Nov 302014
 

Since we had no big plans for Thanksgiving this year, most of my day was spent working on the living room makeover we started last week. If you can believe it, I painted this cat-head wall all by myself! Well, Henry had to open the ladder for me. But still! I just made a stencil and sponged the paint right on the wall. It’s definitely imperfect, which was hard for  me, but I knew going into it that it was going to be that way. Our walls are textured, so it makes clean lines pretty impossible to achieve.

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Once the shelves were dry, I was able to finally put everything back in its place after a week of tripping over clown dolls and other oddities (and I do mean oddities). The problem with this shelving unit is that it so easily becomes a catch-all for junk and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this doesn’t start happening again, even if it means throwing out all of the things that belong to Henry and Chooch.

I just noticed that this picture below is blurry. I really need new contacts.

 

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If you’ve ever been to my house before, you might remember that this area was white. As is EVERY SINGLE ROOM IN THE HOUSE. For years and years I resisted painting the walls or really doing anything at all home improvement-wise in this place because it was meant to be a stepping stone until I found somewhere else to move to. (Which, at the time, was going to be out of state.) Then I started dating Henry and you know, routines are so easily fallen into. We went through a few years of pretty awful financial strife/unemployment issues which put me into a pretty bad depression and general state of “IDGAF” and the whole house kind of started to crumble, literally, along with my will.

We’re in a good place now, at a point now where we actually probably could realistically buy a house, but I want it to be right and not something I rushed into. I don’t want to buy something smaller than what we have now just for the sake of owning a house, and I definitely want to make sure I like the area. So…I am being patient. And while I’m being patient, I’m going to make my current house feel like home. Because it honestly hasn’t in a very long time.

And to do that, I NEED COLOR AND WEIRD THINGS. My first apartment had glow-in-the-dark Slinkies hanging from the ceiling, but I resisted the urge to bring that back. (Maybe in the bathroom, though? Henry?)

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Friday and Saturday was spent printing out new pictures for the walls. That part still isn’t finished but it’s almost there!

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Henry was annoyed because I painted the  top of this table with red glitter and he’s so over glitter. I would glitter the ceiling if he would set up that fucking ladder for me.

 

 

 

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For years, I kept saying I didn’t want to put the effort into this place because it wasn’t worth it since we don’t own it, but it realllly affected my mental state. Most times, I didn’t want to come home because I hated being here so much. It didn’t reflect who I am and I eventually even stopped having game nights and other parties here because I felt so uncomfortable. Especially when our front porch steps were crumbled for the last two years! That was finally fixed last month though, so it’s less slum-y here now.

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Henry found that swag light at Goodwill last summer. It’s the perfect addition to the Beverage Buffet.

 

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The next room on my list is the dining room (where the Get Stoked sign lives). We have major clutter in that area because it’s where we make our serial killer cards, so it looks like a craft store was looted up in there. I haven’t decided what I wanted to do in there yet though, and I’m sure Henry is standing in a corner somewhere, clenched, praying that it won’t involve stripes or gold glitter or gold glittered stripes.

But now that I just typed that…

The true test was when my friends came over last night for game night and everyone had such nice things to say! Corey even made a Snapchat story about it, so that’s how I know it looks a lot better in here, haha!

The best part is that even having game night here last night, the house still looks clean! (Except for Chooch’s abode. That room is a lost cause.)

  15 Responses to “Thanksgiving Makeover: Living Room Edition”

  1. I have such envy of your creative skills! Your house is looking amazing. I have a hard time explaining to my other half about why I need to remake the home to reflect me. I usually just end up quoting Delia from Beetlejuice with “if you don’t let me get out of this house and make it my own I will go crazy and I am taking you with me!”

    • That is the perfect quote!!

      I’m not entirely sure Henry understands the connection between my mental state and interior design, but he went along with it, thankfully!

      There was a hot minute back when I was 19/20 where I strongly considered going to school for interior design, which is kind of hilarious now considering the blah state my home has been in all these years!

  2. There was so much to look at in your house! I really admired all the work you guys put into it. :) When I lived in Clairton, I felt the same way you did about your living conditions. The walls upstairs in the house I live in now have those same textured walls that you have, so we may use that floor as picture display and eventually paint the walls on the main floor. If you decide on looking for a house, I HIGHLY suggest the site http://www.pittsburghmoves.com. I actually found my house on there and they give so much information. They also show different real estate companies, so you’re not just viewing one company. They show tax info, estimated mortgage rates, photos, what the houses include, school district and a map of the area where the house is located.

    • Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

      It’s funny that you mention pittsburghmoves.com, because my brother Corey is a realtor for Coldwell Banker! That is definitely the site I’ll be using when the time comes, and it’s really cool to know that you had such success with it!

  3. LOVE it, it looks fantastic!! Great work!

  4. I totally thought the cat wall was wallpaper, so if it’s imperfect it’s not obvious.

    I went through the same thing with our old house. Not long after we moved in my sister needed a place to stay and came to live with us. I never really decorated because the space never felt like my own. Maybe it would have ended up differently if she had stayed months, like we planned, but she was there for years. Shit fell apart, and I didn’t care.

    When we moved here I put a lot into making it my own, and now that I’ve finally gotten most of my art on the walls we’re thinking about moving. *sigh* I’m not looking forward to having to pack it all up, and do it all over again because hanging shit is a pain in the ass. Still, I’ll do it because it’s important. I’m home most of the time, and I need to have my space feel right.

  5. The walls are awesome!! I love the cat wall, especially with all your cat pictures on it!! :) You are so creative!

  6. Erin I love it so much! It’s all perfect. I thought the cat wall was wallpaper, so I would say you did a damn fine job with the stamping.

  7. The cat wall is really neat, and I also really dig how you did the cursive writing on The Cure wall. Henry did a great job on the Get Stoked sign. You guys make decorating look fun!

  8. I’ll bet having color and art and Robert all around you is already starting to make a difference. I’m still in awe of your Cure wall, and of the patience you had to have to do all of that. Just wow.

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