around and stapled over the batting making sure that the pattern was even as I pulled.

 finally I bought some unfinished furniture legs at home depot-stained them and attached them to 2x2 squares of wood which i screwed into each corner.  And here's the final result!! I think it turned out faboulously! This project was fairly easy and pretty quick (other than letting the stain dry)...building the side tables and desk top from scratch has been a bit of a different story!  I will sure to keep you updated as I figure it out! I'm working on plan b as we speak!