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I’m not sure what’s happening but it seems that I’m developing a theme windows lately. It started with a thrifted old screen, then it was custom curtain rods and sheers in the living room, and now it’s old wooden shutters. 

Hey there and welcome to another Thrifty Style Team day, where a few of my talented blogging friends and I share how we style or makeover our favorite thrifted finds.

Small master bedroom before old wooden shutters were added to the window.

Today is all about a pair of old wooden shutters that I found for a steal.

I actually bought these shutters for $10 from an estate sale when we lived in Illinois. I found them hidden in the back of a garage, all full of cobwebs and filthy dirty. They weren’t pretty but they were intact and without any rot, so I knew that a little TLC would fix them right up.

We’d been searching garage sales for months for shutters for our dining area window with no luck. Because we had looked at so many, for so long, I knew the ones I found were a great deal.

Taking old wooden shutters and adding then to a master bedroom window.

I took my prize home and was trying to figure out how I was going to hang them when the hubs took the new job in NC. I wasn’t about to get rid of them so we packed them up and moved them with us.

Fast forward to decorating our current master bedroom. We have a small master bedroom, as in teeny tiny, and decorating it has been a challenge. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we have 2 large windows, which is great for light but makes decorating a bit tricky.

Most people would put curtains on the windows to soften the room but that’s just not my style (although I did make one exception here). Besides the fact that I don’t care for them, curtains would have closed in the room, which is already small. I felt that simple was best, so I hung my trusted lined, woven wood shades and called it a day.

Once I added a new nightstand and lamp on the hubs’ side of the bed, I felt like something was missing on the window. Then I remembered my old wooden shutters hanging out in the basement. They would be the perfect touch. 

Adding a small DIY nightstand to a small master bedroom.

All they needed was a good cleaning, a trim to cut them to size and a few screws to secure the sides. I like the idea of adding a touch of black so I kept them as is.

Trimming an old wood shutter to size to hang in a master bedroom.

We hung the shutters up and they fit perfectly, like they were meant to be in this space. I think the hubs even likes them. 😉 

After old wooden shutters were hung on the master bedroom wall.

 

A brilliant idea! Adding a unique touch of charm with a set of old wooden shutters to a master bedroom window.

Genius old wood shutter Idea! Add them to the windows in a master bedroom window.

Now I just need to finish the rest of the room. 

Have you found any new ways to use a thrifty find?

Remember to stop back tomorrow. I’ll be sharing an update on the powder room addition.

The thrifty goodness has just begun. See what the rest of the team has done with they’re thrifty finds.

 

 


 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

 

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Hello and happy July!

I don’t know where June went but here it is July already. Lots of things going on this month but this is all about our cottage musings for June.

Cottage Musings for June: Front porch window screen

We haven’t been able to spend a whole lot of time sitting outside on our porch this summer. We’ve had a ton of rain lately, which means a lot of mosquitos. I bet I can get 5 bites every time I step outside. Ugh…

I did a lot of little projects in June, like my flag front door basket and the old window screen on the front porch. The living room, along with the DIY curtain rods I made, was one of the bigger projects we worked on but it’s finally done and we’re enjoying it everyday.

Cottage Musings for June: Light and bright small living room makeover

No rest for the weary though because we’re already working on our next big project. If you watch my Instagram Stories you’ll be able to get sneak peaks of what we’re doing. 

Cottage Musings for June: New Project in the works

I know…

It’s not much to go on. I have to do something to get you to come back! 😉

There’s also another project coming up. It’s something totally unexpected, and a lot of you might think we’re crazy, but we’re excited about it. More to come…

We haven’t done a lot of outside work but we are tending our small experimental garden. The tomatoes are growing and we even have a few small ones. It’s too soon to tell if the rain caused any damage but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. My zinnias are doing ok. 

Cottage Musings for June: Flowers and the Garden

The rain flattened some but I still have a couple standing tall. They are so pretty. I’ll definitely plant them again next year.

What we’re watching:  Nothing right now but we’re eagerly waiting for Game of Thrones! Any one else?

What I’m reading: I’m sad to say that it’s been a while since I picked up a book. If you have any recommendations, I’m all ears. 

What I’m loving: Linen has been my go to this summer. I’m especially loving *this top (in white). I’m also living in the Panama hat that I bought in San Juan a few years ago. I have a large head (it holds my massive brain after all 😉 ) so I needed something large, which is hard to find.

Cottage Musings for June: Things I'm Loving (like my hat)

Caught my eye:

I don’t know why but I’m always looking at kitchens and bathrooms. I just love this bathroom. I think her shower is bigger than my whole bathroom (sad but true).

If there is such a thing as kitchen love, then I have it for Heather’s kitchen. Every time I see her beautiful kitchen, I stop and check out every detail like I’ve never seen it before.  

Great ideas:

Easily age wooden cutting boards

Love KariAnne’s easy solution for a plain, boring table (her words not mine 😉 ).

Yum!

How about an easy macaroni salad recipe. After all, it is the season. I love the look of this recipe, and he uses sweet pickles too. Yum!

Can’t wait to see what July brings!

Happy Sunday!

Hope you’re having an awesome 4th of July weekend!

Cottage Musings for June: Hanging a DIY flag basket on the front porch to add a patriotic flair.

*this post contains an affiliate link. Please see my Disclosure for more details

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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I’ve lived in a few homes with a small living room before, but the one we’re living with now definitely takes the cake. Not only is it teeny tiny but it has a very awkward layout. The front door opens up right into it, as well as a guest bedroom and the basement. Really, we only have one “good” wall to put our furniture on but that’s being generous.

Small living room makeover on a budget.

There’s not much we can do to change the layout, so we need to make little changes to add comfort and functionality for our family. Of course by little changes I mean paint and and decor, things that don’t require major construction. That’s just what we did for this living room makeover.

I’ve already shared a few of the projects and improvements we’ve made during the living room makeover. Now that all of the projects are done, it’s time for a final reveal.

Before we get to the reveal, let’s look back at the improvements we made. 

A long overdue improvement was the DIY fireplace mantel. This one was a must-do because it’s the only place we could put our behemoth tv. Men and their tv’s.  

Beefing up a skimpy fireplace mantel with a piece of chunky, painted pine.

Once we finished the mantel, I did a quick and easy makeover on the fireplace. Now we just need a thorough cleaning of the chimney and we can actually have a fire in it. 

Change the look of a fireplace with a little bit of elbow grease and fresh paint. A quick and easy makeover.

Next, it was time to tackle the disgusting basement door. We switched it out for a door that we found in the basement and now it looks good as new, especially with the new glass doorknob. 

Changing out an old dirty basement door, with a cat door in it, for a freshly painted door found in the basement.

The side of the room with the fireplace was looking pretty good so it was time to move over to the window wall. After I painted the wall (we’ll get to that in a minute) I could see that something was missing. I am so not a curtain girl, but adding the DIY curtain rods and shears was the right thing for this space. 

Adding DIY custom curtain rods, made out of galvanized pipe, to the living room window.

DIY custom curtain rods and linen sheers add style to a small living room.

The last project crossed off the list was painting the walls. I ended up painting a wall at a time, when I had time, so it took a while to finish.

Giving a small entryway and living room a makeover to turn it into a welcoming and comfortable space.

I ended up using the same paint color that’s in the kitchen and dining area, Benjamin Moore Paper White. We did consider trying a different color, but the living and dining room are connected so this made the most sense.

Making little changes in a small living room to make it a cozy and comfortable space.

It’s amazing what a few changes can do to a room. When we moved in last year there were gaping holes all over the yellow walls and broken window blinds. Now I feel like we’ve created a space that is comfortable and cozy…more “us”.  

Making little changes in a small, awkward living room to make it cozy and comfortable.

Sometimes it’s hard to see what a small, awkward space could look like when there are so many projects to do. I think that this one turned out just fine. 

We’re onto the next project and it’s a big one.

What are you working on now?

Living Room Sources

(Affiliate links used. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Please see my Privacy Policy for more info.) 

  • All black pipe and curtain rings – The Home Depot (affiliate link)
  • Linen sheers – Crate and Barrel (affiliate link)
  • Coffee Table – West Elm (affiliate link)
  • Wooden stool with dipped legs – Serena and Lily (affiliate link)
  • Blue Washed Velvet Pillow Cover – Pottery Barn (affiliate link)
  • Floor lamp – Pottery Barn (affiliate link)
  • Striped Pillows – Etsy
  • Round woven tray – Target
  • Woven Shade – Blinds.com
  • Sunburst mirror – Target (from a few years ago)
  • Black cabinet in entryway – Pottery Barn (bought years ago)
  • Round wood mirror – Home Goods
  • Black Lantern – Terrain
  • Wall hooks in entryway – Restoration Hardware
  • Wood tray in entryway – West Elm (affiliate link)
  • Brass floor lamp – Home Goods
  • Brass lantern – Pottery Barn (affiliate link)
  • Knit ottoman – Grandin Road
  • Black and white pillow cover – West Elm (affiliate link)
  • Sofa – the Holmes sofa by Taylor King (bought at the Furniture Mart in Hickory, NC)

Make sure you also check out the kitchen and dining area makeovers.

Using paint to give a small dining room a makeover on a budget.

Dining Room Makeover on a Budget

Adding open shelving in the kitchen area for under $50 using old barn wood and metal shelf brackets from Home Depot.

Open Shelving in the Kitchen for Under $50

 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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Happy Wednesday! I don’t usually post in the middle of the week but today is special because I’m taking part in a fun series with 14 talented bloggers, aka the “Thrifty Style Team”.  On the second Wednesday of each month, we’ll all share quick and easy thrifty ideas for the home. This week I’m sharing a new use for a thrifted old window screen that I found for $2. There’s more awesome thrifty ideas to check out though, so make sure you look for them at the end of the post.

There are a lot of thrift store finds scattered throughout our cottage but some of my favorite pieces are the ones that don’t need a makeover. I mean, how cool is it to find something you love for only a few bucks (and sometimes free!) and all it requires is a bit of elbow grease to clean it up? That’s my favorite kind of find!

Finding new uses for an old window screen, like hanging it up and using it as a divider on a front porch.

I’ve left plenty of thrift stores empty-handed but a few weeks ago I found an old window screen for $2. It wasn’t something that I was looking for but as soon as I saw it I knew that I could make good use of it. 

Finding new uses for an old thrifted window screen, like using it as a divider on a front porch.

The plan was to use it as a see-through divider on the front porch. I wanted to add something that had a bit of character. The hubs didn’t get it but I’ve long given up trying to convince him when I have an idea.

I thought about painting it, for about 2 seconds, and then I decided that all it needed was good cleaning and 4 stainless steel cup hooks to hang it up. Easy!

Finding new uses for an inexpensive and old thrifted window screen, like using it as a divider on a front porch.

It’s old and chippy and just what I was looking for. Well…I wasn’t exactly looking for it but I’m so glad that I found it.

I love the green paint under the white chippy paint and the old hardware. 

Finding a new use for a chippy, thrifted old window screen, like using it as a divider on a front porch.

The porch is still a work in progress but I love the character that the old window screen brings to our outdoor seating area. Now we need to fix the posts before the roof comes crashing down. It’s always something.

Finding a new use for an old, chippy, thrifted window screen, like using it as a see-through divider on a front porch.

Recycling an old thrift store window screen by using it as a divider on a front porch.

There’s more thrifty ideas to see so make sure you check out the whole team.

 


 

Check out a few other thrifty finds and DIY’s I’ve shared.

How to turn a thrifted vintage mirror into a cool kitchen chalkboard. An easy DIY you can do with just a few supplies.

Thrifted Vintage Mirror to Kitchen Chalkboard

A quick DIY to change a rusty old typewriter desk into a sleek nightstand with a little elbow grease and spray paint.

DIY Thrifted Industrial Nightstand

 

You can also find me at Between Naps on the Porch, Worthing Court, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage

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