Shades of Blue and Random Decorating Thoughts

One of my favorite things on the decorating blogs is the "before" and "after" pictures.   It is amazing to me how a simple coat of paint can completely transform a room. Or a simple vase of flowers or adding new drapes.  To me, it was an amazing revelation....a concept I was never taught about...a discovery that would change how I thought about my own decorating abilities.  These may seem like simple concepts to the average decorator.

You know that acquaintance whose home you had - at one party or another - admired. They sweep into the room, look around and holding their arm as if waving a magic wand, pronounce that your living room could be fabulous with just a "couple of changes."  I have always admired their ability to transform a room in their mind's eye.  I never realized I was able to do it too.  All I had to do was find my look and style.  Sigh -- all those years of hand-me-down knickknacks...

My budget remains very tight and yet, this has not slowed me down one bit in the last two months.  I am She-ra of the price conscious consumer - hear me roar.  I look at corporations and think how much we are influenced by others telling us what we should want and need in our home.  I have found that with a little bit of patience, most of the things that can decorate your life are already out there looking for a new home.  A treasure to be discovered at the nearest thrift store. A table left at the curb.  A lamp that just needs a fresh coat of paint.  It certainly has given me such more satisfaction.  In the end, my goal is to redo my home with second hand stuff and spend as little money as possible.  Back in the days when I had a very comfortable middle-class life, I wouldn't have dreamed of using my creative side.  I didn't think I had one and I was too tired to consider it.  Necessity and change born of poverty and illness.

Soooo, along the way I have taken a few "before" pictures.  I had no idea I was going to do a blog on my progress so I didn't take nearly enough. Then my computer crashed and I lost all of the pictures that were stored.  Still,  I am still going to try to recreate the "before" so I can show you the "after".  It just seems to make more of an impact.  With some rooms, like my adult son's bedroom,  I'm going to try to describe how it looked before and try to not bore with details that you can't picture in your mind.  I am also going to tell the how, what, where and when each item was replaced. Hidden in my recollections and musings, you'll find tips, hints and lessons learned.

Although I had originally planned to stick with black, white, silver and shades of denim blue as the theme colors for my home, it has turned out to be many shades of blue.  When you are filling your loot box with free items, a specific shade of blue would take too long and be next to impossible to fulfill.

Shades of blue....hmmm....might make a catchy title for a blog too.