Living Room Challenge

Wow, so I am already falling behind schedule! I had to work most of the day, but spent the rest with our son. I always enjoy spending lots of time with him. He's 6 years old and definitely a chatter box. That kid can talk non-stop the whole day. He doesn't even mind talking to himself! The husband decided to go horseback riding, so we had the whole house to ourselves! I need to get on my horse soon, he's fat as a tick!

More details on living room:

Budget: $250
Completion: July 5th, 2011

My mom gave me some awesome white curtains she wasn't using, so that is definitely a big money saver! My husband got one set of curtains up. *looking at watch* Since that was a week ago, I am going to give him a few more days to put the other set up. Yes, I can do this myself, but last time I did I refused to use the level and ended up with crooked photos :-/

I have all but 1 wall painted in the living room now and ran out of paint. I dislike driving into the city, but suppose I will in the next few days to grab another can.

Goal for this Week: Finish Painting, Finish Curtains, Hang Frames/Photos, and of course post pictures!

It is already looking a lot better! I can't wait to show all of you!

Coming soon - some great money saving tips and I thought I would share how I make my own lavender laundry soap!

Enter to Win a $250 Gift Card to Dreamy Whites

Oh my! I just had to post this! Maria at Dreamy Whites is giving away a $250 gift card to one lucky reader to spend in her store! Just go here to learn how to enter!

Living Room Challenge Begins

And so, my living room challenge begins! We recently purchased a new television... it's probably too large for our small home at 65", but it's a done deal. I have been looking and looking and looking for some type of media console to sit it on. I want to be able to hide the dvr, dvd player, etc. in it, as well as an organizer for dvd's and other items.

I would really love to find something made out of reclaimed wood, but finding something that is 65" wide and on a budget is such a challenge! I did find a couple at Pottery Barn, as pictured below, that I absolutely adore.

Obviously, I do not want to pay the steep price tag! Does anyone know of anything similar for $200 or less or ideas of where to shop for one? I scour the craiglist ads on a daily basis and am yet to find anything... And I have 94 days to go on my design challenge! Wish me luck!

Inspiration

So, what's my inspiration and what type of design do I like? My absolute favorite design style is french vintage. I just love, love, love it! A few months ago I was going through some episodes of The Nate Berkus Show. Maria from Dreamy Whites (one of my favorite blogs) was a "House Proud" guest and I absolutely fell in love with her home and everything french vintage. You absolutely must check out her blog and her online store. I would love to buy everything from her store, but my budget doesn't allow for it!

Another blogger I love to follow is none other than another Nate Berkus alum - Mr. Goodwill Hunting, Rashon Carraway. This guy is absolutely wonderful and such a joy to watch! I really love re-using items and he always has the most fabulous finds! I have never shopped at a thrift store, but might check one out soon to see what kind of furniture and home decor items might be lurking about!

I also love following Jeanne Oliver Designs' blog. She always has some great design ideas and inspirations. Her shop is also absolutely wonderful!


Some other things I love:

I absolutely love the grey walls and white trim in the dining room above. This room is so stunning!

The above image is my absolute favorite find! I love everything about this room and would really love to incorporate these elements with a grey wall... possible a textured wall. I'm just not sure yet, but would love your thoughts and suggestions! Our bedroom is quite tiny! Stay tuned for my latest challenge...

Challenge #1 - Living Room

And so my design challenge begins! I wanted to start by showing you a layout of our home. I work from home as a web developer and need a small office area. Right now this is in the corner of my son's room... eh, I know! It is my goal to acquire some type of hutch and organize everything in it, along with my computers so it can be shut and out of sight when I am not working. The main part of the house is fairly square with all rooms around 12 x 14, as you can see below:

So, what's my first challenge? My living room! Everything is at bare bones - I just want you to know that! Here are before pictures:

As you can see - I've pretty much done nothing! I did throw up a few pictures on the wall because I was tired of looking at a blank wall, but managed to get them crooked and off-centered! Haha!

I have since painted the walls a brown color with white trim. Why? Well, I absolutely love the color and I want to add a lot of white to the room. I thought the white could really pop against this gorgeous color. I will post pictures soon! What else have I done? Absolutely... nothing! I need your help! Next post... designs I love, blogs I love, and inspirations!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome everyone! A few weeks ago I was sitting at home without any distractions, which doesn't happen that often. My husband and our 6 year old gave me the day off I suppose ;) I decided to flip through the channels on the television and came across the movie Julie & Julia... oh my & what a delight it was! Since then I have been pondering the idea of starting this blog as a challenge to myself. We recently moved from a very large home to a very small home. We absolutely love it, but I am having a big challenge on how I want to design everything and organize! Of course, I hope someone comes across it and can give me a few ideas, suggestions, and support!

So, here is my challenge: I want to have our whole home decorated by the end of summer and on a budget! I'm going to make the end of summer September 1, 2011. I absolutely love everything french vintage, but my design style would really be more eclectic. As I move room to room, I will be setting a budget per room. I will post this, as well as before and after pictures. Next post - I will show the layout of our home, what I'm starting on first, and some inspirations! I hope you all enjoy!