finish decorating my house

I went to Ikea last week to get a slim, low white console table to put my PC, which now doubles as my TV on, along with a top shelf for the keyboard and mouse (hoping to get wireless ones soon) and a bottom shelf for the printer (also want to get wireless). But the one that looked good on line was much bigger than I want. So now I’m back at square one. Maybe I’ll try Target.

I also went to Lamps Plus the other day and picked up an inexpensive slim drum white lampshade for the “swag” (I finally learned that’s what a plug-in as in not attached to the ceiling hanging lamp is called. And they are all but extinct, FYI.) lamp I want to hang over my kitchen table. It didn’t fit the plug on the cord I already bought. So that has to be returned.

Sheesh. How hard does it have to be to find a simple, pretty, modern and inexpensive swag hanging lamp?! Evidently, very damned hard. I think I finally may have found what I am looking for here:

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/White-Swag-Style-Plug-In-Chandelier__F1207.html

Except… I hate those 1970s style chains. I plan to remove mine and leave just the cord. I hope the 3rd time is a charm. (I won’t bore you with my first attempt at this with an Ikea product.)

I just bought a new bedframe – finally I have a bed for the first time in a year. No more sleeping on the floor.

I tried to readjust the bedroom rug that had gotten bunched up, but now it appears to be a permanent condition. So I have to decide, do I want to spend another $250 on an identical rug when I’ve only had this one less than 6 months?

I still want to change the bedroom color scheme to pink… sexier.

I need to buy that Ikea coat cabinet (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80141850) for the entry way so that my tiny living space is less cluttered.

Not to mention, I still need curtain rods, drapes, picture frames, storage containers, etc.

And I still haven’t completely unpacked, purged, or even cleaned out my storage closet yet.

Ack! It’s all too much!

rearranged furniture and hung up art. now we just need to paint some stuff and hang up a curtain.

The painter finished every room and the curtain installation is scheduled for April 2 – the day before my son’s 5th birthday party! I’m so excited that it will be done in time! I’ll be posting before & after pictures next week!

Ok, so my home is fine, there’s nothing really wrong with it, but it’s not what I want. I’m craving a warm, cosy sanctuary. Inviting and relaxed. Will require some time, effort and hard cash to get there. May take a while but I think it will be worth it. After all, getting home to a house that you really love will surely lift your mood after a stressful day.

technically, I dont have a house, but my friend and I are redecorating a little playhouse on her property. Its going to be decorated in a friendly cottage style. But we still need to do a lot, like paint and move furniture and stuff. We got a lot of great antiques at a church flea market for cheap!

Finish the small room by the end of February

Get a new kitchen this summer

Finish our bedroom also by the end of summer

We’ve lived in our home for 2 years and we have no curtains anywhere in the downstairs. At first we were waiting until we knew what we wanted. They after we got an estimate for what we wanted, we had to wait until we could afford it! Now – after a year of saving every month, I’ve order drapes for the dining room, living room, kitchen and foyer. I’ll be calling my painter this week to get the color on the walls (he’s fast and cheap and with two kids under 4 years old – it’d take me a year to get it done!). Installation is scheduled for mid March – just in time for my sons’ birthday parties the first week in April. Pictures to follow!

I keep umming and aahing about this one… yes, i’d love to have a beautifully decorated, lovely-looking home, but do i want to invest the time and money in doing it?

Our house is clean, and tidy, a little worn or tired in places, but nothing’s broken, and who knows – life changes (children hopefully!) will mean we’ll be forced into redecorating the spare room into a nursery.

So i think i’d prefer to spend my time with the people i care about. But then i spend time in my best friend’s beautiful home, with her beautiful family, and think “i want this! I want cushions and curtains that coordinate! i want my home to look comfortable and lived in and finished!”

I go home full of ideas and energy and then i sit down and look around me and think… one day i will decide on the colour of the living room and paint over the random swatches of colour in the corner by the window, but not today. Today i’ll bake cookies and take the dog to the park…

This is fun