DIY: Decorating on the Cheap

When Ang and I moved into our apartment in August last year, our landlords asked us to please hold off on putting any holes into the walls as they wanted to put up picture rails for us. Our poor sofa has sat, unadorned, for five months now and we had just about forgotten about the offer when we were contacted by our landlords last week to measure up! Yay!

Inspired by some beautiful images on Pinterest, I went on a mission to find a big, framed canvas so that I could create something bright to decorate our sofa when the time comes. Luckily for me, Ikea was having a sale so I snagged the perfect picture to demolish for a fraction of the original cost. Bargain! While I was there, I also found an el cheapo sheepskin throw. I adore the soft texture that sheepskin provides, so was very chuffed indeed with my purchases and spent a colourful afternoon throwing some paint around.

Please ignore the awfully rumpled sofa cushions. I was so excited to take a shot of the picture with the lounge so that I could get an idea of proportions that I didn't smooth it all down after jumping all over the sofa. It may not be so pretty in this shot, but know that this sofa is the most comfortable thing imaginable!

After finishing the painting, I was on a roll. I pulled out some old sheer white curtains that were left over from my last apartment and trimmed the edges with some cheap and cheerful yellow pom pom trim. Finally, our dressing room window is dressed appropriately! I love the small pop of yellow in that room paired with our blue dresser.

But wait, there's more! After switching out the curtains, I found another project in the dressing room: This old thing.

I have a little collection of vintage suitcases, but this baby is the only one that has survived the cull and found itself a place in our new apartment. However, the shabby chic look isn't quite what I am going for here, so I impulsively decided to change it up. The drop sheet was already in place and I had one measly can of gold spray paint supplies on hand, so I got spraying! I must admit, by this point in the afternoon the sun was threatening to go down, and the spurt of energy that I experienced just after hanging the curtains was seriously waning, so I may have unashamedly skipped priming and just got right to it. I took a break after finishing the first coat, put my feet up, painted my nails and watched Criminal Minds. I call this the drying phase. This is a very important step, I think.

The next morning, I finished off the suitcase with another coat and then ta da!

I love that the spray paint changed the overall look of the suitcase without taking away from the beautiful character and details of the piece. I feel like the dressing room is finally getting there and am so excited for these picture rails to go up so that I can dress the walls up a little. I'm also after a rug at some point as well, so feel free to shoot any suggestions my way.

Happy Australia day weekend everyone!

Lauren x