August 2000
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NEWSLETTER |
Hi Everyone!!
I hope this month’s newsletter finds everyone healthy and enjoying their summer. I’m sure enjoying mine, because I am now the proud grandmother of my first grandchild!! Dominic William Moore was born on July 9th, two days before my fiftieth birthday. What a present!! He weighed 6lb.6oz. and is perfectly darling. What a joy to hold that precious baby and relish in his birth without having to go through the labor and delivery. This is a new phenomenon to me, and one I’m thoroughly enjoying. My daughter in-law (Cheryl) has been so generous and sweet about sharing Dominic with all the family, especially her mother and me. I’m grateful for such a wonderful daughter in-law and a beautiful family, which now includes Dominic. Below is a picture of me holding Dominic the evening he was born. My husband says, “ I have quite a gleam in my eyes.” I don’t think he is exaggerating—I was thrilled to be holding my grandson!
I plan on featuring Dominic’s nursery next month, after Mother and baby have had a chance to settle in. So you will want to be sure to catch next month’s newsletter and see how one of Cheryl’s dear friends helped her create a charming baby nursery.
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CASEY'S COLLEGE ROOM - TRASH TO TREASURE |
This month I want to share one of my family members clever use of garage sale and thrift store finds to create a fun, cheerful, inexpensive décor for her college room. Casey is my niece who is attending the University of South Florida. College apartments are always a challenge, because there is no money to spend on furniture and luxury items. Everything needs to be functional and cheap! Casey is a business major, however she is very clever and would make a fabulous interior designer if she chose to pursue that career.
I’m sure many of you can relate to this situation. Either, you are in an apartment, with no money for decorating, are sending a child off to college or just need some fun ideas to brighten up your décor inexpensively. Casey came up with a few we will share and picture for you.
The furnishing of Casey’s room was all done with garage sale and thrift store finds along with a few family cast offs. She used paint, color and accessories to personalize these items to her taste. Totaling everything she spent for her room including paint, furniture, pillows and accessories was approximately $125.00 and most of that is in the comforter and accent pillows. I was really impressed with her imagination, use of color and a couple of clever makeovers. Her room also displays many of the things I often try to teach on the site and forum, thus allowing me to reinforce some of the decorating elements I talk about. For example: Casey balanced her colors around the room, she used a collection of pictures to fill wall space and promote her theme. She did a wonderful job of accessorizing her keepsakes and treasures in an interesting way. She used her imagination and paint to makeover some tired items. Most of all, she did it with hardly any money. Imagination is cheap! Let’s see what Casey did in her room.
Casey’s inspiration for her bedroom was the butterfly pillows used on the bed. They provided colors, a theme and personality for her room. Her headboard was a freebee found at the end of someone’s garage sale, ready to be dumped. She chose a blue denim comforter for versatility and durability. (Her dog Cooper has proved to be dangerous to bedspreads) Casey used chartreuse and purple pillowcases to create the backdrop for her butterfly pillows and soon the bedding, headboard and decorative mirror became the focal point of her room.
First, Casey was fortunate enough to be able to paint the walls. She chose sunshine yellow for a warm but cheerful background. You will see from the pictures she uses a kaleidoscope of colors in her room for punch, fun and enjoyment. Next, she took a mirror from her parent’s garage that was not being used (as it had that plastic/fake gold finish on it) and gave it a face-lift tailored to her taste. She spray painted it silver and then used different colored craft paints to highlight the raised flower motifs. It looks darling over her bed, and filled this space with the cost of a little paint.\
To the right of the bed is another little makeover starting with a chest she found at a thrift store for $15.00. Casey painted the body of it sage green and the inset under the glass top white. With a dry brush of the same sage green she painted the raised scroll relief and laid a few artificial butterflies under the glass. The end result was charming! She also found at the thrift store a pair of framed pictures with butterflies that was perfect for her theme.
To the left of her bed is a nightstand, which is part of a three-piece fifties retro set (freebee) which is adorned with practical items and topped by a darling vertical butterfly (Ann Geddes) picture. The picture adds one more touch to Casey’s theme room.
Moving around the room, she found a typical but practical wall/entertainment/book shelf at a garage sale for $20.00. She left the finish alone but filled it with some of her favorite things. A doll, a TV, videos, books, pictures, candles and a very green toad frog sitting on top. This type of unit is very versatile and almost a necessity in a college room for both boys and girls.
The corner of Casey’s room, which is in front of the two windows, reveals another garage sale find-a sage green velveteen barrel chair with a bright accent pillow for punch.
The third and last wall in her room that will allow furnishing, due to the fourth wall being consumed by a desperately needed closet, houses Casey’s dressers and computer desk. The fifties retro dressers and nightstand were cast off’s from an estate. The people were kind enough to give them to Casey if she would haul them away. Those kinds of situations are available everywhere. Keep your eyes and ears open!
Casey accessorized the dressers with a butterfly print, a doll I gave her as a child, a beautiful glass pitcher to hold loose change and a young woman’s most valued possession…her phone!! Notice the colorful floral poster print in the blank space above the dresser. This was a great solution for the space, as well as balancing the colors from the other side of the room to this one.
The computer station/desk is more practical and necessary than it is decorative, however Casey still did a wonderful job accessorizing it and using the greenery on top to soften the hard edges and fill space.
Finally, Casey quite naturally used another trick I often recommend. The carpet in her room has seen it’s better days, and of course she can’t replace it. Her grandmother was about to throw out three straw-weaved scatter rugs. Casey grabbed them before they found the garbage can and they now cover the really bad spots on the carpet. The accent rugs add additional personality to her room and serve a purpose too.
Casey has proven again how much fun it can be to decorate on a shoestring budget. It’s not for everyone or every home. However, this type of decorating can be quite effective and attractive when needed. Try using your imagination, a little garage sale, thrift store shopping or the art of persuasion to accomplish your next decorating project. You can do it too!!
GREAT JOB CASEY—I’M PROUD OF YOU !!!!
HAPPY DECORATING
