Shop Your House!

Who doesn’t want something new? Creating a space that you can use and enjoy always seems to sound like a “big project” and we immediately start budgeting, creating shopping lists, gathering awesome ideas from Pinterest, clipping pictures from magazines, etc. But what about when we don’t have a budget for a new space? Have you thought about shopping a favorite store that is filled with things you already love?

How about shopping your house?

If you are anything like me, you pick up things you really love when you are shopping, even if you don’t have a spot for them right away. We’ll put things out, thinking we’ll find the “right spot” for them later.

Or, we replace items and the old goes into storage or shoved in a closet. Clutter adds up and takes up precious space! 

I have always wanted an little oasis just for me on our back deck. Now, we use the deck for entertaining, sitting with coffee in the evenings, and or just spending time together. But I would get on Pinterest or see these lovely pictures of beautiful reading/relaxation areas and think, “I would love that!”

However, my time and money are usually spent either on improving our house, working on projects for others (I’ll be writing up my post on redoing my mother-in-law’s kitchen in bright colors soon!), or making family friendly spaces that work for everyone else. Rarely do I focus on a place or an item that’s just for me! 

My little oasis up there started with a Goodwill find. That chaise lounge was just sitting there, new with tags still (!), just waiting for me to take it home. I knew I wanted it on the deck, but with benches and a furniture set already in place, it got stuck up against the railing, out of the way. Most of the time, I still sat in one of the chairs, with no place to put my feet up.

The more I looked at my chaise, the more forlorn it became. I decided to make it a focal point on my deck and focus it on ME! I didn’t want to spend any more money, but I wanted to enjoy my chaise, darn it! So I went shopping in my own house.

My first find was almost garbage. I just kept forgetting to put it out for the trash. My husband had picked up an old plastic table at a garage sale last year to hold his telescope. It was an ugly gray and was sitting upside down beneath the deck, since he had bought something better and more stable. So I grabbed the table and some brown spray paint left over from another project. Cleaned up and painted brown, I suddenly had a matching side table! Free!

I moved the deck furniture, plants, and accessories a bit and made an open space for my chaise. I put my newly painted brown table next to it. Plain, but better. At least I could set my coffee somewhere.

An old tabletop fountain that no longer worked made a nice decor piece for the table. Two small flower pots next to it will add color with some nice annuals I’ll plant this weekend. Better still! And again, free!

That sundial that my husband bought me for Mother’s Day about six years ago has never had a proper home. It’s been moved a million times to make room for something else, So, into the back corner it went, as a filler for the space between the railing and the lounge. Plus, it visually blocks that outlet beneath the light. Free decor, plus outlet camouflage, and now it finally has a permanent home!

That odd plant that didn’t die this winter was perfect for softening the sundial and adding a little more weight to the gap area. Love it! Zero money spent again!

Finally, my daughter made me a darling birdbath at Girl Scout camp from a terra cotta plant tray. It was moved and moved again, until it dawned on me. I had an old metal stand that didn’t have the glass insert anymore, but would be perfect as a stand for her birdbath! And it won’t get bumped or broken up against the railing. Free and with a bonus! Another thing out of my crammed laundry room storage!

Lastly, I added a green chenille throw (another garage sale find from who-knows-when) and I now have a lovely place to work on my blog or read or just enjoy the sunshine. And it all started with a chaise I wanted, but didn’t quite know what to do with!

(Hmmm, I saw an awesome tutorial on Pinterest on painting an outdoor area rug…wouldn’t that look awesome under my chaise??? LOL)

Have you thought about using items you’ve already bought or collected in new ways or in new rooms? Sometimes, before you go shopping, it really pays off to shop your own house first! Please share with me some of your ideas for creating a new space with old things you already have! 

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