It was just a few years ago that we painted our living room.  I remember the excitement of owning my own home and finally being able to paint walls whatever color I wanted. 

My husband and I chose to paint our living room oatmeal.  We had looked at so many paint swatches and we knew we wanted the living room to be sort of a taupe color.  We were so glad to be rid of the cold white walls and to bring some warmth into our home with the inexpensive new look of paint.

We gave one side of the room a first and second coat and then went on to other walls.  We were on our last wall when we had to open another container of paint.  That was the “whoops” moment.  Although we had both containers mixed at the same time, the second container was just a touch off from the first one.  Thankfully, it wasn’t so badly off that we would repaint the whole room, but it was noticeable to me. 

Lesson learned.  From that moment on, we decided that when we buy more than one gallon of paint, we will mix the gallons together before using them.  We now have an extra bucket and lid in the shed that we use before we paint a room.  No more mismatched paint.

Has this sort of paint mix-up happened to you?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Looking for a one-of-a-kind picture for your walls?  Try these cute ideas from Better Homes & Gardens.  Some ideas include displaying your favorite pictures and some examples are simply using colorful pieces of scrapbooking paper.   What a  cute and unique way to decorate your walls.  Enjoy!

image from bhg

Do you have a tired looking lampshade?  Do you want to change your color scheme but your lampshades don’t match? 

Check out these fresh ideas from Better Homes & Gardens.  BHG has several different ideas for giving your lampshade a new look.  Some of them are easy, such as gluing on some paper or embellishments, and some of them involve sewing.  Choose the style that works for you.

image from bhg

If you’re like me, you don’t want to spend a fortune buying new living room furniture or having your old stuff recovered.  Thankfully, there is a company that offers an affordable way to help with that problem.  I’m sure you all have heard of Sure Fit slipcovers.  Sure Fit makes it easy and inexpensive to freshen up old, worn furniture.   I just received the new catalog and am amazed with all the different products they have available now.

Sure Fit has something to fit anyone’s needs.  Whether you have a loose back cushion couch, a t-cushion couch, a recliner, futon, or chair, you’ll find something with Sure Fit.  They also have a wide variety of stylish colors and high-quality fabric.  However, if you have an animal, I wouldn’t recommend getting the suede cover like I did.  My cat liked the suede and I guess I didn’t think about it showing hair.  lol  Sure Fit also has coordinating drapes, pillows, and rugs.

Right now, Sure Fit is also having a President’s Day sale.  Buy any stretch slipcover and save 25% on your entire order.  Simply use the promo code PDSH.  Hurry, this sale ends February 17, 2009.

“Thanks mom.  This is comfy!” 

images by Sure Fit and me

If you’re looking for a cute Valentine craft, then you should try this button heart wreath.  It’s unique and easy to make.  Maybe you could make one with the kids.  Check out All Holiday Cafe for more information on this project.

image from Katelyn Thomas

When we were in England a couple of years ago, we were wandering down a little street in Rye (I think) and we saw one of these British”crocks” just like this and I so wanted to bring it home. Just one problem, it was about twice the size of this and I hadn’t a clue how I would get it home. And then there was the problem of what to do with it when I got it home. Not like our conventional bread bins lol. But it still would have looked sooo cool in our kitchen!

Photo Credit: Harrods

If you are in need of a drop dead gorgeous sofa, I think this velvet one offered over at Neiman Marcus would pretty much fit the bill, but the reason I’m showing this to you is because of something that I heard on TV this morning. If you are bored with your sofa, they actually mentioned having one of those long pillows made. I had never heard of such a thing, but she did say that the sofa would have to be deep. She went on to say that another easy way to freshen up the look of a sofa is with throws! And the ones pictured here are gorgeous. So, there are your choices… simply buy what you see or pick up a few pretty throws and completely change the look of what you already own!

Photo Credit: Neiman Marcus

When the kids were little, I don’t think that they cared a jot whether the serving dishes were… well gorgeous or not. But now that they are older, I’m hoping that they noticed.  We spent our family Polish/Canadian/British Thanksgiving last month and my son’s girlfriend hosted. Her table was GORGEOUS. I certainly noticed! Now, I want to be able to make my table look gorgeous too. And that means going through the cupboards to see what I have and what I still need to pick up. Every year, something goes missing or is packed away for the next time. Problem is, our house is up for sale and I have packed away a lot of my fancy dishes. Now is the time to see what I have left to choose from. And, come to think about it… there is nothing wrong with borrowing what you need. That’s what neighbors are for lol…

Actually, I found this idea at Pottery Barn. They are selling these gorgeous plates, but it was the presentation that caught my eye. Look at how a simple napkin beneath the plate just makes the table look that much more interesting. I usually set mine  beside the plate, but this looks even better. The placement of tiny apples and that gold pear is perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner. Very rustic. Well, sort of  lol…

Photo Credit: Pottery Barn

Actually, I remove my summer wreaths the first day of October and hang my autumn wreaths the very same day. While some people hang one wreath on the door, I want to enjoy a taste of autumn too and I do it by picking up two wreaths and then lacing them onto fabric ribbon that can hang over the door. I don’t know about you, but those wreath hooks take up too much space and I never seem to be able to close the door tightly and with our weather, the last thing I need is a draft coming into our front hallway. But the ribbon takes up no room and I can easily suspend two wreaths… just like in the photo you see. December 1st, they will come down and I will hang in their place my winter wreaths. Notice I said winter wreaths. I want to be able to leave them hanging until spring