Latest Living Room Changes

I have been excitedly working on the living room!  :)

After I posted about the MANY problems with this try (sometimes it takes several tries and many tweaks to get the room you want).....

I started tweaking almost immediately.

I took everything down, patched the swiss cheese holes, and touched up the paint.

Then using only stuff I already had on hand, which means FREE people, I got to this, which I'm totally LOVING!!!

I know it looks very beige in this picture, but there really is color...plus I'll be adding more color as this room continues to evolve.  It's been so gloomy, rainy and gray here in Indy it's next to impossible to get really good pictures. :(

Anywho, here's a close up of the wall above the couch.

See?  There really is color! :)

What's really important to me is that some of the pieces incorporated here have alot of meaning and history to me.

The purple inlaid floral in the center, I purchased when I lived in Italy.  I purchased it during one of my many trips to Sorrento, Italy....my absolute, most favorite place in the entire world!!! 

The blue star candle holders were purchased in Germany.  My ex-husband purchased those on our last vacation the month before I transferred to Hawaii. 

The red shelf is my "independence shelf".  That was my first purchase after I left my husband (the first time, LOL).  It was something he would have never went for...so I bought it.  I have always loved that shelf but hadn't displayed it yet in this home...my first house.  Isn't that strange?  Maybe that's what's been missing all along. :)

Now, let me point out this area is not done. 

I need to create balance by adding something on the wall to the left of the shelf.  I'm working on that.  It won't necessarily be plates or even round, but we'll see what I find.

I still have to work out the lighting over the couch as these sconces are way to modern for this look. 

Plus, I need to paint or stain or a combo of both (which is what I'm leaning towards) the coffee table, add a rug, and I'd really like to replace my modern looking glass/wood Ikea nesting tables with something more worn and all wood (I hate glass tables!  They are impossible to clean!).  Although I'd still really like nesting tables, they are convenient in a small space. 

So, I'll be on the looking out for cheap nesting tables I can paint.

Some of the other elements I used on the shelf are Dollar Tree redo's (that I already had), like the bird, the little box the plant is sitting on, and even the finial which was a pale tan before I painted it will some ORB paint! :)

The little "Blessed" sign on the wall was a half priced Hob Lob item ($2.50) and the planter was a Marshall's find one day ($5.99), and who knows where the fake plant came from.

The plates were all picked up at various times (for cheap) and displayed in my house at random times.

And the mirror was a flea market score for $10!!!  

You've seen it in staged pictures before....it was white.  White was too crisp for my living room, so I took it out and gave it a couple coats of black spray paint and then distressed it a little.

Can I make a confession?  I hope you don't think I'm strange for this. 

Do you want to know how I remember how much I paid for all this stuff, even though some of it I've had for many years? 

I leave the price tags on the backs!!  On purpose!

Seriously!  I love a deal so much, that I leave the prices on the backs so everytime I move something I can relive how awesome of a deal I got!  Am I crazy?  Does anyone else do that??

Anywho.....out of nutty-land that is me and back to my living room. :)

Let me be the first to point out the pet bed in the room.  At any time there could be either cat or the big fat pug on the bed cushion.  Did you notice it?

Quite frustrating! 

It's a good thing they are all so darned cute! :)

Well, I think that's about it for now.  So, what do you think of the newest changes so far (it's not done)?  Is this a better stylistic flow?