The Dining Room

When we bought our home,

 there were two living areas, 

one was the formal living room, 

and the other was called the family room.

That said, there was only a dining area, a very small breakfast nook area...

and a really small enclosed kitchen.

Having an interior design background,

I decided that we needed to change up the floor plan a bit. 

So the plan of action was to remove the kitchen wall, expanding the kitchen to the

Decor Updates on a Dime (or less)

Most times the decor in our home is very simple...

original window frame from our Italian farm house, built by my great grandfather

but ALL the times, the decor is very inexpensive. 

books wrapped in brown paper and cotton twine
and
vinegar stain aged clothes pins (in 3 minutes, project HERE)

Most time free and/or handmade.

free pallet frame I built (HERE)

I haven't been able to keep up with the blog the last several months.

But that does not means that I haven't been doing things.

Beside working on the house, 

the garage transformation into a rec room (remember that?),

getting the 2 veggie garden areas prepared for Spring planting,

homeschooling the children,

feeding family and friends (my parents came from Italy to visit us pretty much the entire month of March)

...

I am also currently at week 13 (of 16 weeks) of my Spring Marathon Training.

This year I am doing an advance training plan,

which means I have ran about 550 miles in the last 3 months.

That has meant running 6 days a week (averaging 35 to 55 miles weekly),

early, early morning runs and early bedtime.

The blog has taken the backseat BIG time.

Here are some updated pictures of the kitchen and sunroom.

vintage olive jars and ceramic garlic/onions keeper

Most of the things were very inexpensive finds,

Italian farm family decor,

and things that I built myself.

wine glasses' rack (project HERE)

Needless to say,

It has been a BUSY year so far.

Looking forward to get back to "normal" life after my 26.2 miles race at the end of April.

...or maybe this has now become my new normal.

And I am ok with that.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Italian Villa Tour

It doesn't happen everyday to be invited over for dinner in a nice Italian villa out in the country...unless you live in Italy.

We (Italians) call them

Tennesse Barn Love

With the cooler weather, we had the opportunity to take our girls to see our friends' horses this past weekend.

I absolutely love barns and the country, so this was a special treat for me.

Vintage Industrial Bedroom

This is the last post of this Franklin home. And without further adieu, Kevin's bedroom.

I am going to start showing you his reading corner. He added a towel bar to the wall to "hang" the books he is currently reading. Genius!

Kitchen decor on a budget

Here I am, 

delivering as promised, 

Kevin's kitchen on a budget!

Remember that he can't change anything structural because he is renting...not for much longer!

I will start with showing you this pot rack.

 Imagine this being rusty...but free.

Score!

All cleaned up and painted.

The tray behind it is from Target, the colored lines pull everything together.

Then look at this genius idea.

 His mom gave him 3 old wooden canisters,

he turned it around painted the lid, 

screw a "fruit" pull on the top! 

and look at this! 

He also found a fourth canister for a couple of dollars, that fills the height gap between two of those!

Again, such a wonderful use of colors and creative juice.

Also, you have to have a cow in your kitchen to be cool! (or some kind of animal)

Here is how he added some 3D to this bare wall.

...And this rusty and free goodies!

 On this kitchen wall he added some homemade art (with paint he already had), and more budget friendly decor!

He used some colorful trays from Target to create a "removable" (aka not permanent) backsplash.

Any renters out there?

Finally the kitchen table was a Craigslist find, as well as the lazy susan (which he ended up painting).

He is using the same colors to bring a uniform feel and cohesive look!

colorful utensils next to the stove

Happy cooking! Right?

Kitchen on a small budget?

He has got you covered!

Plenty of ideas here!

(also check out Kevin's living room
and guest bedroom)

Next week will be the last post about his home: his bedroom. A vintage industrial look

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Linking to
It's Overflowing
Sunny Simple Life
Between Naps on the Porch
Krafty Kat
Coastal Charm
Beez Rental Designs
Debt Free Mommy
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
One More Time
At the Picket Fence

Guest bedroom

 This guest bedroom that our friend Kevin created is absolutely fantastic. 

Not only is budget friendly, but incorporates color, design, uniqueness and vintage all in one room.

This bed was a $15 find, and with a little TLC with paint, wood and screws (to add some stability), here it is now.

The layering of the quilts is a trick he learned from his sister!

A couple of dollars art above the bed

         

Do you see the turtle?

 Originally this was used under a planter/vase. Mayor score when he spotted, painted and now serves as a step stool for the bed!

 How about this orange lamp? 

 On this super useful night stand!

 And here is a little trick about this lamp.

The original lampshade wasn't the look he wanted, so he just added an extra lampshade over the original. 

 This cute lamp sits on top of this $10 dresser that he painted and distressed

 This painting was given to him by a neighbour, he found a golden frame that fit, and painted it green (like the turtle stool)

 He also added some sitting by purchasing two chairs at Goodwill (for $8 each). 

 Little details that give a room that special touch!

 And no bedroom is completed without a mirror!...or two, or three!

The main furniture (bed and dresser) for this guest room were less than $30 total,

add a couple of chairs, a couple of lamps and little things here and there, and you have this beautiful room for less than $100.

Would you ever guessed!!!

check out the his living room here

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Linking to
It's Overflowing
Sunny Simple Life
Between Naps on the Porch

Coastal Charm
Krafty Kat
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Embracing Change