Pillows

I just adore our little red barn house, and now that I know we'll be living here in this space for another full year, I've decided to spruce up our living room. 

As my sweet husband can attest, I'm terrible to shop with. I can pick up eight things in a store and before I get to the register put every single item down. I don't need to be talked out of buying things, I need to be talked into buying them!

I'm a big coupon and sale girl. It's turning into more of a curse than a blessing, because sometimes I buy things I'm not in love with (definitely not what my mother taught me!!) or things of poorer quality because they're on sale and then never wear them. So, even though I might have saved $7, I wasted the difference that I spent.

When it comes to our home, I'm very much the same way. Thank goodness Hobby Lobby always has a  40% coupon on their mobile app! The majority of the things (furniture, decorations, etc) have been gifts, items we've acquired on mission trips or vacations in open air markets, or things I've made. (I've revisited my crafty side since our move to Arkansas.)

...

This week I got to visit the very first friend I made when we moved here to Arkansas: Nikki and her sweet new baby Elliott! The last time I'd been over to Nikki's house was shortly after she and her husband moved into their new home. Of course, we had a wonderful time catching up and admiring precious Elliott, but I couldn't help but be in awe of how complete her home looked. The decor, the furniture (we have very similar tastes in style, right down to our earrings), everything looked so perfectly put together! I was convicted. I've lived in my house longer than Nikki has lived in her's, but my living room still looks like it belongs to a college kid!

It was the spark I needed - the push to get 'er done. 

Now that I had completed the bare white wall challenge, was happy with my kitchen and dining space, liked the vibe in our home office, and had planted a few bulbs (early birthday presents from my mom!) and impatiens in our front yard for this Spring ... it was seriously time to tackle the living room. 

So, I moved furniture around, centered the area rug, printed new photos for picture frames, and borrowed items from other rooms in the house to see if they'd fit better in the living room.

Sure enough, it's coming along. David and I took a trip to Steinmart this afternoon, and I stumbled upon some decorative pillows. I had known for a while it was time for new couch pillows... Let's just say, Sperry likes pillows...

Anyway, I was very happy with the prices and loved all of the colors.

It's a good step in the right direction! Now to peruse that board I have on Pinterest of DIY projects, and maybe a trip or two to the antique store down the street!

If you have any budget friendly DIY projects for living rooms that you enjoyed and turned out well, I'd love to hear about them!