Odds and Ends

There have been quite a few little nagging house projects around here that I have definitely been putting off. Remember the baseboard? It may or may not still be laying in the carport, unpainted. But, I'll never tell! We finally moved J into a toddler bed which deserves an entire post on its own, but losing that big beautiful crib from his room has thrown the decorative vibe all off. Yikes, that one has found itself back on the to-do list.

One of the things we can call semi-complete-for-now (sounds pretty definitive, right?) is the family room area. I had been patiently waiting for a deal on our local classifieds website and all seemed lost until I found these babies!

$50 FOR THE SET. I couldn't really believe it. Initially, I had hopes of painting whatever we found white and then the background a fun accent color, but that was when I was sure we'd get shelves that were pretty beat up. These suckers are in mint condition. And, I'm surprised but I kind of like the wood tone with our floors and the adjacent kitchen floors.. I still might paint them or do a fun stencil in the backs and sides or something crazy like that, I'm also thinking about adding trim to the bottom to give them a more built-in feel, but for now I'm pretty pleased that this space finally looks like we actually meant to do all this. What would be your vote?
(Side note, someday I'd love to paint or remove the fireplace metal insert and make it more of a decorative nook instead of a wood-burning fireplace since we don't want to use it with J's respiratory stuff and can't afford a gas insert). I've also seen some fun ideas for above the mantel, like bead-boarding the wall and painting it (then we could build in a gap to hide the wires) or laying some slate stone above it to give it more texture and make it more eye-catching, but I'm getting way ahead of myself.

I had fun collecting all my favorite books from around the house to feature on the shelves. I still haven't found just the right things to fill the jars and the large glass bell jar, but I'm convinced I'll find just the right thing in time, just like these shelves. I read an article awhile ago about decorating your house on a budget and the number one tip was "be patient". Good deals only come to those who wait. So, if you're feeling antsy... instead of running out to Wally world and buying the cheapest thing you can find just so you have something, I'd encourage you to live with the ugly a little while longer and wait for that great deal!