Because every girl should have a pony...

Remember the brass figurines that were popular for decorating purposes in the 80s and early 90s? My parents had a couple - a small rocking horse and a group of geese in a row - that seemed to be part of their decor for WAY longer than was trendy. Now if you are a fan of these brass figures, and I am sure there could be a place for them in some households, you may want to avert your eyes. And who knows, maybe I'm just unaware of what a collectors item these figures have become... ?

I found this brass carousel horse (pictured above) at a garage sale this weekend for $1 and thought I could give it a little update. After some heirloom white spray paint and pink and green ribbons tied around the top for girlie flair, here she is:

I thought this would be a cute addition to baby girl Davis's nursery...at some point... when she has a nursery ;). Because every girl should have a pony, right?

I just love what a little spray paint can do!

Another Lamp Transformation

I bought this lamp last summer at a garage sale for $1. With a little Krylon Brushed Nickel spray paint and a new $6 lampshade it is definitely looking more sleek and modern:

It sits on a stack of old books on the dresser in Spencer's room. Simply lovely. I *heart* spray paint!

Stay tuned because I may have another lamp meets spray paint project to show you soon! And check out this American Flag throw pillow from Pottery Barn that I picked up at a garage sale this past weekend for only $1:

Modeled beautifully by my $5 red chair from last summer's garage sales! A couple weeks ago I had considered getting a flag pillow to go with the front porch's patriotic decorations - and now I have one at a fraction of the cost. Ahhh, I love a good garage sale find!

I couldn't resist the urge to spray paint...

Well, we are finally back in our house after the fire we had last month. Things are still not completely finished but we are getting there.

Unfortunately, my entire spray paint collection was destroyed in the fire and I have had this overwhelming desire to have some pretty colors of spray paint in my life again. I used this spray paint desire to make a change in our bathroom. We recently redid our bathroom (you can see the transformation HERE) and I found this lovely shower curtain at Target.com. It brightens the room, hides the hideous accordion shower doors that are currently there, and brings in some delicious color. I seriously love it. I will be taking the shower curtain with me when I move from my in-laws house because I love it that much.

Yes, I know. It's gorgeous (needs ironing...). But I needed some gorgeous bathroom accessories to compliment this new brightness. And my thrifty calendar art was not cutting it...

Thrifty, but not bright.

So I found this beauty at Kohls on clearance and with a coupon I paid $10.

I loved the look but not the color.

Took a little Krylon Ivy Leaf Spray Paint to it...

Now it simply pops off the wall and pulls out some of that bright green color from the shower curtain. (Like my can of Oust and roll of TP? Just keepin' it real.)

I love the impact a little spray paint can make!

More spray paint makeovers to come!

A Bathroom Transformation

8 months ago we started repainting our bathroom. FINALLY we are done! I hate painting... love how it turned out, but HATE painting. I still need to find some bath rugs and hang a couple things on the wall but I am very pleased with the results!

My inspiration for this bathroom came from none other than Melissa at 320 Sycamore (not surprising to you I am sure - she is my favorite blogger ever!). You can see her bathroom transformation HERE.

So here is the before: (please excuse the poor lighting - I took these pictures in the evening in January and it was getting dark...)

Lots of brown huh?

And here is the after:

I love how much brighter it is now!

Some of the details:

We used Rustoleum spray paint in Espresso for the cabinets.

Yes we spray painted and it was lovely. I HIGHLY recomend spray paint!

For the paneling and trim we used Behr paint in Cream Puff (Home Depot).

The walls are Smoke Infusion by Valspar (Lowe's).

The fixtures are all a satin nickel color.

We also spray painted the existing mirrors, which were a yucky gold color, with Rustoleum Espresso spray paint. What a difference a can of paint can make!

The new light fixture we found at Walmart for $30. I don't know if you have priced light fixtures lately, but that is a pretty darn good price...

My apothecary jar collection filled with soap, q-tips, cotton balls, bath pearls, etc. I think it makes the bathroom seem very spa-like now. Have I mentioned that I have a fetish for glass jars? Love me some pretty glass jars I can fill with anything and everything!

And there you have it! It took us 8 months to finally decide on paint colors and finish up painting. I am SO very glad it is over!

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? I would love to hear your feedback...:)

Home is where your story begins, so tell that story with pictures!

My in-laws have this large wall in their living room area that has not had anything hanging on it for as long as I can remember. Several years ago we started talking about how we could decorate it. It was decided that this would be a picture wall with lots of picture shelves adorned with frames. This would minimize holes in the wall and allow pictures to be changed out and moved around with ease. With 5 children all married and starting families of their own, my in-laws needed a place to put wedding pictures and pictures of grandchildren.

My mother-in-law bought some shelves for the wall and then they sat in the spare bedroom for several years...waiting to be hung - until several months ago. While my in-laws were out of town, I took the opportunity to finally arrange the picture wall. I dug through pictures, spray painted old frames black, collected other accessories, and spent a long evening with my husband as he hung the shelves and I decorated them. This is the final result:

(Please excuse the bad lighting in these pictures. This area does not enjoy much natural light and so you get these dark pictures.)

My goal was to unify all the pictures frames by spray painting them black and then mingle in some light colored accessories.

I encourage you not to be afraid of spray paint! I took a whole bunch of frames that were every color under the sun and made them sleek and streamlined by making them all the same color. Don't throw out old frames! Keep them and paint them as your tastes and decor change - it will save you money!

This wall has really become quite a focal point in the room.
It has created lots of interest for guests as they come to visit and has become a place of great memories in the Davis household.

What a beautiful reminder for my in-laws of what they have created...

All because two people fell in love.

Decorating with pictures is such a cheap and easy way to fill a space. I would also venture to say that pictures are more meaningful than any piece of artwork you could buy. I love walking into someone's home and being greeted by pictures of their loved ones!

Keep your eyes open at garage sales and thrift stores for picture frames on the cheap! You can also find narrow picture ledges at garage sales too. I just picked up a set of 2 shelves for $3 at a garage sale a couple weekends ago.

Beautifying Some Thrifty Finds

My Saturday mornings have been filled with garage saleing. It is such a thrill to bring home something average and transform it into something spectacular! Here are some of those transformations:

I found this cute, red chair at a garage sale a couple weeks ago for $5!

I loved that it was red.

Red is my color.

I pictured it in a cute display on the porch.

Here it is holding a wood crate I also found at a garage sale.

A little spray paint magic ("Blue Ocean Breeze" by Krylon) and a beautiful, overflowing pot of lantana transforms this porch area into a welcoming, cheerful sight as you come in the front door.


I LUV it!

Here's another garage sale find: a plastic planter for $1

It was quite dirty and needed a little elbow grease to get all the caked-on dirt off!

Add a little Black Satin Krylon for Plastics spray paint and the overflowing lantana pot and you have a sleek, black planter for the front porch.

I am picturing a stack of pumpkins for this pot come October...
Can you imagine?
3 pumpkins in 3 different sizes stacked on top of each other.
Oh the possibilities!

I am completely in love with these thrifty finds!
Lovin' the garage saleing excursions too!
You never know what you are going to discover!