Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Nice, Neat, and New to Me!

Sometimes I just get sick of stuff.
For example, I've been tired of my bed linen for . . . about a year now. I did spend much of 2009 in that bed, waiting out Evie's delivery, so I had plenty of time to see it and be tired of it.
Here's the before shot:
I got the throw pillows and throw (on the chest at the foot of the bed) over four years ago, hoping that the ever-so-small hint of mint/teal green in the chair's stripe would be more noticeable.  I also made the bed skirt with the same intent--small red stripes on the big green would highlight the green.  Now that I look at it in a photo, I can see how it never did do what I had intended.

I also have this cheap streak that runs through me, and I was hesitant to replace something that was still fully functional and not damaged in any way.  And I knew how much it could cost to replace all that bed linen, pillows, accessories, etc.

I cleaned out my bathroom linen cupboard last week, and I happened upon a white matelasse bed skirt that I'd bought eons ago.  So, on Saturday morning, I decided to dismantle the bed to change out the bed skirt.  I hate that job.  While I was at it, I vacuumed the baseboard and frame, removed the box springs and vacuumed the carpet under the bed. Then, I replaced the bed skirt.

Dangerous territory.  Now I wanted to redo the whole she-bang.

So I headed to Target "just to see."  More dangerous territory.

But I was so happy with what I found!  Here's a few shots of "after":

 Less than $80.  My Christmas money from my father-in-law well spent.  Here's a breakdown of the change:

Three new throw pillows for the bed:  each less than $20.

"Bedspread" at the foot of the bed:  This was my best idea.  We stayed in a hotel in Chicago last summer that used one width of fabric across the foot of the bed to imitate a folded-down bedspread.  I found the 95" drapery panel on clearance for $18.14, and it works perfectly.  This is AZ.  How often did I really use that big duvet?  Maybe three weeks a year.
Everything else I mined from the rest of the house.  I removed the faded tulips from the tops of the bookshelves.  I rearranged the pictures on top of my dresser.  The pillows that are now on the chairs and window seat were formerly part of a huge pile in the basement, only being used for pillow fights.  So much better upstairs, don't you think?  That patterned vase between the chairs is one of my favorites, and it was hiding in the "official tchotchke closet," waiting for an opportunity such as this.  The best thing about this vase?  It's metal, so Evie and Hyrum can't break it.

I'm so happy.  It makes the crazy-striped chairs look purposeful. Plus, I eliminated an entire row of throw pillows from the bed.  And I love the textures of these new ones.

Sigh.  Yet another reason why I love Target.
Jenny Matlock
Linking up to the letter N at Alphabe-Thursday with Jenny Matlock.
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46 comments:

  1. I love the change and Target too! You really made your money stretch. Nice redo!~Ames

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  2. Wow Jen! So much bang for your buck! I love the changes. The colors are beautiful.
    Vacuuming the carpet under the bed...yikes!

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  3. You hit the bull's eye with your trip to Target. Ahhhh, I can't believe I said that. Seriously, it looks marvelous.

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  4. The room looks lovely, and for the cost, I'm sure there's lots to smile about. We don't have a Target in Canada.

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  5. Hey Jen! Thank you for your sweet comment. I am now following you also and I love the after on your new bed linens. Your blog name is funny. I live in Denton NC. Were does your Denton blog name come from? I was very interested in your post and your babies are sooo beautiful!

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  6. It looks great, and I love Target too! I've had my bed linens for about 10 years, and I'm so tired of them. Maybe I need a trip to Target.

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  7. Love it! All my bed linens are from Target! It looks so pretty!

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  8. oh, yes. The chairs seem to have more purpose. I love chairs in the bedroom. I love the flower pillow, I have one like it in rust.

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  9. What the heck is "matelasse"? Sounds frilly and expensive.

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  10. What a beautiful HUGE bedroom. The red really makes it stand out. Good choice.

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  11. It's amazing how these little things help so much! I'd say you deserved it and did it very well...enjoy! ;D

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  12. I never realized how much you changed stuff in our house til I left and had to read about it on your blog.

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  13. That's a great change! It looked good before to me, but I love the improvement.

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  14. That looks great. I love splashes of the red. Target is a great place to blow your money.

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  15. Boy, that really warms up the room! Love it.

    =)

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  16. Back again! - missed your posts & thanking you for your lovely comment on mine and wishing you a Happy New Year!

    Great ‘N’ post-wish we had Target here in Spain!

    XOXO Lola & Nora:)

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  17. What a nice big bedroom. Great job on the New and Found Linens. It's always fun to redo with something New, and you have Spring Cleaning done early!

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  18. Oh how I LOVE Target!!!
    The change looks amazing.
    Our bedroom desperately needs a new look....sigh!
    Maybe I'll head to Target later?!?:)
    Enjoy the day

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  19. You brought so much more color to the room. It looks wonderful.

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  20. Beautiful! And really, who doesn't love Target?

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  21. What a great made over! Your bedroom looks like a good size, and the colors are very beautiful!

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  22. I really like the change! The pop or red is great. It looks warm and inviting now.

    ~ Tracy

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  23. That's so funny, because when I was home for Christmas I was thinking about how much I liked your bedding, the tulips on the mantle, etc. It just seemed so light and happy. I really like the new stuff too!

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  24. Can you PLEASE come over to my house and help me update my bedroom! I still have the same comforter given to us as a wedding gift and I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF IT! You'd think I would just go and sew a duvet cover but I'm kind of lazy so that's probably not going to happen.

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  25. Wow, the red really pops now...looks great! I've been telling me husband we need a more "grown up" bedroom! We bought a new bed over 3 yrs ago and still have the same old comforter (that tears a little everytime I make the bed!) on it. I just can't make up my mind what to get...but I guess anything would be better than what we have now!
    I mentioned you on my blog today...hope you don't mind!

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  26. That brown ruffly pillow is fantastic! Target is my happy place- and your room is so bright and clean and pretty.

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  27. Fun, and so cheaply done too! You WIN! I so love that you have an entire closet of just knick knacks that have been, may be, can be used at another time.

    I can't wait to redo my bedroom, SOON! Now, my bedspread has been in use for NINE years, so I think it's high time for a new one.

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  28. Wow, I love that room. Looks so inviting and cozy. Good job!

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  29. Our bed linens are all from Target, too - I love their "Thomas O'Brien" line - so much quality for relatively short money! Nicely done, Jen, it looks really great!!

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  30. It looks like you've been watching HGTV. When I do that too much we always take on a project at our house!

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  31. girl that red really popped! great job!

    yes target rocks...they suck me in each time. when i tell hubs i'm running to target for diapers i think he snorts w/laughter! no one can just come out w/that 1 thing huh?

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  32. you inspired me to head to Target today. Of course I had a time limit. . .so I only made it about 1/3 of the way through the store, but always enjoyable!

    Love that brown one with the rosettes!

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  33. Very nifty! I love your new look.

    Teresa

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  34. LOVE your room...even loved the old look!!

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  35. A couple of weeks ago I put my foot through my favorite sheets! I was stunned! I used to have sheets that were made to last several hundred years and I got rid of them because I was sick of them! Now my favorite sheets are rags! I am going back to flannel.

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  36. White matelasse - always a favorite of mine. I love the new look, the colors, and I love Target. I never fail to find great stuff there for a wonderful price! Good job!

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  37. Can I say that I'm a little jealous of your ginormous bedroom? Anyway, it looks beautiful! And, love those deals you found!

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  38. I decorated my entire bedroom around one pillow. I love that pillow so much! It makes our room:) love your pillows too!

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  39. Big impact for little$$$$. Wow!!
    Yesterday it was announced that Target is coming to Canada - whoopee!! Whenever I go south I head for a Target. It seems like a store created for real families.

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  40. I missed this and oh how I love a frugal redo. Looks great. I just found out Target is buying 255 leases across Canada from our Zellers stores. Likely one will not come here, but still just to have access to in the city. It will have to be my second stop after IKEA. Very exciting!
    Dana

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  41. What a nifty re-do!

    Looks like it cost a bunch of bucks, but instead you did it frugally.

    That looks really awesome and I love the new colors as well.

    Impressive stop on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's letter "N".

    You are really Neat!

    A+

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  42. Looks really nice. I love red as an accent. It is my favorite color and I have to make myself put red items down all the time so I do not end up with too much of it.

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  43. The new bedding looks great! Gotta love Target!

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  44. I love Target too :)

    I envy the big, spacious and CLEAN room you have! From the looks of it, half of my apartment can fit into your bedroom. That makes me feel sad....

    However, I absolutely love the before and the after images of your room. I really love the red. :)

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