My Living Room

I am giving up! 

Despite my best intentions, I don’t think there is ever going to be a time when I manage to show my living room projects piece-by-piece with a grand reveal at the end.  I am just not that blogger.

So here it is, folks.  My living room, dressed up for fall.

If you don’t like orange, it may not be your cup of tea…but I love it.

This is what my living room looked like just before Christmas last year.  We previously owned a sectional, but I sold it so the French Chocolate coffee table would fit in the room!  Pretty much the only seating we had at this point was the couch and my husband’s recliner, though, and there are eight of us!  And…it was too dark for me.  That’s what led to the grand living room re-design of 2012!

…and yes, it actually happened in about…May.  I’m a little behind in posting 

I lightened up the wall color with SW Nantucket Dune.  I tried out…no kidding…12 different paint colors before settling on this one.  My walls were very colorful for a while.

I was fortunate to sell our leather couch for exactly what I had paid for it a year ago.  The proceeds from that, our Costco rebate card, and  a little tax refund money allowed me to order the new couch, loveseat, ottoman and chair from Rowe furniture.  I am very happy with them…they are pretty AND comfortable!

I found a telescope at our local thrift store, and turned it into a lamp for the corner of the room.  I love it!  Just wish I could figure out how to hide the cord…

My map chest gets to stay in the room.  It’s still one of my favorite pieces.

I love the look of some colorful pumpkins and gourds on the mirrored tray.

I found this great ceiling tile when we were in Montana for Christmas.  I tacked it to a frame of 1x2’s so I could hang it on the wall.  I also “embellished” the coloring a little to give it some highlights and interest.

My little hand-knit pumpkins make an appearance every year.  They were one of my first learn-to-knit projects a few years ago.  And don’t worry—the French chocolate coffee table just moved downstairs to the family room!

I made several of the pillows in the room…the medallion one on the left, the green one on the chair, and the Hungarian grain sack ones in the basket, plus a couple of others you can’t see right here.  I am becoming a pillow nut!  I wish I could change them out monthly!

You saw my shutters last time.  The room started out with the flea market and farmers market canvases hanging on either side of the shutters, but for fall I switched them out for the sunrise “We can do no great things” canvas and this one…

…which I painted just for fall!  Yeah, it’s not great art, but I like it.

Thanks for visiting with me!

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
No Minimalist Here	Thrifty Decor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off Stone Gable
Beyond the Picket Fence	Someday Crafts
Knick of Time Mod Vintage Life	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party A Little Knick Knack
Cowgirl Up!	{aka} design Coastal Charm

Shutters

Serendipity was with me one day when I visited a local thrift shop, and I came across a set of three shutters.

They had obviously been painted before, as I could see a little bit of yellow underneath a dirty green color.  As I was on the hunt for something to fill a little wall space in my living room, I decided to take them home with me.

Luckily I always have a little paint on hand  ;-)

I used some sample pots of some other greens to give them a little more color.  (Yes I know it’s hard to tell the difference, but it’s there.)

Then I slapped on some orange acrylic paint…

I used vaseline on some of the colored areas, also concentrating on the edges.  It makes the funny little patches you see in the next coat of black (and for the black I used spray paint—I am an equal-opportunity painter).

With your bare hands, you can simply rub the paint off wherever the vaseline was to show the colors underneath.

      

Next I used more vaseline, then a coating of creamy white paint—plus a few splashes of some more green and even a little gray.  I think all together I used about 7 different colors of paint on these shutters! 

And this, my lovelies, is the finished product.  I love how it turned out!  I adore the chippy-ness of the finish and the layers of color. 

These hang above my couch…in my living room that has been completed for months…that I have never show you…

…I’m going to try to resolve that this week!

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence	Someday Crafts
Knick of Time Mod Vintage Life	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party A Little Knick Knack
Cowgirl Up!	{aka} design Coastal Charm