You can use gel stain to give old wood furniture new life. General Finishes gel stain is an easy way to breathe some life back into dated decor. I inherited a set of heavy oak bookshelves from a co-worker who purchased new furniture. At the time, my living room and dining room resembled a college hangout. They were dressed by a black leather sofa, a black swivel recliner and a bachelor pad ... View Post
How to Choose Room Colors the Easy Way
When it comes to decorating your home, choosing colors can be paralyzing. Fear of choosing the wrong color or worse past fails may have you shaking in your boots. I’ll hold your hand through the process and make it a lot less frightening. Color can get very daunting and there is plenty of science behind it; but for us regular folk, a few short cuts I’ve learned can garner stunning ... View Post
$200 Budget Dining Room Makeover
You, my friend, can give your dining room a makeover on a budget. My dining room is proof that you can put together a fabulous room with a little sweat equity and very little cash. Everything in my dining room got a facelift but nothing costs more than $25. In fact, this entire overhaul came in under $200. Honestly, when I calculated it, I could only see $150, but I'll give myself a little ... View Post
How to Overcome Envy
Have you ever heard of the green-eyed monster? Well her twin, Envy, is more of a little devil sitting on your shoulder than a monster, but it’s the one that creeps into your heart and distorts your vision. She’s a nasty little booger that kills your joy and steals your contentment. She’s good at helping you dream up a grand life just moments after seeing your friends with new stuff. Unfortunately, ... View Post
Super Easy and Inexpensive Brass Chandelier DIY
Oh the 1980's brass chandelier. Seems like every house built in that decade sported one of these. And I still had one hanging over my dining room table that was in need of a serious makeover. (I'm horrible at taking before pics, so the one below is a stock photo. Mine was not as pretty in person.) Let me remind you that I spent 13 years in my home before I started decorating. And thus, I ... View Post
3 Easy Steps to Define Your Signature Style
You have your own decorating style, you just don’t know it. Better yet, your family has a decorating style. I’m going to help you figure out. I was knee-deep in decorating before I discovered our style. When I bought and made décor items, I naturally gravitated to some pieces and instinctively hated others. But sometimes I purchased stuff that just didn’t work even though I loved it. ... View Post
