Since this tends to be a slower time of year for photography, I have been painting and re-decorating our house!  Here is a peek at a few of the fun things we've been doing along the way!

First, the Living Room.  We painted our Simply White, by Benjamin Moor!  Huge improvement, and it lightened up this space so much!

My wonderful husband built me the wooden shelf, using free plans from Shanty 2 Chic!  It turned out great, and the fun part was when I got to distress that new wood to make it look old!  Seriously, so much fun!  I went to work with srews, hammers and all sorts of things to mess up the wood before staining it.  I used Special Walnut stain by Minwax, (which I found in the basement left from previous house owners)!  Yay for free stuff, right!? 

I wanted to add some life by adding some greenery, so thats where the cactus and succulents come in!  I took my MIL with me to  Belgian Nursery (because it's crazy to go to a green house with two little ones) in Breslau.  They have a huge selection of plants, and I picked out these!

I found this cool tin planter at H&M Home.  Love it!

The next main item was to get some art on the wall!  This was the final pick, after much searching.

Next, the Family/Playroom.  We also painted these walls white, as well as the bookshelves!  I used Simply White, by Benjamin Moore again.  

Doesn't this room just feel happier now?  I think so!  Also, toy organization was a bit of a problem, so I got on Amazon and ordered these cute animal storage bins, from 3 Sprouts.  My son was so excited for the shipment he kept checking the porch for a box every 10 minutes the afternoon they were supposed to arrive!  

Also, never forget to put your favourite photos on the wall!  Here's one of mine!

Well, there you have it!  We are still working on some barren walls that need life, but hey, this is a start after having empty walls for 6 months!  

Have a great Tuesday!