{What I've Been Up To}

I am really into trying to make my home feel like a HOME. I want it to represent ME and my style. I don't have the money to go out and BUY new stuff so i realized i better learn to transform certain pieces of furniture OR learn how to decorate(which i have been reading up on and finding inspiration through blogs). This is my first time having a fireplace mantel to work with. I want this as my FOCAL POINT of the room. So, this is what i came up with. What do you think? I really wanted to blow up our family picture HUGE and put it up there. BUT i would have to buy a huge picture frame which would cost AT LEAST $30.00 and then i would have to blow up the picture, which i would need a good place to do it for me and that can be pricey. So, i did this instead. WHEN i have the money i will get a huge family picture up on the wall. My mom bought me those glass containers on the mantel. In the container to the far left i put seashells in. But they aren't just ANY seashell. Those seashells are one's i gathered on our trip to Riviera Maya and brought home with us. So, they have a story to tell. In the middle container i put a small layer of rocks from our backyard and then put in a candle, which i bought for $5.00 and it smells sooooo darn good. Like fall. :) Then i bought those little fall ball things(with little baby acorns on the bottom) in the next container for like $6.00. I already had the pictures. I already had the vase and stick things that are in it. Already had the books. So, to make my mantel look the way i wanted it to i only spent about $12.00. Oh and that little square plaque next to my books i already had. My mom bought that for me too. It has a cute little quote on it that says "It's not what you have but who you have that counts." The next thing i did. My sister gave me this old worn out looking ugly brown foyer table that my parents had given her...and we had this table all growing up too. It had two glass squares on top that you can take off to clean and just place back on when your done. Well, i bought a sample of black paint for like $3.00 b/c that is all i needed. Painted it black. We already had the paint brushes. Then i found some tiles that were on sale at Home Depot and had them cut to the measurements i needed and replaced the glass on the table with tiles. So, this table only cost me about seven bucks. Now i just need to figure out what i am going to put on it. I am also going to sand it down a little to give it a little antique look. Fun, huh!? I am so proud of myself. I really want to learn how to make things so that i can build what i want without having to go out and buy it NEW at double the price. We will see. :)