To recap this portion of my challenge, here are the goals for my first room, the Foyer:
- Do all this by Christmas and with a budget of no more than $300.00.
What follows is the end result:
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| After |
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| Before |
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| After |
Accessories
- Flooring - I searched quite a few stores and online for an area rug and ended up getting two. Both came from Target for under $20 each.
- Art - A painting done by my daughter in an old IKEA frame and an Asian print I had in my basement.
- Wall Decor - An antique ironwork piece found at an antique store in Indiana for $18, plus a basket I bought for $1.
- Plants - Brought the geranium and asparagus fern in from outside.
- Wreath - I looked and looked for a wreath under $35, but didn't find one, of course. So I made it from the Magnolia leaves from our backyard tree, pine cones from our lake cottage, and wood shavings from our basement work shop. Woodstock, our cat, helped!
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| I didn't need that box of leaves! |
I started with a styro-foam wreath form, wrapped it in scrap fabric, added 3-4 leaves at a time around the front, then around the side, and finally hot glued pine cones around the center and a few pieces of rolled wood shavings between the leaves.
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| I used floral pins to hold the leaves |
The Bench Cushion
I sewed this cushion up with such focus, I forgot to take pictures of the progress. It is about 47 by 16 inches with a 3 inch foam slab. I thought about putting cording around it, but didn't have enough material. In the end, it still looks good to me!
The Budget
I did it under budget, on time, and I'm really happy with the change in
the look and the added functionality. I hope this inspired someone to
take a chance to make a big impact in a small area of their home.
A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Hope you'll be back next year to see
the start of room 2 of this challenge.
