My progress, room by room

Where did the week go??!! I started off with high ambitions, and of course didn't do everything I wanted (I would need at least another week or two...), but I did work hard... Organized drawers, scrubbed bathrooms, combed through bags of old mail and kids school art, sorted toys, cleaned my closet, listed items on Ebay, sold furniture on Craigslist, filled the car twice with Goodwill donations... Didn't get to steam clean the carpets, made only a dent in the laundry and didn't even get to touch the sewing machine, but I know it will get done, now that I'm encouraged by what I have accomplished so far. May not seem like much to the naked eye, but for me it's big!! The biggest challenge was the magnitude of it all. I decided to tackle room by room. I started off with the room you first see when you open the door, the formal living/dining room. This is the place where the kids (and I) dump everything on the way in, and I was always so embarrassed to even open the door!! Stuff everywhere, things I had just brought home, and things on the way out to Monticello, shoes, bags, crap. After a lot of work, I looked around and was happy! Only problem? All I was doing was moving all the stuff from one room to the other... Now it was all in the kitchen!!!! Yikes! I quickly realized that I needed to "deal" with the stuff right there and then!! It literally took forever!

When my family arrived home yesterday, they were quite impressed and all I could say was, "but I'm not done yet!!". My husband said the house looked fabulous, and even danced around in the now uncluttered great room! Would you mind if I proudly shared a little bit of my accomplishment?



















My living room is still a work in progress. I didn't get to sew new pillows for the sofas, but will soon. I found the sofa and loveseat at an estate sale for $75 for the pair. They are covered in a large green and white checkerboard fabric, so on I went with a white slipcover from Target. Eventually I would like to make new slipcovers, but that will have to wait. I love my coffee table! It started off as a kitchen table, to which I (painfully) cut the legs to the right height.













































The vintage wicker settee is one of my favorite pieces. I had seen it at our local antique mall (where Lisa and I had a booth) and had been thinking about buying it. One day, while there, I was at the counter telling the owner I was seriously considering buying it, when this lady came in and said "I want to buy this settee!". We looked at each other, and I told the lady I was just discussing the possible purchase. The mall owner whispered to me, "you have to make a decision right now!" I told her I have to have it, I would never forgive myself for letting it go! Needless to say, the lady wasn't happy and I felt bad, but I am so happy I have it!



























You can read the story behind my wicker dressform here...

I made this lampshade out of vintage barkcloth. Here are some other lampshades I have created.

My flea market dolls...

... an inexpensive tieback...

Believe it or not, I bought this china cabinet on Ebay...!! Even with shipping it was a good price! It holds many of my favorite collections, like my vintage celluloid boxes and my roses and cherubs clocks.

This is the space above my entry door.

I bought this darling pink cabinet from Lisa and just love it! The fabric covering the door is as cute as can be!!

I will share pictures of some other areas of my home soon! I hope you will come back!