Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Decorating Around the TV in the Bedroom

Hey guys! Today I want to share with you how I made the TV disappear in my bedroom. I've always struggled wondering what to do around, above, under, beside, ... the stupid TV. 

I love chalkboards so why not have one in the bedroom. I had this old piece of plywood that used to be the back of a bookcase we used to have in the living room. I painted it with chalkboard paint and left the edges raw so that they would mimic trim.

After applying 3 coats of paint, I hung it above the dresser, behind the TV.

Notice how the TV isn't the focal point anymore... Yay!



I added hooks and little baskets that I've collected from the thrift store. 


I love how this looks. What do you think? 
I hope you were inspired! 
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.


Friday, June 17, 2016

My Backyard Garden



Today I'm sharing with you a few garden projects. This is the view from my back porch. I've decided to make a few changes this year so I thought I would show you how it used to look.

garden, box garden, outdoor decorating, vegetables, back porch

 A friend of ours was getting rid of some wood boxes and the wood fence so this garden project was very thrifty! Another friend had a pile of dirt in his yard so we got that too. 

This is how it looked before the plants started growing.


Backyard Box Garden

Here's some outdoor projects I did for the garden.

First, I picked up this mirror at Salvation Army for cheap, painted the frame, and hung it on the fence.

Then I made a sign to hang above the mirror. I used an old board, stencils, and a black sharpie. 
Mirror Hanging in the Garden, Outdoor Garden Sign

To make a wreath, I used some dollar tree items to decorate an old worn out soaker hose that we already had. The flowers faded a little over time but it still held up great through the summer.
DIY Garden Hose Wreath

This chalkboard inspired sign was definitely a keeper. I painted a board with black paint, used stencils and filled them in with paint pens. 
Chalkboard, Garden, Outdoor Sign

It lasted through the hot summer sun and rainy days. It was still intact when I eventually took it down. 
Outdoor Chalkboard Sign, Garden


Here's a peek at our bigger garden. This is out in the field behind our house. I call it the desert. We live on sandy land and it's so hot out there in the summer.

My husband plants peas and corn in the big garden now while I have veggies in the smaller garden. It's so much easier for me! 

My husband likes to plant a lot, because he likes to plow a lot. I guess it's like therapy for him... or maybe just a man thing?

We pick enough peas and corn for us and we give the rest away.
Large Garden

The best thing about planting corn has been the kids playing hide and seek in it. They love it!
Corn

I had fun looking back at my garden. I'm ready for a new look and some new projects. 

I know I've been absent the past several months; I think things are getting back to normal. My family has had a lot going on. Several of you have emailed me and I appreciate it so much! 

My blog friends are the best!
Box Garden, Outdoor Decorating, Signs, Wreath, Plants, Vegetables
I hope you were inspired!
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

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Friday, April 1, 2016

New Rugs All Around.

Oh for the love of jute....

So it all started something like this.... 

I needed a new rug for the living room. I decided to go with an oval jute rug that I found at Overstock. It was perfect! For a while...

I was thinking that I wanted less rug and more hardwood floor showing so I bought a smaller rug. 

Well... what on earth was I thinking?  More floor means more dust! And over time it started to look too small... kind of like a small rug island, floating a coffee table and a rabbit.

 I got over the less rug thing pretty fast.


So, I moved the smallish jute rug to the dining room. 

And I found a larger jute rug for the living room, also from Overstock. It fills the space nicely. 

It was a lot of jute... too much, so I picked up this beautiful rug (also from Overstock) to lay on top. 

I love how it adds another layer of pretty to the room. 

And then it happened... Jute fever hit! It was madness I tell ya...

Let's just blame it on Ross. Their jute rugs are cheap! 
It took a while to get this many rugs but I persevered and checked their rug section often :)

I got one for the front door, one for the back door, and one for the door leading to the garage...

I picked up one to go in front of the kitchen sink and the washroom sink...

I was on a roll and even found this one for the fireplace...

I should have realized I had a problem when I bought the bird a jute rug...

Sometimes I get carried away.... 
Did you know that they have jute place mats at Walmart?

I think I've finally satisfied my need for jute... I think...

Let's just look at it for a minute...

I'm loving the neutral colors and textures. And of course the jute...

Tell me, do you ever go overboard when you like something?
I've been known to buy 5 of the same shirt if it's one that I love... 


Please tell me I'm not alone!
I hope you were inspired!
Thank you so much for stopping by Thrift My House.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Changing Up The Chalkboard And A Surprise Gift.

Is this pretty or what?

Out of the blue and for no particular reason at all, I received a package from my sweet blogging sister Connie. 

If you don't know Connie, she blogs over at Crafty Home Cottage and she is one of the nicest ladies you'll ever meet here in blogland. 

She's an expert quilter, crafter, and she's quite handy with a hammer. I always enjoy visiting her blog. She makes me smile and she leaves me inspired.

One of my favorite posts is the one where she shares her Art Barn.
This is where the magic happens! I'd love to have a place like this!

She leaves the most encouraging comments. Some people you just automatically love...
She's one of them!

She made me this Valentine's banner out of drop cloth. I absolutely love it! It's perfect on my new chalkboard, and it fits my style.

So cute! My daughter picked me up some new lights; I like having them on in the evenings. 
I think they look good highlighting the new banner. 

Connie also made me this pretty apron. She re-purposed a skirt she picked up from the thrift store. A woman after my own heart!


There is nothing like a homemade gift! And I can tell she put some love in it :)

I moved my chalkboard from the dining room to the living room. If you missed it all decked out for Christmas; you can see it here. I'm sure this chalkboard will travel many times.

A huge thank you to Connie for the thoughtful gifts.
I'll treasure these things and think of you when I use them.

I hope my friends here will visit Connie over at Crafty Home Cottage and follow along. 
I promise you will make a new friend!
I hope you were inspired! 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Simple Decor and a New Addition to Our Family.

I made a few changes in the living room. 
I shopped the house and pulled this simple vignette together.

This is the year of keeping things simple.

Another important change in the living room is the newest addition to our family. 
He's a bit shy...

Meet Bobbi.
 A baby parakeet; we're not sure if he's a boy or girl yet. For now we say he.

What a sweet little bird. I've enjoyed taking care of him. 
Yes, I've been talking to a bird... and my plants... Don't judge :)

He loves to sit and look out the window.

At night he likes to sleep with his cage covered. When he's tired, he gets all puffed up and closes his eyes. I love pulling the blanket off of him in the morning... he's so happy to see me. 

It's kind of like having a baby but NOT!

When he's not in front of the window, he sits right behind my chair. When we leave the house, which is not very often, we leave music on to keep him company. He's very smart and loves attention. He's quite the show-off!

He's fitting into our family perfectly and we're happy to have him. I'm surprised how little trouble he's been. We clean the cage once a week and vacuum stray bird seed up a few times a week. No big deal compared to how much we enjoy him. If you want to know more about how to care for parakeets, you can read about it here.

 I guess it's time to get busy. I still have to pull the mantel together, decorate my chalkboard, and I have something new to show you. Hopefully, I'll share that with you next week.
I hope you were inspired!

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Live Indoor Plants.

The sun is finally shining and I am finally motivated. This year I've decided that I want to bring the outdoors in. Living plants everywhere. Beautiful, green, living plants. 
Here is my first project of the new year.

Greenery, rust, and metal make my heart skip a beat! There's just something about this combination that I really like.

I splurged and picked up 5 ivy "Spearpoint" plants and planted them in this old chicken feeder. I love ivy; it's so pretty, but I tend to kill it. I've never bought this kind, so I'm trying again...

It fits perfect here. I have visions of it just growing and growing cascading all down the pallet... *sigh*

I saw this pretty plant and had to have it. Lowes had it priced for $15; I made it to the register and then had my daughter take it back...I just couldn't spend that much on something that might die.  I went to Walmart and got the very same plant for $8. That's how you do it! It didn't have a tag, but I think the one at Lowes called it a fern, which makes sense, it looks like a fern.

I found this pedestel urn at a thrift store for $2.99. It's solid brass, made in India. A huge score! My new fern, who I call Fern, sits happily on my dining room table. My kids look at me funny when I talk to Fern... You'll be relieved to know that Fern doesn't talk back.

Do you check clearance for plants? Our Lowes has a place in the back of the garden center where they keep clearance plants. Some look rough, but most of them look good. I picked up this bamboo plant regularly priced for almost $11, and got it on clearance for $3.

It's supposedly a low maintenance plant. I stuck it in this thrifted basket and my daughter claimed it for her room.

I hope they live. I don't naturally have a green thumb, but I do have  a craving for greenery, so I'll pay close attention to them.  I'll let you know how it goes.
I hope you were inspired!
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

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