Friday, February 22, 2013

7 Quick Takes: Possibly About My Living Room...

I was going to write a different post today, the first installment of the re-worked Budget Wardrobe Building series, but I spent the morning doing "stuff" (which you will hear more about in a minute). Recently, after apologizing to my sis for a post filled with random stuff, she responded, "Oh, I kind of like those..." That is all the encouragement I need.

2
I first heard the following saying from the lips of Margaret Thatcher as portrayed in The Iron Lady. When I googled it to include it here, the saying's supposed sources range from Lao Tzu to Ghandi.  No matter; it's great food for thought, especially during the Lenten season: 

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. 
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits. 
Watch your habits, for they become your character. 
And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! 



3
Now let's talk about my living room. So this "found on Pinterest" project was one of my morning's "stuff." I made two and they actually turned out alright. I used one pillow that didn't match my living room at all and another that just kept getting ripped at the seams. Both did not have removable covers (can you tell that they were purchased before we had kids?) and the no-sew covers go on and off easily so cleaning should be a breeze. The fabric is a very soft, high thread count king sized sheet I thrifted for $2.50. Not bad. 

4
I discovered a little trick awhile back for making a room seem larger: use a visual element to draw the eye all the way (or nearly so) to the ceiling. For example, hang the lowest level of a picture grouping around eye level (try 5 ft from the ground) and continue the grouping almost to the ceiling. Another way to use this trick is to hang a curtain panel from a rod suspended near the ceiling behind your bed. It takes up much less space than a traditional headboard (making the room more spacious in actuality), and creates a sense of depth and height. 

5
So this morning I added a couple of pics to the grouping above the couch, and I am on the lookout for a couple more...

6
We recently purchased this set of lamps (tall pictured below, the mate is a table lamp). The white shades just disappear against the white walls. Anyone have a relatively easy way of jazzing them up?

7
Don't forget to enter the giveaway (it ends Monday)!


Pics to the ceiling.


And again. See the pillow?


And the other Pinterest pillow.

Any ideas for this lamp shade? Anyone?



Now  go see Jen and the other ladies for some more quick takes!





16 comments:

  1. Mary, I love the pillow cover, such a great idea!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah! That lady who thought of it is definitely on to something!

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  2. Ooh, I love your picture arrangements, Mary!

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    1. THanks, Laura! The frames were all super cheap from the thrift store, Dollar Store, and Ikea, united only in color and rectangular shape. It really does alot to make the room feel homey!

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  3. Thank you for sharing the pillow idea! Genius. PS. Love you blog, Mary. Keep 'em coming! :)

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Diana! It makes my day to know that someone else is enjoying this besides me!

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  4. I REALLY like that pillow idea. That is a REALLY good idea. What if you covered the lampshades in fabric? I know I've seen some pinterest tutorials...

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  5. THanks, Ladies! I think I just might cover the shades in fabric... Thank you, Sarah!

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  6. I love that quote, and your living room looks great! I'm kind of inspired to do some interior decorating now :)

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    1. Thanks, Erika! I hadn't done any little projects around the house for awhile, and I was feeling so restless with the yucky weather... You should share any projects that you do : )

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  7. Your dining room looks like a Pottery Barn window display. Homemaking: you're doing it.

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    1. Too kind. Hope all is well! I'm glad your little guy is finally sleeping; sleep training is the worst!

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  8. Ha! We have the same exact coffee table (even though ours just got dismantled to make room for an ottoman)...Big Lots? Do you have the matching end tables too? :)
    Aaandd, since you asked, adding different widths of ribbon around your shade or even just around the top and bottom would be a super easy way to punch it up. You'd only have to glue the ends of the ribbon together for each strand to stay so if you ever want to do something else you could just slip them off. :)

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    1. Sheena, I like the ribbon idea! I have commitment issues, so that might be a good solution!

      We actually bought that coffee table at ashey furniture, and two end tables. We really loved it in the showroom, but when they arrived we realized that they are huge (each bigger than they seemed, and collectively!). And I was opposed to the matchy, matchiness of it at first, but I Have grown to love them! I'm guessing you have the end tables too? :)

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    2. Yep, end tables too. Yes, they are big...and Ashley Furniture is stamped on the undersides. Funny! Our have gotten pretty banged up over the years so I've been contemplating painting everything but the legs. We'll see!

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    3. Yes, banged up... We haven't been impressed with the finish, at all! That's a good idea, the painting. We have been considering re-staining them. We shall see! The legs got so scuffed so quickly that we actually purchased one of those wood markers and did a few "touch ups" - not awesome, but better.

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