what's black and white and read all over?

my bathroom wall!

having a gutsy moment i painted one of the walls in my tiny bathroom black - chalkboard paint.

i love it. i don't regret it.

i wanted something fun since the bathroom is for guests and kids. i didn't want anything too kiddish, since it is for guests. i didn't want something too adult since it is for kids.



the result. all white {for guests}. chalkboard wall {for kids}. i write verses that i want my daughter to take to heart. quotes that will encourage her character. maybe one day i will write some of the funny things she says.


so enjoy these pictures of my bathroom. {have i mentioned before my love for chalkboard paint??}

here are some of the pictures that inspired me to paint one wall chalkboard {all four walls would have been a disaster!}

the copy cat cottage: entry

i wish i could say it was complete. it's not. but oh, so close.

ceiling needs touching up, paint needs touching up, tile patched and bench stained. just a few things that need to get done.


but here is the tour any way. i kept up my christmas greenery and added some pine cones to decorate for the season.



the frames were all either free from my parents farm or $1 at a junk store.

picture-less frames are my new obsession. i added the greenery inside of the frames. abstract art, right?

the copy cat cottage: girl's nursery

this is my daughter's room. i love it. i enjoyed the whole process of decorating her room. so much in fact, i have ideas already for how i would decorate it differently!


this room was done on a pretty tight budget. i used branches for drapery rods, made my own art using scrapbook paper and my own name sign using canvas and crosstitching rings. i painted unfinished bird house from hobby lobby and painted cardboard hat boxes for storage.

one thing i have left to make is curtains and a ribbon garland to hang from the ceiling.

then it will be done.

the copy cat cottage: laundry room

another before & after:

before. not much to it. just needed to have trim painted & some brightening up. oh & a washer & dryer.



the after. again rhino on the wall. the laundry bags are homemade. hand painted by me. sewn by my mom.






this was the very first room that i redid. i recommend starting small. that way you can gain momentum and not feel like you aren't accomplishing anything.

the copy cat cottage: kitchen

this one is a before & after. big time.



{remember: this home was built in the 1960s...}

and the after. after a long week of removing doors, sanding, priming, painting three coats. after hanging the doors again. after sewing curtains. after accessorizing.

after.






after taking off cabinet doors.




the paint for the cabinets is behr's ultra enamel paint. a gallon is $33. the walls are behr's latex paint in rhino. i had already bought this for my laundry room. chalkboard paint for a quart was $12. silver spray paint for the hinges was $6.

so for a little over $50 a brand "new" kitchen.

i love it. after.

the copy cat cottage: living room

i love looking at rooms on blogs. don't you?


this led me to the realization.


i've never posted pictures of my house on my blog.


so here you go. the beginning of a home tour through the copy cat cottage. keep in mind i am in the very beginning stages in my quest to change my 1969 suburban home into a cottage you might find along side the sea.


i also want to stress to you guys that you don't need a ton of money to achieve your decorating dreams. so. i've included the approximate cost of what i've spent.



a look i am loving is dressers in living/family rooms. this dresser has been mine all of my life. it was a wood veneer that i painted white with behr utlra paint {i strongly recommend this type of paint. it has primer in it so it is stronger and goes on thicker. fewer coats. more time to do other things!} bought some knobs for cheap at menards. cost: part of a can of paint {so maybe $5} plus knobs $10.

the accessories on the dresser were also cheap. the frames found at my grandma's house and in my parents garage {free}.

the lamp, a wedding gift i believe.

the blue glass and silver "vase" found recently at a thrift store. $5 total. a few flowers bought half price at hobby lobby. $3.

total cost for dresser and accessories: $23 {or so}.




next. the couch and ledges.

the couch was a big purchase, but well worth it. that is all i'll say about that.

the pillows were homemade. at least the blue ones. i bought the fabric half price at hobby lobby. it isn't the cheapest but it is what i like. total cost for all the pillows on my couch, maybe $20. the actual pillows have been acquired through the years. some free. some goodwill. some walmart. cost for the actual pillows, maybe $15.


total cost for pillows and fabric: $35

the photo ledges were homemade by my hubby. some 1x4s and edging. maybe $15 for the ledges. the frames have also been acquired through the years. some were wood. some were pink. some were just plain ugly. some white paint and voila, looks like i spent a fortune!

total cost for the frames: maybe $3 for a part of a can of paint. note that i've left up some of my greenery and mirrored stars from christmas. the stars are the most expensive thing up on my ledges. $15 at bed bath and beyond.

total cost for ledges and accessories: $33.


so i really don't buy furniture at retail stores. well that is not true. couches, dining room table and beds. everything else is goodwill, free or garage sale.

my coffee table was free. from my mom. it was not pretty so it had to be transformed.


about $2 worth of black paint and $10 of fabric and an old mattress pad - and the result is an upholstered coffee table!

total cost $12.


speaking of free furniture, my hubby got these shelves from his work for free. they were the shelves in their cubicles. some white paint, doors and knobs really changed them for the better. maybe $15 to transform them into shelves.

the accessories have been acquired through the years. baskets from world market {paid for by gift card}, black frames from walmart. free wood frames from my parents' farm. globe from my mom's attic.


hope you enjoyed the tour and it has encouraged you that you can get this kind of look for cheap too - just keep your eyes open for deals and your mind open to create.

oh, and just so you don't think my house is too "perfect"...