Powder Room refresh for under $100

Hey all! I JUST finished a little powder room refresh and I'm so excited to share it! 

How did this project start, you ask? Well, I was walking by the powder room and realized the lighting above the sink was, ummm, not cute. Then, I looked around the tiny powder room and thought... "Hmmmm, this room isn't that cute at ALL." So, off to Lowes I went, followed by TJ Maxx and Michaels. 

So, this transformation kind of just happened. No joke. I had NO plan. The only thing I knew was that I wanted a new light fixture. So, I found this light fixture from Lowes for just under $50. Couldn't find the exact bulbs but here is the brand and the style- my bulbs are much more round. GE Relax LED bulbs 

                                  

         

Light bulbs- $8.98 for a pack of 2

Vanity Light Fixture- $49.98

Ohhhh yea... want to see a before? 

I haven't touched this room since we moved in. Hung that cute little canvas on the wall and called it a day. 

After I picked up the new light fixture, my wheels started turning. I knew I wanted to do this entire refresh for under $100. I went on a hunt to find some kind of shelf unit for above the toilet but no luck. I found some cute ones from TJMaxx and Michaels... Since I had roughly $30 left in my budget (after light and bulbs) all options would exhaust the budget. I almost gave up until... right by the check out line in Michaels, I came across this white, wooden crate. I thought to myself, "Self, couldn't I hang this on the wall from the bottom and turn it into a shelf?" Promptly after my thinking, I googled "milk crate shelf" and boom. It's a thing. This crate was $10. 

                 

 

I decorated the crate with a little basket and tiny mason jar from Michaels. The books and greenery were things I had around the house. Stuffed the basket with 2 wash cloths. 
Basket- $3(ish)
Mason jar- $2(wish)

 Only thing left to get is a new hand towel. I also thought about spray painting the towel holder a matte black... but we'll see. ;) 

Thanks for stopping by!

xo - Cyndi 

New Year... New Idea!

It's a New Year and I have an idea but...  I need YOUR help! Does the thought of stepping into HomeGoods make you cringe? Are the walls in your home still bare years after moving day? Have cute accessories but just don't know how to style them? Well read on, my friend, read on! 

I've invested so much time, energy and research into this passion of mine and I would like to tackle more. I'm looking for a few "victims" to help me take my passion for decorating to the next level.  I would love to help some friends (friends of friends, family of friends, etc) transform a space in their home free of charge. Here is the scoop:

1. Budget- I am looking to create a business but my services will be complimentary as part of my kick off! I am also the queen of bargain shopping so I will keep your costs down because that's just how I do :) However, depending on your goals, it would be realistic to say that a few hundred $ would be a reasonable "transformation" budget. ***I LOVE to shop around the house and that can save tons!
**Now, if your room is empty and you want to completely furnish it, obviously the budget increases. 

2. The space- One room transformation... family/living room, dining room, bedroom, den, office, sitting room, kids room, play room, etc.

3. Time frame- I would break the time up by having an initial consultation to view the space and discuss vision/goals. Then, I create a layout and plan. Shop. Decorate. I work fast, too! :) 

4. Sharing- I would like to document the transformation and share pictures on my blog/social media as a way to market my services. 

Please scroll through a few pictures to check out my home and some projects I've completed. If you are interested in working together, PLEASE reach out! Comment on the blog post or email me at decisivedecor@gmail.com 

Striped wall was a DIY I did a few years ago.  This is the entrance to our room. Check it out here.

Formal Living Room

This wall stencil was another DIY I completed a few years back. Stencil accent wall DIY can be found here.

This was a cute spring party I hosted for my Mom's birthday last year. Read more here.

Floral arranging.

Master Bathroom- designed this shower (with my husband) Master Shower Reno Post.

Master Bathroom

Christmas table 2017

Gallery wall project I completed for a friend. Read more here. 

Master bedroom.

Cozy TV room... transitional style.

Love mixing textures and patterns.

 I made that Sunburst mirror as a DIY a few years ago... 5 hours, $40 and many blisters from the hot glue gun! Read the Sunburst DIY here. 

Kitchen counters aren't currently like this... changes weekly. (Husband gets so confused!) But I LOVE my MacKenzie Child's Courtly Check and that's not going anywhere!

Summer Project- A friend's Gallery Wall

So, this blog started as a little virtual diary of how I made, and continue to make, our house into a home. I started sharing on various social media outlets and then tracking my views on blogger. It's exciting to share something I have become passionate about with other people! I have learned a lot from reading design blogs and to think that I might inspire someone is WILDLY awesome! 

A friend of mine, whom I work with, shared with me her interest in creating a gallery wall. She had NO idea where to begin but knew the frames and pictures she wanted to use. Another dear friend/co-worker has a great eye and was up for tackling this project with me.  So a few days ago, we had a little girls night filled with wine, snacks, laughter and projects!!!! 

Mindy was so organized, it made this project so much easier. She had all of the frames ready to go, with the proper hardware in ziplock bags taped to the backs of each frame. Brilliant! 

If I have all of the frames picked out already, I always begin by arranging on the floor. It takes time to move and place the frames and items in order to get the right combination. 

(If you don't have frames, make cut outs with paper bags and tape on the wall. That guides you with purchasing the right sizes and shapes. I'm working on a project with another friend and we used the cut out method to guide in the purchasing process. It's a breeze! I'll share more details about this project soon!)

Mindy had a nice size wall to work with. It was 118 inches wide and 56 inches tall. (from the server table to the crown moulding)

TOOLS NEEDED:

Nails

Hammer

Level

Command velcro strips

Measuring tape

Step stool/small ladder

Here is the before!

I was given direction to pull anything from the room to include in the gallery wall. I included these sunburst mirrors, a metal "P" and 2 cute wooden signs.

Here is what I put together. Kim, the girl with the good eye, suggested using the center picture as the focal point (hence why it's in the center) and then I worked around it. 

Gallery walls can either be scattered placements or in a defined shape. Here, we made it a rectangle. The gallery wall itself was 96 inches wide and 46 inches tall... so I centered the glass server table, then left 11 inches on either side of the wall and roughly 4 inches on the top and bottom. (these measurements are never exact... actually, I bet someone like my perfectionist husband could get them exact but I can NOT lol) Measuring is important though... and I ended up being close to accurate. 

TIP: When arranging your gallery wall, you want to balance each item. The long, rectangular frames are opposite of each other. The sunburst mirrors are grouped in 3 and in sort of a zig-zag pattern. Always work in odd numbered groups. 3 is best. 5 works, too! Balance... can't stress it enough. 

Always start in the middle. I decided to work on the left side first. (Originally, the lamp was in the middle but after completion, it looked best on the side. Photo below shows final placement.)

Can you peep the ziplock bag on the server??? Sooooo organized and smart! Also, how GORGEOUS is that piece of furniture? I have always talked about my secret weapon, Bob's Discount Furniture, and Mindy snagged this piece at Bob's. Find it here. (My most viewed blog post talks about getting deals at Bob's... Check out my post on Bob's here) 

 haha This action shot is hilarious to me. All we did was walk around, back and forth, blurry and crazy, making sure everything was as close to perfect as we could get it. 

 Brian and I were texting while I was mid-project. He asked if I was only using Command Velcro strips to hang the gallery items and I said, "NOPE! I get to use nails and a hammer, too!" To which he replied, "Wow, that's a good husband letting you ladies put holes in the wall." For those of you tuning in for the first time, I have written about how my hubs won't dare let me nail a single thing into our walls. OFF LIMITS! That's his domain so this was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. 

Kim has a great method to line up nails with the holes on the frames. 

She places masking tape on the back of the frame, marks where the hooks/holes are, then places the tape on the wall to mark exactly on the wall where we needed to nail. SO SMART! 

Worked like a charm!

 Always use a level. If you don't have one at home, there are apps you can download on your phone! iHandy Level is one of them!

Tape method!

Ready for the reveal??????

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We moved the lamp to the side and then rearranged the server top a little. She has that gorgeous punch bowl handed down from a family member which was the perfect accent. The gallery wall is large so keeping the server top minimal was key. We want the eye to focus on those gorgeous memories hanging up on the wall.

I love it SO much but most importantly... Mindy and her family love it!!!

Thanks for letting me tackle this project. I enjoyed every second!!!! 

Tips & Tricks

I always say, "If you love it, then it works!" but there are some tricks that everyone should know. I've complied a few to share on the blog.

Let's start with my favorite tip- one that I tell EVERYONE who asks...

#1- Paint with neutral colors. Neutral tones keep rooms bright and airy and makes them feel spacious. My favorite reason though- decorating flexibility. There is only so much that goes with a bright orange wall color but a Taupe-Grey shade (my entire home, minus the kitchen) looks gorgeous with every single color! Remember, you can always do an accent wall and it doesn't have to be painted. Check out my Striped Accent Wall and my Wall Stencil Project. 

#2- Mirrors. Use them... in every.single.room. Really! This goes along with that spacious, bright idea I went with in #1. Light reflects off of mirrors and can open up a space. 

#3- Less is more. I know, we all love little "things" on our shelves, ottomans and end tables but too much clutter creates an overwhelming space and the eye can't focus. My solution, you ask? Rotate them! I have seasonal rotations so I can enjoy the things I love but then take a break from them and use something else. 

#4- Statement piece. Have something the eye can focus on in a room. I usually suggest area rugs, artwork or a great piece of furniture. 

#5- Mix it up. Combine patterns and textures to create visual interest. Check out my Pattern Combinations Post Here. 

#6- Don't always match. You don't need matching end tables, matching lamps and matching pillows. ^Mix things up with patterns, colors and textures. This is why I love the transitional decor style- I get to mix up traditional pieces with sleek, contemporary looks. 

#7- Keep scale in mind. Don't get gigantic pieces if your room can not handle it. I recently did a family room make over because the furniture was just way too big for the space and the "after" results are incredible! Check it out here. On the flip side, if you have a huge room with high ceilings, don't get a bunch of tiny little pieces. This results in a cluttered look. 

What's your go to tip/trick? Leave some love in the comments below!

As always, thanks for stopping by. 

xo
Cyndi

Family Room Update on a Budget

I have slowly been making littles changes to our family room by updating throw pillows and decluttering spaces. I was "egh" about it to begin with because my style has evolved so much since we moved. The family room was a space I didn't create from scratch when we bought our home. I transferred the apartment family room to the new house. 

Here is a quick picture of the family room before... 

Way too cluttered, the space is not being utilized best and all these pieces together are way too big!

Check out the entire family room before, here! It's important to get the big picture to fully appreciate the changes. 

I didn't want to invest a ton of money into this update. In fact, I didn't want to spend any money at all! hehe :) So, I decided to sell a bunch of unused items on Craigs List and I was able to make enough cash to complete this update without spending any money in the bank. YES!

The biggest change was making more space! 

^ AFTER!!!!

The ottoman had to stay. My husband loves the ottoman a lot and we have gotten so much use out of it! It's great for entertaining and storage. Plus, it's super functional. Our sectional sofa seats so many people and it's really comfy. This is our lounge room so we need a lounging sofa. 

Adding this bird pillow from HomeGoods allowed me to incorporate blue into the room. Plus, it's so bright and colorful. Perfect for spring and summer!

Drum freakin' roll... my new chair!

This puppy was on clearance at Marshalls for $199

This blue chair added such great character to this space. This is a great definition of transitional style, which mixes contemporary with traditional. This is a classic wing back chair but the twist is the striking blue with brass nail head detail. It was love at first sight.   :)

Curious about my Sunburst mirror? It's a DIY project I did... check it out here. 

I am forever changing this shelf... but this shelfie is my favorite!!!

It's busy with books!!!

Griffin and I thank you for stopping by. The difference in this room is pretty amazing, right? If you shop smart and sell things that collect dust in your basement, you can easily update and spend next to nothing!

Leave some love, questions and comments below!


xo
Cyndi