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Over the last few week I have been working extremely hard on getting my living room decorated and freshened up for this beautiful weather we like to call - Summer! It's not technically summer yet, but the sun has been shining, we have whipped out the shorts, and flowers are blooming! After the winter we had this year I welcome color EVERYWHERE in my home! So when Better Homes and Gardens asked me to take part in the Refresh for Summer Challenge, I just knew I had to do it... plus who says no to Better Homes and Gardens right?! Are you ready to see my Eclectic Cottage Living Room? Oh, but first you should know everything I did here was UNDER $250! Yes, this is a makeover on a budget!
Eclectic Cottage Living Room
Ok, I had to start off with the pretty pictures! Now let's take a look at some of the before pictures to give you an idea with how far this $250 took me. : ) I am going to show you what it looked like when we first moved in, after I made some small changes as we slowly worked our way through winter to RIGHT NOW... ok, it probably won't ever look as good as it did the day I photographed it, being that I have 3 kids and all, but you get the idea ; )
I'm pretty excited to have a decorated room other than just the nursery : ) My absolute favorite part of this room is this gallery wall. Try to ignore that hideous return air vent. I will be fixing that very soon... along with the wood trim. Yes, I will be painting it white like I did in my dining room! We all know I love white!
The bulk of this gallery wall is frames I purchased from the Better Homes and Gardens Live Better line at Wal Mart. Some of the frames I had on hand and there are a few DIY projects in there that I will be sharing with you soon!
This gallery wall and me had it out though. I traced it all out on paper, cut the shapes out, and hung them. I mean I seriously did the whole nine yards. Then I started hanging them on the wall and it just wasn't working for me. I ended up eyeballing it and just figuring it out one step at a time. It worked for me on my first gallery wall, and it worked here too! I guess sometimes you just have to go with your gut!
As you can see my couches got a nice little face lift. I would attempt to make fun of the floral print and the decade it came from, but I don't even know when that was. These were given to us, and while extremely ugly they more than make up for it with comfort! Since it wasn't in our budget to get new couches I had bought some slipcovers over the winter as well as a few pillows. But I just adore these flower pillows I got from the Live Better line. They really bring color in and brighten up the whole room!
I also decided I wanted to bring some plants into the living room. There is just something about having live plants in the house that make you smile! Since I'm not a super gardener, I stuck with succulents. : ) They are cute, easy to care for, and I haven't killed them yet! Win win win!
My little succulent planter is actually a candle holder from Better Homes and Gardens! This is a tie with my gallery wall! I love looking at these little plants! Wanna make your own? I have a tutorial on how I made it!
This little succulent is in Lantern Jail! Crime committed - being way too cute! This one sits inside a painted mason jar and just thinks she's all fly and what not. Well I think she is too, and what better jail than a lantern! ; ) The candle came to visit! hehe. Sometimes I think I'm funny and I create little stories like this. It's ok, just keep reading, I'll be ok - I promise!
Since I have a few kids and all, I need lots of storage. We have Wii remotes, tv remotes, wii games, skylanders, and pretty much everything else that floats around my living room and sits on my tv stand. I seriously love how baskets can look so pretty while hiding so much junk! They are my go to organizational item! I'm all about pretty and functional all rolled into one!
More baskets! Only I fibbed a little here. There are in fact pillows in there, but what lies underneath are lots and lots of baby toys. I have another basket just like this one right behind (hidden) that holds more baby toys. See how great baskets are?? They rock my toy filled world!
This is my spot on the couch..... right next to this table. The basket under the side table is where I hide all my magazines. I love it here because I can sit and flip through pages of inspiration in the quiet mornings while I sip my coffee. Ok, you caught me. That doesn't happen... I have three kids remember! But I do love this spot : )
So did you know that some of the Better Homes and Gardens Picture frames come with pretty pictures? You know how you buy frames and there are these random people in them and sometimes you leave them there because you haven't had a chance to print anything off and THOSE kids are actually smiling in stain free clothes? Well, Better Homes and Gardens got smart and put something usable in their frames! Like this beautiful sail boat : ) I haven't actually been to that lovely place, but a girl can dream right?
So there you have it! My Eclectic Cottage Living Room! I sure love it!
Better Homes and Gardens wants to see what your summer inspiration is! You can participate in their Pin to Win Challenge where you can enter to win a $500 Wal Mart Gift Card! Imagine what you could do with that! Just click on the picture below to be taken to the sweepstakes! #BHGRefresh
Be sure and follow along with Better Homes and Gardens Live Better for more exciting inspiration!
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You can also check out how the other bloggers have refreshed their rooms on Better Homes and Gardens Summer Refresh Pinterest Board!
Sharing here:
Ashley Bliss
Author at The Crafty Blog Stalker
Lisa McCarthy
I love your living room Ashley it's perfect. Mine is a classic too and I will be purchasing some of the livewell items that you posted in your blog. I love the pillow I love a little owl think it box. Those will fit in perfectly in my eclectic living room. I'm a post pictures of my refresh table I was inspired by you and all the Refresh is you do.
Lisa McCarthy
trinket box sorry. That is what happens when you use voice command for a post.
Ashley
Thanks Lisa! : ) Gotta love voice command ; )
Bobbie
I love how you put the photo collage in the corner and carried around the corner. Such a great idea!
Ashley
Thank you! Definitely my favorite part of the room : ) Have a great weekend!
Kristen @ Down Home Inspiration
Seriously beautiful! I love EVERYthing!!!
Ashley
Thanks so much Kristen! Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!
Christina
Love your living room! That photo of the boat in the frame - LOVE it! 🙂 Love those baskets - going to have to see if my Walmart has those. Great job - I love the BHG Live Better products.
Ashley
Thank you Christina! Yes, all their baskets are awesome, and I can't believe the how affordable they are. The ones with my pillows I believe were only around 15 I think and they are pretty big. They had a smaller version too that was under 10! Check different Wal Marts some have way more of the Live Better products to choose from! : )
Crystal
I love it!! It's beautiful!! Everything from the pillows, frames, baskets, and of course the cute little succulents....love it all!! I couldn't help but smile when I saw your son laying on the couch watching Kipper. My girls loved Kipper!! You did a fantastic job!! It looks amazing!!
Ashley
Thank you Crystal! So glad you like it! Yes, we are Kipper fans around here, especially me! That is the calmest, most soothing show I have seen for kids and that is a-ok with me! Plus who doesn't love a good accent! Thanks for stopping by : ) Have a fantastic weekend!
Richard
Would it be rude to ask where you got your couch slipcovers and what amount you had to put into them?
Thanks for a great blog!
Ashley
Not at all! They are from http://uglysofa.com/ They are the separate seat square cushion slipcover. They have different kinds of shapes depending on the arms of your couch and they are very reasonable priced. I can't remember exactly, but I think I paid around $40 or $50 for each of mine. They have been great so far! I would definitely purchase again!
Richard
Thank you Ashley for your super-fast reply; I'll check out uglysofa.com for sure!
Liz Fourez
Ashley, this room is stunning! I'm super impressed with how far your $250 budget went! I just love that giant clock on the wall, and those pillows are so fun for summer.
xoxo Liz
Taryn @ Design, Dining + Diapers
Your touches are perfect Ashely! I love the items you chose, it looks great in your space.
Rachel Paxton
So beautiful, Ashley! I love how family friendly it is... Looks like a happy and cozy place for all of you!
xoxo
Rachel
Marie
I. Love. Your. Style. Your "spot" on the couch looks so cozy. Love that table. Thanks so much for sharing!
Vanessa
It all looks fabulous Ashley! Love your Eclectic Cottage Style girl! 😉
Kendra @ www joyinourhome.com
All I can say is wow!!! It looks so amazing!
Selene Galindo
I love your space!!! It's so bright and fun!! So glad I found you on Blooming Homestead! You have a new follower 🙂
Kari
WOW that Clock is a show stopper! I love it - did you make it or buy it? I have a stash of barnboard that will be repurposed into this for sure! Thanks for the inspiration!
Ashley
Thank you Kari! : ) I made it! I actually posted the tutorial for it today! Using barn wood would be GORGEOUS! I would love to see how it turns out if you end up making it!
Heather Luckhurst
I love all of your touches - so cozy and summery! Thanks for sharing at the Fun in the Sun link party! I featured you today! http://www.settingforfour.com/2014/06/fun-sun-link-party-cash-giveaway.html
Heather Luckhurst
Ooops - I mean here is the feature: http://www.settingforfour.com/2014/06/fabulous-diy-home-ideas
Ashley
Thanks so much Heather! xoxox
Ian Edmonson
The paint color looks great, is it off white? It looks calm and relaxing with the wooden furniture. Thank you for sharing your idea, it looks great.
Ashley
Thanks Ian. It was an off white/tan color. I've actually painted since then, lol... I'm always changing up colors! : )
Lauren Hannah
Everything is beautiful Ashley, I like how you incorporate everything and make it work. The wooden clock catches my attention, I wanted to have it in my condo, thank you for sharing this one.
ashlie
I'm in love with your little eclectic cottage living room--darling! Can I ask where you got your curtains? I think they would look perfect in my little kitchen! 🙂 Many thanks!
Ashley
Thanks Ashlie, they are actually twin size flat sheets from walmart... $5 a panel ; )
Bound for Style
Love this post. Very creative.
Ashley
Thank you so much!!
Ken Yau
Love the ideas so much. The wooden pieces are magic touch which my wife really loves too. Now I have make a budget for furniture shopping. 🙂
Well Done!
OZCleaning
Nice one! I like your blog and all topic. Really awesome you write. Each and every picture looks clear and nice.
Professional Cleaners
What an impressive makeover! The slipcovers, the curtains and especially the wall decor have added so much life to the room, it looks beautiful. Where did you buy the wall clock?
Goodonya Ashey! Really inspiring!
Thanks,
Prerna from Ministry Of Cleaning team
Amelia Wilson
I Love this article. Very creative post
Ethan Jade
Amazing Article...................................:) Ashley says
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Tim
Wow! Nice article! Thank you for sharing this. Looking forward for your other articles.
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