Top Decoration

Story of my life --
I just needed to solve a small problem - no biggie - and it turned into a full fledged makeover...

Last week we noticed that we suddenly have a key snatcher in our house.

While she's super cute, she's also super sneaky!

We always hang our keys up on the hooks just inside of our garage door. They are always there. That way we don't place them somewhere (wherever they land) and lose them.

But Ellison has put a few inches on her height and suddenly her little arms can grab our keys right off the hooks, only to be left....who knows where?

I needed to make new hooks that I could hang higher -
waaaay out of Ellison's reach!

I grabbed a piece of scrap wood out of the garage, found two hooks that were waiting to be used in my toolbox, snagged a few letters from a really old game of Scrabble, and got to work...

It took no time at all and solved the problem!

I loved it!

It was cute, it was easy and I had everything I needed on hand, so...it was free!

However, standing back and looking at the whole picture...

(that's the key snatcher there, jumping into the picture)

...all it managed to do was bring to the forefront of my mind, just how ignored and boring this spot in our home really was.

So, thanks to my new DIY key holder, our most-used entry was on it's way to a makeover...

I have no idea why I hadn't paid more attention to this spot before. It is right off of our garage and it is the door that we use all day, everyday!

Of course, I made sure to dress up our front door as soon as we moved in! I wanted it to be inviting and decorated, so that our friends and family would feel welcome as they entered, all while giving the house some much needed curb appeal!

But why did I not make the entry that the five of us use, feel just as loved and inviting?

I have no idea!

But, those days are gone and I was on a mission...

I started "shopping" my house and after I had everything in place, I stepped back to take a look. I LOVED it! But there was something missing...

I found another piece of scrap wood in the garage. This piece was too perfect! Like it was just waiting for me to realize what I was going to use it for...

I gave it a quick coat of one of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors...

(Stratton Blue)

And printed off my letters on the computer, to create my sign...

I needed to make some cuts on the end though...

Ughh.

I don't do power saws.

That's what the Carpenter is for, right?

Right.

Until yesterday, that is!!

The Carpenter was on a trip and coming home in a few short hours. I wanted to do my "big reveal", but it wasn't going to be complete without this sign!

So, with this post in mind, I headed out and took on the compound mitre saw!

Was I nervous?

YES

Did I do it anyway?

For sure!

And I am so glad that I did! It was a huge step for me! I can't tell you how proud I was of myself, and how proud my husband was of me!

And best of all, I was able to continue with the makeover...

After painting on my letters, I just had to wait for it to dry...

(insert sound of tapping fingers on the counter top, here)

After I hung up my sign, I gave everything a once over to make sure it was ready for my "big reveal"...

And "ta-da" - our once neglected, yet most used entryway, gained a new look and finally fit in with the rest of the house...

Remember the pair of oars that I bought from my friends garage sale?

I finally found a home for one of them and I love how it looks up there!

The table was built by my husband about a year and a half ago, but had always been sitting on the front porch. I like having it inside because now I get to appreciate it, instead of just the people passing by!

The best parts of this newly decorated space:

The keys are way out of Ellison's reach.

The mirror reflects the whole space back to us as we're walking through. We see glimpses of the front door entry, the dining room and the living room.

I used what I had! Nothing was purchased for this!
(that just might be the best part! As far as my husband is concerned, it IS!)

I got to use one of my oars!

The palm leaves in the striped vase hide the big, ugly box for the alarm system!
(Bonus!)

The space still functions exactly how we need it to (notice the shoe basket under the table? That has always been there), so it didn't require a change in habit to get used to it. It was strictly a chance to bring some beauty to a neglected space!

The absolute best moment of the entire makeover was when my husband walked through the door!

He loves it!

*sigh*

Don't you just love being able to do the "Big reveal"?


So, it all started with our keys, but it ended with a very happy makeover!

P.S. To see more makeover's, head over to Between Naps On The Porch where Susan hosts her weekly blog party!

And to see even more DIY inspiration, check out Kimba's "DIY Day" over at A Soft Place To Land!