A Glimpse Into My Dollhouse, Part I

This past September was our two-year anniversary of residency in what I've come to call our Dollhouse. I had given it such a moniker due to the tiny, but adorable layout.

Finding our home when we did was such a blessing... we landed in a great neighborhood in one of the states best school districts. We live in a busy city, but we still can enjoy the quiet comfort of a dead-end street with lots of room out back for tossing around a football, grilling out on the patio, or even planting a small garden if so I choose. Although I have not planted one yet, the disadvantage to that is we are situated right along a large wooded area, which doesn't leave us a lot of sunny spots for planting.

It took me a while to finalize the decorating and furniture arrangement in this little space. In fact, I've only completely finished doing so within the last few months. My goal was "less is more". I wasn't quite going for a minimalistic approach, as someone who knows anything about primitive country decorating knows that really isn't possible.

Instead, I looked for items that are both functional, decorative, and inexpensive. That is one thing I love about country decorating- it's okay to have a couple nicks and scratches here and there! I definitely hit the mark in the "inexpensive" category. I've managed to pull together a comfy living room, dining room, and kitchen on the cheap. How cheap? Check THIS out-

The most expensive item in our living room is naturally our TV, which was purchased last year on Black Friday at Target. It was one of those items worth standing in line for two hours for. Although you can't really see it from this angle- it's off on the far left.

My couch and love seat were clearance items from Ashley Furniture. It had previously been bought, then returned shortly thereafter, which meant a killer discount for cheapskates such as myself. And since the original throw pillows were not available with the set, I got a $40 gift certificate to purchase pillows elsewhere. I found these burgundy-backed cuties at Wal-Mart for $4 each, which meant I got to pocket another $24. They even threw in a complete set of replacement cushions for when the others start to loose their sponginess. OK- so what's the total for this set? Including my $24 credit for pillows, I paid less than $300 for Ashley furniture. Don't hate me!

The coffee table was a freebie, courtesy of Freecycle. (You'll be seeing a lot of Freecycle finds throughout the house). I realize it isn't necessarily primitive in nature, but the color of the wood and the size work well in the space. Until I find a proper replacement, it's staying put because it's actually grown on me. I pulled the room together simply by throwing down a burgundy area rug from Home Depot.

I fell in LOVE with the wrought-iron rooster lamp in the corner from Ollies Bargain Outlet, and since I get a 20% discount every time I shop there, it was a steal at $16. The table it sits on was a cheapie at Dollar General for $8, but the cheapiness is well hidden under a Martha Stewart layered tablecloth that set me back $4 at Ollies- $3.20 specifically with my discount. The swag above love seat was also an Ollie's find- with my discount I spent less than $15 for two. Oh, and the candle sconce to the right of my Mother-in-Law's picture was a $2 deal at Goodwill. I would have loved to find two, but it seems to be at home where it is, even without a twin.

The long shelf was purchased at Michael's ($12). I wanted a long shelf to display items seasonally. I stained it at home with a $1 can of Minwax I found at a local dollar store. The curio on it was something I had received years ago as a Christmas gift from my Mom. I dressed it down with a checked "curtain" from fabric I had on hand. It was a little too contemporary, but sitting in the middle of two of my son's "antique" photos dresses it down. I was very pleased with this whole arrangement, as it took me a while to figure out just what to do on this long, boring wall.

The skinny primitive folk art paintings were pricey for me, but when I saw them I knew they were meant for the empty area on either side of my long shelf. They matched, practically to a T with the hand-painted door I have hanging above the TV. (see below) The folk art paintings were $10 apiece, which really isn't that much, all things considered. The painted door was something I had been eyeing at the Craftique store around the corner where we live, but at $40 it was over my budget. Thanks to a $20 gift certificate, I decided paying $20 for this focal point wasn't such a bad idea. It worked out perfectly, although this photo really does not do this piece any justice. To hide the screws that are actually holding this heavy door up, I pounded in two nails adorned with wooden stars. I paid $1 per star, and my Mom thinks I totally overpaid.

The only area in the living room that is still a work-in-progress-of-sorts is this closet area. Right now, it's a catch-all for winter coats, blankets, the vacuum cleaner and other miscellaneous junk. We have our TV sitting on another Freecycled coffee table, although it serves that purpose okay, in addition to having an open area underneath for DVD storage, it's not a permanent arrangement. My goal is to remove these closet doors and my husband has agreed to build a custom entertainment center to fit snugly right in this closet area. It's location is great for TV viewing from either sofa, and it will free up this area for a nice high backed chair I have sitting in the upstairs landing. He said he'd work on that this winter after the holidays, so I'll update it's progress later on.

To finish Part 1 of The Dollhouse's living room tour, I'll point out a few features in the entryway. As soon as you open the front door, you are looking strait up the stairs. The mirror to the left was another Goodwill goodie for $4. The folk-art print hanging on the wall behind the stairs is also a Goodwill goodie, if memory serves correctly it was also $4. It's an ideal match with my dining room wallpaper border, which was a lucky find I will show you in my Part 2 post.

The little corner table has a hand-painted rooster scene, and it was purchased a long time ago from LTD Commodities. Like the green curio shelf on the oppisite wall, it made the trek cross country when we moved from New Mexico.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Please come back soon- we'll relax in the dining room with some tea and scones!