Decorating with Patience

Before I start blogging,  I want apologize for the crappy pics.  The lighting has just been wrong several days in a row and I'm really not very good at editing pics.

Like so many people, I enjoy decorating my home without spending a fortune. Unlike many, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to find what I'm looking for at second hand shops. I can handle bare walls. 

So far, I've been pretty successful find exactly what I wanted. All I need is a little patience. I routinely scrounge through our local Goodwill, or browse Craigslist postings for inexpensive items. Thankfully, my decor taste is pretty casual. I like cozy, comfy and little country. All of which is easily found at second-hand shops given enough time and elbow grease.

Take our dinning room for example. Almost everything in this room is second-hand. The table and chairs belonged to my grandmother. The gorgeous dresser I use for linens is another family heirloom. The colorful quilt came from a vintage dealer found on Etsy.com. Oh, how I love Etsy. I searched high and low for an old quilt until I found this funky, colorful quilt that is just right. After I found the quilt, I was stuck. Do you have any idea how much a quilt rack costs? Well, let's just say it's more than I paid for for the quilt. So, the quilt was displayed on the table for a few months while I searched Goodwill, Ebay and Craigslist. In the mean time, my wall remained blank. It had been blank since we moved into the house-so no big deal.

On my trip to Goodwill last Saturday, I came across a wooden shelf with dowel. The shelf looked abused and dull. It also had a heart shape cut out of the top of the shelf. I'm not a fan of hearts. However, I quickly realized that the shelf was also a plate rack. Any plate displayed would cover up the heart cutout. And the shelf was the perfect size. And it was only $5.00. All it needed was a little paint, so I bought the shelf.

Once home, I wiped off the shelf. Hmmm. It wasn't as dull and ugly as I originally thought-just dusty. So, I grabbed some dark wood furniture polish and polished the shelf. Wow! What a difference! The shelf look great. After that, I just screwed it into the well, added plates and quilt and stood back to admire the decor. I love it! And it only took 4.5 years to do!