Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Page 203

Face Lift

by on 53 Comments

About three years ago, I found a chair with beautiful bones on Craigslist.  I was looking for a chair to go in my new sewing room in the house we were building, and this one really caught my eye.  She was in bad shape but had gorgeous lines.  With a little TLC and a recovered cushion, she was ready to serve her purpose in the new house.

Well, times (and my taste) have changed, and I decided to repuropse her to be used in another location.  So, I gave her a face lift…literally.

Since the chair was already painted a bright white, I simply popped off the seat and recovered it with a scrap of linen I had left over from the nursery project.  I thought the chair needed a little whimsy, so I cut out a silhouette with my Silhouette (heh) and applied the vinyl to the back of the chair.  The update took 30 minutes at the most, but I think it really gives her a whole new look.

Now, she thinks she’s all fancy and hot stuff.  I have to agree.

TIP JAR: Recovering the seat of a chair is a cheap way to change the look of a room.  Staple the fabric on the underside on all four sides of the cushion, pulling tight, before you put in the additional staples on each side.  This technique will keep your fabric from sliding and will make it easier to keep patterns from getting wavy.

Declutter by Undecorating

by on 1,367 Comments

As much as I love the way my home looks decorated for Christmas, I give a sigh of relief when the decorations come down.  Every year, my husband says, “Our house looks so big!”  Putting the decorations back in the attic for another year really makes my life feel much less cluttered.

But this year, I may have gone a bit overboard on the decoration removal.  Since I loved the feel of my house once the Christmas decorations were gone, I figured I’d feel even better with all of the other decorations gone.  So, I removed all of the accessories from my living room.

It was so freeing that I removed them from my kitchen.  My breakfast room.  My entryway.

I’m going to tackle my bedroom and office/guest/craft room next.  No, I’m not going to leave my house empty like this for long.  I just wanted the chance to declutter, dust without having to move stuff, and relax after the holidays.  I’m going to give it a week or two like this, and then I’m going to thoughtfully re-accessorize my rooms, adding only things that serve a purpose (and yes, making me smile is a purpose).  It will also give me a chance to mix things up a bit and give my rooms a new look.

Until then, I’ll just steer clear of the dining room.  All that stuff had to go somewhere, right?

Have you ever undecorated your home?  How did it make you feel?

TIP JAR: Ask yourself if you’ve used this item in the past year or if it has a purpose in your life. If not, let it go and smile! You’re on your way to a more organized life.  Less stuff is less clutter, less to clean, move, and deal with.  Think of it as making room in your life for the things you really love. –Jessica @ Decor Adventures

Have a quick tip to share? Email me at lindsay@makelyhome.com and I’ll share it with my readers!