A molding project and more!

I have been wanting to add some architectural detail below the chair rail in my dining room and was considering several options. It seems many have had success with beadboard or beadboard wallpaper, board and batten, and molding. I wanted to try the beadboard wallpaper because I am intimidated  by measuring and cutting. However, when I looked at the roll of wallpaper available at Lowes, I was disappointed. It just looked striped to me.

Anyway, to cut to the chase I have been swooning over Thrifty Decor Chicks molding skills for quite sometime and she just makes it seem so darn easy! So, that is what I decided to try.

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The molding is already white for $4 per 8ft. at Lowes.That and a can of white paint was in my budget. See all the gaps? Yes, this took a lot of tweaking...

View of dining room before (sort of)

After
And it's official. I should avoid all projects requiring measuring and cutting. Lets just say the other blogs I studied up on are right. A little caulk and paint goes a long way! 


I definitely think it opens the room, brightens it, and helps break up all of the brown and wood tones in the room. It does give a lot of impact for little money.





Before

After


I was also inspired by photos like this in the new Pottery Barn catalog with the pictures layered on a wire or tacked together to create a display.

We have a ton of old family photos that are fantastic in black and white that I have really wanted to use in our decor. So, this is what I came up with. I think I like it although I will eye them if we ever do use the fireplace... What do you think?

Linking To:

DIY Valentines

I saw this post from Blue Cricket Designs and loved it! So cute, fun and easy. It also very much represents Paytons personality. I decided I wanted to try and do something like this for her class.

Then I found these cute little cupcake marshmallows for $1 each at Walmart and decided to use them along with some doily hearts I had at home to create this sweet little treat. I think the whole class will get a kick out of them :)

Also linking to Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design 

and 

A few Goodwill Finds

I can not pass up a good find at a thrift store. It's an urge that I can't escape. I try to stay away in fear I will end up being one of those ladies with lots of nick nacks and well, junk all over the house. I like a clean, open space. But I also like cute stuff at cheap prices. So I've been studying on how to arrange like items together in groupings so they don't just look like junk. I will show you what I come up with soon. I have been inspired by many lovely blogs.

A few things I keep my eye out for: white dishes, mercury glass, birds, picture frames, glass ware and I love the Target items that Goodwill gets.

Here are a couple of ducks and mercury glass candle holders from target for a steal. Also a cute little clock I knew I could find a place for.

This is my favorite find in a while. One of those old fashioned looking phones. For $15 it's more than I usually spend on one item but I couldn't resist. I tested it and yes it works! Only problem is I don't have a phone jack anywhere I would like to put it. I will figure something out but for now it's just sitting pretty. :)

A kitchen redo update

Upon removing our cabinet doors recently, I decided this was not enough impact for me. I tried colored dishes on display, didn't work for me. I tried all white dishes. Better but was missing some shall we say "umph!"?

I had this scrapbook paper I was using for another project and tested a sheet behind areas and thought about it for a couple of days. I really wanted to find more of a sticky wallpaper but was unable to find a pattern I liked.

So to Hobby Lobby we went and 25 sheet at $.59 ea and a roll of double sided tape later....

I am happy! I don't think it's obvious at all that its scrapbook paper and it can easily be changed if when I get sick of it! While taking these pictures I realized it would be nice to have light shining from the top of the cabinets. I might have to take another look at the battery powered stick on above cabinet lights I was eying last week.

Please disregard the fact that I did not even bother to wipe the counters before I took these pictures. :) It has been a week of the sickies at our house and this is all the energy I could muster up for today.

Also linking to Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design