Ever since I became a stay at home mom, I have been bit by the decorating bug. I feel that our house may be smaller than I would like but it is our home and it is up to me to make it as cozy and inviting as possible. Only problem is, I don't have the budget to make all of my decorating dreams a reality as fast as I would like. I often ask my self why I didn't decorate the house when I had a much larger disposable income and then I have to remind myself that I was working full time, going to school full time and doing an internship! I felt lucky just to have the dishes done. Well, the first place I started was the kitchen and here is my progress so far. (Note, this has taken many months and some lucky finds as well as coming up with ideas on how to use items we already had)
Above is the before picture, well there was another before that I didn't take a picture of. This one had boxes stacked on top of the cabinets and I couldn't stand it any longer. My ever practical husband however still thinks that I am wasting valuable storage space.
And here is the after, or at least as far as I have gotten. I would still like to make a wreath for the pantry door, I need to put some wood blocks underneath some of the items to give some height variance and you can't see the window but it desperately needs a curtain. However, there are other windows in the house that need curtains before this one. Now, I just have to reacquaint myself with a sewing machine (I haven't actually sewn anything since my sewing class in high school which was too many years ago to count.)
From left to right, the topiary (or whatever it is called) I bought on clearance at Tai Pan Trading. There was just a little chunk missing from the pot in the back which no one could see. I have to say that I love Tai Pan Trading and if I had an unlimited budget, I could probably have my house decorated in a week! Next, (and all along the front) I have some mini trifle dishes that I already had that I filled with these clear stones I bought at Roberts. I still need to get some of those battery operated tea lights to put in those. Next, I have a beautiful pair of candlesticks we received for our wedding. In the middle of those is one of my mom's old cookbooks. Next I have another wedding present, a cake stand, that I filled with greenery. If you wonder what I do if I need to use the cake stand, I can just take it down and wash it off and it is ready to go. On the end is another little fake plant I got from Tai Pan.
On this side, I have a vase we received for our wedding filled with some red tulips I bought at WalMart and next to it is this gorgeous platter I found in a consignment store for only $10!! It all may not look like much but I personally am quite proud of my accomplishment as well as the utilization of some great wedding gifts that would have otherwise been hanging out in a cupboard until I used them. As I find other items that will look good up here, I will add them but it is time to move on from the kitchen to other rooms of the house. My next two big projects are the dining room wall and the girl's room! I have started on both and hope to have them finished before the baby gets here. I hope to someday have my vision complete which mostly consists of a bunch of little projects. It may be awhile however because there are 4 pieces of furniture that I can picture in my head that will make my dream for my home complete. Until then, I will just keep envisioning it the way I want it to be.
Above is the before picture, well there was another before that I didn't take a picture of. This one had boxes stacked on top of the cabinets and I couldn't stand it any longer. My ever practical husband however still thinks that I am wasting valuable storage space.
And here is the after, or at least as far as I have gotten. I would still like to make a wreath for the pantry door, I need to put some wood blocks underneath some of the items to give some height variance and you can't see the window but it desperately needs a curtain. However, there are other windows in the house that need curtains before this one. Now, I just have to reacquaint myself with a sewing machine (I haven't actually sewn anything since my sewing class in high school which was too many years ago to count.)
From left to right, the topiary (or whatever it is called) I bought on clearance at Tai Pan Trading. There was just a little chunk missing from the pot in the back which no one could see. I have to say that I love Tai Pan Trading and if I had an unlimited budget, I could probably have my house decorated in a week! Next, (and all along the front) I have some mini trifle dishes that I already had that I filled with these clear stones I bought at Roberts. I still need to get some of those battery operated tea lights to put in those. Next, I have a beautiful pair of candlesticks we received for our wedding. In the middle of those is one of my mom's old cookbooks. Next I have another wedding present, a cake stand, that I filled with greenery. If you wonder what I do if I need to use the cake stand, I can just take it down and wash it off and it is ready to go. On the end is another little fake plant I got from Tai Pan.
On this side, I have a vase we received for our wedding filled with some red tulips I bought at WalMart and next to it is this gorgeous platter I found in a consignment store for only $10!! It all may not look like much but I personally am quite proud of my accomplishment as well as the utilization of some great wedding gifts that would have otherwise been hanging out in a cupboard until I used them. As I find other items that will look good up here, I will add them but it is time to move on from the kitchen to other rooms of the house. My next two big projects are the dining room wall and the girl's room! I have started on both and hope to have them finished before the baby gets here. I hope to someday have my vision complete which mostly consists of a bunch of little projects. It may be awhile however because there are 4 pieces of furniture that I can picture in my head that will make my dream for my home complete. Until then, I will just keep envisioning it the way I want it to be.
Wow!!!! Great job Diana. I need you at my house.
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