Tuesday: Decorating on a dime

We've been working on our dining room since we moved in. It's a nice size, it has some large windows that let in lots of great natural light, and the wall mouldings make it look really nice. Plus, the hardwood floor is really pretty.

What isn't pretty is the builder grade light fixture and the lack of decorating.

We recently purchased a new (to us) dining room set that has helped the room tremendously. This didn't solve the lack of decor problems, but it gave us a roomier table for meals and did make it look like a dining room for "grown ups."

This weekend, I purchased a painter's drop cloth for the sole purpose of creating these knock-off curtains in my dining room. I am still searching for a long enough curtain rod that isn't too expensive.

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I also have some additional wall decor in the works- something that will only cost me the price of the frames. I am excited about how this room is finally taking shape! 

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

Bathroom shelving

Our hall bath has a really small vanity and not much storage space at all. Sometime ago, I bought this shelf with a Target gift card my mother gave me for Christmas. I have been using it and enjoying the storage we gained from the shelf, but it needed a little something extra. It also needed some decorating on the cheap.

Hardware store decor

No, I'm not suddenly into decorating hardware stores... but have you ever noticed hardware stores can be kind of like a treasure hunt sometimes? We have a really neat older hardware store here in town, and I love it. They sell a little bit of everything, from lumber, to gardening tools, to pet supplies, to kitchen wares. This post involves two projects I am currently working on for our dining room re-decorating project, and I wanted to share. I haven't actually completed these projects yet, so these images are from Pinterest. They are sourced, so no copywrite violations are happening here :)

First of all, we have all seen the knockoff West Elm industrial pipe curtain rods.

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Decorating with thrift store finds

I took advantage of my spring break last week to take a little spring break from blogging as well. I am back now, feeling refreshed, and ready for my next break. I'm kidding. Sort of.

During my spring break, I had a dentist appointment in the next town. While I was in town, I managed to squeeze in a little trip to my favorite thrift store. i love ducking into thrift stores and antique shops. It's like a treasure hunt- you might end up empty-handed, or you might hit the jackpot. You just never know. I didn't find a whole lot, but I did find three really neat things. I found a glass water carafe that looks like a milk bottle, a silver platter, and a darling miniature pitcher and bowl wash set.

A quick and easy DIY: dresser tray

I am a bit obsessed with trays. I have a silver serving tray in our bathroom to corral our glass canisters. I also have a wooden tray in our kitchen with a grain sack print, an apothecary jar and some spring decor. 

Spring decorating

I love spring time. I love how everything comes back to life after a bare, bleak winter. I love seeing all the new baby animals and watching the trees and flowers begin to bloom. 

Since I can't live outside, I like to bring as much of that brightness and liveliness into my home by decorating for spring. Last year, I decorated more with the holidays, but this year, I wanted something that would last through St. Patrick's Day and Easter, and carry us on into summer. 

Reveal: Emorie's Big Girl Room

We have been working on my sweet girl's "big girl room" for over a year. What started out as the "junk room" actually morphed into a cute little room. When we first moved in, we stashed everything we didn't want to deal with in that room and shut the door.

My kiddo is outgrowing her nursery and when we got pregnant with our second baby, we really started to work on the room. We miscarried, but we talked up her big girl room so much, we had to keep creating it. We've finished the room aside from buying her an area rug.

Spring crafts: DIY bird's nests

Bird's nests are a big part of my spring decorating. I really like including natural elements in my decor. While I have several bird boxes and trees around my house, I'm not too keen on the idea of taking a real bird's nest and bringing it in to the house. I wouldn't want any bird parasites to hitch a ride and come into the house.

"Antique" tool bin

Most of us can't afford a lot of real antiques. This leaves us no choice but to get creative, and get creative we shall.

I recently found these cute toolboxes in the "outdoor" section of a local dollar store. Two of them came home with me.