Living Room

"After" pics of the living room/great room. No before pics because my dog ate them I was too lazy to take any! Obviously I was too busy learning to use Strikethrough font - ha!

This is our entertainment center that my little brother made us over 6 years ago as a wedding present...this is the view looking in from the kitchen.


Looking down the hallway into the living room.

View from the entryway.

I recycled this settee from my in-laws and added a table I bought on clearance at Pier 1 and had my fav vintage Hawaiian poster framed.

Little sitting area I created using some great Target finds.

New pillows I got on clearance at Home Goods and on Ebay.

New storage trunk I found at Pier 1...you would not believe how much junk you can hide in it...heehee :)

New curtains and shears from Pier 1.

Framed some pics I took in Hawaii. These are all from a single pic I took and tweaked using PhotoScape, a free Photoshop-esqe program. (http://www.photoscape.org/) I then had the pics enlarged at Wal-Mart and ta-da, cheap art!

And here is an up close and personal view of our new floors - I LOVE them!

My top five ways to save money on home decorating:

1. Do what you can yourselves. We ripped out our own carpet and baseboards and did all the painting ourselves - even painting the baseboards. We saved ourselves close to $1000 this way!

2. If you see something you really like but cannot afford, check Ebay. I found similar zebra pillows at a home store for $90 apiece and had these made by a lady on Ebay for $20 apiece.

3. Bargain hunt. Try stores with discounted items like Home Goods or shop sales at places like Pier 1 and Target. You can find many of the same items as seen at pricey home stores for half the price!

4. Make what you can. I made my own floral arrangements and artwork saving me some serious bucks.

5. Recycle. I repainted some furniture I already had, giving it a different look and made use of pieces relatives didn't want anymore. Also, look for great finds at garage sales. An old piece of furniture can be transformed with a coat of paint and some fancy glass knobs from http://www.anthropologie.com/ or a local hardware store.