Ms. Spontaneity

I'm not sure how I would explain my personality. I am all about having a plan. I don't like surprises. My calendar is my best friend. I have a "to-do" list beside me at my desk 24/7. However, there's a part of me that's very spontaneous. Once I get something on my mind, it's almost impossible to let it go. This happened last Thursday. Around 1:00 pm, I decided I wanted to paint my kitchen....immediately. I got out of school at 3:00 and by 4, I had picked out the color, gone to the store, and had my gallon of paint ready to go. I sought out the help of some friends but was so impatient, I ended up painting the whole thing before they even arrived! I was pretty proud of myself! Here's a shot of the before- I didn't like the green the first day I walked in and saw it being painted.

And, here's the after. I LOVE it and am so glad I followed through with the oh so spontaneous idea of mine.  It looks more blue in the pictures that it really is.  It's more of a blue-gray color.  It's very tranquil- perfect and exactly what I was going for.

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Amateur Design Challenge

If you're a regular reader (anyone?), then it's no secret that the bare wall in my living room has been an eyesore  since I moved in.  I wrote a plea for help a few months ago in which I explained my debacle.  I decided that Santa's task this Christmas would be to save me from this design dilemma.  I asked for Hobby Lobby gift cards, money for furniture, and a bookshelf I found online just hoping I could find something, ANYTHING, to fix this wall that bothered me daily.  Well, Santa delivered.  I in no way claim to be Candace Olsen or a female version of Nate Berkus, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.  It's still not 100% complete and there are a few things I am still searching for, but it's much better than before.  Here's the before and after. (Thank you, Picnik.)

As you can see, the television table was too short to fill the wall, but too tall to place a picture above it.  I didn't know what to place on each side.  My symmetric mentality limited the possibilities.  I felt like what went on one side needed to go on the other.  Finally, I gave that up and decided to go with a chair and bookshelf.  The chair is a brown chenille wingback from Kirklands.  It was $329, marked down to $229, and the day I went in.....it was $185.  I checked my phone on a whim for a coupon and found a 15% off so I used it right away.  I ended up paying around $160 for the chair.  You can't beat that!  Santa (aka my mom that went all the way to Decatur for me) bought me the bookshelf for Christmas.  I searched all over for the perfect one.  This one came from BIG LOTS for $60.  I loved the open back and the criss-cross pattern on each side.  The curtains are from World Market- one of my obsessions, and the cross is from Hobby Lobby.  

It's a work in progress, but I have had so much fun designing my own little space.  Next, the bedroom.  :)