Book Review: The $50 Home Makeover, by Shaunna West

So I've been piddling around with some paint, which is unlike me.

I'm not normally good at DIY. I guess I can do okay with things, I just lack confidence. And I worry about messing things up.

Enter this lovely book.

Shaunna West has a bunch of fun projects that you can do without breaking the bank, and they are the kinds of things you would be willing to do. Things that would be useful in decorating in almost any style.

So I highly recommend this book for those fearful DIY'ers who are reluctant to try anything new for fear of messing it up. It is worth it!

Here are some things I've worked on lately:

This heart dish was a pale pink, almost white, before I painted it.

 This plastic mirror came from Walmart, and it was all black. My children called it the haunted house mirror, so I hated it. But then I lightly sprayed it with Colonial red paint, and now I love it!

I forgot to take a picture of  this before I painted it, so I took a picture of the back. It's a lovely frame, but it was a blah gray. Now it is pretty! (Can you tell I like the color red?)

 This is my living room coffee table. It is supposed to be wood, but we found out it is fake wood (grrr). So my husband said I could paint it.

I did that before reading Shaunna's book, and I don't like it. Since reading her book, I've learned that bold colors work best on furniture with sharp, clean lines. Pieces like mine are best painted muted colors, such as grays and creams. So yes, I'm going to repaint it.

I found this stool at Goodwill for $10. My husband fixed the top and shored it up for me so it wouldn't wobble anymore. I painted it cream, and I'm having a fellow homeschool mom reupholster the top for me in a pretty red (go figure) print. (Whenever I get around to taking it to her.)

I didn't realize it until after I put it in place that the legs of the stool match the legs of my writing desk. Happy coincidence!