Guest Post: Wallpaper!!!

You know how there are just some people who have "the eye"??? No, not like your mother when you are doing something she hates (c:  Y'know, *the eye* for DESIGN...that is my guest Liz today from her wonderful blog Wallpaper...she has got the gift! Her home is so amazing and I am so very impressed at how she has utilized every inch (and every penny) to it's absolute best!

Hi there everyone! I'm Liz from Wallpaper blog and I am so thrilled to be apart of this great series today.

I have been in my home for three years now and I live with my single parent mother and my sister. The home was in bad shape when we first got it. The place needed a lot of TLC but I feel we’ve finally been able to make it into a home that we all love. Of course there are always a few things that need fixing and updating but for the most part we are very happy with all of our hard work and the outcome so far.

We didn't have a lot of money to throw into décor and design after all of the major reno’s like brand new electrical, heating, central air, floors, plumbing and landscaping. So we scoured local vintage and antique shops, craigslist and sometimes even our street to see what people were tossing. Our dining room sideboard is a perfect example of this, it was a secondhand find on Kijiji that I refinished myself. Everyone who ever comes over comments on how great it is, and I love that it is such a statement piece!

A lot of the décor in my home is DIY, or from big box stores that I’ve modified. But it makes me appreciate it all even more because I’ve had a hand in creating it!

Our bamboo dining chairs are actually from craigslist and I refinished and reupholstered them. The taupe parsons dining chairs are from Costco and I added nail head trim to them to make them unique and add some glam! even the zebra print table runners are homemade!

This wall unit is actually from Ikea, my sister and I just played around with separate book shelf pieces and found a configuration we liked and screwed the entire thing together and of course anchored it all to the wall. We love that it hides all the TV components and our DVD collection, but yet the two taller bookshelves with glass fronts display some of our favourite things! Another bonus, the shelving is super shallow and doesn't take up what little space we already have, so we get the look of a custom built in when it's really not.

The painting on the right side is actually a custom piece done by my sister.My sister paints abstract artwork and I also always use her beautiful creations instead of buying art because not only is it free but it’s custom made to match the rest of the space.

I tend to lean towards neutral spaces with hints of colour in accessories and accents. Everyone is different but for my family and me we feel it is easier for us to switch up throw pillows, and accessories from season to season if we have a neutral base to work with.

one of my favourite spaces is my room. I love the calming and neutral palette and all the glam elements!

In my room the closet on the left had doors all the way to the ceiling, I took the top doors off and used the space as a bookshelf. I have a lot of books and not much space! I also utilized empty nooks to put a small desk, which is actually a console table that I use as my desk. I live in a small bungalow with tiny rooms, but despite this I still fit a double bed with side table, desk with chair, dresser and reading nook with larger chair into my room

 love my inspiration boards that I made myself, they make me smile!

all of the chairs in my room were refinished and reupholstered by me as well as the dresser and desk

inexpensive frames that I used to create a gallery wall

Another thing I love to do is to decorate with things I love to see, surround yourself with pretty and beautiful things and trust me you will always feel great in your home!

for my sister's room we took an Ikea dresser and changed out the hardware. We spray painted the mirror's frame silver and refinished and reupholstered the zebra print chair. 

We built a gallery wall with pictures of things she loved. I just went online and found a lot of the pictures and printed them on photo paper.

We also displayed things she loved on a double shelf from Ikea

this little baby was also a vintage find that I reupholstered

I love to shop at HomeSense (known as HomeGoods in the states) because well, who doesn't love to save money! Plus they always have some trendy pieces that can update your space instantly.

In the bathroom... everything in here is brand new, it was all in such bad shape it all had to go.

apothecary jars filled with bath goodies

DIY artwork on the walls

glam elements yet again!

adding texture with rugs

and last but not least, the backyard...

spray painted this old wicker love seat

I love our little deck, it's great for entertaining and having friends over for BBQ!

got this whole set from Walmart and added my own accessories, the garden stool I spray painted to match my pillows

this baby we built for extra storage, the backyard was actually a complete overhaul, we started with just a dirt ground and added plants, grass and everything else!

Holy that was a long post, sorry! but I hope you all enjoyed taking a peak inside my home and all the elements that make it unique to me :)

Thanks so much, Liz! I'm pretty sure that I have a serious case of the wants for that wallpaper in her sister's room...I am a blue fiend! (c: Can you believe what they have done with the place?

Amazing, A-mazing, *AMAZING*!

Did I mention I thought it was great? (c:

Up tomorrow:

Brandi from Flights of Whimsy!