Hi friends! I’m thrilled to be joining in on the blogging fun from my own corner of the world here in Iowa! It is snowy and cold and there is a rumor of yet another winter storm heading right across the country. Yikes! But, Spring always comes, right? So we’ll just keep hanging on and enjoy a few more days of being inside.
This weekend was my opportunity to use a little creativity and get this place into shape for Spring. I {finally} got the last of the Christmas decorations packed up and stored, and then I felt a little sad. Our home always looks so boring after all the pretty red and green things are put away. It’s the winter slump.
I don’t claim to be an awesome homemaker. In fact, I struggle! I struggle a lot in the area of decorating and bringing beauty to our walls to be a blessing to my family and any who enter here. But I think it’s important so I try, and try again. Thanks to Pinterest and some good old fashioned creativity I’m excited about what I was able to come up with for our Spring decor. I’m sharing this with you today for a few reasons: 1) We are on a budget, and I totally understand how it feels to try and stretch a dollar or an item that has already been used and re-purposed a million ways. I hear you! 2) I have a few tricks that I’ve learned along the way and some stores that might surprise you. 3) To encourage you that even in the mundane tasks (decorating) you can be in worship!
Re-purposed items are my new favorite thing. I know… I’m late to this game. Junkin’, Scrapin’, thrifting. I’ve got the itch for it. Whatever you call it, it took me a while, but I understand now. Here’s how I re-purposed in my front room.
The white frame used to be an old, cheap, fake metal one we got for our wedding. A little bit of white spray paint and voila – new frame! I cut out a bunch of my favorite hymns and glued them to the cardboard behind the “P”. FREE! So if you have any old frames lying around – try and rethink them. Can they be painted or distressed? Easy. In the center of the buffet I have an old cheese cloche I found at Salvation Army a few years ago. It made a great cheese cloche, but I love it more for decorations. Especially fake lemons that I found at the Dollar Tree. In the fall I used this cloche for acorns and in the winter I’ve put Christmas bulbs under it. Versatile. Another item easily re-purposed. And of course, old windows, they are all the rage right now – probably the easiest and most obvious re-purpose. You can do just about anything with them! Ours came right out of a chicken coop. True story!
By now, because of Pinterest and all the other glorious websites out there, you’ve probably learned all the “tricks” to finding good deals on home decor. Some of my favorite places to shop right now are Goodwill, Salvation Army, Homegoods, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree. I’m always pleasantly surprised by my finds there! When you are living on a tight budget with little to no extras for decorations, this is good news. My chalkboard above used to be a hideous painting that my mom found at Goodwill. Slathered down with chalkboard paint – it makes a pretty board. I love the frame and I love that it was $3! The tall grass was found at the Dollar Tree. Their silk and fake plant selection is actually really great, who knew?! And that little bird way at the top of this post – Dollar Tree find! I’m slowly working on a white dishes collection and I’ve found little things here and there from the stores mentioned above. Vowing never to pay more then a buck, you can see how well it’s going! You have to look and kinda work at it, but you can get some great stuff if you shop around and make it a mission. Also, don’t be afraid to negotiate prices at those stores.
But let me end my post with maybe what I look forward to most about decorating time. Yes, it’s great to save money and create beauty within these walls the Lord has given us. I love it! And yes, it’s such a blessing to me when my husband notices the little touches. Of course that’s awesome! But my favorite thing recently is that I get a good 30 minutes of phenomenal bible teaching. It’s one of those mom vacations I suppose. While I’ve been cutting up hymnals and hanging burlap bunting and what not, I’ve been listening to my new favorite bible teacher, Jen Wilkin. Heard of her? I was first introduced to Jen’s teaching this past fall during my churches women’s bible study through The Beattitudes. Wow. She has that style of teaching that gets your attention. She is passionate about God’s word and does a thorough job. I found another one of her studies through the book of Joshua and have so enjoyed listening to the 11 podcasts that go with that study. Beautiful truth for the heart! Interested? Check out a link to that study here. So let me challenge you that while you work and make things pretty in your own homes – you can use even that time to listen to truth and worship the Lord. Crazy multitasking. I like it.
Until next time!
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