Entryway redux & intro to Use What You Have Monday

I started the entryway redo just before the holidays. Here is the summary of part one with a reminder of the end result:

That post represented the largest part of the makeover, which will be completed in four sections.

Today we're discussing part two. You can't see it in this picture, but the ceiling light fixture was an old, 70's style round glass globe that had to be unscrewed in order to replace the light bulb. I did not like it. I did not like it at all.

I also didn't have pockets deep enough to change out the ugliness.  All manner of  DIY lighting projects have been popping up in blogs and on Pinterest for a while now- from repurposed lamp shades to homemade covers made from embroidery hoops, bird cages, and mason jars--the possibilities are just about endless. I knew if I set my mind to it, I could come up with a low-cost solution.

In the end, my project came in at zero dollars and zero cents. That's right: not a single penny.
I cut the bottom of out small wicker wastebasket I already had. I didn't even have to paint it;  it was already blue. 

 I was going to complicate matters and use small screws to affix to the wall, but in the end decided construction adhesive was the way to go.  Genius, right? The basket is so small and lightweight that it won't cause a lot of damage should I decide to change it out. I put a little construction adhesive on the edge of the basket, then I held it in place for a few minutes and she was done. I love how it complements the space.

Some light covering tutorials give instructions for covering the bottom of the piece, so that you don't look up and see the light bulb. Lightweight plexiglass cut to size is the usual answer. I skipped that here, as I did with the upgraded light in the dining room. The standard bulbs will be replaced with  with compact fluorescents, which will give off a softer light and are most cost efficient. They're a lot easier on the eye and I won't mind seeing them when I look up.


I used a generic brand of a Liquid Nails equivalent. You'll always find paint, adhesive caulk and salsa in this house.   Stay tuned for part 3.  Hopefully, I'll have the stairs painted by then. (We're still rocking that primer.....)

This in our inaugural post in 'Use What You Have Monday'--low or no cost upgrades using what you already have on hand. Feel free to add your re-do.  Please link directly back to your post, and post projects that are less than three weeks old. Looking forward to seeing your work!

Decorate for free? You bet!

The adage 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' really resonates with me. I've been known to grab discarded household items off the curb. Don't judge.

I found two window frames at the site of a remodel. I brought them home and put them on the wall in my bedroom. I was going to sand and paint them, but decided I liked  them the way they were.

The one by the sitting area has the Father's Day and birthday cards from Bethany and Grace to their dad.

 This one is on my side of the room. I got that cute sign from Wal-Mart.

I mentioned in an earlier post the shutters I found on the side of the road that I used in my kitchen. This picture was taken a while ago, when I was in my Tuscany/Olde World decorating stage. The kitchen looks totally different now and I've since thrown these shutters out. Maybe somebody got them off the curb.....

If you haven't heard of Freecycle, you're in for a treat.

Freecyle is an online Yahoo email group that allows people to share items they no longer need with others. It's the ultimate in recycling. Clothes, sofas, books, and the like are posted on the site. Interested parties will contact you by separate email to arrange pickup. No money changes hands. All items are free.

 Items may be transferred in the safety of a public place, such as a parking lot.  Most common is the porch pick-up, where potential new owners send a private email informing what time/date they can retrieve the item from the current owner's porch.

I can't decide what I like best about Freecycle: the reduction of waste, the free treasures you find or the chance to pass on an item that still has some life but no longer works for you.

Sign up for Freecycle here. You can get started as soon as you choose your state and city.

When I was going through the aforementioned Tuscany/Olde World decorating phase, I really wanted upholstered chairs at my dining room table. I found two wing chairs listed on Freecycle. I kept them for two years. When I re-did that room, I placed the chairs on Freecycle and they were picked up within hours.

Freecycle does have a downside. No-shows are frustrating. I've actually thrown items out because a person who promised to stop by didn't. A few times they were picked up from the curb. 

You never know what you'll find on Freecycle. If you've got the imagination, you can use it to your decorating advantage. Someone posted a few empty frames and I snapped them up.

 I used the first one in the master bath. I didn't add a mirror or picture. I used it to frame a plate instead.

 I added another frame over the linen bureau on my husband's side of the bedroom. Same set-up: the frame is framing a candle holder.

You're ignoring the dust on top of the dresser, right? Thanks.

The last frame in the set was reserved for the dining room. It has a gold metallic finish. It's used to frame a smaller red mirror.

Free decorating? It can be done.

Let there be light.....

I didn't wake up that morning expecting to re-do my entryway. It just sorta happened.

I tend to categorize my favorite thrift stores by items: one has a wonderful book section, another has awesome clothes and so forth. The CHKD in Churchland has great linen and housewares.  I mean really great.

I walked in one Saturday and found this.....

 

and this....

 

 

 Be still my heart.

The floral pattern was a standard 84 inch panel and cost  $3.99. The three or four yards of navy check was $2.99

When I saw it, a new project formed in my mind: my entryway.

 I didn't take a before picture, but the downstairs walls were brown uppers with a white modified board and batten treatment below.  Here's a pic I snapped as a sneak peak a while back.

The wall leading upstairs was beige, as that wall covered in brown paint would be too overpowering. Each window had a cornice board and swagged panel in burgundy.

I got the wall hanging from the same thrift store a few years ago.

 

 

 I used the checked material on the cornice board and swagged the print panel. I bought a pair of lace café panels at another thrift store for a buck.

 

 

 

The cornice board is a thrift store find from 5 or 6 years ago. It had a blue and yellow checked material before I recovered it in the burgundy cloth. For a millisecond I considered leaving it as it was, but these pastel shades didn't match the darker floral panel.

A few minutes with a glue gun and we were done. Umm, after I got Max out of the way.

 

 

There was only one of the patterned panels for the swag, so I used a light green sheer that I already owned to swag the window at the top of the stairs. I'm not bothered that they don't match. The cornice board is the same for both and that ties them together. The green swag better fits the décor in the upstairs landing.


The walls needed to change as the downstairs walls were too dark. I also wanted the downstairs walls and the wall leading upstairs to be the same (lighter) color.

Not a problem.  I'm a big fan of 'oops' paint--paint that has been returned to stores because shoppers changed their mind about the tint. Stores like Sears, WalMart, Lowe's and Home Depot resell this returned paint at drastic mark-downs.

I love, love, love Behr paint, especially the formula with the primer mixed in. You could easily pay $30 for their Signature line. I went to Lowe's in hopes that I'd find a lighter beige paint and looky here:

Next issue: the former wall hanging between the two windows, while perfect for the former space, not longer worked with this changeover.  I didn't see it as a problem. I wanted another wall hanging, but didn't expect lighting to strike twice, so I put it out of my mind, expecting to find the right thing at the right time.

I no longer work myself into a torrent during my home projects, convinced that if I don't locate the perfect item, my transformation will be a failure. I've now adopted the policy that the right thing will eventually show up.

If I dare to shine a spiritual light on the issue, I've determined that if my work at home is a service to my family that I do unto God, then whatever I need to complete that service will be provided.

Case in point: a few weeks after the mini-makeover, I dropped by that same thrift store and found another wall hanging that fit the new décor perfectly. It's beige, nearly the same tone as the wall.  When I get the time, I plan to add ribbon to the edges to help it stand out. Dark red probably, but green may also work.

Here she is.

 

 

 Finally, I decided to paint the entire staircase in white. I was tired of the stained wood risers and felt a white semi-gloss would really lighten the area.

The following pictures show the staircase with two coats of primer. I'd planned to paint this weekend, but we're going out of town, so I'll get to it when we return.  Even with the primer, the space already looks brighter.

Here's my entryway now. 

Total cost for this project: 22 smacks plus tax.  Can't beat that!

Fabric one:        3.99
Fabric two:        2.99
Wall hanging:    3.99
Lace curtains:    1.00
Paint (beige)     10.00
White paint for stairs: already had
Primer for steps: already had

What is your home saying?

 It happened quite innocently.....


SUCCESS is measured not so much by the position that one has reached as by the obstacles that have been overcome



I was pondering what should be my first post when I looked up and read the frame over my laptop.  Then I read the frame above and to the left of that one.....

GOALS...Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals

......and the frame above and to the right of that one....

Believe that Love is forever and forever you will be in Love

Hmmm. Let's peak at the rest of my office, shall we?

Mom of many hats

Dream about tomorrow but live for today

Wall hanging: Follow your heart. Embrace your dreams. Cherish your life

Tile: A mother gives her child two things- roots and wings
Pillow: Peace.Wisdom.Joy

I'm a big believer that our homes say alot about who we are, how we view the world and what we believe. I know you feel the same or you wouldn't spend hours  time drooling over  reviewing decorating blogs. I can see we're alot alike (wink,wink).

 When I realized that my office spoke volumes about how I feel about love and the people I love, I took a lil tour of the house and lookie what else I found (disclaimer: yes, I'm aware that I sound as if I didn't in fact purchase said items, but work with me- I'll be arriving at a point shortly....)







Here's my aforementioned point: I didn't wake up one day and decide to purchase sayings for (nearly) all of the walls in my home. As I've been out and about these (and other) signs called out to me because they reflect the things that are so very near and dear to me. I couldn't walk away from them; I had to bring them home.

For example, I found that "Love Begins at Home" sign above my dining room window at Cato's. It cost a whopping $5.00, marked down from $7.99, and was $3 bucks that day only. I had two dollars to my name,  and I literally sat my purse on the floor so I could comb the bottom for loose change. I thought I was going to have to resort to hiding it until I could run home and hit my 10 year up for a loan, but the change fairies were moving that day. Plus, my teen-ager hates when I hide loot so I try not to do that anymore (when she's around...) 

 Anyhoo, I'm usually a calm, cool and collected shopping machine, but I about lost it that day becuz that frame said EXACTLY  what I would say if I were a picture. I know you understand.

I've been stalking reading AMAZING decorating blogs for a while now and I'm excited to finally jump into the DIY pool. Thanks for your patience with some of the technical glitches in this post. Blogger and I are off to a good start and I expect it will only get better.