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Showing posts from July, 2014

My Childhood Home, Furnished by Craigslist: The Kitchen

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My kitchen is not my favorite room in the house. It's outdated. Honey-oak cabinets aren't my preference. And I could really do without the old, blue countertops. I haven't done a lot of decor-wise to the kitchen, but I have added my mark here and there. Before we moved in, I planned where everything would go (hello, obsessive compulsive personality!) and realized right away we needed two things: a pot rack and a rectangular table. As much as I love Gramma's round/oval table, I needed a table that could sit flush with the wall to maximize the limited space. 

How to Turn Soup Cans Into Candle Containers

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This craft is an oldie but a goodie. Using tin food cans, you can illuminate your favorite outdoor space. All you need is a nail, hammer and optionally, a drill to turn soup cans into candle holders.

Outdoor Oasis: How to Turn a Futon into a Porch Couch

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I refer to my back porch as my outdoor oasis, not because it's the most beautiful or detailed, but simply because the furniture is comfortable and the atmosphere is peaceful. It's where I go to unwind, relax and read. And now thanks to a recent project to turn a futon into a porch couch, I have the ultimate reading and napping spot. Last year, I wrote about getting rid of my busted up outdoor furniture, updating the salvageable and buying a futon to to use as my new outdoor couch . Shortly after I painted the $20 queen-size, solid-wood futon with outdoor white paint, I got busy getting ready for my move and never updated with the final result. I love it.

My Childhood Home, Furnished by Craigslist: The Family Room

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The family room is where the music happens. It's where marathon hours of video games are played. It's really more my husband's room. I mainly use it to watch Jeopardy because it's easier to get ABC reception in that room. Sometimes I play Jeopardy on Playstation, too. This room has had the most transformations in the 7 months we've lived here. First, it was the video game and Netflix room, back when we had the most massive beast of an old-school TV you've ever seen. When my brother moved in, we sold most of the furniture in the room, gave away The Beast and moved in my office furniture. About a month later, our other roommate moved out, and I got my office back. Without The Beast taking up a quarter of the room, furnishing the family room was pretty simple.

My Childhood Home, Furnished by Craigslist: The Living Room

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Since we moved into my childhood home on Halloween, I've been busy furnishing, decorating and then re-furnishing and re-decorating as we replaced the old with the new-to-us. I made about $1,000 selling furniture and random items in the move, but have only invested a very small portion of that into the new house. I am finally getting to the point where the house is just about done. I love many things about this house, and having a living room and a family room is at the top of that list. Growing up in this house in 90s, the living room was the formal room. A floral sofa, matching wingback chair, curio cabinet filled with mom's collectibles, a beautiful old piano and lace curtains filled the space. Entering that front room, you wouldn't even know two kids lived there. You wouldn't see a teenager parked in front of the TV, video game controller in hand, soda bottles scattered around him. That mess was hidden in the family room. And while I don't have a tee