I have had so much fun pinning and clipping pretty pictures of what I want my living room to look and feel like and now I'm ready to write out a plan of action.  My to do/wish list is really not that long and most of it can be tackled with a little bit of good old fashioned elbow grease.


But before I get started I thought I'd share my inspiration board with you as well as my ideas on what needs to change in order for it to function more practically and look more like the style I'm seeing in my head...Oh, and did I mention I have a budget?  Did I mention it was $100.00?  Did I mention that is not nearly enough to get it to look like my dream living room?


This is where you might check out of the process entirely and think why bother starting?  I mean, how much can $100.00 buy?  You might be surprised if you focus on the most bang for your buck and are willing to do a little sale research and thrift store shopping.  I know I cannot replace my leather sofas with a lighter slip covered sofa but I can buy (or make) new throw pillows to brighten them up.  I may not be able to afford expensive wall paper to back my book case but I can cover the back of a shadow box shelf with pretty fabric...you get the idea.


And there are some things I already love about the space including the colorful cottage plate display above the fireplace and the library corner that just needs a little spruce up.



I am so excited to get this underway and my living room design board will certainly help to keep me both motivated and intentional when I do start spending and stretching my budget.

When was the last time you made an inspiration or design board?  If it's been a while you may have forgotten what you're missing.  Grab those magazines and a pair of scissors and start clipping!

xo, Patty

If you'd like to make a design board for your refresh and restyle room by room project, I've made a how to video that I've posted on my YouTube channel.  Here's the link and don't forget to hit the subscribe button while you're there.

Even though the weather may not be cooperating, spring is here and so is all the pretty spring decor.  I love the lighter, brighter colors of this season and wasted no time bringing them out in full force in my little cottage home.


Of course, the first thing that I transformed was the dining room hutch.  I added a few Easter inspired items but not so much that I will need to change it out after Easter Sunday.  I am always careful to keep it more spring themed than Easter themed so that it can transition seamlessly until I change it up for Summer.


I moved the two tiered tray from the kitchen where it normally holds vegetables to the dining room table as a centerpiece.  I love being able to display twice the springtime greenery and flowers in a place we look at multiple times a day.


I kept the decor in the living room pretty simple and just added a touch here and there and am completely happy with the over all look.


Do you decorate for Spring?  Or Easter?  And what's do you look forward to bringing out each year?  I'd love  to know.

xo, Patty

I may be weird but I love spring cleaning.  There is something about taking things apart and getting into all the nooks and crannies that seems to ready me for a new season.  I started a series on my YouTube channel called Room by Room - Refresh and Restyle and I've been systematically going through each room in my house and giving it a good cleaning and then reorganizing it and making it pretty...all on a budget of course.


I started with our master bedroom and am now on to the laundry room.  It feels so good as each task