Is it working? Maybe I'll throw in a before picture to pique your curiosity more...
Am I forgiven? Maybe??
I'll just get to the story.
I have now owned my condo for over a year. Sometimes I just sit in a room thinking about all the work it took to get moved in and settled. I did that when I first started moving in, except then I was thinking about all the work it was going to take and how cool it would be to sit in that same room when it was all done.
Having finally reached the other side, it is pretty cool.
Especially in the dining room. This room was the last on my project list and as such served as the work room for my projects on other rooms. It spent it's first few months of my ownership storing tons of boxes, a workbench, tools, construction supplies, and all the odds and ends I couldn't find room for elsewhere. It was a big mess. An embarrassing mess. So embarrassing that I didn't take any pictures of it. Which I wish I would have now to really give you a before picture.
So, picture the room above with the dehydrated urine-colored wall and the poorly hung red curtains and lots of stuff cluttering the room.
Over the months as I finished my other projects and started clearing that room out, I decided it was time for a color change. And curtains. And a curtain rod that wouldn't spring out of place if you accidentally brushed against the curtains.
One Home Depot/Wal-Mart/IKEA run later and...
Viola!
Except the plants died shortly after being added to the mix. Shriveled brown skeletons sat for months in place of those luscious plants you see. Until the 4th of July rolled around and I got the urge to replace them!
Another Home Depot run and...
New plants! I'll admit I kind of liked the ones I had before, but these are a little more resilient and still give that tropical feel. Plus, I practically stole them from Home Depot. Three of them came together in a big pot that I was sure was going to cost me at least $50. They didn't have a price-tag so I went to the register to price-check them to be sure. They guessed and told me $35. That was a little more reasonable so after a bit more shopping I returned to make my purchase. The cashier rung all my items up and then went on a manual search through the inventory list trying to find my plants. No luck. After several more minutes of searching and realizing that there were some pretty impatient customers behind me, she finally typed in a number for the only thing that seemed remotely like the plants I was purchasing. End result? $9.99.
I was not complaining.
They're kind of fun. And they've lasted a good two weeks
And don't worry, these plants have a few friends to keep them company.
Like these two little guys in my miniature cactus garden.
And an aloe vera plant! Sidekick, my roommate (yes, I have a roommate now), thinks one of us needs to get a sunburn so we can use it. I nominated her. We haven't had to use it yet. But I did break off one of the bottom leaves (...are they called leaves??) because I was dying to play with it. They're so squishy! And the gel is pretty cool. Kind of my new favorite plant.
Another favorite part of my dining room is my fruit bowl (and banana stand)!
Sidekick helped me pick it out on the 4th of July shopping excursion, right after I bought my plants. I'd been wanting one for a while because before that I'd been stacking my fruit in the corner. Not really effective. But I love my fruit bowl. It gets me excited about buying fruit to keep it stocked and looking pretty and then I eat the fruit...because it's right there. Brilliance.
The walls wouldn't be complete without a few pictures:
Ahhh, yes.
And yes.
I won these two at a Goodwill auction shortly before I bought my condo. It was kind of impulsive but I really liked them. They're original watercolor prints by some artist I can't identify because I can't read the signature...but I ended up decorating my dining room around them so they're kind of a big deal.
Last but not least, there's a stand of drawers...to hold all my...stuff.
This was a Ross purchase. And it gives me some much-needed drawer space. Because in my kitchen there are (count them) two drawers. This schnazy guy gives me a place to store extra washclothes and towels, spare batteries, coupons, receipts, stamps and envelopes, and all the other odds and ends that accumulate and clutter over the years. And it looks good doing it :)
Oh! I bought the painting above the drawer stand from a cute older lady in Rockport, TX. I saw it in her store window and it got me into the store. I was pretty much sold after I started talking to her. She had no experience painting until just a few years ago and started teaching herself how to paint beach scenes for fun. I loved most of the paintings in her store and had a good time talking to her. So friendly! I ended up buying a print of this painting for $20. It was more than I wanted to spend but I liked her painting and I liked her. Done deal.
In hindsight, I should avoid walking into stores owned by cute older ladies because I have a soft spot for them and will pretty much buy anything. It could get expensive. It was not the first time I'd plopped money down for something I didn't really need just because a cute older lady was selling it...and it probably won't be the last.
One more of the fruit bowl...
And I'm done.
Have a great day :)
1 comment:
Yay for you finally blogging again! The dining room looks great!
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