Miss Mustard Seed House Tour

I was so honored to be invited to do a guest post on Remodelaholic.  I have found a real kindred spirit in Cassity and our shared love of decorating and DIY. 

We had to buy our house under a lot of pressure, so we bought the dump that was less of a dump than the other dumps.  The house was filthy, left unfinished from an addition and most of it was not my taste.  The original part of the house (built in the 1940s) hadn't been touched in over 60 years.  Original sinks, hardware, paint, everything.  I was excited about the glass knobs and pine doors, but less than thrilled about the 1940s builder grade faucets and lighting fixtures.  There were random holes in the wood floor that was covered in nasty carpet. The gas pipe that led to the old stove was sticking up out of the old kitchen floor, which was plywood patches and linoleum.  It was bad.

The bright spot?  I love DIY and decorating.   Two toddlers and almost 3 1/2 years of projects later we're seeing that this house is a real gem.  I'm going to share three rooms that are close to being finished.

Up first, the living room.  This is the room the front door opens into. 

Every surface in this room has been painted or refinished (with the exception of the front door that will hopefully be painted this week.)  I refinished the oak floors myself when I was five months pregnant with our youngest and gave them a rich dark walnut stain.  The walls were recently painted in a retired SW color called Aria Ivory and the trim is a custom bright white called Frost. 

I think my style is a blend of French/European Country meets American Farmhouse with a little Junk mixed in.  My decorating budget is always small and sometimes $0.  Almost everything in my home is second hand, found, thrifted, repurposed or donated to my decorating cause by friends and family.   I inherited this desk from my great grandfather, the bench was $5 at a yard sale and the pair of French provincial chairs were $20 at an auction.

The finish on this desk has seen better days, so I think I'm going to paint it in a French blue.

The 100 year old piano was offered to us for free by a woman who just wanted to get rid of it. I had wanted a piano for years and my husband surprised me with it. 

I made the topiaries out of boxwood bunches from Hobby Lobby (purchased at 50% off.)  The silver cups were a wedding gift to my parents. 

The table in the corner, crock behind the chair and rug are all from my grandparent's attic and house.  All of the frames for my "family wall" cost less than $15 total and I cut the mats myself.  As you can see, one of the frames still needs to be filled. 

Quilts and matlasse coverlets fill an old laundry hamper that is tucked under a table I scrounged from my grandparent's attic.  I still need to finish the top and add some hand painted detail to the piece.  It's topped with decorating books and an ironstone wash bowl filled with pinecones, twine, and dead tennis balls covered in moss. 

I love how the textures play off each other and it's an unexpected grouping.

I inherited this beautiful curio from my great aunt and filled it with ironstone, family photos, and some historic pieces like sterling silver coins, a chunk of the Berlin wall and some mini balls from the Civil War. 

I purchased two chandeliers on clearance from Lowe's to hang on either side of my $50 French Settee and bring some light into a room without an overhead fixture.

On the to do list for this room is curtains, pillows, cord control, crown molding, and a few other finishing touches.

The next room I'm going to give you a tour of is my bedroom.

I made the half canopy for about $150.  It's covering an unused and awkward door and gave our frameless bed a more dramatic look.  The walls are painted in SW Irish Cream and the fabric was purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby.  Visit here for a full tutorial on the canopy.

The French provincial dresser was a Craig's List find for $30.  I did have to spend $70 on new hardware, but it was worth it.  I am so in love with this piece.  I painted it in SW Creamy and refinished the top in Dark Walnut by Minwax.  The lamps were free from my aunt and are topped with Wal-Mart shades and painted in acrylic craft paint.  I gold leafed the frame, which was bought with about six others at an auction for a quarter, and matted the vintage thrift store botanical. 

I refinished and painted (SW Sea Salt) this dressing table that belonged to my grandmother and name sake.  The frames, ironstone and mirror were all purchased at thrift stores.

There's a lot left to do in this room.  I need to replace my husband's dresser and our side tables with pieces that work better in the room.  I'm also hoping to find a pair of shutters to hang on either side of the canopy.  I need to make curtains, slipcover a chair, hang pictures, and on, and on.

And I've saved my favorite room in the house for last, my guestroom.

I absolutely love the cottage and cozy feel and it all came together with very little money.  Everything in this room is from thrift stores, yard sales, Craig's List, auctions, were bought on deep discount or were given to me. 

The bed, bed spread, and Ikea lights were all given to me for free.  The fabric for the pillow and curtains was found in a remnant bin for something like $15.  The side table was $5.00 at a yard sale and I hand painted the sign on a piece of board pulled off an old crate.

The chair was $8.00 at a thrift store and the fan was $15 on E-bay. 

The exposed board wall was fashioned out of hardboard for about $25.  The paint color is SW Crisp Linen, which was an "Oops" can I got for $1.00.

The locker basket was $5.00 at an antique fair.

I used upholstery webbing cut length wise to trim the curtains and the Indonesian dowry chest was a HS graduation gift from my parents.

I framed a piece of antique lacework to hang above the $35 Craig's List dresser.

The antique baby dress belonged to my husband's aunt and it's hung on a printing press drawer that belonged to my grandmother.

This room is almost done.  We're going to make a barn style sliding door for the closet, I'm going to paint the pine dormer doors white and there are a few other small finishing touches. 

My home is not only a place to live, but it's my hobby and business as well as an extension of our ministry with teenagers.  I am constantly striving for a balance of beauty and livability through low cost DIY projects.  It's a process that takes patience, creativity, and a willingness to learn new skills.  I hope that shows in my blog and these rooms I shared with you today.

Thanks again, Cassity for this opportunity!

Remodelaholic-  Thanks so much for sharing your house with us.  I am so impressed with your talent!  Please be sure to check out her blog, Mustard Seed Creations, it is worth the time and she has great workshops to teach you how to paint  which I love!

(and much more)!