22… People keep saying “You’re so young!”, but I feel like I was 18 yesterday! Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

So many things have changed over the past few years, and I feel like I’ve really come into my own! I looked back on my Instagram feed all the way back to when I first started using it (when I got my first iPhone right after high school graduation), and it’s crazy how much… “evolution” (I suppose that’s a good word) has occurred.

So, I thought I’d take time to look back and reflect on some of those changes particularly  regarding home decor… so here we go:

September 2015: This is the first real decor picture I ever posted on Instagram! (it’s so dark, and I wasn’t really that good at editing pictures…. and I’m still not that great at it 😆😅) This was 2 years ago for my Mom’s birthday! I was 19 years old. I decorated our dining room using old Books and topiaries. I had recently gotten that tray that the candles are in from Walmart and used it as the “centerpiece”. And I still remember making that “Happy Birthday” banner. I got a roll of wrapping paper at Michaels that had all different font letters printed on it and went through and cut out rectangles of the letters I needed to spell out Happy Birthday! It took “5-ever”, but it was pretty in the end!

Mama was surprised and loved it… and that’s what really matters!

 

January 2016: This is what my living room looked like once upon a time! I was in my “red phase”: red pillows, red blankets, red TV stand… and I had grey and black accents. This is when I really started trying to make things look… photographable (if that’s a word)! Photogenic! (that sounds better) I didn’t have my map that now hangs above my daybed, so I used that round silver mirror. I believe I had just gotten my ottoman around this time… it’s pretty much the only thing that is still in this space now.

It’s funny to see how style changes. This picture vs. today is like black & white (literally 😂).

 

 

February 2016: This is when I first got this lovely chair from TJMaxx that now occupies the corner of my living room… the first step towards a change of style.

April 2016: This here made for a pretty picture and a BIG mess! I started playing around with empty frames and adding something to them other than pictures. I picked these flowers from a bush in our backyard and thought they would be so perfect to put in this little galvanized tin that could hang on the wall… I thought if I just put a little bit of water in it the flowers would last longer… little did I know that all the water would leak out of the tin, down my wall and onto the carpet over night! 🤦🏻‍♂️

Needless to say, I woke up to a big mess the next morning. (#BehindTheScene)…. It’s funny now, but I was not a happy camper that morning! Hahaha

 

May 2016: Still in my red phase at this point…. I can’t believe I was actually able to make that little red TV Stand from Target (that actually wasn’t a TV stand) work. You can see my DVD player was sticking off the right edge… and at that point I also had an XBox sticking off the left edge. It was definitely a make it work moment! That chair was one of my first thrift store projects. I got it at Goodwill in Buford for just a couple of bucks and it was wreck…. scratched up, brown, wobbly, broken back… but I saw what it could be.

My grandpa (Poppy) went with me to pick it up and he made it more secure once we got it home. He helped me spray paint it matte black, and I got that red stripe fabric and some padding for the seat at JoAnn’s. He stapled it together… and ta-da! I think I might have put a total of $15 into this chair… if that!

Those two empty gray frames on the wall were also a DIY project. I had seen this video on Facebook about using a bar of soap to make things looked distressed (I know it sounds crazy), and I wanted to try it! So, I got two 8×10 frames at the dollar tree, took the glass out, rubbed them down with a bar of soap, painted them with chalk paint and then lightly scraped over them to make the soap fall off and they looked antiqued! (I’ll try to put a tutorial together about that!)

And this is why I love thrifted/diy decor… because of the story behind it!

 

 

May 2016: I felt crafty one night and put this together using old book pages. It was a fun project, and somehow I’ve been able to keep this thing in tact ever since then!

Side note: I had just finished my associates degree in business administration, and I had to declare my major for my bachelors. I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted to do other than something in the business field, so I just picked marketing because I knew I didn’t want to get a degree in management and it was less math-based than accounting or finance! But it ended up being the right choice for me! I truly enjoy my major and am looking forward to getting my first “big-boy” job in that field! Anyway, the point is this was a somewhat stressful time so decorating and doing little DIY projects like this took my mind off the big stuff!

June/July 2016: This picture and the one below show where some of the transformation began. A change towards all things neutral. The bottom is when I first got my new TV stand (which, again, wasn’t a TV stand… but at least nothing was falling off the edges of this one!) This was and still is such a pretty piece of furniture and I love it.

And when you are spending money on what I call “Investment Pieces”, whether it’s a couch, bed, TV stand, chair, etc… make sure it’s something you love! Otherwise, what’s the point in buying it?

July 2016: I love this picture! These frames and birdcage were some of my thrift store finds! (Under $5 for all) and I chalk painted and distressed them and was proud of my work. That birdcage shows up in my IG pictures all the time, and is one of my favorite thrifted pieces.

August 2016: I still remember taking this picture. It was right before Fall Semester started for my junior year of college and I was dreading going back! So I snapped this, and tried to look on the “bright” side, I was getting a little closer to graduation!

February 2017: I love how airy this picture looks! I was really growing my pillow collection… and there is where one of those chalk-painted frames ended up!

June 2017: This picture highlights another one of my favorite thrifted finds!!! I got this mirror from the parking lot of the Salvation Army in Gainesville. The frame is a thick plastic and was this dusty, dark brown… but I knew it would be so pretty painted white and distressed! So when I went in to ask about it, it the lady gave it me for $2.99!!!! Like for real, 3 bucks!!!! I about fell out in the floor!

July 28: This was one day after we lugged this daybed home! It was a struggle getting this guy loaded up at the store, unloaded at home, up the stairs and put together because it was a wee bit bigger than I had anticipated… but now that it’s in here, I love it! (and it’s super comfy!)

October 2017: And here we are today! This is truly my favorite space to relax and unwind…. As you can see it’s been quite a process to get here…and I’m sure in another two or three years, there will be even more change in my styling.

But I love that fact! There is no right or wrong way to make the perfect space for yourself or your family at any given point in time. Style and likings evolve with time, as we do we, and I think being able to look back and see the amount of change and growth is a beautiful thing!

So, here’s to 22! I know many changes are coming soon, what with college graduation, the start of a new career, looking for a place of my own, but I’m excited and ready for something new.

 

Thank you to all those who wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday! I truly appreciate it! And, if you’re still reading by this point, thanks for sticking it out to see a little bit of the evolution of this space of mine. To see more of this “evolution” in real time, check out my Instagram through the link at the bottom of the page!

Have a great day, friends!