Here is my living room when I first moved it. I don’t even know where to start with this room, except to say it was a mess. It is packed with all of the leftover furniture that I didn’t know what to do with. The floors are unfinished (we pulled up some horrible carpeting right after we closed), the pine trim is dark and heavy, no curtains, no blinds…just a mess. I did choose the wall colors, but that’s about all that was intentional about this room. And here’s how it looks now. Ahhh, much better. There’s still a lot I want to do, but I really like the direction I’m going. I’ll break down how much this room cost me… The french provincial sofa on the left (with a down cushion) was $50 at a yard sale. I slip covered it in a white cotton twill fabric and it’s

Decorative painting and murals is my main business, but I also buy and sell antiques & home decor. I LOVE thrifting, junking, yard saling, fleaing (I’m making up a lot of words, here), attending auctions, dumpster diving, and digging through the attics, barns, and basements of my family & friends. I’m going to start sharing with you some of my favorite finds and how I’ve used them in my home. This chandelier was $4.00!! No lie. It was in a box at a yard sale with a piece of paper on it that said “chandelier, $5.” When I opened the box and pulled out the paper, I was expecting some builder grade, nasty brass thing, but I pulled out a huge bag of crystals. Sold. I didn’t need to see the rest of the chandelier. I asked if they’d take $4.00 for it, paid the people, and walked calmly to