The ruined sisal rug :( and my solution

I thought I was safe putting a white slip covered sofa in the TV room.  Twins watch TV in there, the couch eventually gets dirty and is washed and bleached and looks brand new.  So far, that's working like a charm.  What did not work like a charm was my brilliant move to put a light colored sisal rug down in the same space.  Definitely should have gone with a darker colored, as in won't show the dirt, rug down in there.  Red jello spill on the sisal and I tried everything to lift the red off the surface, but nothing worked.  Then I thought - hey as a last resort maybe Oxy Clean.  Didn't take whatever type of coloring they put in jello out, but it did take all the color out of the sisal.  Take a look:

It's a good thing I love my daughter, who has sworn she will never again eat red jello while watching TV.  So next up, I'm thinking well....the only thing I can do is paint it or cover it.  I liked the idea of painting a black diagonal diamond pattern on the rug, but knew I would never find the time.  I chose the easier route, just find something suitable to cover it up.

When I ran into TJ's to get those purple pillows for the guest room, I spy a dhurrie rug with colors that would work.  I quickly decide to buy it because I figure for $50, it it worked it would be a quick fix.  Take a look below at the perfect color palette for the room.

LOVED the orange, black and white and even the blue.  So I now stratigically try both ways I can place the rug to cover the spot.  First up - vertical.

I liked it on the veritcal, but then ultimately ended up changing it to this.  Also decided to buy the twins 2 little Ikea cheapo Lack tables (how can they possibly make and distribute these for $7.99?) and figure they can each have a table for their TV snacks.  Note: the tables are put side by side when not being used for snack time.  The twins love the tables and hey who cares if they wreck them....at that price they are almost considered disposable.

I like the color it adds to the room and figure the spot on the sisal can easily be hidden if we ever elect to put it in a BR in the future.  Plan to plop the bed right over that ugly white spot.

Finally, something to share - The Guest Room

I am always so inspired by the blogs I read and the amount of work and DIY projects that can be "done on a dime"....because that's typically about all I have to spend. So, knowing that I will soon be having an overflow of tween girls here for 2 months of the summer, I set my next goal as getting the guest room ready to look a bit more cheerful and a bit more like something tween girls might enjoy. 

Might as well start with the before shot of the room that was drab and dreary.  Sorry it's such a bad shot, but it's the only one I have.

It's a small room, but has 2 windows and good hardwood floors.  First step, get rid of the weird green color and change it to a color match of Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage and paint out the trim in white, so that it looks fresh and crisp. Had the paint, so no money spent. Next up, a trip to IKEA for some new duvet covers to add a bit more color to the room.  Found something I thought looked "tweeny" for a great price - $24.99 each.  Now I pull in some twin beds that I have had forever and have a friend help me cut some new  secure bed slats.  Next up some accessories, with the smallest of budgets.  I had an old pine dresser that could work in the room and after I put it between the beds, I decided I needed 2 small scale lamps.  So, in a discard pile from a garage sale (as in free), I find 2 of these:

and after some

$9 lampshades at

IKEA, they now look

a bit more hip and

take up less room

on the dresser.  So,

I end up with 2 of

these for a total

$18!  Now that's

a deal that makes 

me very happy 

Off to TJ's for some funky pillows @ 12.99 each, adding a touch of texture and fun:

Beds up and made....hurray, it's now starting to look like a room.  Still need curtains and something on the walls - but figure the kids won't notice if I don't get that finished right away....their eyes will be glued to the small flatscreen on the door wall.  The best part of the story is that this room came in at about $100.  Fortunately I had the beds and mattresses and the pine dresser, so the costs were: Duvets $50, lampshades $18 and pillows $26.

No posts - what's up???

No posts as of late.....I know, I know!  The good news is I am working on 3 rooms - all in a state of "not nearly complete" and one even in a complete demo state.  In fact if I showed you the picture of that room, it just might freak you out :)

Anyway, please know that I am working to complete at least 2 of the rooms within the week, so I'll actually have something to share.  As for the complete scarey demo room, I'm praying it goes well and will be done by the end of the month - my goal date.

So, hang with me people, stay tuned and please be patient until I can at least get one damn room finished!

Peace out!