I love my chandelier.

The Lettered Cottage is one of my favorite blogs because I love Layla's cottage-y style.  I loved the chandelier she put in her dining room... so I copied it in our dining room.  And I really like it.  Thanks Layla!  :)  Here's how I did it:

Got my lamp shades & braided jute cord.

Glued the braided jute to the bottoms of the lamp shades.

Jake hung it for me.  

Voila.  Dining room chandelier.  

Now I just need to repaint my table...

The chandelier was from Ikea, the lamp shades were from Lowes, and the jute braid was from M&J Trimming (I ordered 2 yards online).  Overall, it was only about $75 and really easy to make.  :)  

Dining room ledge

We put up board & batten in our dining room & I really, really love it.  But I'll be honest... when we moved in, decorating above the ledge was not Hannah's top priority.  We randomly threw things up there when we were unpacking if we weren't sure where else to put them.  It looked like a mish-mash of a few picture frames and some other nick-nacks.  So... Goal #1 for last weekend: decorate the ledge and make it look cohesive & planned.  Goal #2:  Don't spend a lot of money doing it.  Here's how it turned out.

This was the random collection that originally ended
up on the ledge after we moved in.  Not my fav.

Step 1: Went to Value Village thrift store &
picked up a bunch of random picture frames.

Step 2: Got this dirty window from the free pile
at Architectural Salvage downtown. 

Step 3: Arranged everything on
the ledge how I wanted it.

Step 4: Bought spray paint from Home Depot.

Step 5: Arranged everything on a
tarp outside to be painted.

Step 6:  Painted frames & window Antique White 

Step 7:  Cleaned & scraped the window.

Step 8:  Got some photos developed at Costco
and arranged them in the frames.

Step 9:  Arranged everything on the ledge.  :)

We got this in Nicaragua this summer. 

And we got these in Nicaragua too.  :)

Overall it only cost about $30.  I can handle that.

I also got this at Value Village for $3!
I love these little pitchers.

Especially when they have flowers in them.   :)

I really love my dining room.  :)  The biggest reason I love my dining room is because we're actually able to have more than 2 friends over at a time and we all have seats to sit in!

Before & After Pictures!

We finally moved into our house on July 29 and then it took about a week to get all the boxes unpacked & everything hung on the wall where it belongs.  Here are a few pictures of each of the rooms when we first bought the house & how they look now after 2 months of hard work.   :)  It's so nice to finally be living here & enjoying our home together!!

Front of the house: Before

Front of the house: After

Before

After

Backyard:  Before

Backyard:  After

Backyard: After

Backyard: After

Backyard: After

Floorplan:  Before

Floorplan:  After

Living Room: Before

Living Room:  After

Living Room:  Before

Living Room:  After

Living Room:  After

Guest Bedroom #1:  Before

Guest Bedroom #1: Before

Guest Bedroom #1:  After

Guest Bedroom #1: After

Guest Bedroom #1:  After

Guest Bedroom #2/Den: Before

Guest Bedroom #2/Den:  Before

Guest Bedroom #2/Den:  After

Guest Bedroom #2/Den:  After

Guest Bedroom #2/Den: After

Kitchen: Before
(they used it as a utility/laundry room)

Kitchen:  After

Kitchen:  After

Kitchen:  After

Dining Room: Before

Dining Room:  Before
(Obviously part of it was their kitchen)

Dining Room: Before

Dining Room:  After

Dining Room:  After

Guest Bathroom:  Before

Guest Bathroom: After

Guest Bathroom: Before

Guest Bathroom: After

Hallway: Before

Hallway:  After

Master Bedroom:  Before

Master Bedroom:  After

Master Bedroom:  After

Master Bedroom:  After

Laundry Room:  After
(We moved it out of the kitchen & into the master)

Master Bathroom:  After
(We added this bathroom in our bedroom)

Master Bathroom:  After
(We added this bathroom in our bedroom)

Home sweet home  :)

The coolest part about this house-buying and house-renovating process was that Aaron & I were amazed over-and-over at how God orchestrated the timing & the financing of this house perfectly and how we could see God's fingerprints all over this process!  I am also so grateful to my husband for all the hard work he put into our house this summer!!!   Thanks Aaron.  :)  I am so blessed.