decor – Desires of my Heart Blog

Dining Room DIY | Plate Wall Display

marsha0727 — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 14:56:00 +0000

Since seeing (and falling in love with) this image (below) on Pinterest last year (or maybe even longer!), I decided I wanted to use my “dining room” wall (since we don’t actually have a dining room, per se’) to display my own collection of eclectic plates. It took me a while…shopping at thrift stores, antique shops, yard sales, and even current store inventories to finally collect enough to begin my wall. But it’s finally up (though I’m sure I’ll add more as I find others I like), and I am thrilled!!

Here’s a closer view of my very not perfect (intentionally, but equally challenging for a perfectionist) plate wall so far. I was so excited to find the Flatiron Disc Adhesives on Amazon to hang my plates without having to use they old-style wire (and visible) hangers. These are super easy to apply (I followed the directions to a “t” and had NO problems!), but they also say they can be removed without damaging the plates, should you ever want to. And, as far as the wall is concerned, you hang it just as you would a small picture! Easy peasy.

And I couldn’t be more excited with my end results! Now, I have the perfect place to display my Granny’s vintage wash stand pieces. Just gotta find the tea towels I want to hang from them and candles for the candle holders! (You know there’s always something to be done!)

How I Decorated My Front Porch For $150 or Less | Frugal Home DIY

marsha0727 — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 19:06:00 +0000

So, we are going on year 6 at our house, and other than an occasional (usually dying or dead) potted plant and a door wreath, we have never decorated our front porch! {Shameful, I know…}

So, this spring my front porch became my new DIY project! I had $150 budget (from old home stuff I sold at a recent consignment sale), so my new project began…

Here’s a quick look at my *normal* front porch view… {see why it needed help?!}

{The only “pretty” thing about this is that cutie in the front door!}

And now, for what I did to make it a little more…happy and home…

1) I set out on a mission to find seating (bench or bistro-style table/chair set) for $50 or less — I posted an ISO post on Facebook, and immediately got responses! I decided on a beautiful old iron bistro-style set for $30, which I knew would be perfect once I added a new coat of spray paint (paint cost $12 for two after a 50% Hobby Lobby discount!) I chose a matte muted teal for my new color, and here’s what I ended up with…

2) My next piece was a heavy (so it isn’t easily knocked down by the wind), tall ceramic vase (I needed the height for visual purposes, and the ceramic so it wouldn’t easily rust or mold/rot like wood or metal may). I lucked up on a brand new, beautiful $120 vase for only $30 at our local Dirt Cheap store. I also watched for the 50% off sale at Hobby Lobby to get curly willow tree limbs & two bundles of faux forsythia stems (for a beautiful touch of nature and color by the front door).

3) While at Hobby Lobby {you know you can never walk out of there with ONLY the things you went in to get}…I found a beautiful clearance-priced ($7) faux succulent potted plant, which, of course, I had to add to my decor!

4) I knew I would also need something for “height” on the far side of the porch…a way to display different pieces for decor throughout the seasons, so I was thrilled to walk into the thrift store to find this beautiful old wooden shelf for $4!! I gave it a quick (I didn’t want it to be perfect) coat of leftover paint from my laundry room makeover, and ta-da — the perfect addition!!

{Overlook my nice pollen-filled shelf that needs a quick wipe-down!}

5) At the home consignment sale that I mentioned earlier, I had my eye on a set of 6 lovely outdoor chair cushions, but I didn’t want to pay $20 for them, not knowing if they would actually work for my chairs. Well, at the 50% off day, they were still there! SO…I bought them!! I only need 2, but I figure, I’ll have 4 more put away to “replace” the first two when they are worn out! Mark laughed when he saw them, because he knew they were perfect for me…they almost match my favorite accent chair in the living room perfectly!!

6) While in the thrift store, I also found a new cute rug for only $4! It could stand to be a bit larger, but for now, it’s perfect to add a little *pop* of yellow.

7) And, finally, for a little extra greenery (that is supposedly easy to maintain — we will see!), a sweet boy at church was doing a school fundraiser by selling pots of sun ferns. I bought two hanging pots and one regular one to finish off my $150 budget! These should be delivered next week, so I’ll have to take an updated picture then to show off my *finished* project!!

$150 – $42 (bistro set + paint) – $50 (vase + floral stems) – $7 (succulent pot) – $10 (set of 6 beautiful, new chair cushions) – $8 (rug + shelf) -$32 (3 sun ferns) = $1 remaining

I still have to add some odds and ends onto my little shelf, but I plan to use as many things as I have stored in the attic, etc., for this, and change it up seasonally!! My plan is for that and my wreath to be my “changing” parts to the front porch. Now that I have the “bones” of decor in place, the other should be easy and fun, all year round!!

{My ferns aren’t here yet, so I’ll have to do a final picture next week when they arrive!}

Our Travel Adventures | Home Decor DIY

marsha0727 — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 20:08:00 +0000

Lately, I have found so many cute home decor ideas involving MAPS, and I have fallen in love with the idea of “mapping” our family’s travel adventures in a way that we can use in our decor!

I found a small 6″ globe (from Target) for my sweet baby sister, and purchased personalized vinyl lettering to say “Adventures of Megan” on the (ocean) side of the globe…then I marked with self-adhesive gemstones (from Hobby Lobby), all of the places she has been. I almost wanted to keep it for myself! It turned out beautifully!! (But I’m horrible and forgot to take a picture, so I’ll have to add that later when she can send me one).

Well, apparently my love for that idea was evident enough that my sweet hubby found a “Scratch Map” and surprised it with me for Valentine’s Day! If you don’t know what a Scratch Map is, let me tell you (because I had never heard of it, either!) — it’s a large map of the US (or World) that is covered in a gold scratch coating, so each state that you visit, you can “scratch off” the gold part to reveal of beautiful colored map underneath. Obviously, our goal is to scratch off the entire US…and then, on to the “World”.

I was thrilled with my map! My only problem was trying to decide how to display it. It was a “non-normal” shape/size, so either it was going to look strange in a misfitted poster frame, OR I was going to be out $100+ for a custom sized frame…and I didn’t care for either idea! So, I kept looking…until one day, I found it! Exactly what I needed!

Hobby Lobby had clearanced out these LARGE, beautifully framed cork boards…and it was perfect for our map! It was just big enough to where we can add family pictures of our “adventures” all around our travel adventures map! Now, it’s hanging beautifully, awaiting my pictures (which I’ve finally ordered)! And I couldn’t be happier.

Now, on to more adventures…only a couple of months, and we’ll be scratching off our first “new” adventure for 2016 to Wisconsin!

Kid’s Art Wall

marsha0727 — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Here’s our “finished”art wall in the kids school/play room. It has worked out great! With Mark’s wonderful help, I was able to use fun doorknobs on each end of the art line…half off from Hobby Lobby (I think I could live at that place!) And, of course, we had to find a fun quote for the wall — I love this quote from Picasso…and I love reminding my children of this, when they so often compare their work with others and think theirs is inferior.

Speaking of children’s art…here is Katie’s recent artwork — Our family (minus Meeko — he was in the house, I guess)!

Living Room | Redecoration Journey Begins

marsha0727 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:09:00 +0000

After much looking, planning, and waiting, I am finally the new owner of my most favorite “reading/accent” chair — the ARIEL (doesn’t it look like a seashell to you?). And, since my chair was finally in my living room, I couldn’t help but begin to start the redecorating process for our entire living room.

My first start — hanging my Vintage Crush frames as a collage-type picture wall. (Overlook the blank frames…they bother Katie, too…but I’m trying to decide WHICH pictures I want to print for each frame.) Since my living room is also the place where most of my in-home studio sessions and/or appointments, I thought it was also the perfect place to share different ways to decorate your home with the photographs I take! I’m not finished with this wall, so you’ll see it again hopefully in the near future, as a completed wall…but it’s started…and that’s good enough for me!

Just in case you wanted to see it…here’s a better view of my new favorite chair I’m still looking for the perfect side table to go with it. But doesn’t my awesome Alexa’s Closet bucket work perfectly beside the chair?! It’s our “book” holder (until I use it for newborn/infant photography sessions).

My living room color inspiration… L.O.V.E!

And, the start of the wall decor above our couch — my recent painting + plus my fun new distressed wooden frame. I loved these birds when I found them…and my painting reminded me of branches…so I put them together (but I’m still trying to decide if that’s where the birds will live). Either way, there is still a LOT of wall space here…any ideas? I’m still working on this area… But I was thrilled to find these awesome throw pillow finds on clearance at Ross recently…the PERFECT shade of orange…and I have one more the perfect shade of turquoise (that sits in our rocker/recliner).

And a small, but fun addition to a living room table are these old camera replicas — found and purchased for $1.07 total! Can’t beat that price…especially for a photography lover’s decor

I still have lots of work to do…but here’s our start of our redecoration journey! I can’t wait to show you more as I get more completed!

Bunk Beds & Best Buds

marsha0727 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:31:00 +0000

Okay, so I’ve been terrible on getting pictures of the kids “finished” (aka liveable and decorated…until I find more to add/change) combined bedroom. And, after looking at the pictures, I’m thinking — did we really change that much?? So, here’s a “before” picture of the kids separated bedrooms…

Austin’s “BEFORE” Room…

Katie’s “BEFORE” Room…

And now, your look into their “new” combined

BUNK BED & BEST BUDS room…

They both sold a lot of their “old” bedroom

decor and reinvested in their new rooms

I think the best part was seeing how excited the kids were

as they were able to choose their accent pieces together

and AGREE on them!

We definitely have two horse/country lovin’ kids…

And I wouldn’t change them for anything in the world!

Love my little Cowboy & Cowgirl!!

And, as for the transitioning to one bedroom and one playroom, things have been great! The kids love the set-up, and I love that they make a mess in ONE room (the playroom) instead of two while they play together. There are times that I reconsider — like when they are supposed to be sleeping and they are instead laughing, giggling, and telling secrets — but then I remind myself that those times are what make brothers and sisters best buds forever. We’re still working on the play room…step by step…but it’s also working great as our homeschooling area, which I never really had before. I definitely think this was a great decision for our family. The kids love their combined country bedroom, and I love that!

So, what do you think of our country bunk bed room for our best buds?

RE…Lots of RE!

marsha0727 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:38:00 +0000

So, with all of the “RE”s (REorganizing, REdecorating, REmoving) going on in our home lately, especially in the kids’ rooms, we’ve also had to learn how to REpurpose things. Though it’d be easy to run to the store and buy all that I need to REdesign our home, my frugalness just doesn’t allow for that

I suspect {and HOPE} to be able to show you lots of REpurposing going on around our home over the next months. Today we started with small steps in the kids’ rooms.

When the kids had their own rooms, one was fully “Princess” and the other was nothing but “Cars”…so now what? I have Princesses and Cars all over the place, and their new bedroom is cowboy/cowgirl/horses, etc. Tell me how those are gonna fit in…

SO…today, I spent a little time searching for great new images online that would be perfect additions to their new rooms, and what did I come up with?? {*overlook the purple walls…they will be gone soon hehe*}

First, I replaced all of Katie’s “Little Mermaid” pictures with these…using the same frame and mat. And, though it was printed from home, you wouldn’t know it wasn’t purchased from the store when you see it! So, my cost for REdecorating their room with REfinished pictures — less than $1!

And now for these much-loved nightlights…Katie, of course, had the Princesses…and Austin had Cars. I really did not want to purchase more nightlights, and I loved that these could be turned off (saving those nightlight bulbs that always seem to go out!).

SO…I again turned to the internet for pictures and…

This fit perfectly with the cowboy/cowgirl theme in their bedroom,
and even worked with the pink nightlight base!

The playroom is going to be decorated in fun, artsy colors…
perfect for their little imaginations!

TADA! Brand new nightlights costing pennies to REpurpose…but perfect for our new decor. Pretty nifty and thrifty, in my opinion

And to “add” a little more REpurposing of pictures/frames in the playroom, I took Austin’s Cars pictures and REplaced them with recent paintings done by my two little artists.

We’re soon going to have a full wall of artwork in their playroom, and I can’t wait to show you that! But we have to start and finish some REpainting first.

LOTS left to do with our REpurposing and REdecorating projects…this was just a few small steps. But you have to start somewhere, right??

House 2 Home: Part III & IV

marsha0727 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:29:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to update our “House 2 Home” progress. But this week, you get to see two major changes at the same time! Talk about a busy weekend! We painted our master bedroom Saturday & Sunday (in between services at church), and yesterday we welcomed in our new floors. Here are a few pictures for you curious minds…what do you think??

BEFORE: This is a picture of our Living Room this past Christmas

AFTER: Our *New* Living Room

AFTER: Our *New* Bedroom

(Sorry…I failed to take a before picture…)

My Newest Painting!

marsha0727 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:32:00 +0000

While I was in North AL, I was able to paint another picture! This is a design that I saw and loved, so I gave it a try. I think it turned out pretty good, considering I am no painter!! I really enjoyed getting to go to art class with Megan to paint this! Now…where do I hang it??

My Advent Calendar

marsha0727 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:18:00 +0000

My stay-at-home mom’s group had a craft night to make Advent Calendars. Although I wasn’t able to make it to the craft night, I did make a calendar for us to use and enjoy this year. It was fun and super easy to make! When December 1st comes around, all of the magnet dates will be removed. Katie will get to add a magnet each day to help her count to Christmas Day. I think it turned out great! Just overlook the glare on the picture…I didn’t have time to take a “good” picture…only a snapshot.

On a side note…remember that Advent starts Sunday, November 30th. If you haven’t tried doing Advent with your family, this is a great year to try it. We’re going to use Jotham’s Journey as our Advent devotional/story this year, along with the traditional verses in the KJV Bible that tells of the birth of Christ. Katie is very excited about getting to help light each candle this year, and we’re excited about having this great tradition in our family. What a great way to teach our children the story of Christ’s birth!!