Updating the Living Room

I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have enlarged these photos! As I've mentioned before, our house was built in 1962. And I don't think the kitchen or bathroom have been changed since. Unfortunately we can't do a total overhaul right now, but I'm ready to work on a room that won't take quite so much. So I'm starting with the living room. These pictures were taken right after we got back from vacation, so this was in the midst of putting Christmas stuff away, trying to find homes for new toys and my annual January "spring cleaning". We really are not slobs, I promise!

Everything is beige and green. We need color on the walls!

So far I've managed to change out our coffee table and end table, but this ugly desk remains. I really hope to find a new, smaller desk for this space.

On top of the tv... blah. But the tv is angled in the corner, so I can't lean anything against the wall.

My embroidery hoops need updating, too. And new curtains. I'm undecided on painting that cedar chest.

I've already started adding photos to this wall. I've wanted to do a gallery wall for awhile, but was afraid to start. I decided one day to just do it. And that damn gold light. Yuck.

Those couches. Ugh. They are comfy, but I do not like the green at all. I need slipcovers!

This shelf sits above that green couch.

Need to do something with those hands, too. And a new lamp and shade.

I can't wait to work on this room!

Opinions Needed

I am slowly trying to update our living room. I can't do a full blown makeover all at once, so I'm taking it step by step. I want to make a collage wall, so I have been collecting some art prints. I have this lovely one from Colorbee, so I put it in a thrifted white frame. But the problem for me was the different whites. The paper is a bluish-white next to the frame. So I decided to repaint it.



So I painted it Aquatic Mist by Valspar. But now I'm not sure. My other option was Granny Smith by Glidden. The Granny Smith color is similar to the lighter green on the E in 'sweet'.

(This is how it looked previously.)

Here you can see it all together. What do you think? Would you leave it aqua or paint it green?

And do you have any suggestions for this shelf in general? I'm not lovin it...

Kids Paper & Art Organization

I have been needing to do this for awhile now, and I finally decided to do it. Our bedroom is kind of the dumping ground, where things tend to do if there is nowhere else to put them. Therefore I am NOT showing the whole room, just this little bit of closet. Which is bad enough. In this picture you can see baseball bats (Mike's from back when some of his friends played in the minor leagues), Morgan's nebulizer, a Halloween decoration, tissue paper, gift bags & a box of kid papers. What I'm focusing on today is the kid paper.



Enter this lovely file tote, courtesy of the dollar store. I also used file folders we have had laying around for years. This tote has ledges for hanging file folders, but I figured I'd use what I have instead of buying special folders. Eventually I think I'll get one of these for each kid, but for now, one works.

Look how much nicer it looks!

I made a folder for each year. I labeled them Blake - K, Blake - 1, Blake - 2, etc. And I also made one with no grade, for those other drawings they made either before school, between grades, or the ones where I couldnt figure out what grade they belonged in. Included in these folders are school papers, regular drawings, awards, report cards or anything else I felt I should keep.

Look how much I managed to purge! The entire box FULL. It feels good to declutter.

And in the process, I managed to find some art I wanted to keep out. Some to go in the collage wall/ledges, and some that I have something else in mind for.

Linked to:

Before & After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

What's Up Wednesday at Sew Woodsy

We're Organized Wednesday at Organize & Decorate Everything

I Won!

I've been seeing wrapped canvases ALL OVER blogland and I've been wanting one ever since! So imagine how excited I was when I won an 8x10 from Canvas To Art from a giveaway on Hip2Save. You had to be one of the first 50 to fill out the form, and I was! Then came the tough part, deciding what photo to use. I ended up going with a silhouette picture I took of all three kids when we were on vacation in Virginia. I love it! Check it out!

I plan on using it for either a collage or on photo ledges on this wall. I'm leaning towards the collage because this wall is pretty big. But I really like the look of ledges, too. Not sure where else I could put those though. Would it look weird to have a collage on this wall, and ledges on the wall to the right? We're also thinking about painting this room, and I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to get rid of that hideous gold spotlight above the couch. But what kind of light fixture would look good there? I'm not a fan of track lighting, and there is a round vent dead center in this room. Suggestions?

Thanks Hip2Save & Canvas To Art!

A Recycling Box Re-Do

I'm sure a lot of you have these lovely recycling bins. Not very pretty! We started with just one, but once we started recycling more, we needed more. A quick call to the recycling company and the next recycling day, we had more bins. They started out looking like this:

But thanks to a handy hubby who was bored one day, and some old cedar pulled from a job they did, they turned into this:

Much better, don't you think?

Linking to

DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Todays Creative Blog

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

We're Organized Wednesday at Organize & Decorate Everything
Show & Tell Day at Blue Cricket Design

Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

My Decorating Dilemma

I know everyone has seen those awesome photo collage's and photo ledges all over the magazines and blogs. And I want one!


(via Houzz)

My problem is, where? I cant decide, so I would like your opinion please! Here are my options. My hallway, left side. I'm not in love with that picture hanging on the wall there. And dont you love all the boxes attached to the wall?

Or right side. I'm not sure I want the shelf here anymore, but I'm not sure. This is also where I think I'm going to put the little sewing machine table.

Or the other option is my living room. This is how the room looks. I'm not sure about these hang prints here. They seem too small, what do you think? (Ive been meaning to blog about these!)




This is the opposite wall from the photo above. (I HATE that light!)

This is looking straight ahead when you walk in. The wall above is to the right, the one with the handprints is to the left.

And here is the opposing wall.

So, any suggestions? Where do you think I should start a photo collage? I thought about a photo ledge above the couch and the collage in the hall? Not sure. Please help! :)

I'm joining the Decorating Dilemma party over at Serenity Now. And I apologize for the poor photo quality. It was getting dark!

I am participating in Artsy Mama's Autumn Gathering. Head on over to her blog for a list of other participants!

I apologize in advance that my pictures aren't that great. I took them last night and the lighting isnt the greatest in here!

Let's start in the living room...

A lot of this is in the entertainment center, as you can kind of tell.

This picture is pretty cruddy, I'm sorry! The card came from my Sweet & Sinister Swap buddy, Emily.

On top now, my Halloween trees, some pumpkins I glittered, and the wall hanging from Emily.

We found this big bat last year.

I also made a set of these 'Spooky' blocks for myself. I used an orange bird for mine.

Here is the chicken wire frame I made during the Sweet & Sinister Swap.

And my garland...

Not too much on the coffee table. The kids like to use it as a couch, so there really isnt ever anything on it. But we made these little clay acorns this year, and I found the ghost and vampire for $.99 at Michael's this year (on clearance).

I'm really liking this display. My birdhouse from the thrift store, a Dollar Tree crow, an Edgar Allan Poe book, candy corn and a ceramic crow! Oh, and a creamy pumpkin from Walgreen's.

Here's a close-up of the little guy. I really like him! When I went back to get more, they were all gone.

This is my shelf above the couch. Now I know that 'Halloween' is missing an 'E'. Pumpkin likes to to jump up there and knock it down. I got tired of it and used a tack to secure the ribbon. Then I noticed the letter was missing and I couldnt get the tack out! LOL!

In the hallway, I have the little desk that I got from the thrift, along with the cauldron I made last year and a few other things. Ready for some witchy studies?

The kitchen table is pretty simple... These little pumpkins were $1 each at Walmart.

This is hanging above the doorway.

We use this talking candy bowl for fruit.

And finally, outside.

So the bathtub is looking a little pathetic...

I hope you enjoyed my tour!