Before and Afters...

Hooked on Houses is having a blog party for "Hooked on Fridays". I am hooked on transformations,so I thought I would share this post again. I will soon be revealing my chairs I showed on here in the before! I also have more plans for the fun "Whimsy" chairs I painted in my kitchen. Can't wait to show more next week as I am finishing these projects. The dresser is still to come. Enjoy!

Life lately seems to be going faster than I can keep up with! I am trying to find balance between being a mom, wife,keeping up on the house, trying NOT to go crazy with all the creative ideas floating around in my head and now doing my boutique. As I said trying to find balance. I am realizing even though I have always been a great multi-tasker, lately it has become more difficult. I need more arms, more energy and more TIME!! Now that I have let that out and feel a little better...*whew*

I thought I would share this post on some before and after projects with you. Some of the before pictures have an after picture and some are still in waiting for... the after. :) Those are on the 101 project list I have written about prior. I know, here I just went on about trying to find balance and yet more projects I add. Before and After transformations are always amazing to me. Taking something old, or outdated and changing the paint, fabric or adding to the design can change it completely and become something I love! Here are just some of my Before and Afters...

Before a wing chair in a denim blue and pretty Miss Shining Star (hard to believe she is 13 now!)sitting and reading...

Now in a pale blue slipcover and a floral pink, red, green and blue piping...

This little chest was given to me by a friend about 10 yrs. ago. She was throwing it out. I saw vision for what it could be. Some turquoise blue paint, glass pulls and distressed and it now sits in my dining room holding table cloths, fabric napkins and is one of my favorite pieces.

This oak table was bought when my husband and I first married 9 yrs. ago. Lots of spills and lots of kids started to wear down the varnish and I never loved the oak anyways. Decided I will paint it! My favorite word...my husband's least favorite word. Luckily I have a sprayer and could paint 2 chairs at a time. Still need to paint the table, one of my 101 projects. :)

The colors are so happy and add whimsy to the kitchen! Loved it for Christmas as well...

I love these lamps when I first bought them 6 yrs. ago. 

As my family room changed my shades needed to as well.

I used the metal frame and then added my own green silk fabric and a sheer cream overlay with a gold swirling leaf design. Trimmed it with some gold cording and added the beads back. I love it!

Found this chair for such a great deal on Craigslist. I bought it for $30 

and knew the frame was in good shape, just did not like the fabric...

I then found a great price on this french red and cream ticking. My first "down to the bones" reupholstering. My kids call it the candy cane chair. It looks great with my red couch and all the vibrant colors in my family room! This chair just makes me happy.

I just bought these chairs off of Craigslist the other day. Another great deal! I needed 2 chairs to flank each side of a dresser I have in my family room. These were a great find and style I wanted. I was told they are from the 1950's. I am going to paint them, distress and add some of the cute plaid I have in my family room to recover the seats in. Hopefully have them done in the next 2 weeks...

Here is the dresser I was talking about. I helped a friend in her home with some decorating. This dresser was in her bedroom and she was getting a new one that would have bigger drawers. I see potential! We traded. I can't wait to paint,add some moulding details, new drawer pulls and I think it will look great! I love all the drawers, they are great for storage especially when I change things out. I definitely will post more photos when these projects finish. ;)

These are just some of my before and afters. I hope you enjoyed them. I love recycling, revamping and reusing, it makes me feel I am helping to be a little more green too!

Spray paint magic!

I saw Sarah@Thrifty Decor Chick is hosting a party! A spray paint party!! I love to spray paint, I am ready!! So I thought this would be a great time to share with all of you a couple of things I have been spray painting the last couple of days. We have had some nice weather and sunshine, and in the Spring that always makes me happy to start painting!


The great thing about spray paint is if you want to change something quick and inexpensive it is the way to go! For a dollar you can pick up most basic colors at Wal-mart. I like to use some of the dollar cans for primers under more pricey spray paint on my projects as well.


So as you all know I am all about a great find at the right price. I found some things that I knew I would "love" with a little help from some paint.


Here is a great wrought iron birdcage from Hobby Lobby, 50% off! I thought the color was a little darker than I wanted, but I wasn't worried, I knew in no time it would become the color...

I wanted! A soft sky blue...

My cute dollar store birdie is peeking out...

I love the way it turned out!

I found two of these cloche's and stands at Ross. They were missing the screw that attached them together. Remember my post on Decorating on a budget? "You bet I asked if they would give me a % off" for not having all the pieces. No problem...an extra 25%!! They normally were $20 a piece, I bought them for $7.50 each! I was happy as a clam! They too were a dark brown and I really wanted them to be lighter, so I painted them and heated up my trusty,overworked glue gun and from this...

to this!!

Aren't they so sweet?! I love the distressed look on them, like they have been around for ages!

Did you all notice my cute little birdies? As I said earlier I bought these at the dollar store. The only thing is when I bought them they weren't so "cute". They were quite ugly! I was so grateful that I could look past all that though, thanks to Kimba at A Soft Place to Land! After seeing her great post on spray painting "not so pretty" things, I knew I could give these guys a great home. I wish I could show you the before, but in my excitement and hurry to see them have a makeover, I forgot to get their before shot! I think these guys are just adorable now!

I love that in blog land everyone gets to share their great ideas! Such inspiration's from so many creative women! See, it truly is spray paint magic! I hope you are now inspired too to run to Wal-mart pick up a can of spray paint and see where your creativity will take you! Can't wait to show you more at the next Spray Paint party!! Thanks Sarah@Thrifty Decor Chick for letting me party with you!!

Whimsy Spotlight...

I wanted to Spotlight a friend of mine and a very talented and amazing photographer, Cindi Renee. Her ability to capture the simplicity of moments is wonderful! I have fell in love with some of her flower still shots. Here a few of my favorite pictures and one's I will be buying for myself...

The turquoise blue is so breathtaking behind the pink rose's.

Look how the colors blend one into the next...

Oh, I love the highlight and crispness of the one rose and the fading of the others.

I think these will be beautiful in my new master bedroom makeover.

You can check out her blog at Cindi Renee and her flickr page to see more of her beautiful work. 

Here are a couple more amazing photos...

The vibrancy of color is gorgeous!

The tiny droplet's of water...love the attention to detail!

So much more to look at! Let her capture your perfect family moment

 or see if there is something you fall in love with and want hanging in your home as well.

Thank you Cindi for letting me spotlight you and share your amazing photos.

Decorating on a budget...

I wanted to share some of my tips for decorating on a budget. I have always believed no matter how much money I have, I never needed to spend a lot to have a beautiful home.Recently, I decided that my master bedroom was in desperate need of a makeover. After being the same color and design for the last 5 years, it is definitely time for a change! It is now on my "101 project" list.

Luckily I have a great and understanding husband who knew when he married me I would always be changing things in our home. He also knows I am all about finding a great bargain! As long as I shop and stay within the budget, it keeps both of us happy.

I try to always make my money stretch and spend it wisely on my purchases. My friends and family know that I very rarely will pay full price for anything. I say "Why" if you know that the item will go on sale, clearance or you have a coupon. When I go shopping I do my research on the store's I am going to. I clip my coupons or print them out, make a list and know my budget. Many time's if the price is not right I will be patient and wait for the item to go on sale. There are a few exceptions I make to this rule. If I know it is one-of-a-kind and still within budget or as I wrote about on my last post, the dishes I had to have!

In working with my clients in their homes, I always tell them to remember that "unless you love it, don't buy it". There have been a few times I have bought something, because I couldn't find what I wanted to complete a design and had regrets about it. If you are spending your money, it should be on something you would love to see in your home and not because you had to settle. So remember when shopping for your home either "love" it or don't buy it!

These are some of my bargains that I "love" for when I decorate my master bedroom...

Here are a few of my tips I use when decorating on a budget.


1. You don't have to buy everything at once, you can add a little at a time.


2. My 3 R's in design. Repurpose, Recover and Revive! Give new purpose to an item. example: Wrought iron wall hangers (see below)~hand towel hanger's. Slipcovers are great ways to change the feel and look of furniture. Painting, fabric, and adding embellishments can revive and give a fresh new look!


3. Clip coupons, shop the sale's and clearance sections, shop discounted stores, garage sales and thrift shops, I love shopping on Craig's list.


4. If a display item is the last one and the store is wanting to sell it, they will give you 10-20% off if they are wanting to clearance it. Don't be afraid to ask.


5. Do your homework and know when the sales are, have a list and stay within your budget.


6. Sign up for store flyer's that come in the mail or sign up on an e-mail list with your favorite stores.


7. Use creativity and be resourceful, it will save you money!


8. Paint and fabric are the most cost effective way to add change to any room.


Here are just a couple of my bargain finds.

2 - choc. brown 11x14 picture frames
reg.$18 ~ SALE $8.99

Decorative crackled glass pear jar
reg.$19.99 ~SALE $9.99

Wrought iron branches and birds candelabra
reg. $40 ~ SALE $13.99

White wrought iron bird wall hangers
reg.$5.99 ~ SALE $1.50

Brown/light blue brocade fabric
reg.$24.99 a yard~SALE $13.49 a yard

Floral brown/blue fabric
reg. $17.99 a yard ~SALE $7.20 a yard

2-brown lampshades
reg.$12 ~ SALE $5.99
Leaf trim
reg.$5.99 a yard ~ SALE $2.00 a yard

Glass knobs
reg.$3.99 ~ SALE $1.99

Blue Matelasse Euro Pillow Shams
reg.$69.00 ~ SALE $14.99

Antique Gilded Gold Mirror 48x36 (favorite find on Craigs list!)
reg. $?? antique I am sure alot more than I paid~ SALE $35.00!

I hope some of these tips help you to stay within your budget and find the items you "love". By decorating on a budget you can create a beautiful home.

Happy bargain shopping!