Tweakin' Weekend

Unfortunately, I spent most of the past week at home suffering through 18" of snow and closed schools.  I usually enjoy every season as it comes, but I've really had about enough snow.  So of course, as soon as I could, I exited Chateau Lowe and went shopping for some fun, hopefully cheap, and minor home tweaks this weekend.   We decided to take a weekend off from major changes like painting and updating our bathrooms (and living room...I hadn't told you about that one yet!), so I was able to spend my time looking for art and accessories to fill voids.

My girlfriend Lindsey and I both spotted these awesome frames at Pier One.  Score!!  I took the glass and back off so that they just come off as artwork rather than frames.  Our living rooms is a little framed-picture-heavy as it is, so these take up some space and add some interest in a slightly different way.  [And note to self, I need to angle these pictures better so that everything doesn't look like I have a ton of wall showing.  These rather nicely fill a gap in the living room, but you can't tell from this picture!]  Please notice the new soft silvery blue walls - Lotus Leaf by my favorite paint brand, Behr Utlra.  Maybe I'm turning into a boring old grown-up after all, but I love this color.  It sets off the gorgeous floors Ryan installed a few years ago and makes the white trim and accents pop.

I also happened to drop by the Habitat For Humanity ReStore where you can get great home appliances, furniture, windows, light fixtures, globes, cabinets...you name it for super cheap.  And 100% of the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity - what could be better??  Anyway, I snatched about 4 picture frames for a grand total of $1.75 for my new hallway art.  I sprayed all of them a glossy white, threw in some frames I already had, and voila!  I need to go back and grab a few more, but this is a great start (and for $1.75 for frames and $3 for spray paint...so delightfully thrifty!).

I also happened upon this little bowl at Pier One for $2.50.  He needs some books to sit on, but I had to grab him when I saw him!

And here's my most favorite tweak, some new art for the kitchen!  We'd had a rather large shelf with a nice hodge podge of items in the kitchen for some time, but it sort of blocked a doorway.  In this glorious but tiny house, we need all the space we can get!  So knowing that a major kitchen repaint is going to be underway next weekend, I decided to begin the redecorating process and remove the shelf, disperse its contents throughout the house, and consider replacements.  Of course artwork would be our best bet given the space issue.  I can be a Goldilocks when shopping for artwork (too big, too small, too colorful, too plain, too expensive), but when I happened upon this DIY artwork project at my sorority sister Cara's blog Live the Home Life (fast becoming a HUGE favorite and great source of inspiration for me), I thought, "I love those and I can so do that."  I grabbed some 24x24 canvases at Jo Ann's along with some paint and go to work.  Cara's are black, but I decided to throw some grey in for a slightly different twist.  TAAAA DAAAAAA!!!  Love them - so easy and intentionally imperfect, meaning impossible for an art dummy like me to screw up.

Minor tweaking, filling up walls, and bringing it all together on this finally warm weekend.  Hope you had a good one!!