SRKindredSpirits

 I love decorating and making over a room... so when I heard of the One Room Makeover Challenge.... I was all in! Here's the deal.... the challenge is you have 2 days and a $200 budget... I thought our bathroom would be perfect for this. You see, some day, when we tear up all the flooring, we are planning on a big remodel/refresh for the whole house. And when that happens I have big plans for this bathroom.... a soaker tub, a see through glass shower, a real stone sink top, new vanity, flooring, closet, etc. But until then.... a little refresh will do wonders! So here's the story on this bathroom... When we bought the house 15 years ago, this bathroom was all decked out in its original 70's style.... blue and pink wall paper, blue floor, blue tub, yellowed blue marble sink and yes, a blue toilet! (Sorry about the picture quality- it was before I had a digital camara.) We got rid of just about everything.... except the ugly blue tub, always

We painted the girls room a couple years ago, however I never messed with their closet.   See a trick for saving money on window dressing here. You see when our kids was little, my husband built shelves in the closet for the baby clothes and they worked great for the baby/toddler years, but the kids are older now, and it was starting to not work for us anymore. Everytime I put the girls clothes away or walked into their room, the closet always looked messy, clothes half falling off of hangers.... it was always a mess. The other day I had an idea. I decided enough was enough. I went to town and purchased some paint, six tubs, and two storage drawers, that you stack. I took out the shelves, and the extra clothes rod, then I started making over the closet. Here's a breakdown of the cost:  1 gallon paint = $15  (I bought a cheaper paint, as the girls usually change the color of their room every 3 years or so.) 2 storage units with drawers = $20

Our house has an open concept layout and while I love it.... I miss having more wall space.  About 7 years ago, I came across the idea of having a gallery wall - and wanted to try it....  I like the idea of showcasing things that are important to our family and things that tell a stoy about our life. So, after some trial and error, below is a picture of my first gallery wall -  My first gallery wall had a little bit of everything in it..... the only thing I bought was the fake scull with horns. (I actually thought it would be bigger, but I guess it works fine for a piece of decor.) The oxen yoke was my Grandpas.  My Hubby made the 'Kindred' sign in his woodshop. The cast Iron wheel came from my Dad. 1092 is our house number.  The licence plate is an old Indiana 1988 truck plate that was here when we bought the place. There is a picture of Hubby and the kids in the Badlands, SD and a picture of me with the kids on Mothers Day a few years back.

Our first sofa set we had for 7 years (We actually still have the original love seat, now 11 yrs old in my office.) but 3 years ago we bought a new furniture set.... but after only 3 years our newest set was shot. Actually it was shot after 2 years, it just took us another year to finally do something about it. It was awful to sit on... it felt like you had lumps in your butt and I was embarrassed to have company over. Let me insert here that the hubby and I have always liked the idea of buying a cheap sofa set, use it for 5-7 years and get a new set.... because we have kids who make messes and I like to change my decor and get tired of the same items of furniture. So, that is and has been our plan. We were rather disappointed that after only 3 years we'd have to buy new sofas, but I started researching sofa's online. However, after all the researching, we were worried that we'd sink another $2500 in sofas, only to have them not hold up as well. We real

I have always wanted to try to transfer a photo to wood, so I figured what better photo to use than my all time favorite picture of my kiddos. It was fun and surprisingly easy to do. It is also a cheep way to add a unique look to your decor. To begin with, know that you can not use an image that comes from your ink jet printer at home. The ink will smear and you’ll be disappointed. Know that you also can not use an actual photo print as they have a plastic/vinyl coating and the image will not transfer. You must use a photocopied image. I went to my local Staples to use the copier - just take the actual photo and copy it on plan white paper - you can either use color or black and white. (It cost me around $2.55 for a 16 x 20 black and white copy.) Supplies needed to transfer a photo to wood:  Unfinished Wood - sanded smooth (I bought a 24 x 24" sanded board at Menards for around $5.00 and had my hubby cut it down to the size)  Photocopied Image Liquitex Professi

Here's our bedroom before we started decluttering.... I never thought of us as being packrats or having a cluttered home until we started going through our house room by room and getting rid of stuff. ... Here's some ideas to help you unclutter your bedroom and make it a beautiful, relaxing space. Closets - clean them out! Get rid of all the clothes , shoes, purses, scarfs, and anything else you don't use reguarly or items that you have more than enough. Get rid of all the fake plants, they only collect dust. I'd like to add a few more live plants in here. Wall decor - less is more! For example: In our room we have four wall decor items. One is a picure fame with our  wedding photo , an old window frame from my Grandpa that I decorated, an old windmill blade and my jewelry holder which I made.  We do have a mirror hanging on the back of the of the bedroom door. Decor items, shelves, display cabinets - get rid of at least 75% of the

A Well-Crafted Home: Inspiration and 60 Projects for Personalizing Your Space  By: Janet Crowther  Being a crafter (and a somewhat of a good one) I am very disappointed in this book.  There is nothing classy in this book that I would want to have in my home. I like my home to look like Joanna Gaines decorated it, not put together by odds and ends a teen could make. Sorry, but there are better ideas available on Pinterest . Don't waste your money on this book. I received this book in exchange of an honest review.

~ "there is beauty in simplicity" ~ Look for the beautiful in the simple things.... in daily life, routine, and the unpleasant tasks. Beauty is everywhere and more often than not, it is in the simple things.  

My sister Marla found her man!!! Don't they make a cute couple?!?! Photo credit: Alicia Magnus I wanted to have a small intimate lingerie bridal shower for my sister. Since she lives in Montana, we don't get to see her often. The guest list was small, just mom, sisters, sister in laws, and her two oldest nieces (4 ppl could not make it). I didn't want to have the normal 'how well do you know the bride' games, so this is what I came up with instead... The theme was "In His Time".... "Take Time to Date" When guests first arrived... They could write down date ideas on wide pop cycles sticks and place them in the "Date Jar". "Take Time to Play" We started the evening by playing games. The first, involved each guest, and the bride to be making a veil out of toilet paper. They had 5 min. and we're judged at the end.  Next involved a bottle of sparkling grape juice and a garte