Spring has Sprung...Sorta

At least it feels like Spring in mi casa!  I showed off my new storage shelves a couple weeks ago.  They  left a bit to be desired in the styling area.  Since we have our tv above the fireplace with all kinds of technology clutter surrounding it, I don't have a mantle to style for each season.  Why not style the top of this shelving appropriately and call it a day?!  So, here it is!  My spring shelf!

I mentioned it in my other post, but I got the faux window frame from Target.  It's actually a picture frame!  I already owned the pitcher (got it from JoAnns for cheap!) and stuck some $6 flowers in it from Sams Club!  Tip: create balance with your vignette by using an odd number of groupings of various heights.  Make sure to think about the colors of your items as well!  I made the wreath with a simple wreath form and a couple rolls of moss.  I tied it onto the frame with a simple piece of burlap.  The large metal letters came from Hobby Lobby.  I got them when they were 50% off so they were only $12 each!

DIYer-in-training!

There ya have it!  I love the pop of color it adds too!!

Anyone else compensating for the weather by bringing Spring inside??

**I'll be linking to these lovely ladies:

At the Picket Fence

The DIY Showoff

Serenity Now

The Shabby Nest

Shabby Creek Cottage

Just a Girl

Home Stories A to Z

Tatertots and Jello

Thrifty Decor Chick

The Lettered Cottage

For the Love of Storage

When we bought our house, we were young.  We were the bright eyed, about to be newlywed, living the American Dream kind of home buyers.  Oh yeah, and we were stupid.  Okay, not stupid per se.  But definitely had our blinders on.  Our home was a foreclosure, so we looked at the big picture rather than in the details.  But now, as our sink fills up with bottles and pacifiers, I'm realizing that we have a MAJOR lack of storage in this joint.  Enter the greatness that is IKEA and the Hemnes cabinet.

Of course, I had to make it my own.  I dug around in my paint collection and grabbed my peacock blue that I used on the desk in the office.  A few coats later, I placed all of our white dishes in the upper glass portion.  The drawers are stuffed with bottles and a sanitizer and extra pacifiers.  Finally, we've got room for it all.

I found a great window-looking frame at Target and my JoAnn's pitcher to stick up top.  I have a couple of things I want to add, but here it is for now!  Oh, and it blends perfectly with my wall-o-shelves!

Anyone else trying to find a home for pacis and breast pump parts?!  No?  Just me?  And because I'm a new mom and I just can't help myself...

This little love of my life is already 6 weeks old!  Feeling blessed these days!

DIY Office Shelves

TGIF!  It's been a busy week...which means I've got a little something to finally show off today!  I started this project here, when I realized I needed to run my business out of an office--not a cardboard box (or 3).  Clearly I needed storage and despite the beautiful shelving units I had spotted, I couldn't bear to cough up the sticker price.  When on a budget...DIY!

I gathered my supplies, sanded my boards (first with 80 grit, then 220 grit sandpaper), stained them, then decided how much room I wanted between each shelf.  Twenty inches ended up being the perfect measurement.  It was all gravy from there:

PROGRESS SHOTS VIA INSTAGRAM

And the final result:

And because we all love a good before and after shot:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I couldn't be happier!!

Now for the breakdown:

Wood Shelves (precut)    $40

Stain and Poly Coat in 1  $10

Brackets                          $13

Screws                            already owned

GRAND TOTAL: $63

I'll be linking this easy-peasy but oh-so-useful DIY to these lovely blogs:

At the Picket Fence

The DIY Showoff

Serenity Now

The Shabby Nest

Shabby Creek Cottage

Just a Girl

Home Stories A to Z

Tatertots and Jello

Thrifty Decor Chick

The Lettered Cottage 

Happy Weekend!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.  I managed to squeeze in some minimal (and cheap!) decorating in and I spent around $20 total!  I'll be sharing my mantel and wreath next week, but here's what we've got so far...

 Saving some money by using our old tree again.  We've used the red and silver ornaments for the last few years and maybe next year we'll be able to to replace the red with gold.  I also made a burlap ribbon to go around the tree.  I've used the same 3 yards of burlap in various projects since August.  Best $9 ever spent.

I started collecting ornaments for me and the hubby on our second Christmas together.  Here's the first one from 2008.  Pottery Barn has a great selection of nice ornaments and they go on sale the week of Christmas...that's when I scooped this one up.

 
This one represents our Alma Mater.  Woo Pig!
 
 I got this one for us last year to celebrate our engagement and our wedding that was just a few months later!  I can't wait to see what I find for this year!

 Again, working within a super small budget, I simply took a few ornaments and scattered them within our bookshelves.  This is a great way to spread some Christmas throughout without having to spend a ton of money!  Oh, and I saw sets of gold and silver ornaments in the Target $1 bins!

Sooo, how is your holiday decor coming along?  Anyone else trying to work with what you've got?  I'll be working on my mantel and wreath this weekend and I can't wait to share it with you!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Wall-o-Shelves and Gallery Wall. Check.

The project started just three short months ago with this living room inspiration board that I dreamed up.  Then, I showed you my gallery wall inspirations along with some wall-o-shelves inspiration!  After an hour afternoon trip to IKEA, some bargain shopping at garage sales, and a handful of coupons at Gordman's and Hobby Lobby, we went from this:

BEFORE

To this:

AFTER

I apparently got a little camera happy trying to get every possible angle for the after shots.  So there are A. Lot. of pictures.  Enjoy!

Here's some of our stuff:

I'm in lurve with these linen boxes and magazine holders from IKEA!  They were a splurge since I had intended to go with the supa-cheap cardboard option before I saw these bad boys.  It was yet another way to add texture, forever storage (because we will be keeping these puppies for foreva!), and kept in theme with my mix and match of stark white with cream!

And now for some closeups of our gallery wall.  I showed you the process of putting this bad boy together here and here!  And don't forget my easy-peasy frame filling DIY projects (like my "pick your battles" poster and chair silhouette)!

And some more of our stuff:

Miss B wanted to get in on the action.  What a great little helper!

 

Okay, she's actually staring intently at a toy she just placed in my lap.  Anywho, there she is.  My l-oong project that was well worth the time, money, and I would say patience but the Mr. would beg to differ.  I'm still on the hunt for the perfect chair and end table for the corner to the right of the shelves.  One thing at a time.  In any case, the project is checked off of my mile long "to do" list and I couldn't be more excited!  Still a couple of tweaks to finish up (painting the rhino and dark chess pieces white) but no project is ever really finished anyways.  Right?

Take a Seat

Whew!  This last weekend we took a whirlwind of a trip to Minnesota and made our way to the Mall of America, IKEA, and HomeGoods.  I was one happy girl and even happier when we finally managed to get all my goodies to fit in the trunk of my car!  Remember our "entryway" that I showed you here?  Well I found quite the gem while I was shopping at HomeGoods!  I knew it was making the trek back to Arkansas with us the moment I saw it!  Here she is with a stellar $80 price tag!

Isn't she a beaut?  I couldn't wait to get her home and place her in my empty corner!  As soon as we pulled into the driveway, that was the first thing I did.  Who needs to unpack when I can immediately resume decorating!  A couple of throw pillows tossed on top and I was a happy camper!  These definitely aren't the forever pillows (I'm thinking grey and white chevron may be the ticket!) but it sure made our new addition fit right in!

 The top also flips open so we can store games or hats and gloves in it!  I love functionality!

We also hit up IKEA and bought everything I needed to finish up my bookshelf project (here, here and here!) and then some!  Here's me and the mister shoppin' 'til we drop!

Here's a sneak peak of our loot:

 

Three hours and a cinnamon roll later, I had everything needed to finish my monstrous project and I can't wait to show y'all the big reveal!