Makeover Month

Office
$75 (give or take)

It all started because my office had become the junk room and I had a hard time making myself "go" to work.  I didn't take a before picture because I didn't intend to give the room a new look; just clean it.  But, the more organized and decluttered it became the more I wanted it to be a real office. I started to imagine a comfortable room just for me not only to work but to relax, read and create (thought all the creative "stuff" would be left down in the crap craft closet). Over the next few weeks I watched for items on my wish list and gradually the room came together.

$10 Mirror on Facebook Rexburg Garage Sale
$15 Chair from Wayfair using online coupon
$20 Bookshelf from Toelle DI
$20 Lampshade and curtains from Walmart
$12 Pillow and flowers from Porters using Saturday Spring Sales and coupon

I feel such satisfaction doing a new room and feeling absolutely no guilt because I had patience in searching and thrift in spending; not paying full price for even one item.

The room atmosphere makes working much less stressful and the reading corner is the perfect break room.

Usually, my decorating go-to is anything in a deep red color but I want this to be a calm place and "they" say that means soft blues/greys. "They" might be right. Or maybe it's just that curling up in my comfy chair with a book and the soft light of the lamp calms me....right to sleep. Either way, I love it!


Bedroom
$200 or less

Hanging out in my comfy office surrounded by the calm colors became a problem when I wanted to sleep in my chair rather than go to bed. I decided to try a similar makeover on my room. I started with a collage of ideas; daydreaming of cozy comfort.

I had to research the items and see the possibility on paper before I took the financial plunge. I started collecting and ordering items (again using as many coupon codes and discounts as possible) and stashing them in hiding where LeRoy couldn't see them. I wanted to surprise him with the new room and having him gone for a weekend was the perfect time to do it.

He left on a Friday morning for Las Vegas and I started spray painting our existing picture frames shortly after that.
By Friday night I had the room nearly complete.

Saturday morning I finished sewing up pillows and put the finishing touches on my dreamy new bedroom. I spent the remainder of Saturday walking in and out of my bedroom just to take a look.  It was better than I had imagined! I bored a few kids with the finer details but I was so happy with how everything turned out with so little expense; giving items I already had a slight makeover.

The picture above the bed is actually an old kitchen cupboard door that I found in LeRoy's shed.  He sent me out there one day to try and find some materials that were missing and that's what I came back with. The door was the perfect backdrop for my Lakeside Collection (aka cheap) metal flowers. The lamp was originally in the entry way.  I spray painted it white and gave it a lampshade instead of the 90's bowl of glass it was used to. The lamp on my dresser got the same fancy coat of white spray paint and lampshade.

The pictures in the room were already there but in brown frames.  Those cheapy, ordinary frames also got the classy spray coat.  I then used a white frame and a simple canvas and some fabric from the new Walmart line (cheap in cost but surprisingly good quality and style) to create abstract fabric art for the walls.  All of the daisies were purchased at Porters big spring sale and knocked down 40%. The yellow vases were old ones up in a cupboard from Mother's Day long gone.  I just mixed some craft paint that I had with a bit of water and swished it around until they were coated.

I didn't ever intend to have a yellow shelf in the room but I did want a book shelf instead of the chunky mini-dresser that came with the bed set (those drawers were official junk piles!). However, when this was posted on the Facebook garage sale site for $8 I quickly snagged it. Hyrum asked me if my clock was a real old fashioned clock adding, "did you have that when you were a kid". I love my new alarm clock! I now put my phone in the office at night and use my old fashioned alarm to wake up. It has the most pleasant wake-up call and does not tempt me at all to check in with the electronic world. 

Nathan and Hyrum begged to sleep under my new fluffy duvet and I completely gave in.  I sat in my chair reading out loud to them while they snuggled between new sheets and slowly fell asleep.  Moving them later was no small workout.

When LeRoy got home he gave the usual response I was prepared for. "It's nice". And he moved on. Daymia, Erika, Levi, Justin and the little boys were my cheering crowd as they flopped down on the bed, tickled their toes through my new furry rug and exclaimed their favorite parts of the room.

Boy's Room
Recycle + Paint + Comforters

After making her own new headboard and helping Erika to make one, Daymia wanted to make headboards for Nathan and Hyrum. As she was wondering and questioning what fabric to possibly use I remembered that we had Levi and Erika's old headboards just wasting away in the garage. When Daymia saw them her creative mind took off and within two days her headboard idea morphed into a whole new bedroom.

We forgot to take before pictures of the headboards so I searched through files until I found them. Ironically, both pictures have Nathan in them. Little did we know that seven years later those headboards would be in his room.

The throwback to earlier years brought back so many memories. Nathan loved waking them up on Saturday mornings and they were always so pleasant with him (not so if I was the one waking them).

Excuse me while I grab the Kleenex.....

Back to bedroom makeover.

Daymia let the boys pick their own colors and I stood back letting her run the project. I was however very surprised at the bold color choices! Once the headboards were done she took blank canvas and free-handed each of their initials, cutting them out of contact paper and using the same paint to match their individual headboards.

The boys have been in Erika's Skittle room for a little over a year. It seemed fine having them in the colorful chaos but Hyrum had started to ask a while back if we could paint the walls. The headboards, I suppose, would have fit nicely into the rainbow of colors but for Hyrum's sake we decided to change the walls as well. He needed a little more calm to his sleeping space (but with a bright headboard). I hesitated to paint over the Skittles because it was like having a part of Erika still here but it was time. When I called to warn her of the coming change she was completely supportive and even surprised that I had left the Skittles for so long.

With two gallons plus a pint of paint, Daymia and I got to work. The first coat of primer did not.a.thing! Those bold Skittles were begging to stay! The second coat of primer covered enough that we hoped the Behr primer paint combo would do the rest. It still took two coats of the grey and in one place, if the sun is shining just right, we can still see the outline of one Skittle calling behind the curtain of grey in hopes of being noticed.

We consulted with our professional, Kate, before attempting stripes. With Frog Tape and a level we meticulously taped them off; held our breath as we painted; didn't exchange a word while very carefully pulling the tape off; and cheered with silly glee as we stood back to admire. Thank you Frog Tape!

Levi took white paint to the dresser and end table that had originally matched the boys crib and I painted the knobs on their individual drawers to match their headboard. The desk that Derek and Hyrum built also looked quite nice as it was upgraded from scrap wood natural to spray paint white.

The boys final suggested input was the need for "fluffy new blankets". After looking into the cost of fabric, quilt bat, and time to make one for each of them vs. Wayfair.com and the points I had there, I let them each choose a comforter from the online selection. The comforters ended up costing less than the paint!

In the (now) four weeks since having their new room, they have made their beds each morning (without being asked!), put their clothes away and kept toys and books picked up. It still looks brand new . . . the lingering hint of paint helps. When the right mood hits, we'll get some curtains on the window but there's no hurry.


Swing
El Cheapo

The backyard porch swing has been in desperate need of proper covering for over a year now.  As we pulled it out this spring I knew that we would have cotton blobs floating all over our yard if I didn't get it taken care of ASAP. I looked into purchasing a new cushion but there was no way I would spend $60 plus for that.

On a bright early morning after kids left for school I measured the cushion, ran to Walmart (again, impressed with their new inexpensive but quality fabric line), rushed home and started cutting and sewing.

Flashbacks of junior high math haunted me as I realized that I had only picked up enough fabric for the front of the cushion plus extra for a 2 inch strip around each side. Duh! I needed to double that to cover the back.  I always did hate story problems.

Rather than make another run to Walmart or spend more money, I pulled out the scraps left over from the office and bedroom makeover.

The front looks great, the back looks like leftovers. Functional, useful leftovers.

We now enjoy hours of swing time without the annoying flecks of cotton stuck to our pants and/or legs when we walk away.