Redecorated: Before and After

I love to decorate. And I'm pretty sure I got the love and knack for it from my mother. I tell people that things like singing and throwing parties and sometimes just being a little loud is kind of in my genes. I can't help it. And the same goes with decorating.

I'm pretty sure that next to writing, I could decorate people's houses all day and it would never get old. I've tossed the idea around a few times about doing some kind of decorating business on the side, but well - that's still very much just an idea.

For now though, I'm taking out my need to decorate out on my home.

THE PLAN: I didn't have a lot of money and kind of next to none. After we sold Todd's boat, I used a very small sum (Under $200) and came up with some design ideas.

1) I chose a color palette. Maroon/deep reds, brown, cream and golds for the kitchen/dining. And mostly greens and creams for the living room.

2) I took EVERY decorative item and wall hanging from my entire house (including our master bedroom) and gathered it all together to assess what I had. From there I decided what things I could make-over or put in a different place in my home.

3) I went shopping - one of the funnest parts of course. I purchased a clock, some new pillows, spray paint, some hydrangeas and a few wrought iron pieces for the wall. (The only stores I went to were Hobby Lobby, JCPenney, Walmart and Home Depot). I had stashed away a few gift cards which enabled me to buy a few extra things and contributed to some of the throw pillows, but I mostly found things on sale and clearance and stuck to my list and color palette. New furniture pieces were most definitely out of the question, and the point was to work with what I already had.

4) Move, rearrange and do it all over again - For what felt like forever, I moved things around and changed things up and moved them around again. It took a while for me to decide what was going where.

And after all of that, it was finally done. Here are the results from my DIY and do-with-what-I-already-had home makeover:

My dining area BEFORE:
My dining area AFTER:
My buffet in the dining BEFORE: (And also at Christmas time. But I always had the Texas flag there, so you know, you get the general idea).
My buffet area AFTER: (and also not at Christmastime. Just to clarify.)
Shelf in the kitchen BEFORE: (Very, very sunflowery, yes?)
Shelf in the kitchen AFTER: I painted it brown to match the dining table and buffet.
Cabinets in the kitchen BEFORE:
Cabinets and kitchen counter tops AFTER:
Living room BEFORE:
Living room AFTER:

Slightly in love with these new pillows. Which could be yours too courtesy Walmart.
Things on my coffee table - that to my amazement, Tommy has left alone. And I'm a little excited that I can have nice things on the coffee table again.
Chairs and table by the window.
Bookshelf BEFORE: (The hopes and blessings boxes I ended up painting over and using for flower arrangements in other places).
Bookshelf AFTER:
I love this pretty plaque that says "Be Brave." It was a gift at my friend's wedding earlier this year and feels very fitting for me and who I today.
Above the entertainment center BEFORE: (And at fall apparently, seeing a pumpkin found it's place up there at one point.)
Above the entertainment center AFTER: (Those two plates were above the cabinets before. I spray-painted over the sunflowers and thought they made a perfect fit here.)
And the picture wall. I found the "Family" sign at Hobby Lobby for half price - only cost me $20! I think this is my most favorite thing to look at. While I would love to change some of the frames out and change the look of the wall as a whole, looking at this wall makes me feel happy and blessed. And believe it or not - I still have pictures of family that need adding to this wall!
And because no one's home is that clean all the time, I give you a redecorated shot in REAL LIFE.So tada! I'm very happy with how things turned out on my little budget. My home feels more grown-up, and just more "Todd and Jenn-esque." It was a lot of work, but it was mostly fun. And doing it all definitely got my wheels turning a bit more about perhaps helping others do the same kind of thing in their house. We'll see....

And now I have about two weeks to enjoy things as they are before I bust out my fall stuff and decorate for the upcoming seasons!

Today I am thankful for memories of my mom redecorating the house I grew up in.