Before and After Bedroom Pics

A tidbit that you may or may not know about me (depending on whether or not you've been inside our house), is that I am the very antithesis of Martha Stewart.   Not only does home decorating not really excite me, but I also find shopping tedious  and I tend to get very overwhelmed whenever I think of house projects.   It's so bad that my Better Homes and Gardens magazines actually cringe in horror when they cross over my threshold. 

Sad, but true. 

So, we are in process of trying to take advantage of the super low interest rates to refinance our house again.  I knew that an appraisal was part of the refinance process, but in our previous experience the appraiser has never had to come to our house before.   I was shocked and more than a little horrified when I learned that someone would not only have to see every nook and cranny of our house, but that they'd be taking pictures of it too. 

I actually wondered if it was worth the effort, but when I thought of the kitchen upgrades that we're planning to do after the refinance goes through, I decided that maybe the appraiser coming could be just the bee in my bonnet that I needed  to jolt me into action.    So we decided to start at the bottom of the barrel, which in our case was our bedroom.  Since nobody but us ever saw it, I never bothered to decorate it much or find solutions for the clutter.  Combine that with the fact that it's rather small and it's sadly become pretty pathetic over the years.  I decided that it was time for a change and the appraisal was just the motivating deadline that I needed to make it happen. 

Here's the BEFORE picture:  (yes, I know how ugly it is)  We have cluttery nightstands that don't have enough space, a bedspread that I've never loved, and kids drawings bedecking the walls with scotch tape. 

 I kind of enjoyed the researching part, but did not love the countless trips to Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, and Target.  Nor did I love the hours spent poring through all the stuff, deciding what was worth keeping and where I was going to put what we did keep.  Organization does not come naturally to me and I found the whole process rather painful....   

...BUT, I AM SO EXCITED BY THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!!!!

We got the new antique dresser thingy, storage bench, and nightstand from Home Goods, the lamp and curtains from Target, the chalkboard from Marshall's, and the bedspread from Ross(?).  We're waiting for a dust ruffle to arrive from Amazon.   Although it's not 100% done yet, I love having a place to put our things and I love that it actually looks pretty in here! 

I don't want to walk into another home store again for 97 years, but I am relieved that the appraisal is over and not only did I not have to be embarrassed, but I actually enjoy spending time in our beautiful, uncluttered bedroom!   

Next up....the kitchen!