Rug Recommendations?

I'm not sure what my deal is with rugs.  Everyone else seems to be able to find a good deal on a cute rug around here.  I keep striking out.

You may remember my dilemma about finding a rug for our living room. After extensive searching, I finally found the perfect rug on Target's website.

Now I'm having the same issue, just in the master bedroom now.

I'm in love with my comforter and sheet set.  It's grey and yellow and I want to bring in some mint green accents around the room.  This is what you should know about me.  I'm not a matchy-matchy kind of person.  I really want to be able to mix and match patterns seamlessly and make everything look like it was just meant to go together.  I haven't mastered it yet.  So I thought that a rug would be the perfect opportunity to bring in some color and some pattern and make it look like it all went together.  But, since I'm super dependent on other people's opinions (it's a flaw, I know), I need to know what you guys think.

Options!

Let's break these down.

The picture on the left, obviously, is my bedding.

1.  From zulily.com
Pros:  It's yellow houndstooth.  I'm obsessed with houndstooth.
Cons:  It's a 3.5'x5.6' rug.  I'm really hoping for a 5'x7'.  And it's $99.99.

2.  Currently in my Target store.
Pros:  It's gorgeous in person.  I really like the idea of doing a completely different rug pattern and bringing in the different colors.
Cons:  It's $152.99--that's the sale price.  Not really the ideal pricetag I'm looking for.

3.  From Urban Outfitters.
Pros:  I'm obsessed with chevron right now and it's mint green and it's only $89 for a 5'x7'.
Cons:  Is it too different?

4.  Same rug as #3, also from Urban Outfitters, just in yellow.
Pros:  Again, I love chevron.
Cons:  I'm nervous that it's too much yellow.  And I'm afraid that it's going to come in the mail and it's going to be a different color yellow that's on my bedding and it's going to clash.  Ugh.

Opinions?!?!

Mantle Madness!

Definition of a good husband:  one that will spend a good chunk of his Sunday putting up a mantle from your momma's basement.

I'm super ridiculously pumped about this.  Remember last month when I scored this super fabulous, super cheap clock from Hobby Lobby and I talked about my plans for our big open wall in our living room.  Well friends, the transformation is (almost) complete!

Before.  Terrible picture, I know.

What you need to know:  long navy wall.  Super boring.  Needed something.

Marty took down the clock, found the studs and marked the position of the mantle.  Then, he spent several nights at his cousin's wood shop giving my mom's old mantle some much needed TLC.  It was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, some wood putty and, most importantly, a shelf on the top so I could actually display items on the top of the mantle.

After!

I have a mantle!  And a wall with something on it!  Hooray!!  I've already been browsing Pinterest for decor ideas for different seasons.  Right now, I'm trying to picture decorations for Avery's Winnie the Pooh themed 2nd birthday party this weekend.  Don't worry.  Pictures will follow.

I still have some styling to do around this area, but it's up!  And I'm excited!  Who's got the best husband ever?  This girl.

Yard Sale Finds Are My Friends

Yard sale finds, castoffs, items hidden deep in my mom's basement storage room....these are my friends.  I never thought I'd be the type to say that I loved junk.  I enjoy looking at an item and finding a new use for it.

Like these old shutters my mom had in her basement.  They were black, nothing special about them at all...but I felt like they needed to be displayed somewhere and out of the bottom floor of my parent's home.  I took them to our house in Bardstown, where they hung out in our storage shed for awhile.  I was unsure of the perfect place to use them.  As a picture holder?  As a decorative accent on a wall in our home?  Nothing sounded just right.  Until around Christmas time, when I decided to take a shelf off the wall and it left a HUGE mark where the brackets had been.  Oops.  I searched frantically for a solution to hide the eyesore and finally came up with one of the shutters.  I displayed it on the wall and hung our stocking from it for a couple of months (oh, you don't take your Christmas decorations down until March either??).

Soon after, we moved and I haven't found the "perfect" place to put the shutters back up in the new house.  I've been trying to decorate very deliberately and with purpose and not just throw crap on the walls just to have decorations.  But one day, while I was watching TV, it hit me.

Duh.  These shutters make the perfect frame for our TV!  When Marty mounted the TV, it left quite a bit of open spaces on the sides that I always felt needed something.  I didn't want to hang pictures because I felt like that would distract from TV viewing, but I didn't like the idea of leaving it all blank though.  Marty complains that they make his TV look smaller, but I don't mind a bit.

I'll leave you with some other TV wall inspiration that just make me drool:

via thelaurenelizabeth

^ I literally have dreams about this wall I love it so much.  Maybe one day.

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Love these colors.  And the frame around the TV.

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I'm geeking out over this.  I want sliding barn doors!

Do you have any creative ideas to make a TV wall look prettier?  Share! 

I Love Hobby Lobby (and HL Sales...)

Nothing makes this girl happier than visiting a craft store (okay, maybe a few other things....).  So when I got the opportunity to go to Hobby Lobby this weekend, I was pumped.  I get a strange high from being around that many canvases, fabric spools and brilliant home decor ideas.  Just being there makes me happy.  So you can imagine how I feel when I'm in the craft store and I score a ridiculously awesome deal.  Meet my new clock.

Gahhhh!!!  It's gigantic (seriously--the picture doesn't do it justice...it's at least 20 inches across--if not more), it's covered in burlap and it's antique looking.  Could it be any more perfect?  Actually yes.  Yes, it could.

That sucker was originally $60 and I picked it up for $12 on clearance.  The clock works, but the hands stick and cause them to move when they're not supposed to, but that's just fine with me. Again, it's giant, it's covered in burlap and it's antique-y.   Even if it doesn't keep time, it's PERFECT for my house.  And I've been on the hunt for a statement piece for our living room.

Now, put on your imagination goggles with me for a second.  There's a super long wall spanning from my dining room into my living room that has two double doors along the wall going out to the screened in porch, but there's still a long wall that was devoid of any decorations whatsoever.  The previous homeowner (aka my aunt) had her TV on that wall with the furniture facing it.  When we moved in, I looked at that wall for our TV, but realized, because of the placement of the room, I wouldn't be able to center my couch with the TV if we did that...BIG problem for my OCD.  So we switched the room around and left this wall alone.  Here's where the imagination goggles need to be on.  (FYI, I apologize for this terrible picture.  I was trying to take it in between Avery's "I hold you!" whines).

You ready for my plans?  My mom has an old white wooden mantle in her basement that I'm going to steal  borrow with permission from her.  It needs a new top and probably a fresh coat of paint.  I'm going to tell ask Marty sweetly if he and his cousin (who is a whiz with wood and silly projects I hope to accomplish) will mount it centered on the wall.  I'm picturing two small printed chairs on each side and beautiful decorations on top.  Finally, I'm going to take a scrap piece of plywood, cover it in chalkboard paint and put it in the "fireplace."

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Saw this idea in one of my mom's magazines last year around Christmas (Country Living? BHG?) and fell in love and have been obsessing over the idea ever since.

If I can get everything to work out (mom letting me have it, husband painting and mounting it...), I hope to have after pictures soon!!

DIY Diva in Training--Big Art for Little Money

Where my divas at??  No, not you, lady who makes her husband go shopping with her and hold her bag the entire time.  Or you, woman that gets a mani/pedi every other day so her polish can match her outfits.  Where my DIY divas at??  The ladies that are interested in decorating their homes for pennies at a time, while still staying as stylish as possible.  For all YOU diva-licious DIY'ers, this post is for you.

I know I tempted you the other day with pictures of all of the furniture pieces I plan to redo and breathe life into.  But this post isn't about any of those furniture pieces.....sorrrrrry!  Instead, it's about how to make a big impact on your wall for not a lot of big money. 

I love big pieces.  I love big wall art and I hope to own my own painting one day to hang in my home.  Unfortunately though, the budget doesn't really allow for any art right now.  So I decided to make a focal piece on my own.  Wanna know how?  Follow me!

Go to your local craft store....I picked Michael's (basically because it's the only one in my town to choose from).  I picked up a large filigree wooden frame and my last initial.

Next, I went to Walmart and bought some spray paint.  Our bedroom is mostly grey and yellow with some mint green accents thrown in.  There's a whole lot of grey and there's yellow on the bedspread, but I needed to incorporate more green.  So I chose to paint my frame grey (to be able to use in other parts of my home if I decided to put it in another room) and the initial green.  The actual spray paint colors were Krylon Jade and Smoke Grey. 

After I spray painted the two pieces, I hung it up in our bedroom. 

 

Seriously, that's it.  I plan on adding something else to each side (I'm a symmetrical kind of girl), but that'll be in the future.  Ready for the cost?  The huge frame was $7.99, the initial was $4.99 and the spray paint was $3.49 a can--which I probably used a 1/4 of the can.  I can't afford a giant piece of art to hang in my bedroom.  So this'll do for now. 

DIY Diva in Training....new series!

I think the Little Red Hen had a little bit of DIY-er in her when she said "I'll do it myself!"  I want my home to look like something out of a magazine, decor-wise.  But getting it to look that way is craaaaaaazy expensive. If you go the ready-made route, good for you!  Since this momma is low on funds and trying to pinch her pennies, I'm going the DIY route.  So, introducing the "DIY diva in training" series!

Each week, I'll be transforming a piece of furniture or adding character to my home by doing it myself and saving money.  Here's a preview of all the furniture pieces that I have around my house that need a little TLC.

From top left, going clockwise: 

1.  Corner table (yard sale find: $15). 

2.  Adorable little table with cubbies (yard sale find:  $10). 

3.  Your guess is as good as mine (yard sale: $1)

4.  Really flipping awesome desk (antique store in Bardstown:  $40)

5.  Octagon side table (consignment store in Bardstown: $12)

From top, going clockwise:

 

1.  Chest of drawers (from Marty's childhood bedroom)

2.  Dresser (from Marty's childhood bedroom)

3.  Side table (yard sale find:  $15)

 

I'm going to breathe new life into these tired little pieces.  Give them a fresh coat of paint and some TLC.  But I'm also going to share some other little tips and tricks to decorate your house for as cheaply as you can get away with.  I'll be doing one big project or renovation every week, so be looking for them!  Maybe I will post them on Tuesdays for the Twitter hashtag #transformationtuesday (Or is it Transformation Thursday and Throwback Tuesday?  Whatev).  I will gladly welcome any and all ideas or pins that you think would be fitting for these pieces (particularly that little cubby hole table...can't figure out what I'm doing with that little dude just yet).  Hopefully big ideas and big reveals will be happening!  So stay tuuuuuuned :)



Sweet Sheets.

Since I made an embarrassing confession yesterday for my lack of tennis shoe ownership, I thought I would share another confession:

I've done NOTHING to our master bedroom since we've moved in.  

Literally.  I've unpacked our clothes.  I've put books and a lamp on our side table.  The end!  

Our bedroom is the biggest cluster of crap that needs to be put away, rugs that don't have a home, two chairs that don't match my current living room decor, a giant container of clothes that don't fit me that I'm too emotionally attached to get rid of.......it's a MESS.  Mess is probably an understatement.  It's horrible.  I don't like being in there, but I'm trying to decorate one room at a time and this room hasn't been high on the priority list.  Wanna see why?

Holy moley.........this is super embarrassing y'all.  I am a little bit of a comforter addict.  I LOVE comforters.  It's such an easy way to switch out decor without spending a ridiculous amount of money.  Our old house's master bedroom was decorated in black, white and red.  Fun fact about me:  I love black and white.  So every room in our home was a variation of black, white and one other color.  Kitchen:  black, white and red.  Avery's room:  black, white and purple.  Office:  black, white and teal.  Bedroom:  black, white and red.  So, in the new house, I'm trying to push myself out of my black and white comfort zone and introduce this amazing concept called color!  Our living room is grey and navy (which I'm planning to add some yellow pops of color).  Then there's our bedroom.  The walls are grey and I've been on the hunt for a grey and yellow bedspread for practically forever.  In the meantime, I was using an eclectic mix of every comforter set we've ever owned (basically because I can't find a complete set anywhere...).  Black and white comforter, Better Homes and Gardens quilted shams, green pillowcases and flat sheet, grey fitted sheet.  Do you see why I wanted to avoid this room completely??

My style dilemma came to an end this weekend at TJ Maxx in the form of this gorgeous Cynthia Rowley (didn't pay anywhere near that price that's on the link, btw) comforter and sham set (shout out to my sister Dayna for finding it for me).

 Do you hear the Hallelujah Chorus?  Because I totally did when she pointed it out.  It's perfect.  EXACTLY what I've been looking for.  Plus, I found these fabulous sheets at Target that just make my heart happy.

They're grey gingam sheets .  Another fun fact about me:  gingham is my second favorite pattern (anyone know my first favorite??).  I've had my eye on these beauties at Target for a hot second.  Literally months.  Any time I needed to go to Target, I'd walk over to the bedding section and admire them.  But I never had a comforter to match them and would tell myself I didn't need them.  Then I'd sadly walk away.  That ended this weekend!  As soon as I bought the comforter, I KNEW I'd be buying these sheets.  When I visited Target yesterday, these sheets were on sale (regular $43.99 for a Queen set, marked down to $38.99) AND I had a coupon for 15% Threshold bedding.  It was fate.

Side note:  while we're talking about bedding, you NEED one of these.

I was having HORRIBLE back pain most days.  I would wake up in complete pain and it would continue throughout the day.  One day, after being close to tears with lower back pain, I told my husband we needed to do something drastic to help me...whether that meant a new mattress, visiting a specialist, whatever.  He brought home a memory foam mattress topper for us to try out before I went and spent a ton of money at a chiropractor's office.  Honest to goodness haven't had a single day of back pain in the 4 months we've had it on our bed. {Similar options}

Back to the post:  Now that I have pretty sheets and an actual completed look to my bedding, I'm ready to start decorating the rest of my room.  Also at TJ Maxx, I picked up a wooden ampersand symbol (&), thinking that I could find a "D" and a "M" to put together and put on our dresser (sweet, right?).  It's a minty green and I think the color combination is gorgeous.

Now I'm on the hunt for mint green and yellow and grey!  Further inspiration:

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Yes.  I know these are pictures of baby nurseries.  No, I'm not having a baby.  It's called inspiration people.

Other small snippets of decoration in our house:

Rug in the dining room.  It's tiny.  I want a bigger one, but I love the design of this one.  I'll deal.

Our couch FINALLY came in!  When we bought it, the frame was bent, so Corvin's very graciously told us about it and ordered us a brand spanking new one for the clearance price we bought it at.  Pumped.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted pictures on Facebook on my living room walls and asked for advice on what kind of rug to get...what color, what pattern, etc.

Navy in the dining room and on a very long wall into the living room and grey on the rest.  I like red, but couldn't find any red rugs that just screamed "Buy me!  I'll look fabulous in your living room!"
Instead, I found this rug on Target's website.  Gasped a little.  Fell in love.  Bought it.  Just got an email that it shipped out today!  Cross your fingers it looks good with my decor!!

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That's all I have done so far.  Maybe in five years, my house will finally be decorated how I want it to be......maybe.