Making A Rental Feel Like Home: Living Room

As you all know, we moved to Denver in June of 2017 and started renting our 1,000 sq ft 2 bedroom 1 bathroom home just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. You can check out more of our entire process here from when we first moved to the area and picked a home.

Now, since then, we've been fortunate enough to be able to work on different elements of the home to make it more "homey" and somewhere we feel like we could be awhile. We already talked about the kitchen and dining area, the master bedroom and lone bathroom, and if you've been following along with the blog we are currently working on converting the second bedroom that was once the guest room and office to the nursery (with tiny corner office area!) through the One Room Challenge. So far it's going well! Check out the week one progress , week two, and week three!

The only place we haven't talked about much is the living room space. Here is a reminder of what it looked like when we walked through it the first time last May:

A pretty great space with room for larger sized furniture and to have a bunch of people over. Something that we definitely enjoy being able to do!

Let's talk about what we did to take this peanut butter living room and transform it into something more cozy and that reflected our style. Thank goodness for our amazing landlord who has a lot of faith and trust in us!

Living Room: To Sectionals and Beyond

It has been a whirl wind in my life since May, which is why I haven't posted. I guess you just find that life takes over. We spent a great deal of the summer in South Dakota with family after two huge losses in our family. My Speech & Debate Team also competed for a week in Dallas, Texas winning third in the WORLD for our debate skills. I was so proud of them! I can't take any credit for their success, they were great all without me!

Now we are also focusing on redoing our family home about a mile from where I live, we are going to be selling it. We purchased the house in 1998 and it was where my siblings and I all grew up. It will be hard to let it go.

However, it has gotten me inspired to redo my own house a bit! I want to sell but I also want to be debt free, so I am going to stick it out a bit longer so that I can be prepared for a new project. I feel like I am almost there!

So the revamping is going to start in the living room, remember what it looked like the first time we went to the place?

After the first remodel it looked a lot better! A little bit collegey for my liking. Notice the couches? That was back when I first bought the slipcovers and they looked great! I was so excited about them! That was in 2009. It also looks pretty empty to me...

Here is what it looks like nowadays! I think it's a little cluttery and I am working on cutting down on some of my knick knacks and the like. It is so easy to accumulate stuff!

I want to stream line some of the colors and add a sectional for more efficient space usage. Check out my inspiration board:

Living Room Re-Do by megmcd featuring a fabric loveseat

I have managed to find substitutions that are less expensive. I can't wait to  buy some new pillows! I am also going to try a flat weave indoor/outdoor rug for the pets to see if that helps with the animals. I have so many of them creatures.

I did find a version of the couch that is pretty close to perfect at American Furniture Warehouse (you can buy an add on to make one side longer):

Source List and Budget:

{Sectional} $700.00 (American Furniture)

{rocking chair} $50.00 (WalMart)

{Flat Weave Rug} $100 (5'7' Target)

{Accent Table} $80.00 (Target)

I also want to pick up some new baskets for the extra blankets and such. I have plenty of knick knacks, wall decor, and stuff like that so I won't need much. I'm just coming to that stage where all the expensive furniture needs to be replaced. 

Now that I have eliminated so much debt I will have the funds to be able to make some of this happen! With good choices, of course. 

What do you think?

The Wonky Wall: Living Room

I'm being haunted. Seriously. By the Ghosts of Failed Decorating specifically the ghosts of this "Wonky Wall." 

Wonky; adj: used to describe an odd shaped or strange occurrence or space often without reason or purpose

Just kidding. I'm pretty sure that's a word my parents made up when I was a kid. But it's totally true! This dumb wall has bothered me for as long as I've owned the house. I think everyone has that one space that is hard to decorate or doesn't make sense and mine is the angled wall in my living room behind the TV area. Here's what it was like from 2008-2012:

I can't ever seem to make it workt. I thought the massive painting was the best but it has never been quite right. I moved the big painting into the dining room where it looks really awesome, and have been working to get the wonky wall dressed up now that the TV stand and TV are in place and look great.

I stole some art out of my bedroom (mirror stars & Colorado art):

And for awhile it stayed like that... empty and bereft of art in the middle. Until one day... I was walking around the Target! We found some killer clearance! My sister and I found these two chevron striped wall hangings for $3.55 a piece! At first I was worried that they would be too "blah" for the space but I think they work because they don't distract you while you are watching TV. We also found they gigantic key at Target for $17.28. Totally sweet! Check em out!

In the far left corner I painted an "A" and an "M" for my sister and I, between the two of the letters I put a $5.00 mirror from Hobby Lobby I've had for a couple years but have never hung up anywhere. The letters I found at Goodwill for $0.79 and spray painted them with a left over gold I had in my arsenal of spray paint. 

Here's the final view of this section! Bye-bye wonky wall! Hello awesomeness!

I'm glad to say that for the most part my living room  project I started wayyyy back at the beginning of 2013. Yeah. It took almost exactly a year. But hey. Check out the updated list!

Living Room ReDo:

• Consign glass end tables (since craigslist wasn't working)
• Fix 50" TV from the rents (got new TV)
• Sell IKEA entertainment stand
• Build entertainment wall (new TV stand instead)
• make a decision on wing back chair (reupholster? sell? give away?)
• New sectional couch
• New flat weave area rug (more durable)
• paint ceiling (white)
• paint walls 
• paint molding and beam
• replace doors

Still working on the couch situation but for now, I'd just about call this one a donesies. 

Easy & Cheap: DIY TV Console

Good news! The website that had been stealing my content finally removed all of it! No longer have to put up that tacky warning sign at the beginning of my posts! Much thanks to Crystal at Mobile Home Living for advocating for our little trailer trash niche!

For Christmas my parents got me a brand spankin' new 32" TV! The old monster was a 60" but it was broken and I never got around to fixing it. It was just too massive for the space anyway. Forever ago I found this old dresser at Salvation Army for $20.00 and thought it would make an excellent TV stand. I originally was going to paint it white but found I liked the honey wood color much better, sometimes less white is more.

My parents came for Christmas and my dad purchased hole saw adapters for my drill (even though he put it on my rug hot and it burned it. sad face.) The center of the dresser was perfect for the electronic components. I only have a cable box, Xbox, and Super NES game console from when we were kids. He drilled 6 holes for wires and ventilation. Electronics get HOT so they need that breathing room.

Running the wires was easy, I just slid them through the top holes. I didn't get a picture of it but I just bought a plate shelf from the thrift store (its a wire one that you can get easily at WalMart) and stacked the components on that. I learned from working at Circuit City years ago that it is better for the components not to be on top of each other, so I made sure to keep them separate, plus it increases ventilation.

And voila! No more cluttered up TV stand! All the ugly electronics are out of sight! I'd mount the TV but the walls aren't quite sturdy enough for me to be wanting to actually do that.

A reminder of the before:

The overall effect and another beautiful view of my new door:

Not too bad right? Looks all grow-ed up!

Total cost for my TV stand:

•  Dresser from Salvation Army thrift shop: $20.00
• Wire rack from thrift store (or WalMart): $2.00
• Hole saw from Harbor Freight: $11.00

Total cost for upgrade: $33.00

Way better than the $300.00 dollar set up I originally wanted from IKEA!

Really, I'm Not a Fan.

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Happy Friday! I'm so glad that it is finally Friday! I love this day. I still have to work both jobs today but! It is Friday of our homecoming week. Kids are crazy for this homecoming stuff. 

For real.

Anyways! One thing that has always struck me as odd at my house is the fact that the previous owners installed only ONE ceiling light in the entire living room/dining room space. That particular ceiling light being a ceiling fan over the dining table. Let's get real here bro.

That's ah-nastah. (nasty)

Here's the view from the front door.

I couldn't be going around with that anymore. About 4 years ago I spray painted the original gold ceiling fan to make it passable until I had the money and the desire to replace it. Since I've upgraded the kitchen, the barstools, the entertainment center, the cardenza, the wall color, and the wall art, it only seemed fitting that I ought to finally fix the light.

I found this beauty on clearance at Lowe's for $129.00 down from $259.00. I mean that is definitely a good price for a 9 light chandelier but as an employee I was able to get it for $65.00. Sliding into home base with a steal!

Here is a final parting view of the ceiling fan, I got rid of it in true trailer style. Free sign on the corner! It was only out there for about five minutes. Nice right?

This dude came with SOOOO MUCH packaging it was insane. But I love the oil rubbed bronze look, and it really connects with the kitchen quite beautifully.

I had to paint that funny chunk around the light hole. Let's just say taking this sucker down and putting him up was not easy, I read the directions but they were remarkable unclear about all the wires and the cords and the chains and all that noise.

After several hours, my trusty assistant, Lucy, and I completed the task of hanging and swagging this beautiful light over. It was hard! But dang it looks sooooo good.

Here it is again!

Okay one more close up! I still have to fix the cords but it looks so awesome. I love it.

I love clearance! Especially since I get such a good deal on stuff working at Lowe's, working two jobs might be hard but it can be worth it!

Wall-e

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Now that I finally have the living room all painted and mostly rearranged I have started changing around the wall art. My attempt this year is to really commit to being creative with wall art. I always feel guilty putting holes in the wall (blame my father) and have to make sure that I am posting 100% of what I want on the walls. Well. All things can be patched and painted. So I'm just going for it!

I started with the front entry wall by the door. It looks even better with the new front door color:

This bike art is from Palisade, Colorado. I am a huge fan of bikes and Colorado and local art so it's pretty fabulous. The art underneath is actually vintage style postcards from a road trip that my family and I took when I was in high school and I finally get to display them!

And I found a happy place for my critter art work! Ode to my furbabies. YayYayy. And of course my wine cork board that is full of wedding and baby shower invites.

#truth.

To the right of the door (pre-painting photo) is one of my favorite paintings and then another little piece of Colorado art...

 From Palisade, Colorado as well... pretty cool right?

Now to just finish this side of the living room... phew. We are slowly but surely getting there!

Oh and just an update on the teacher-job-hunt, I have an interview on Wednesday for a local Charter School. It's not exactly where I imagined I'd be starting my career but it will definitely give me a unique experience that will really encourage my learning as a fledgling teacher. Wish me luck!

Dress Me Up

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I've got a few upgrades in the works here but there is one that I am pretty excited about, I can't even lie. So just a reminder of what the living room looked like before we started all this living room updating craziness. See the TV there on the left? That teeny tiny thing? Yeah. Well that is gone. Yay!

Check out my new digs! Yay! I found this dresser at Salvation Army for $25.00 dollars. It is pretty classic and fabulous. It was very dirty when I bought it but a little Pledge polishing magic really helped... plus I have a super human sized TV. It still isn't fixed yet... I have the parts on the way.

Here's a closer view of the dresser... it is very sturdy which is good because that is a really heavy plasma TV.

It took a couple rounds with the soap and water, followed up by polish to really show it's potential. This is where I did the top drawer polished vs. the second drawer not polished. Ew.

Here's a farther away view! It's still a little chaotic as I rearrange some things and move some things. I'm praying I get a teaching position so that I can move a lot of it out into a classroom. My plan is to get two tall bookcases to put on either side of the TV to house some of my vases, accessories, and the surround sound speakers. 

.Hopefully I can get it all done up pretty to show you guys... also you notice that beauty on the floor? I will tell you all about it soon!

Beam Me Up, Starship.

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Whooo! I am finally back! Talk about technical difficulties! Thank goodness I am smart enough to figure it out. Though it's been a bit quiet on the blog front I have been decently busy working on projects around the house. One of the big ones?

The ceilings and beam! Yayyy! Finally.

Remember the fabulous and wonderful (sarcasmmmm) before?

A great view of the kitchen ceiling right after I did all the cabinets and such:

This picture was just from back in March, not too terribly long ago really.

Here's the "in progress" photos of the living room paint job, notice tacky ceilings do not compliment the lovely new walls...

A big difference already being made just by painting some of it. Check out the difference just in the trim! And yes. I stood on the stools to paint the walls. No it's not safe. Don't say I told you to try it but it is cheaper than a ladder.

Are you ready for the awesome after-ness? Ignore any house messes you see. Simply focus on the ceilings. There are a few spots that need to be gone over again but check this out! On the yellow stripes I used KILZ UpShot. It comes in a spray paint can and you just aim it upwards. I used about four for the main living area.

Here's the same view from the doorway you saw in the picture from March. Wayyy better. Good bye you homely 80's beam!

The kitchen now! Looks so much better, though I did find out I have to replace the entire skylight. That sucks. A lot.

I am so excited about all of the changes that I have gotten done in the last few months. Now if only I could find a full-time teaching job my life would be 100% fabulous! I thought that I had a good shot at one job but someone with more experience beat me out. It's a struggle but i know teaching is what I am built to do so I will keep trying. 

Thanks for bearing with me as I fixed those technical difficulties!