Easy Change Wallpaper

In my never-ending quest to make a rental townhouse feel like home, I've been trying to figure out a great way to utlilize wallpaper without messing up the walls.  I've considered the fabric option, and Oh Joy! had a great idea involving making a grid with (removable) painter's tape.

But... I just found out about Sherwin-Williams' Easy Change wallpaper!  Yes, like most wallpaper, it's a bit pricey (on average, $70-80 for 2 rolls), but it's REMOVABLE. Really. 

Better yet they have a huge variety of modern, fresh patterns. Some of my favorites from the the Dahlia collection are pictured below:

I am also a huge fan of the Beacon House Damask collection, whicn you can see here.  You can check out all the Easy Change designs at the Sherwin-Williams website.

Now my only problem is picking a pattern...

Working With What You Have

Anyone working with a budget knows the challenge of limitations. Personally, I love searching for free or next-to-nothing pieces. With a little time and energy, Craigslist, garage sales, and thrift stores can be treasure troves. However, sometimes scoring things for free means working with what you have rather than what you envisioned.

We recently scored a large brown couch in a great condition off of Craigslist - for free! While it's perfect for our young family - sturdy, neutral, comfortable - right now the brown-on-brown of the couch on our wood laminate has left our living room a bit...blah.  We were able to spice things up a bit with another free score, a braided blue rug in an cool, almost nautical, blue that also wasn't my first choice. But, rugs are expensive, and it's a vast improvement than the wood laminate alone.

All together, my living room has become interesting design challenge.  Adding to that challenge is the fact that our living area flows into our dining/kitchen area, which is a sea of wood (again, laminate) cabinetry, mixed with pops of red appliances and towels.

While it may not have been what I've first envisioned, I've decided a neutral palette with pops of red and blue could actually be pretty sophisticated if I do it right. I have to be careful, though, as this palette could easily turn "Patriotic Country" (which is definitely not my style).

I'll post some before-and-after pics when it's all done, but for now, here's some rooms for inspiration:

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Art + Function = Design

I was so, so excited when I saw this bench-as-coffee-table over at Freshly Picked.  As you know, I am obsessed with redecorating my home (a long process as I look for the right pieces and.or save up for them).  One of my biggest design dilemmas is that we have nowhere to put a beverage glass in our living room - no tables, no nothing.  We pretty much have a couch, and... that's it.  I'd love a coffee table, but with two accident prone children under the age of 3, I worry about sharp corners and head wounds and all that.  An upholstered bench is the perfect solution!  And so stylish.

Read on for more solutions to design dilemmas...

Need a cool save the date? How about a Custom stamp!

Cool kids clothes are so expensive!  Just DIY with a Freezer Stencil Whale (I want one of these for the not-so-wee one).

I don't know about you, but I am SO picky about fabric. Good think I can design my own.
(via Stephmodo)

Another one from Steph, those is search of R&R would also love this perfect reading nook.

Think you are the next Charlotte Bickford-Smith? Make your own hardbound books from old paperbacks.

Provencal Bedroom Makeover

I am dying - dying - to redecorate our house.  We weren't sure how long we were going to be there (having lived in rentals our entire married lives, we never are sure how long we'll be anywhere, really), so we didn't put a lot of thought into decorating.  Decorating with some style also takes time and money, two things we are short of.

But... I am determined.  First up is our bedroom.  We have my parents hand-me-down bed and dresser that we want to eventually replace (hopefully sooner rather than later - the bed is b-u-s-t-e-d).  BUT our bed is framed by two gorgeous 60s-era Ethan Allan drawer/shelving combo pieces in a dark wood that we inherited from the hubby's grandma that we looove. And they would go really, really well with Pottery Barn's latest Provence-themed collection.

There is some lavendar and french ticking in my future, ladies and gentlemen.  The question is whether we will shell out in the next few weeks... or wait for the Craigslist/ebay sales.  Hmm. 

Anyone have any leads on discounted Provencal bedding? Anyone?

WANTING

This clock

Or this clock

This pillow

This Lego Lamp (my husband would freak)

Oh, this bedroom (thank you sfgirlbybay)

This

 These

Or this pigeon lamp, all from Smallable (thank you Design Mom)

And last but not least, this lamp to go over my dining room table

(thank you Design for Mankind, I too, want them all!)

Decor Love

Home decor that's inspiring me now...

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via Black Eiffel

via Black Eiffel

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Upholstery: A Dying Art

As I troll the web looking for DIY ideas for my current redecorating obsession, I keep coming across upholstery. Or reupholstery, to be more specific. With the big recession and all, people seem to be realizing that new doesn't necessarily been better, and "upcycling" old junky furniture is one of the best ways of recycling - and saving money!

Etsy just posted a TERRIFIC video by the gals from Spruce in Austin, who've updated the lost art of reupholstery.

Check it out!

Home Makeover

I've been daydreaming constantly about redecorating my entire place. Nothing too fancy schmancy - I have kids, so it's got to be comfortable and anything too "nice" will be trashed in seconds (all the stuff that is already trashy gets trashed in seconds). However, we've never really gotten organized and decorated the place, and the creative designer inside is getting antsy. I know it will be a work in progress, because I want it to be both beautiful and on a thrifty budget. In the meantime, I've been hunting for ideas, mostly on Etsy and on blogs for DIY decor.

Project #1) The Office

An amazing (and removable!) wall decal, a shot of bright yellow calm, and DIY wallpaper-covered file cabinet to finally - FINALLY - organize all that paperwork (although I'd probably choose something a bit brighter to bring that yellow back in).

Clockwise, from top left:

- Iron Vines Wall Decals from Blik

- Keep Calm and Carry On Poster from Etsy

- Wallpaper-covered File Cabinet by Casey Green at Fossil. Instructions here
(and check out the rest of her awesome house here)

I'm also thinking of making some nice floor pillows, as our office doubles as a playroom for the kids, and maybe a nice rug to cover up the icky carpet (oh the joys of rental. One day when we buy, there will be NO carpets in my house).

What do you think? Any ideas?