Home Stylin: My Frugal, Artsy Home...PART 2

By Amy

SO...in case you missed Part 1, I would read that first.  We will pause for you.....ok, good.  Now that you know what the heck is goin on...Here's the rest of my home! (once again, I'm sorry I'm not a photographer...and there's not much light in our bedroom, so be patient with the photos...thank you, friends!)

Hayden's Room (aka Nursery):

So it kinda went like this...I found out I was pregnant, I cried (...from excitement, we'd been trying), I called Patrick to tell him, then I started looking up baby bedding and furniture online.  Ha...well, not quite, but pretty close.  :)

I looked and looked, but, there really wasn't much as far as modern or unique bedding for babies.  (Except a few fabulous ones that were mucho spendy.)  So, instead I decided to go with just colors (royal blue, dark teal, orange, and lime green) as the "nursery theme".  (Themes can be over-the-top anyway...)  My friends, Heather and Lauren (they were co-workers with my husband at Sammy's in Rexburg), threw me a freakin cute baby shower.  Seriously.  I loved it SO much and some of the decor in his room is from that adorable shower! :)  Thanks, Heather and Lauren! 

Oh, and because we don't live in a big place with a garage, we have to make do for storage space; we've accumulated lots of stuff now that we have a baby! (I suppose my books and globes don't help matters much...I keep too much crap.)  That's why there's is a big shelf, but, at some point, I will put a super cool curtain around it.  Someday.  It's on the list.

Crib: garage sale, $50.  Crib "bumper": Ha...this was a big fleece blanket that we had on our bed under the comforter for a long time....until Patrick mentioned that it was given to him by an ex-girlfriend.  I was like, "Are you KIDDING ME?  We are sleeping under the blanket of your EX GIRLFRIEND!?  Not cool.  So, when I when I decided I wanted to make my own crib bumper, I knew what I would be happy to cut up.  Ha.  I just sewed ribbons on the edges to tie...it's um, kinda messed-up but, it works!  (I know nothing about sewing...my husband had to show me how to work the sewing machine! Pretty embarrassing when your husband is more domestic than you are...)

Dresser: free!  It was part of my husband's dowry; his parents passed it on to us when we got married.  There were some dings and scrapes, but the wood markers perked it right up!  I LOVE its classic clean lines (interior design nerds know "mission" style...MY FAV.)  Triangle banner: free, decor from my baby shower, and that's also where the little tree pic came from under the shelf.  Ship pic and Monkey pic: gift, printed from Costco online.  Lanterns: the white ones are from my reception, and the colored ones are from Zurchers, a party supply store ...they have tons of colors and they're pretty cheap.  This is an easy way to add color to a room!  Curtains: tablecloths from my reception...ha, and they are held up by clothespins.  Crib Skirt: clearance window curtain from Walmart.  Clock: who knows.  I've had it since college.

Changing table: D.I.  Daiper holder: Walmart (it's actually a desk supplies organizer, but I saw it, and knew it would work for a diaper holder!)  Rocking chair: Also part of Patrick's dowry! :)  His mom rocked his siblings in that chair.  Tall Lamp: Walmart.

Then there's this side of the room...beautiful shelf, huh?  Ha, I am nervous for when Hayden tries to climb it!  Oh, and notice the rolled up sleeping pad.  There's a pillow and a blanket folded in it, so when Hayden struggled sleeping at night (he was not a good sleeper), I would just stumble into the room, stink his binky back in, yank the pad onto the floor and throw my body on to it.  This was much better on a bad night than the alternative: me dragging my reluctant body out of bed over and over, walking back and forth down the hall a hundred times, alternating between muttering bad words and whimpering "Why won't you sleep?". (Hallelujah, he sleeps through the night now! *insert victory dance*)

I LOVE the built-in storage on the wall.  The wood and handles are a bit dated, but these are so useful I don't care a bit!  I want this in my house some day!  The big doors are hiding the washer and dryer...it is SO nice to hide the dirty piles of laundry behind closed doors.  It's probably not feasible for a big family, but for three people, it's perfect.

Baskets: Sierra's Craft store, it went out of business and I stopped by probably 4 times to check the prices of these before they went to 70% off.  Yep 70%.  Booyah.

Bathroom:

So this room was very...blah.  The walls were white and a tannish/gray (I'm sure the paint color used was called "Mouse".)  But, renters can't be choosers, SO, I used some peacock blue fabric for accents and to bring some interest to the room.  And, yes, even the bathroom has a globe! :)

Toothbrush holder: Ross, revamped with the teal paint.  Soap dispenser: Walmart, $1, spray painted. Two smaller frames: wedding reception.  Top pic: cut out from the front of a card.  It's two little goldfish, mounted on the peacock fabric. The "pic" on the counter was actually a key chain, but I don't like a bunch of crap on my keys; I couldn't throw it away, though, cause it was so cool!  So, I spray painted it, and glued it to the peacock fabric!  Art can come from unexpected sources: a really cool brochure from a play, a card you love, a piece of a beautiful scarf, etc.  The little cups and bowls are from Ikea.

I love having art because everyone needs a little help to feel fabulous and confident when they look in the bathroom mirror. (Anybody else want to scream when they catch a glimpse of themselves first thing in the morning? Ha.)  See the little hole for the key chain in the top corner of the "F"?  And, a little glass paperweight globe: when I student taught, my cooperating teachers (I taught art and geography) gave me this as a gift!  They are so cool! :)

Shelf above the toilet: cheapy Walmart shelf.  We got it right after we were married and had no money and needed some bathroom storage.  Oh, and side note...our toilet sings like a whale when you flush it; it's pretty funny, and our guests usually comment.  Globe: gift.  Little posing dude: can't remember, but it's fun to pose him!  Right now he's clicking his heels.  Often, after my family visits, I'll notice that someone rearranged him into a different pose...usually a strange one.  Ha.  Glass jars: wedding gift. (They were supposed to be for kitchen stuff)  Peacock feather: I found this when I was little and had it in my room for years.  Now it's art!

Jewelery hangers: frame from D.I., my neighbor let me borrow some burlap (thanks, Amber!) and I ripped some cork from a piece-of-crap bulletin board (also found at D.I.), got crazy with the glue gun, and...voila!  Jewelry hangers.  (I wear this stuff so much more then before, when it was all tangled up in a Tupperware.)

 

This frame has a card that my sister gave me...I love it SO much!  She knows me well! :)

Garbage can: Family Dollar, this was black and purple, but we spray painted it, too!  Shower Curtain: Target.  When I get ready for the day, I am also learning the countries and capitals.  What's the capital of Ecuador?  No idea?  It's Quito.  Thank you shower curtain.

Master Bedroom:

This room has gotten the least attention.  Cause people see it the least!  And, let me tell you...I am scouring Craigslist for two bed stands, and they have to have drawers.  Cause Patrick's Tupperware nightstand from Walmart is pretttty ghetto, and he doesn't want to pay for a new one.  I mean, come on, it's see through and you keep your undies in there!  It just doesn't seem right.  (I must admit, this obvious evidence of the poor-ness of our first couple years of marriage is a little sweet.  Ok, nostalgic moment over.  Anyone selling nightstands?)

And, there is no overhead light in this room.  Which is a little strange, but it's good that we have big windows to let in light!  However, it's awkward to keep the blinds up in your bedroom!  We plan to have an overhead light soon.

Bed: Furniture Row:  This was a splurge.  The bed we used for our first two years was a free hand-me-down and was splintering...it had been owned by two previous members of the family--and was WORN OUT.  We found this bed and we want to use it for a long time.  We love it!  It is so nice to sit up against the leather padded headboard together and cosily read, watch Netflix on the IPad, or work on the laptop.

Tupperware bed stand: I don't want to talk about it. 

Sheets: clearance somewhere.  Comforter: Kohls Black Friday Online Sale, $20.  Small pillow: gift from Patrick's dad (My father-in-law sews too! What is wrong with me!?)  Photo arrangment: Christmas gift from Patrick's sister, Alyssa.  Plauque above bed: wedding gift.

Lanterns: from reception, and I glued little circles on two of them for some texture and interest.  Patrick thinks they're kinda funky, but he let me hang them.  His words: "They're not the most normal thing in the world."  Haha!

Ok, so there's a lot going on here.  Since we don't have an office, this is Patrick's study space (though he studies most often on the couch or in bed.)  The desk: Craigslist.  Patirck gets to decorate "his space" so there's a Mustang and some of his childhood photos.

The office chair (possible the most comfortable chair in all of creation) we bid for in a silent auction at the Courthouse.  Random, huh?  When it comes to good deals, remember: Constant Vigilance! Curtains: clearance Big Lots.  The short table in the corner: hand-me-down form my sister, I do crafts and sort photos here.  File cabinet: hand-me-down.

Key: bought from some tiny boutique store I visited with my mom and sister.  I jokingly told Patrick when we were dating that it was the key to my heart.  He swiped it from me and kept it on his keyring for a long time.  I finally asked for it back (I reassured him that the action was not symbolic...I just wanted the key.  He still had my heart.)  Then I hung it next to our bed.  How's that for nostalgic? :)

More built in storage...I have a nice roomy closet.
 

Vase: I pulled out of a dumpster next to the ceramics lab at the BYU-I art building.  It's totally cracked up the back, but it's awesome and we keep our spare change in here! :)  Shell: TJ Max, $2.  Globe Christmas Ornament (just cause there were no globes in here...can't leave just one room out!)  Sweet little ceramic artichoke looking thing: TJ Max: $6.  Jesus Print: I had this in my room growing up.  It's one of my favs.  Isn't it cool!?

Ok, folks, I hope you enjoyed the tour!  That is my artsy and frugal home.  Someday, when we move to a more permanent location, we will own our own house. (That will be freaking glorious!  I want to paint a mural!) Hopefully it will be bigger, and it will be SO fun making more permanent changes.  But, for now, we are loving living in our sweet little home!

Thanks SO much for visiting! :)
-Amy

P.S. Those who rent, what things are you excited to do when you own your own home?  Those who own their own home, what do you love about it?  And, what is not as cool about owning a home (make me feel a little better, ok?)

P.S.S. Do YOU think Patrick needs a new nightstand?  Vote below.  Maybe he'll give in with enough peer pressure!    

Check out this super cool Home Stylin post: Sherie's Mid-Century/Modern

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