I love decorating and making a home. I like to have a nice place that Ryan can come home to after work. This home is where my children's childhoods will play out, not at the dinosaur park or the pool, their home is what they will remember and where the most important decisions and memories will be made. I don't believe you have to spend a lot of money to have a nice home, you just have to keep it clean, and have it be a reflection of your taste and style. I'm sure many people are unimpressed by our old shabby pillars randomly throughout the house. But to me they remind me that not everything is machine made, bright and shiny. I love to have decorations from a different time and from a different generation. Knowing that a piece I have in my home once belonged in someone else's. So as we have been remodeling this home we have bought I have come up with some tips inside my head and I know if I don't write them down, I will forget them.
* KILZ paint is the ONLY way to go. Sure it might be a few more dollars, and it doesn't always work for just one coat. However, it rolls on the best and dries fast so that you can begin your second coat without having to give it time to dry. I branched out last night to Dutch Boy and spent the rest of the evening sorely regretting it.
* If you are the type of person who likes to do things yourself, either to save money or for the principle of being capable, well then my advice is to splurge on quality tools. My mom made me buy the really nice paint brushes, I would have gone for whatever the cheapest items Wal-Mart was offering. I'm so glad she helped me see the light. For one, you can re-use paintbrushes, so invest in a good one. For two, you're saving loads of money by painting yourself, so splurge and make it as easy for you as possible.
* Before you enlist people's help in your home makeover projects, make sure they know what they're doing. I had a friend tell me that she isn't a good painter, but she would be happy to help still. No thanks. I appreciated her honesty and willingness, but that was a pass for me.
* KSL- use the local classifieds. We have bought door knobs, wood baseboards, lawn mower, hired services, all for nearly half the cost of what our local home improvement store is charging.
* Go neutral. I love color, I do. However, I adore my sister's house and she doesn't have one colored wall, except for in her daughter's room, and even that is a muted pink. Her whole house looks so much more elegant in all neutral tones. I did not follow this piece of advice, but I still think it is good advice.
* FROG TAPE! Frog tape is the best painter's tape on the market. Although it is a little more expensive then your standard blue tape, the job is superior. You do still have to run your finger along the edge to seal it, but it works every time. Especially if you need crisp lines with no bleeding, for stripes or for textured walls.
* Don't be afraid to rearrange your kitchen. My mom came to our old house and rearranged it after we had lived there for five years and it brought a whole new life to the efficiency of my cupboards. Even in this new kitchen, I am moving cupboards and drawers around almost every day. Your kitchen just needs a good flow.
* Wal-mart online has a large selection of light fixtures, surprise, surprise, they are the cheapest on the market.
* Pottery barn is over priced, and eventually everything makes it's way to Down East home. Hang in there if you see something you must have, you don't HAVE to pay full price.
* Get inspired. Tour a friend's home, look through decorating magazines and blogs. I like to punch in a phrase I need inspiration on under "google images." Then pages and pages of "pink girls room" or "green bathroom" or "distressed painted door" show up and I just scroll through until something inspires me and then I start my process from there. I am touring a friend's home today. She thinks her home is simple and small, but I know it will give me what I need to finish my master bedroom.
* Home Goods is a branch of TJ Maxx, except WAY better. There is one in SLC and multiple locations in other states. Anything you need for the home can be found there, and it has more style and less cost than any other home decor store I can think of.
* "Spoon Me" can hit the spot like nothing else when you've been working all day in a hot house.
Alright, that's all I've got for now. No doubt there will be more to come, likely with photos next time.
