2013 REVIEW AT THRIFTY PARSONAGE LIVING

It's hard to believe that 2013 is already coming to a close. With the new year right around the corner, it has us looking back at what the years has held.  Below you will find a collection of events and projects that have happened at Thrifty Parsonage Living.

PAINTING HORIZONTAL STRIPES ON WALLS (DIY)

I love the look of stripes on walls.  Stripes can be horizontal or vertical, wide or narrow, soft and subtle or bright and bold.  Stripes can add something unexpected to an area making a small area appear larger, for example.  Vertical stripes can make a room look taller and horizontal stripes make a room look wider.  Stripes on walls has been around in the decorating world for some time, but it's a first for me.   Today I thought I'd share how I painted horizontal stripes in my back entry hallway.

SMALL BUDGET BUT BIG IMPACT {STAIRS MAKEOVER}

I've had so many projects going on in the house since we moved here in February.  I've been working hard at new projects every week, but the problem is that I don't want to share them with you until they're at least somewhat complete. I have been working so hard to meet the dead line I've set for myself.  You see, all our children and grandchildren along with other relatives are coming here in a few short weeks for our son's wedding.  I really want the house to look somewhat finished when they arrive.  Now you can understand why I haven't been posting a lot lately.  However, I have a finished project to share! Yah!!!

I really wanted to make over the stairway to our basement.  All the guest bedrooms are in the basement, so this area will be seen by everyone coming to stay at our home.   When we lived in this house previously, the entire stairway and basement was carpeted, but sometime between then and now the carpet has been removed leaving the stairway to look like this.

Not my favorite choice of style with speckled paint on the stairs (it looked like paint splashed all over the stairs and basement floor).

PAINTING, PAINTING AND MORE PAINTING

Have you been wondering what I've been up to this past week?   I've told you that almost every room in the Parsonage is getting a makeover with paint.  This past week, I've been painting in one of the basement bedrooms.

Here's a little reminder of what the room looked like before we started priming all the walls.

A bright sun and clouds on the ceiling.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PAINT COLOR

When decorating, choosing the right paint color can be difficult.  In my last post I told you that I've been struggling with the correct paint color for the kitchen and my office. I can envision in my mind what I want, but I've been struggling to find that perfect paint.  Paint sets the mood for a room, and it's important to remember the other colors in the room.  Tip: think of upholstered items, counter tops and fabrics in curtains and drapes as the "artist's palette" from which to select potential colors for your walls.

Keeping that in mind, I've found it very difficult in our kitchen because I don't want the color to conflict with the counter.  The counter has dark green, light green, taupe, and a little black in it.

While the vinyl floor covering has shades of green and