Basement Reveal!!!

Hi You Guys,

As promised, I finally have the pictures to show

 you of our low cost basement renovation.

I know you have all been waiting on the edge of your seats!!  : }

So here it is ~ lots of picture ~ they're not as good
as I would like ~ so hard to get good pictures
in a basement!

(You can see the before pictures HERE)

Two Ikea Ektorp love seats for $379 each.

  I really love these!

Even if they don't stay completely stain free, 

at least I can wash the slipcovers and

they'll be fresh and clean.

They are super comfortable too!

Do you know the loveseat in white is $100 cheaper than the other colors?

And a replacement slipcover is only $39?

I thought that was a great deal and a big factor in our decision

to purchase the white ones.

This is the part some people think is the most important ~

the big TV!!

The tv stand is also from Ikea and cost $49.

I don't usually like the game storage racks

that are available so I bought two baskets and nailed 

them to the wall for all of my son's games.

The walls are painted in Behr's Country Beige.

I had purchased this old screen door a long time ago 

and had never really found the perfect spot for it until now.

Most of the wall decor was either things we already had or that I made.

I did purchase the gray shutter at Homegoods.

This end of the room is more for my daughter.

She likes to watch tv sometimes while "the boys" are playing games.

This was actually our toy cupboard when I was growing up.

The nice thing is, the doors can be closed

 if we (I) want to hide all the "stuff ".

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 

This is a long, narrow room but it does have four windows 

so we do get a fair amount of natural light.

Remember this blue crate I purchased recently?

Well, I found the perfect use for it.

It's covering up this stupid pipe thingy that's sticking up

out of the floor ... what's up with that, anyway?

It is also the perfect spot for the much loved Spongebob CD player!

I would still like to add something to this wall  ~

maybe some family pictures.

This end of the room is pretty basic

 but at least it is functional and clean.

We are so happy to have this done.

The whole family loves it and it's just such a casual,

 comfy place to hang out.

I think we spent right around $1000 which was

mostly the furniture.

In the future, we would like to get new carpet and maybe do

something with the dropped ceiling ~ but for now, we are happy!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!!

Thank you so much for taking a look
at our basement redo!


• • •  joining • • •

MY ROMANTIC HOME ~ SHOW & TELL FRIDAY
MY 1929 CHARMER ~ SUNDAY'S BEST
THE DEDICATED HOUSE ~ MAKE IT PRETTY MONDAY
BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH ~ MET MONDAY
COZY LITTLE HOUSE ~ TWEAK IT TUESDAY
CEDAR HILL RANCH ~ COWGIRL UP!
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE ~ WOW US WEDNESDAY 

Down & Dirty (and Dingy too)

Hi Everyone,

I am so, so happy to tell you about our low cost basement/rec room
update which we are just about finished with.

This project was one of the items on my Home Goals 2012 post
way back in January.

Here's a little peek but I don't want to show you 
everything until I have the decorating and a few
little projects completed.

Below are some before pictures which I'm almost
 embarrassed to show you but this was reality.
A random mess of mismatched furniture,
stained carpet, and dirty walls.  
YUCK! 

The room was like this (only not quite as dirty)

 when we moved here 5 years ago.

It has been very much used and abused by two

 children and their friends since then.

It has been way past due for a makeover but we were waiting until

we thought the kids would be a little more responsible and careful 

about taking care of things ~ we'll see how that goes!  : }

Hubby and I worked really hard on this over the summer

 and I am beyond thrilled to have this done.

The walls have been painted Country Beige by Behr.

We used the eggshell finish for ease of cleaning.

And one very, very hot Saturday in July, we made

 the 2 hour trip to Ikea and purchased 2 of these loveseats . . .

. . . and one of these tv stands.

My ever faithful 12 year old SUV brought home the 2 loveseats

 stuffed inside and the tv stand strapped to the top. 

We also cleaned the carpet, scrubbed the baseboards and

did a lot of organizing and rearranging.

Did I say how happy I am to be completing this project?

Just in case I didn't,  I am ~ HAPPY, HAPPY,  SO VERY VERY HAPPY!!!

I promise to be back soon with the after photos.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Great Deals at Famous Footwear

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Have you shopped at Famous Footwear lately?  If not, you should give it a try.  They have a wide range of styles to choose from.  If you need back-to-school shoes for your kids, especially tweens and teens (which we know can be a bit picky), this is the place to go.

Currently, they are having an amazing back-to-school promotion.  15% off PLUS BOGO (Buy One, Get One Half Off)!  This makes it so affordable to buy for your family or buy more than one pair for those picky, oops, I mean precious teens.  It's also a great way to afford shoes for that one special outfit that needs just the right pair!    Click on the link below to print your coupon.

BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon

You know what else I love about Famous Footwear?  Their stores are not overwhelming.   It is so easy to pop in, get shoes for the whole family, and be out in a reasonable amount of time.  I know how important that is to all of us with our hectic schedules.

Did you know they also have a free Rewards Program?  You earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in-store or online.  You can accumulate points to earn certificates up to $100 a year and you also receive a discount offer when you sign up.  Sounds like a great deal to me! 

Be sure to print the coupon and visit Famous Footwear by 8/18/12 to redeem it for your favorite shoe styles for fall for the whole family.   

 

The Back Staircase

I'm not sure what it is,
 but I have always loved the idea of having a 

back staircase into the kitchen.

source

  Something about it just seems so sweet and quaint.

I can just imagine wandering down those steps in my bathrobe
 to make coffee in the morning, can't you?

source

The kitchen above is from the movie Stepmom.

You can see the back staircase in the background and notice

how the staircase turns for the last few steps as you enter the kitchen.  

 I love this kitchen and the entire house, actually. 

{This is one of my all time favorite movies ~ you must see it if you haven't already!}

source

If it's a winding staircase, then my heart really goes pitter-patter!

source

This last one is more modern, but lovely just the same.

source

My Grandmother lived in a farmhouse with a staircase into the kitchen.

I can remember it so vividly ~ I just loved that!

Do you have a back staircase or any memories of one?

I would love to hear about it!

Vintage Goods & Chocolate?

Sounds like a match made in heaven, doesn't it?

Well, there really is such a place and my daughter and I

checked it out this week.  The temptation of chocolate and candy

was the only way I could get her to go with me!

Here is the place in a beautiful little town not too far from me.

THE ORIGINAL GOUMAS CANDYLAND

WITH A TOUCH OF VINTAGE BY

MOTLEY JUNKET

Isn't it just so cute?

If you don't want any wooden letters, they have the chocolate variety too!

In addition to real candy, there is plenty of eye candy!  : )

~ I think Emmy Lou is admiring the aqua jars ~

Loved this light blue wooden crate . . . it may have come home with me!

There were so many awesome vintage items that I forgot to 

take pictures of the candy and chocolate.

But don't worry, we didn't forget to buy some 

and eat it on the way home - YUM!!

If you would like to know more about Motley Junket,

you can visit their website HERE.

It was such a nice little afternoon with my daughter.
  I highly recommend it!

* * * joining * * * 

THE CHARM OF HOME ~ HOME SWEET HOME PARTY FRIDAYS

MY ROMANTIC HOME ~ SHOW & TELL FRIDAY

2805 ~ POTPOURRI FRIDAY

Tweaking by the Kitchen Sink

I seem to make changes fairly often to this area in my kitchen.

I spend so much time at the kitchen sink (you can relate, right?) that I like

 to have something new, or just a new arrangement to look at

from time to time.

So here is the latest . . .

. . . some of my favorite bowls, a couple wooden boards, and my white rooster.

Mr. Rooster got a little sprucing up lately too 

with the addition of a ribbon and key around his neck!

Can you tell he's pretty proud of himself?

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Thanks for taking a look at my little corner by the kitchen sink.

What have you been tweaking lately?

*****  joining *****

COZY LITTLE HOUSE ~ TWEAK IT TUESDAY
CEDAR HILL RANCH ~ COWGIRL UP!
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE-WOW US WEDNESDAY