Mantle Makeover

Another quick and easy project I completed recently was a little switcheroo on my mantle. Here's what it looks like before:

I wasn't crazy about the picture anymore although I will probably use the frame for another project. The rest of the arrangement was just getting a little boring. So I decide to switch things around.

The two sailboat photos are pictures I took last year in South Haven, Michigan. I changed them to sepia in photoshop and frame them in picture frames I bought at Garden Ridge. I belive the frames were $5.99 and $9.99. The framed key is a $2 Hobby Lobby clearance find. Everything else is stuff I already had. I'm still doing some tinkering with the arrangement. I might ditch the vase and move the globe to somewhere else. I think another framed photo might balace out the arrangement some more. But I like it much better than how it was before. Simple changes like this can help spruce up your home and keep it looking fresh for little or no money.

I'm linking this post up with the Thursday parties of DIY day and Transformation Thursday.

Weekend Projects Part 2

I'm back with the next change I made over the weekend. The first part of this mini project was free, it just required some superhuman effort and some hubby help. All we did was some minor furniture rearrangement. Previously, the TV cabinet was in the corner. I never liked it there because it blocked the window and I like as much natural light into a room as possible. Unfortunately, the thing weighs a ton. And it has a heavy TV in it. And a DVD player and stereo equipment. And stacks of movies and CDs in the bottom. Well, taking all that out and unhooking all the wires is a great big pain. So we huffed and puffed and shoved that big boy over along the wall. The couches were much easier, just a little tweaking there.

Here's how everything was before:



And the new arrangement that's more straight on:





But there's something else different there. What else has changed between the before and after picture? One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.....Anyone else remember that from Sesame Street? There are actually five things different that I see, can anyone find all the differences between the first and second photo?

I'll give you a hint on the first and biggest which is my new area rug! I found it at Old Time Pottery for $32. I wasn't planning on buying a rug for there yet, but I happened to find this one on sale and it was the only green one left.



It's amazing how simply a new furniture arrangemet can change a room and it's a great free way to have a mini room makeover. So give it a try. Pull your furniture out from the walls, switch your couches and chairs around, and give a new look a try. So that's part 2 of my weekend updates. Go here for part 3 with some changes to my dining room table.

Pillows, and Curtains, and Cats, Oh My!

I've been searching for curtains for awhile and not having much luck finding the color I want and the price I can afford. I visited Old Time Pottery on Thursday and came across some tan colored curtains for $12.99 so I grabbed those along with some silk hydrangeas (only 88 cents!) and a nice table runner for $5.99. So Saturday's goal became hanging curtains. The goal became a little put off after I went to Wal-Mart in the morning and found some flowers on clearance. So I ended up buying some and by the time I got home it was getting very hot outside.After planting the flowers in ninety degree weather with what felt like 200% humidity and losing about 2 pounds of sweat, it was time to hang curtains.

Here's a reminder of what my living room looked like before with the burgundy curtains which were full of dust because I hung them up there 4 years ago and haven't touched them since. Eww!



I pulled open the first package of curtains. I turned around to take down the curtain rod and when I turned back around, I found that my new curtains had received Emma's seal of approval.



The real fun began when the old curtains came down. They were instantly transformed into a cat playground. There were cats sliding, pouncing, and burrowing underneath the sheer curtains. I think they were a little sad when I took them away.





I know I broke all the designer rules, but I didn't know about the designer rules on hanging curtains when we first put up these curtain rods 4 years ago. Now I know that you should hang them high and wide so the windows and room look bigger. We already have massively tall ceilings, so I'm not too worried about the height. I would like to move them up at some point, but then I will have to add a strip of fabric or something to the bottom or the curtains will be too short. Right now they are the perfect length. I also would like to spray paint the curtain rods black, but that will wait until another day.

So here they are in their rebel state so all the designers can go tsk,tsk. (Just kidding.)





And my wonderful mother-in-law was nice enough to sew some pillow covers for my old couch pillows using a fun paisley print fabric from Joann's. It was on sale and I had an extra 10% off coupon so the fabric ending up costing around $14 w/ tax for one yard.



The other pillow, the cream one with the brown leaves/ivy pattern I found at Garden Ridge. I love the lighter colors, I think they help brighten up the room.

The final part of my weekend mini-home makeover was adding this table runner. I'm still a little unsure on the color. I love the design and the length, but I wanted something lighter in a cream or green color. So the runner might be going back. The flowers I switched out with the red flowers I had in thier previously.

Here's the before of my dining room:



And the after:



So now I just need hubby to help me rearrange the furniture in the living room. I've never been crazy about the placement of the entertainment center where it is. It blocks too much of the window. I also am still on the hunt for a cheap rug for either the living room or dining room. It's time for the one in the dining room to go. So stay tuned for more updates.