Thrift finds and Etsy scores equal big living room changes

I have had this growing pile of thrifted items, discount store purchases and recent projects growing in a corner of my room for some time. Big changes are under way now in the living room, I am excited to update you guys on that in a bit.

Meanwhile, take a minute to observe what good thrifting luck I had recently, from framed prints, a brand new ceiling fixture, vases, some sweet vintage trays and even some wallpaper border I plan on using for a slightly different purpose:

Some big changes have already occurred in the living room inspired by all of this, but before my living room reinvention will be complete, I am taking on a pretty big project of recovering/slip covering two chairs, and I am on the look out for a small dresser to refinish to use in the space.

Change is good.  Want a glimpse of a few of the changes so far? The reality is I can only afford to change a bit at a time, both because home decor and furniture can be so costly, and I have to wait to find the right things cheap/second hand, but also because there is work involved that I have to spread out over my weekends.

Here is one view (that is unfortunately not quite the same angle, but close enough you can tell what changed) so you can see some of the progress:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A few of the changes- painting the wall that once was a walk through to the dining room (which is now my bedroom- we previously had a chocolate brown curtain hanging to hide it) I wanted instead of trying to hide the odd little closed up doorway space, to turn it into an accent wall. I used Valspar's Simple Gray which I scored during their (sadly over now) paint sample give away. I added a Sheffield Home mirror from Marshall's, which I punched up with some sunny yellow spray paint (it was originally a champagne color).


On the other wall shown there is a small wooden shelf I picked up at goodwill for $5, spray painted Krylon's Ivy Green, and distressed to let some of the original wood tone show through on the edges. Accessories on that shelf were taken from around the house and a few were scored at Goodwill or Urban Renewals (a local thrift store in Boston) for a few dollars each.

I also bought a white plastic tray on clearance at Joann fabric to use on the coffee table, and created a vignette with it, with some cute yellow mums, a book, candle, coasters and a wooden bowl of shells.

We also have some great new art from Etsy, including this whimsical set of prints:

More to come!