Half Wall Living Room Makeover

Back in November 2014 I decided I was going to makeover my living room one wall at a time and started with our fireplace wall (click here for before and after photos).  After that I was still pretty much at a loss with what to do with the rest of the space but eventually I decided that I would tackle another wall.  However, part of this wall is mostly open to the kitchen, so really I only had to makeover a half wall.  Here's what it looked like when I started:

Before Photo Of  The Half Wall

Yes, that is a ceramic Elvis bust and a Velvet Elvis painting.  I actually am extremely fond of these items but I just wanted a change so I moved them to another room.  

The blue dresser we purchased not too long ago from one of our local second hand shops.  It is great for storage and I really love it except the knobs were a little too plain for me.  So I purchased some hardware from my Butterfly Collage Collection on Zazzle.

My Mix and Match Butterfly Designs on Carolina Hardware Knobs
(Available here)

I'm real happy with how these look and function with my dresser.

Butterfly Hardware On The Dresser

Also, just for fun I decided to line the drawers with my Butterfly Collage Wrapping Paper (available here).  It makes me smile whenever I open a drawer for something.

Butterfly Collage Lined DVD Drawer

Above the dresser I hung a couple of display shelves.  I had originally bought these for our guest room but they didn't work there.  I really like them though so I'm glad I was able to use them here.  I didn't want to buy a bunch of new stuff just to fill them so I used items I already had in other places in the house, such as one of my most recent paintings and a pair of butterfly fairy bookends without the books because I just how they look that way.  The great thing about display shelves is that it's easy to change stuff out so I'm sure I will have fun restyling them at some point.

My "Summer Wind" Painting and Other Items On Display Shelves

I kept the top of the dresser clear except for a runner and a book stand, giving us room to temporarily dump keys or mail here when we need to.  After that, all that was left to do was paint the door to the basement to add some more color and contrast and I was done!

After Photo Of The Half Wall

It's amazing what a big difference changing just a few elements made.  It's really giving me a feel for what I might want to do with the rest of the room someday.  

Have you ever made a small change in your home that made a big difference?  Please feel free to share your ideas and experiences in the comments below.

5 Reasons To Love Zinnias

Tulips have always been my favorite flowers.  So much so that I was determined to grow a whole field of them here at one time.  Unfortunately, there were some other creatures around here who loved tulips as much as I do, so that turned out to be an impossible task.  Then one year, after our measly tulip crop had faded, Hippie planted the area with Zinnia seeds.  When I saw the results of this just a few weeks later I fell madly in love with Zinnias (shhh, don't tell the Tulips).  Here's 5 reasons why:

1. They're Easy To Grow

My Laid Back Hippie Flower Child

It isn't hard at all to plant and maintain Zinnias.  Hippie buys a big bag of seeds every Spring, spreads them around, covers them with a little mulch, waters the area occasionally and then we wait for the magic to start happening.  They are annuals in our climate but we harvest some of the seeds and replant them the following year.

Feeling The Zinnia Love

2. They're Beautiful

The Perfect Petals Of A Pink Zinnia

Zinnia's have a lot going for them in the looks department.  They are tall and colorful and have lovely, tidy petals.  We plant a mix of different varieties and they all look great and compliment each other.

3.  They Have A Long Blooming Season

Zinnia Blooms And Autumn Foliage

If you plant Zinnia seeds in Spring you should see them bloom by Mid-Summer and they often remain in bloom well into Fall.  The photo above was taken in Mid-October!

4. They Make Great Cut Flowers

A Variety Of Cut Zinnias In Thrift Store Vases Makes A Casual But Charming Display

The length, sturdiness and beauty of Zinnias make for perfect bouquets and long lasting flower arrangements.

5. Pollinators Love Them

A Busy Bee In Our Zinnia Garden

Zinnias are magnets for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  Every time I visit my Zinnia garden I know that I will be seeing one or all of these amazing creatures.

Hummingbirds Are Frequent Visitors To Our Zinnia Garden

Do you love Zinnias too?  Or is there another low maintenance flower that you'd like to recommend?  Please feel free to leave a comment below.

The Moon Garden

I'm so excited to finally be able to share our moon garden with you.  This project started back in December when I found a really lovely blue bench on clearance for an amazing price that I just couldn't pass up.  I had the perfect spot in mind for it.

Before: Weeds Over Concrete

You can't tell from the picture above but there is actually a concrete pad under all those weeds.  I'm not sure what the previous homeowners used it for but I knew it would be the perfect spot for a little garden room and of course, I was right.

After: The Moon Garden

The garden aspect of this new outdoor room is mostly potted plants, since you can't grow anything (except really stubborn weeds) in concrete.  Keeping with the moon theme I chose white flowers such as Jasmine and Gardenia as well as plants with silver foilage like Licorice Plants.

The gazing ball stand was once the base of a bird bath (the top was broken).

The Buddha Statue was a Homegoods find.

I also planted a moonflower vine behind the bench to grow on the fence where I added some mirrored stars (former Christmas decorations).  The metal table was yellow when I bought it on clearance, so I spray painted it blue.  The throw pillow I designed myself (available at my Cabagelow Creations Shop).

The Moon And The Stars

I guess I could have stopped there but then my local home improvement store had a sale on concrete stepping stones.  I used these to create a path to and from our new garden room.

The Path To The Moon Garden

Me, Walking The Path

That was a lot of work but I just couldn't call this project done until I had added some lighting.  A few outdoor solar light fixtures (affiliate link) did the trick.

The Moon Garden At Night

Then, finally, it was time to relax and enjoy our new moon garden.

Hippie and I relaxing In Our New Garden Room

I would like to dedicate this post to the memory of our neighbor Irving.  I will miss our gardening chats.

Thank you for reading.  Your comments are always appreciated.

Moon Garden: Fly To The Moon / Reach For The Stars Pillows by Cabagelow
Browse more Bird Pillows at Zazzle

"Moon Landing" Bird Photography Greeting Card by time2see
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Moonflower and Friend Note Card by time2see
Find more Victoria lynn hall Cards at Zazzle

Moon Garden: Moonlight And Vines Party Plates by Cabagelow
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