Neutral = BORING

"color is the root of great design" - David Bromstad, host of Color Splash on HGTV.

We have been trying to stay neutral with our paint colors, but I just couldn't help myself this time. I am all about color. I had been debating between two different colors for our bedroom, until I watched an episode of Color Splash and David used both of the exact colors that I was thinking of using. So our bedroom colors were inspired by him. I have to say that the yellow turned out fabulous. In person, it looks more brownish-yellow, which is exactly what I was going for.

Then:
You know your room needs a makeover when you are watching a remodeling show and one of the "worst rooms in America" has the exact same wallpaper that you have! True story.

Now:
I am very happy to say that we removed the last of the last wallpaper. If I ever decide to use wallpaper (I don't know how that would ever happen), I am going to make darn sure I move out of the house before it has to come down. I was surprised to find all sorts of wall accessories stored in our basement so I only bought a couple things for the wall. My favorite is this picture I got at my favorite store - Target.

Lighten Up!

I learned from Sabrina Soto (one of my favorites on HGTV) that new curtains are one of the cheapest ways to completely change the look of a room. It was about time that we got rid of our dark, old fashioned curtains and replaced them with light, simple ones.

Before:

After: Also notice that we simplified the room by removing some clutter to make the room feel more open.

Total project cost: $15 ea. for three windows (They were on clearance at Wal*Mart. Score.)

Yummolicious

I have just discovered a new place where the kids and I love to go. Ok, so I know it's not new to any of you, but I never went to Sonic until just recently. After working hard at home, I love to go to Sonic and get a drink, and the kids love the slushies. During happy hour (2 p.m. - 4 p.m. ) drinks are 1/2 price - can't beat that! I recommend the strawberry lime-aid. Yummolicious! They also have 99 cent shakes. But I have a question.... Are you supposed to tip the person who brings your order out to you? I'm not sure if they are like a server at a restaurant or like the person who hands you your food at the counter. If any of you can answer my question, please let me know!

What Can You Change For $.97 Cents?

Today I took care of two things at my house that have been driving me NUTS. And all it took was a can of spray paint!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Total Project Cost: Less than any item from Wendy's 99 cent value menu.

Reward: I don't have to look at the shiny gold anymore, plus it gave Kali and I something to do together. Priceless! (BTW, you should really wear a mask when doing this.)

This is why our home was such a bargain

I just found this "before" picture. It's classic. It pretty much shows the theme of our entire house.

Now:Total Project Cost: $20 for paint and A LOT of elbow grease to get rid of that lovely wallpaper.

Shutters on Exterior

After searching high and low, I finally found my camera on the floor behind the computer desk. Phew.

Before: The exterior of our home had no color.
After: Just added a little black to the shutters, painted the front door, and it made a huge difference!

Total project cost:
$20 for black paint (we could have bought the $10 quart size)
$10 for red paint
TOTAL: $30.

My Cheap Home Improvements

I am totally addicted to HGTV. My favorite shows are Designed to Sell, Get it Sold, and Color Splash. I love getting ideas on how to change the look of a room just by using a $5 can of spray paint. Because our house is a "work in progress," I thought I would share our before and afters, and you can see how easy (and cheap) it is to completely give a house a different look!

I wish I had taken more "before" pictures, because we have already done a lot of little fixes around the house, but I will start documenting them all now on this blog! Hope you enjoy!

p.s. My first before and after is going to be our shutters, but I can't find my camera. As soon as I find it I will post the first picture...