cracked mirror

I like a "good deal"

It sort of narrows my creativity down to a specific task.
And the challenge is greater (thus more fun/rewarding) when sticking to a tight budget.

And then I don't feel very attached. Who cares if a $4 coffee table gets climbed on or spilled on or used for everyday life! (although my husband and I, for the fun of it, eyeballed some $1000+ ones that we loved. Whew, so glad I DONT have one of those!)

For me, it makes me work together with God as a team instead of feeling capable without Him.
And it reigns in my materialism (I have to guage if something is worth the time and/or cost, and reminds me that both money and time are valuable assets)...

Pity that my mom lives so very far away or I would drag her through a lot more projects...

Anyway!

So when I saw this mirror at 90% off (due to the crack running through it) I thought "hmm, I bet I could do something with that..."

and home it came.

The rack was mostly a clean straight line, with one little branch spurting off.

I used a sheet of "chalkboard contact paper" and cut out slices to create a branch that covered the crack, and a bird and leaves that covered any little other defects.

This is how it turned out:

And here it is in the outdoor screen porch (which is still under progress but God graciously answered several specific prayers to make it come this far... like this clearance bistro set which was rather cheap, last one and display model from a grocery store. I saw it in early summer and I liked it a lot, but it wasn't a good price. It's a store I rarely shop at, but God let me be there at the right moment and time to get it when it was about 75% off. It was a good reminder to wait for God's timing.)

Guest Bath

This was my first project in the house, and it's still not quite finished. It's a very tiny bathroom and the wallpaper reminded me of a dentist office.

When I took it down - this is what was underneath. (Notice the ugly light fixture too)

I painted with random neutral paint. I wanted to rewallpaper (something non-busy like grasscloth etc) but a quick paint job made the most time and money sence.

I bought an outdoor light fixture for about $30 from Home Depot

The mirror was at one of those discount stores (like a TJ Maxx, only called Tuesday Morning). The mirror was actually with bright green highlights, but I just repainted to be orange to match my color scheme. I had to use blue because the tile in the shower is blue and the counter top was blue. (In my ideal home I wouldn't use this sink...)

Blue and orange are opposites on the color wheel, so that make a simple color solution for a tiny bathroom.

I painted the vanity and actually painted the shower and faucet handles from the bright gold to a silver. It calmed it down.

I hung a blank frame on the wall and drew a bike right unto the wall with a washable marker.

And that summed up the bathroom transformation...

I made wall art from some rocks I had found in France. The art says "One less rock, one more voice." It is a reminder from a song. The lyrics are based on the Bible verse where Jesus said that His worthiness demands glory and praise and that if humans will not give it, even the very rocks will cry out.

But I don't want the rocks to do my job that I was created for.

And one more look at the bathroom (I don't have very good photos/colors for this room. It wasn't good lighting and I didn't have the right lens on, but oh well. This is what you get.)

Headboard

When we first viewed the house, this is how the master bedroom looked:

It's rather an amazing bedroom - but I felt like the windows were demanding to frame a scale-appropriate headboard.

I found a gray linen one that made me nod and smile.
But it was very pricey.
I loved some tufted ones, but they seemed very time-consuming to make, and not super cheap either (to make) and VERY expensive to buy.

Then my mom was telling me about these boxes of upholstery samples (that were discontinued) that she was given. Now I know discontinued fabric means it's not the latest trend. But I was nevertheless excited. Free quality fabric + my mom's talent and generous sweetness = a respectable headboard.

 

My dad and I went to Home Depot and got a big piece of plywood cut into a square. My mom had sewn a "quilt" of the fabric samples all together. And then we used an old stained cheap comforter for padding. The layers got stapled unto the board and then screwed together and mounted on the wall.

And this is how the headboard looks now. Isn't it a nice scale? Fabric = free. Labor (because I have awesome talent giving parents) = free. Plywood about $12? And that's that. A headboard that I'm pleased with. I still don't love the wall color - but the brown DID help calm down all that blue-green. And one day I'll paint.

$27 Buffet, $5 paint job

 

 

 

I have a long wall in the living room. It's an awkward space. I needed something long there, and I was struggling to find anything for the right price. After rolling my eyes at $500 buffets on craigslist for 7 months, it dawned on me that I had never asked the Lord. At our last house I actually wrote out a "God List" and He provided each item in cool ways! But obviously, I forget His power and think I don't need Him anymore.

 

When I realized this, I prayed (while driving the van) and asked God for a solution. And as I was passing Salvation Army, I decided to cut my prayer short by saying "And, if it's Your Will, You can answer right here."

 

Above was the piece that sat there, extra 20% off tag, and I got it for $27. A dude in the store helped me load that heavy thing. And I promptly started painting.

 

I used leftover paint. I love the idea of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, but decided it wasn't compatible with the budget that I have in mind. I read a good article on ways around it, and followed the steps.

 

Sherman Williams has paint 40% off, four times a year. This means their sample paints (about a quart I think? Maybe more? Larger than most samples anyway!) are under $4. It needs to be finished with a protective sealer (about $12 for the gallon when it's 40% off, and that sealer can cover loads of projects.) So it cost about $5 to paint this puppy. My personal preference is to "glaze" furniture. If there is any detail at all, I feel like it accents these features and makes such a striking statement. Like eyeliner for your furniture!

 

There are a lot of glaze options out there, but my choice has been the $.89 craft paint (from Hobby Lobby or Walmart, etc). Just water it down, paint it into any groove, and wipe off the excess.

 

(This is to be done before the sealer).

See the difference?!

 

 

I love the sides too

 

 

 

 

So my actual steps:

1. primer that has special powers so I don't have to do any sanding or preping

2. white coat of paint (not too much touch up since there is primer if I recall)

3. painted the hardware (leftover spray paint, metallic sheen)

4. put on gray "glaze" craft paint

5. Finished off everything with a sealer

6. Put an extra coat of sealer on the top because I figured a lot of coffee cups would get set there

7. For the fun of it, put numbers on the inside drawers

 

 

 

I was painting when it was time to go pick up my kid from preschool. His teacher asked about the paint on my hands and I explained the project I was doing. She said, "You wouldn't happen to want a yellow chair, would you? I'm trying to get rid of one."

And so there it was, within a few days of asking God for help (after months of trying on my own) my wall went from blank to this! Isn't God generous?! (And I changed colors around and so now it is this).

 

Mudroom

When we were house-hunting, one of my top priorities was a "mudroom" area. I had seen a new home with a sophisticated hall of lockers, and I swooned. My background includes a lot of snow and outdoor layers, and many people, and always-crowded-coat hooks. Already in my own home I was struggling to fit the mess for our family of five into the little entry closet.

This house had a bedroom that was right off of the front door. And since there were four other bedrooms, I was delighted to claim it as a mudroom (and paino/homework room).

Our church was rebuilding, and it's former building being torn down. God had produced some great works over the building processes and I was set on using some of the old solid oak doors as a locker system. I had a few reasons. 1. Having something to remind me of God's power. I like having reminders in every room. 2. Being "green" and recycling used doors. 3. Paying for labor would still be a far cry cheaper than buying all that quality lumber

Here is one before photo of the room, and then some close ups of how it changed when we moved in.

 

 

I would still like to add in a middle shoe shelf at some point in time. Behind the frame, I painted the wall white, and added a cheap board and  cheap walmart coat hooks (mixed in with hooks that I had on hand) to give a built-in look. I stained the seating and painted the rest white. The baskets were on clearance at Michaels, but I cringed at how pricy baskets can be! The curtains were free, vintage things, and the lettering for the names I simply hand-cut out of contact paper.

 

 

 

This is a photo from my previous house. My brother-in-law had built these benches for me and a neighbor had given me the table. As I reused these peices in our new house, I gave them new life by staining the top of the table, painting the bottom white, and using gray craft paint (about $.89 at Joann Fabrics or Michaels or Walmart) to glaze the benches and table legs. Isn't it amazing how paint can update things?

This piano was the one I grew up playing (from Mrs. F actually. See first post). Above are three wooden shelves that I painted and stuck up with command strips.

And this completes my mudroom. A special room that I am ever-grateful for as we pile up coats and boots and backpacks, out of sight. I love that the kids can be in charge of their own shoes so easily!

Play Room

The first photos are the "before" - how it was when viewing the house when it was for sale

 

This upstairs "balcony" room was light and airy - but very formal when we viewed the house. However, I knew it would make an excellent playroom. The mess would be up and out of the way, and it would feel sunny and open for bright imaginations.

 

 

 It started years ago at a garage sale when I saw a split twin mattress. It was the first, and last time, I had ever seen such a thing. I was rather fascinated. And the price tag was $1 per half-mattress. So for $2 I took them home thinking "Wouldn't these be such nice thick cushions for two benches... say benches that held toy bins? And could be used as extra kid beds when needed?" I bought 10 bins that were such a perfect size for $1 each at the dollar store. Unfortunately, they sold out quickly and have never had such big nice bins since. I wish I would have bought 20! The frame itself was a bit of a bummer. After measuring everything so carefully, I accidentally used my longer Leftover board side instead of the shorter more accurate one. So the benches turned out higher than intended, which meant the black buckets didn't fit perfectly. But it wasn't worth ripping them apart once finished. The wood for the two benches was about $25 each, my most expensive part. The pillows were either free or about $.50, and my mom and sister did all the number covers for me. Total for the storage benches is about $75 for everything - including the fabric and bins. I used them in our basement playroom at our old house.

 

 

The rug was a find after the whole room had been stuck together. It was a clearance $50 at a local discount store. Not only would protect the white carpet from boy-play, but also happened to have perfect colors and patterns!

 

 The alphabet wall was something I had gathered for Quentin's hallway nursery in our last house. I stuck the letters on the wall using snips of command strips. There were some odd blank holes - since I hadn't planned it out - so I filled those with some black stars out of leftover contact paper. The letters I tried to stay within $1 each. Several letters I used what I had (the o is cut out of an old bulletin board, the P is on an old cutting board, the V and I are old frames, and others I made from the block box) and a few I bought more expensive versions from Hobby Lobby. It was a fun hunt, the X and Y on clearance for about .27 cents, and it gives a little thrill to find deals, even for the alphabet.

 

 

I used an old shower curtain, and with my mom's help, cut off two sections. The back got stapled to a board and screwed to the wall, while the front was held by some extra curtain rods that I didn't need elsewhere. These made book shelves, as well as come color for the wall.

 

The plane art was painted for me by an exchange student that my mom and dad were hosting. I gave her a little scrap paper showing pottery barn's plane, and two old wooden shelves from a cupboard. This is what she came up with, and I nailed it to this wall. (It had been in the boys bedroom before)

 

 

 

 

 The long stuffed caterpillar on the bench is from my in-laws in France and the colorful blanket from a girlfriend who brought it back from Mexico for me. The red chair was something a neighbor was throwing out - and the yellow chair in the top photo was another neighbor's leftovers.

 

When we moved into this house the only thing we bought for the room was the rug. The rest was collected from various rooms in our old house and came together in a new way here. I was very happy with the ability to use what we had - and also the way it turned out.

 

Starting at the Beginning

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Ecc 3:11

My father was a minister in the tiny town in the Upper Peninsula where I was raised. There was an Indian Reservation, snow during a good part of the year, and a lot of poverty. There were not many newcomers to town, and it took many years to prove oneself.  With poverty, it seems people forget to be generous with their emotions as well, or so it seemed in this place where most were accustom to zipping their coats and hearts up tight. 

My mother struggled with raising up her babies, always scraping by, duct tape holding most things together, and having little support system. The small church was not unkind, but I think my mother was lonely and struggled with hormonal depression.

In the next town over, a church had a pastor who filled the pulpit for about two years. The wife was a godly woman, some years older than my mom and hence wisdom and experience under her belt, was an interior designer. She befriended my mom during a time when my mom needed it most.

I was very young, but the transformation made a lasting impression on my development.

Mrs. F came to our house with a glowing smile. She had a strong ability mixed with a soft heart. Mrs. F first decided that the wall between our tiny dining room and equally small living room must come down. It was simply too cramped. So my father, willing to support my mom’s friendship, tore down the wall.

Within a day, chairs and tables and lamps had been pulled from various parts of the house, and that living/dining room was a bright, welcoming, airy place.

Under the guidance of her new friend, my mother excelled at crafting and home decor. The 80’s was a very country-crafty style, which meant my mom (and woodcutting dad) could create almost anything they saw in a magazine. My mom wove her own baskets, sewed her own bedding and curtains and pillows, and hand painted crafts with a professional flare.

Not only did I see the house changing into something beautiful, but I saw my mom growing in confidence and purpose. It didn’t matter if they didn’t have two nickels to rub together – money simply wasn’t an issue. God always provided every need, and my mom could take what was there and make it lovely. She baked her own bread, gardened, and continually fed her growing family and many many guests in a charming home.

I was able to see my mother take a difficult phase in life, and grow into a Proverbs 31 woman. And the inward growth was reflected in the home.

Now I too am a homemaker. And beauty is important to me. For me, to create a home off of what is available (buying as little as possible) is part of the joy. My purpose is not to keep up with the trends or be materialistic or focused on temporal things. My desire is to let the grace of God shine in every area of my life, and to take what He gives me, and emphasize His goodness by accenting its attractiveness. I also associated balance, order, and harmony in a family with how it is reflected in ones surroundings.

Having words that guide your decorating are words that are the same for guiding one’s life. For example, my words are:

Purpose (function and reason)

Simplicity (not cluttered and hectic)

Beauty (finding the joy)

Inviting (making everyone feel welcome)

And those are words that I want my life to reflect as well as my home!