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Oh my goodness! I am so thrilled that y'all are interested! Thank you!

Consider this your first introduction into my Home. It has recently taken a feminine turn. Previous to mid-January, Home was dark - olive green, burnt orange, brown, black. All of a sudden, I am girly and I want my home to be girly with me. Enter make-over madness. Out with the dark, in with the light. I want brighter, softer colors, more flowers, more curves, and shiny things. It's in the works. I'll show you where I need inspiration. Maybe you can point me in the right, or any direction.

This is an almost-complete view of the living room, from the kitchen in. I have been in the market for new pillows for at least two months now. I have found plenty that I love, but I'm so cheap I won't buy them. As soon as I learn how to sew a straight line on our machine (which happens to be the tall brown table in the corner - it's an antique from my grandmother!) I will just make my own.

I wanted you to get a better look at the curtains. This was the greatest (and easiest) idea from a good friend of mine. It's a drop-cloth. Yep. Found one that would cut into four panels that fit my windows, laid it out, cut it, clipped it to the rings on the rods (that I hung myself. eh-hem.) and wa-la! Insta-curtains. These came out to about $10 or $15 a window, minus the rods and rings.

This is a closer view of the pictures that hang to the right of the windows. Made 'em myself (which is not hard to believe, I know) - a little craft paper, come alphabet stamps, black ink and a sharpie. Before these DIYs, the frames held pages from an Picasso art book. That is a great way to bring some high-class, easy art to your walls, and it doesn't take any talent. (You can buy jumbo-sized art books at any bookstore for about ten bucks.)

This is the ottoman that Joey and I recently recovered. It was this awful, cheap fake leather that was peeling off on all sides. We used outdoor (read Waylon-proof) fabric and upholstery tacks. Put a couple of late nights in the shop and ended up with a pretty awesome re-make.

Joey and I whipped up this chalkboard with a piece of plywood and a couple coats of chalkboard paint. I change the quote often, of course.

Ok, need for inspiration number one. This is, clearly, the TV wall. That's all there is to it. Now, eventually Joey will make me a console to go under the TV that fits it a little better. He is already working on plans for a big wooden frame to fit the TV. But for now, this is what we've got. The whole setup is not centered on the wall. The TV is mounted, so we can't exactly move it to center. This leaves lots of wall above and to the left of the TV. What in the world do I do here? I am in the process of making some small pillows from leftover ottoman fabric to go in the stools.

This is the mantel for now. The antlers will go as soon as spring hits. And the mirror frame is an upcoming project. I haven't decided what kind of transformation it will undergo, but it will look very different in the end. Any ideas? If this were our home, one of the first things I would overhaul would be this fireplace - new, reclaimed wood mantel, painted brick, the whole nine. The "painting" in this picture is also done by yours. It's some left-over paint I mixed up and spread around unevenly. Joey and I think it's waiting for something, but we don't know what.

This is the kitchen table. For now. It will soon be refinished and not in need of a tablecloth. In the background is one of the unconventional baby gates J whipped up pre-Waylon.

This is our master bedroom and the amazing headboard and bed frame my uber-talented husband made me. I found the same bed in a catalogue for almost $3,000. Two-hundred bucks later, it's mine! I am itching to upholster it in the next month or so. The ottoman was easy enough. I figure this will be an even easier job. Notice the same drop-cloth "curtains" in the bedroom. These came to about $5 a panel, I think.

Now that you've had the preliminary tour, let me boast a moment. Joey and I have only ever bought one small piece of furniture. That's right. That crapola fake leather ottoman is the only thing we've ever purchased. EVERY other piece of furniture you see in these pictures (and all the pieces you don't see) have been given to us or made with Joey's own two hands.

Also, I only chose the greige wall color you see in the living room. The greens were pre-existing. Lesson learned over the last two years: wherever we end up next will have all light walls. Not white, but a much lighter greige.

I will keep posting new pictures as I progress in my transformation, or as I change my mind for the hundredth time. Also, I love Waylon's room and will share that with you probably next week.