When I get bored

When I get bored, I redecorate.

And I don't mean bored as in "I have nothing to do, look at poor me sitting around all day."

No. I NEVER get that kind of bored.

But I get bored with looking at the same thing over and over. So I do things like change the mantel.

My sister can attest to my decorating neurosis.

While visiting with her family this last weekend, I made her help me rearrange the furniture in my family room, and I bored her for a good half an hour with tales of my sofa dilemma, and colors and what should go where and why I feel nuts all the time and spend hours thinking about or staring at parts of my house that aren't quite right yet.

She asked, "Is this what it's like in your head all the time?"

Um, yes.

"Well, it's exhausting."

Yes, yes it is.

As I rearranged my living room, I took old things down, or put them in new places, I added a few cheap Target and Goodwill finds, and overall I am really happy about the new direction the family room is taking.

But as I took stuff down, I kept saying "This would be cute in Nora's room."

When I was done, I had a good pile going for her room and I am now also in the middle of semi-recorating her room as well. Pictures to follow sometime this week. Hopefully of the family room too.

This redecorating frenzy started with my kitchen. I love my kitchen. I love the colors and all the stuff that would make other people crazy to look at it all the time.

But I also was needing a change in there. A change in a kitchen without painting and with no budget you say? How do you do such a thing.

I just took the doors off of some of my cupboards

What?! Are you crazy? you ask.

No.

Let me show you.

The photos are not very good quality, but you get the idea.

It was exactly the facelift I needed. It did cost me about 20 bucks to find a few white dishes and that awesome red lamp from Goodwill to fill in the gaps, but we use every single thing in that cupboard. None of it is decorative only.

I didn't want kitchen cupboards that I couldn't use. How stupid would that be? But I arranged them in what I felt was an aesthetically pleasing way, and we use most everything on a daily basis.

I was also able to display some of my crystal that we DON"T use everyday, by mixing it with things we do use at least weekly.

So here is a before:

And after:

I also had to rearrange my drawers and placement of things on the counter a little too to accomodate where I moved the baking and lunch centers. But I am happy with the way everything is working.

It's not for everybody. Many people need clean, simple lines and this would feel like too much visual clutter. But I'm not everybody. I'm me, and I like it.

That's how I approach decorating in general. If I like it, then whatev to how other people feel about it. I mean, really, I have to live with it, no one else. Well...my family does too, but they just have to live with it too I guess.

And I'm not saying I totally discount other people's opinions. I have neighbors and my sister and sister in law who decorate completely different than I do. But when I am stuck on a color or pattern or arrangement, I like to ask them so that I can get a fresh perspective. It helps that they all know me so well, so that their advice mingles well with my style.

But ultimately, I do what I like.

And so should you.

When I first took the doors off and arranged things, I would close my eyes,jump around the corner,and then open them real quick so that I could be happily surprised everytime I walked in my kitchen.

True story.

That's how decorating should make you feel, I say.

I love getting new ideas. Taking the doors off is not my own original idea. I first saw it here.But I made it my own by adding my own flare to it.

There is so much that can be done with little to no money and a little creativity.

How do you decorate that is unique to you?

I love new ideas, so please, please share.

Now I'm off for more of what I obviously can't get enough of.

See you tomorrow.