Michael’s | This Old Colonial Home

Well it’s official. The entire first floor of our house is finally all repainted. The last piece of the pie was the kitchen. (Mmm … pie.) Jamie wiped the white walls goodbye with some Mint Frost by Valspar. It’s the same color we used in our dining room. I think it makes the two rooms flow nicely together.One of the walls we left white … well only temporarily. On this wall we decided to use chalkboard paint!Before painting, Jamie sanded down the wall to make it as smooth as possible. We let the paint cure for a few days before doing anything else to it. And really it sat bare for longer than it needed to because I couldn’t figured out what I wanted to do with it 😛I finally came up with what I wanted to display. But before doing that, I took a piece of chalk and went over the entire wall.I then wiped it clean with a little soap and water. It took a few wipe downs to get all the streaks out. I also had some residue from the rag I used, so I just took a vacuum brush to the wall once it was dry. Now I was good to go!

I found some cute kitchen pun printables on Pinterest. Since I stink at drawing and can’t really do fancy handwriting, I used a method similar to Lauren’s over at Bless’er House. I printed each pun then traced over the letters and design on the back side with chalk. Then I taped the sheets of paper to the wall and went over each letter and design on the front with a pencil. This pressed the chalk onto the wall, transferring the image.I could then easily color in or trace any areas that needed it. This is what it looked like after I did all four.It still needed something though. So I added a little border around it, included another saying (that one I did freehand, woah!), and hung a cute little bucket to hold chalk.But I still really wanted something along the top. I had been thinking about an EAT sign. And it must’ve been fate because I found this beauty at Michael’s!Here’s the final product. I love how it turned out! It think it’s the perfect dose of industrial decor.What cool projects have you made with chalkboard paint?

I love decorating for fall. The colors of the season bring such a sense of warmth and coziness. I’m a little late to the party this year thanks to a late summer getaway the hubby and I took. (Not that I’m complaining because it was nice to relax). But I couldn’t focus on fall until just this past weekend.

I finally dug out our box of decorations and started embracing the new season. I took my time going through different rooms adding pieces here and rearranging there. I found myself decorating the house completely differently from last year. I suppose it makes sense since I’ve added to our collection. But what I really wanted to share was how I found some easy and inexpensive ways to decorate using yard sales finds and, of course, a little DIY!In the living room, I added a berry garland to the mantel that I had picked up for 75 cents at an estate sale. At the time I bought it, I didn’t know where it would go, but knew I’d find a place for it eventually. Some of the berries were broken, exposing its white foam center, but that was nothing a little red nail polish couldn’t fix! I also switched out the blue bowl on the coffee table with a brown one I had in the kitchen. (Never underestimate the value of shopping your own house!)I changed the faux flowers on the coffee table from summery to more festive ones. I had found these at a yard sale last year for 50 cents. I also added a strip of burlap to the mason jar. I picked up a spool of 6″ burlap at Michael’s on sale for around $2. It’s such a great texture for fall and handy for hanging wreaths! I did just that for the wreath I added to our window mirror as seen above.The newly installed shelf in our entryway needed some updating. I removed some of the items and rearranged the layout, adding a strip of burlap as a little runner. The pumpkin candle was 25 cents at a garage sale. The lantern was $1 at an estate sale. I filled it using leaf garland and pine cones I already had. The orange flowers were a splurge at $3.50 found at Michael’s.Our mason jar sconce also needed a seasonal change. I switched out the hydrangea for mums that I bought at Michael’s for only 80 cents a piece. I also took out the clear stone filler and replaced them with acorns from our backyard.I made two fall wreaths. This was something I had never attempted before. (If I can do it, so can you!) I bought a grapevine wreath from Michael’s for $4.99 and hot glued faux flowers and berries onto it. It’s simple, but serves its purpose.This straw wreath I picked up a yard sale for 50 cents. I took garland I already had and pinned it on. It literally took me less than 5 minutes to make!Remember that bookcase I scored a few months back? It’s currently making a home in our kitchen and is turning out to be a great spot for decor. Everything on the shelves is thrifted, minus the towels and the metal bucket. One of my favorite “new to me” items is that basket. I grabbed it for 25 cents just this weekend!And I don’t like to let our bathroom go without a little something seasonal. I love incorporating purple for fall. So I took some faux flowers and put them in a cute milk jar (only 10 cents!) to sit on our vanity. And the little brown box is actually a favor from our wedding!

I still have a little more decorating to do. Look for a DIY pumpkin sign soon!

What kind of decorator are you? Are you thrifty or like to splurge? Do you like to switch things up from year to year? I’d love to hear some of your favorite tips and tricks.