Seasonal nesting

Some people make redecorating a big event. An event that is planned months, sometimes years in advance. Carefully thought out, budgeted...  Those are usually the same people who live with that redecoration for 10 years. I'm not one of those people. A typical room around this house stays the same for about 10 minutes. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, I'm constantly changing things up. I don't usually plan it out more than the length of time it takes me to hop in the car and drive to Lowes or Goodwill. That's how the recent living room mini makeover came to fruition. I was in there with Bayleigh trying out a DVD with not much luck. Bayleigh has no interest whatsoever in TV. Not that I want her glued to the set for hours at a time, but I wouldn't mind 15 minutes of distraction so I can load the dishwasher now and then. 

This was a photo of the living room before we put in the hardwood floors, taken in July of '07 and I'm shocked to say, besides the change in flooring, and moving that chair, everything else stayed pretty much the same till recently. I'm really, really surprised by this. Maybe it's because decorating that mantel is not easy and once I came up with something I could live with I was just tired of trying?? Anyway back to Bayleigh and the TV. I noticed the only time she would even pay one second of attention to the sweet little children singing to her was if she stood on the hearth and looked right at it. Hmm...  I thought to myself. I wonder if she would enjoy it more if it were more at eye level for her. Right then I had to stop everything and go in search of a lower tv table. I wanted something with a shelf on the bottom to hold tapes (we still have a VCR) and DVDs. A couple hours later I had just what I wanted. Almost. I was stained a dark cherry color and had nail polish around the edges. I'm guessing the previous owner used the coffee table to prop her feet on to paint her toenails. Just a guess.  For $24 and the cost of some paint, you know I already had that on hand, I have a new lower TV table. Bayleigh still isn't interested in the sweet little children singing to her, but you can't have everything.

 

Of course with the new black tv table the white bookshelf seemed out of place, so I replaced it with my granny's old sewing machine cabinet that had been in the hall. Then as things go in my decorating method of madness, the items on the bookcase would need a new home, and the domino effect continues with a  mantle makeover.

The old shutters and window came from the Habitat for Humanity re-store (7 for the shutters 2 for the window) The tall dark candle holder was less than a dollar from Hope Harbor the hydrangeas where a from a sweet blogging friend Kate. The photos were taken by my mom, years ago. Bayleigh's little red rocker was originally three dollars at thrift store, but I bought a few other things and talked him in to throwing in the chair for free. I planned to paint it, but have since added a few pops of red to the room, so it's staying as-is. The table the tv was previously perched upon was actually the lower portion of a hutch, the white "bookshelf" was the upper portion, turned upside down. Confusing? Now the pieces have been reunited on the other side of the room as a hutch.

 

The wall behind the couch is naked. I moved the three bird prints from that wall to the wall adjoining this hutch wall.   I've commissioned Alyssa to make me a sign to go there. One of those hand painted antique looking signs that says something inspirational. She's crafty and artistic, so I'm sure she'll come up with something wonderful.

 

See that pop of red I was talking about? In that pillow up there? Pottery Barn has some really cool pillows made of linen and hemp, but 45 dollars is out of my pillow price range. Since I know how easy it is to sew a pillow cover, my pillow purchasing budget is really low. I had some natural linen and some red fabric paint, so I went to work and made my own. I really want to put a rug in here, maybe something sisal, but with  dogs who refuse to be completely housebroken, rugs just don't mix.  Have you seen the commercial for the potty-patch? Any rug I put down is automatically a potty-patch to those little @$#@# sweeties.  I'm home all day and take them out 75 times a day and still, they think all rugs deserve a good christening. I wish I could get the dog whisperer to pay me a visit. Anywho, that's a little TMI and has nothing to do with decorating. Nothing good anyway. 

Did you notice the little rusty wire basket on the hutch? It isn't really a rusty basket. I just painted it to look that way. I found it in the dollar bin at Target and sprayed it with three different colors of spray paint till I thought it looked old and rusty. 

 

I just grabbed what I had, I used the chalkboard paint because I wanted something flat not shiny. The rust is colored one is actually red oxide primer.

 

I just kept spraying and layering till it looked old to me, no real method.

 

That's what it looked like before. Older is better, don't you think?

Tomorrow I'll share how I covered the glass doors in my Walmart buffet with faux coffee sack to hide the plastic dog and cat food bins.

Comments

[Thimbleanna]

And THIS is why we call you the Creative Little Daisy! I have a bunch of those little wire baskets -- thanks for the cool tip to make them look like so much more than a buck!

[Elaine]

Love what you did with your living room. The wire baskets look great! I have a couple which were used by my grandfather (oysterman) for oysters, clams, crabs, and/or fish... I have a few in various sizes...good size for magazines, books, and largest one I use for dirty clothes basket. I believe they are in need for a new paint job. One lady uses them for scraps of fabrics...I'm going to do that soon. My daughter Robyn's youngest Emily will be one on 17th celebrating it tomorrow. Her three and two year old are over here now. I keep all three while she and her husband at work. They live next door and are in and out even when Mommy and/or Daddy home. We are so blessed to have such a close relationship with our grandbabies!

[Cheryl]

Hey Autum!
So good to see you posting again. Love what you have done with your living room. I especially love that PB copy cat pillow. I have been seeing them everywhere.
So glad to hear that Bayleigh isn't into the TV. I do feel for you though. Fifteen minutes of free time would be great.

[Kristena]

I love what you did with your TV!!! Our TV is so stinkin' huge, but I wonder if I could copy this idea somehow... Thanks for the inspiration!

[Sarah]

(hopefully I can get the comments to work this time!)

I wanted to say on your last post that yes, the getting sick all the time at the beginning of starting child care is SUPER annoying, but after the first year it really lessens. Jack was sick every single week that first year, but by the 2cd year he was hardly sick at all. I figure that's better than being sick constantly in kindergarten, right?

[Bridgette]

Autum, you always dazzle me.

[jo]

What a lovely room! It looks so calm and inviting and effortlessly 'American' in the nicest way! Whenever I see snippits of your house it makes me want to live in a white house with a big porch and a huge garden :-)
Your dishwasher comment made me chuckle - my son is now 10 months and it is impossible to load the dishwasher whilst he is around - he wants to crawl into it the second it is open. He can hear it being opened from the next room and he commando crawls like lightning with that quiet intent only babies up to mischief can manage!

[Sarah Jayne]

Very inspiring and much freer than planning for ages - which is what I seem to do and never actually get anything done. Hmmmm I think I need ti get going

[Sandra]

Ohhh! I love it all! And that mantle....just fabulous! I think I know just what to do with those old, weathered, white framed windows in my shed now! perfect!

[Meredith]

Ooh, I just discovered your blog and I'm so inspired now! My house is definitely in need of a makeover -- poverty has inspired me to keep it the same for years. But it's great to see that you can do so much with just a bit of money! I'm off to the ReStore myself!

[Rachael]

Your living room is wonderful, love the wall colour as well! Rachaelxo

[Lissy]

This looks superb...I htink the dark wood looks great against your wall colour nad I love how you have done the mantle piece :)

[Jodi]

WOW! LOVE the changes. The Mantel looks fabulous! Totally. So happy to have discovered your blog.

[Lynne in NC]

Love it ALL! You are so creative.
Thanks for posting about what you've been doing in the kitchen and living area.
The hutch looks really great with all the fun items on it. Especially the "old" basket.
I'm looking forward to reading about the faux coffee sacks, too.
love ya!

[edith]

I love your thinking, My pillow budget is pretty low too. I have seen those red PB pillows too and think I want to make one too.

[Kim]

Love your changes. I know how it is....I change one thing & then have to change another & before I know it, it's two hours later and the whole room is turned around.

[AnNicole@OurSuburbanCottage]

Love, love, love your living room. And that's so funny about your dogs. My dog is housebroken, except for those mornings I wake up and find that she's relieved herself on my bathmat. It's ALWAYS the bathmat. Sooo bizarre.