Tiny Touches Make a Home....

Hard to believe that another week has passed by. We are coming up on our one month anniversary of living here. What a month it has been!  I will not say it has all been a bed of roses. Getting used to the noise being far more loud and far more constant than expected. Strangers walking across our property all day long, and even stranger still people knocking on our door looking for the son of the former owner ....last night one did so at 11:30 at night, and hubby opened the door ! The guy did go away, but not until after a few uncomfortable minutes. Next time we are calling the police and not opening the door...yes, I was that scared.  We have had busted toilets, one was here when we moved in and one happened two days later resulting in an early run to a hardware store on New Years Eve! We had under kitchen sink leaks, our brand new fridge  died and we lost all our food, and then had a loaner and finally got a new one a few days ago. But the fund did not stop there.


We found out there was no insulation in the house and hubby with our youngest spent a week, after work each night installing a barrier sheet insulation product , helping, resulting in warming us up a bit more, but not before a lot of scrapes and bruises gained by hubby and daughter.  We put in a new drive way and side walks around the house, something that was my # 1 priority so we could park on the safer side of the house to get out of ... notice I did not mention easier. We put up blinds, new hallway and laundry area lights and just yesterday we put up a new DR light ( if you follow my FB page I posted an album there with pics full of ideas for the room) ....yes we have been busy each of the two days off per week that hubby has off each week. In between grocery shopping, learning our way around the new to us city/area and even fitting in a couple home shows, we have also been adding tiny touches to make this place a home.  I thought I would share these with you today.

This is what we started with... a blank slate

Best pic I have of Dining space before getting started. 

First we got rid of the paper blinds

These boxes started it all , we live at the hardware store!

This is where we are now.... Plantation blinds on the windows,
hoping for curtains one day. We purchased the couch and love seat that
went with the love seat we already owned,  and being on the budget,
we choose the white canvas covers for them ( all from IKEA), and we
replaced the love seats cover to match.  The blankets, also from IKEA
protect from both the cat and hubby! 

Another angle . I am getting used to the wrinkles
*giggle*

Some of the tiny touches I have added ....

At Christmas time, when in our apartment, this held
glass ornaments, now it holds a unique still life.

I started with this vase from the apartment, and
my Fall/Winter flowers ....

Found this "milk jug" and added daisies ... it will
do until I can afford some Spring florals , but
on a gray day there is nothing like the combo to add cheer.

A simple metal "birds nest" tea light holder found at a
craft store, and a little book of poems and it makes
for a sweet arrangement on the basket trunk now used as a side
table. I plan to find blue candles to pop in... like little robins eggs
*wink* 

Speaking of.... another craft store find, these
eggs and a candle holder from IKEA and
a touch of Spring now sits on the mantle. 

I am dreaming of blue walls, but until then the blue candles
do the trick. Soon the wire basket will hold something new,
just waiting for inspiration. A painting from years ago that
our daughter did for me, and a bit of sparkle and burlap and a
decor story begins to unfold. 

Another painting from our daughter, a one of a kind,
and one that makes me smile each time I see it, one day it will
sit on an iron easel in this corner. She promises
to paint me a Fall/Winter painting or two to trade it
out for when we come to that time of year again.  

A little craft store bird now sits by my sink....

This gem of a jar holds my tea and may
inspire the future color of the walls in the
kitchen.

I had long been in love with most things Pottery Barn, and spoke of creating that look in our last apartment and using some of the same items and inspiration now in our home. One thing I had always loved was this one pendant light the Calhoun Pendant, selling at 149.00. Not a bad price, but I had found one similar at Lowes for 118.00, slightly less round globe shape, but close, and then the other day, imagine my excitement when I went to O.S.H and found one that looked like the one at Lowes, but for 59.00! I had been torn between this lighting fixture and a chandelier I had seen, also 149.00, but my budget minded self decided to go back  to the original one I loved ... well the close copy, could not pass up the price. It is not as shabby French chic as I had planned to juxtapose against the farm house rustic table we own, but with a few tweaks it would work. Tweaks you ask... well just wait to see. OH and mine came with the bulb! They normally run between 9.00-12.00!

Pottery Barn 

O.S.H 

What we did to it....

Wish you could see the workings of the
Edison Bulb.. love the vintage look of the
bulb and the warm yellow glow. 

So the tweak was we spray painted it a matte white, and when I
say WE, I mean hubby, then I rubbed some of the paint off
to expose the "oil rubbed bronze" finish that the pendant came in.
Then as a way to not have to re-paint the ceiling  to cover the
three colors the original light fixture hid, we bought a
nice ceiling medallion and just left it white to go with the light.
OH! Soon I will be adding a burlap cord cover to hide the brown cord. 

I forgot to take a closer picture of the dining space, but you can get a peek of the pendant in the room in the first room view photo. I promise I will focus more on that room once I have more than two chairs, and perhaps some window coverings.... and if lucky paint and bead board up in the future months. 

So there you have it, even though it has been as I mentioned a less than stellar first month, and it seems we have been bleeding money each and every week, I have managed to add a few touches to make this house a home , to add some warmth to the pale off white box that we reside in and bring some of myself and the comfort I need and desire to the daily life here in the house on the busy corner.