2 Bills to Blow - HOME:MADE

A big, southern "Hey, ya'll" to all you Nikki's Nacs' readers!  My name is Alana and I am the woman behind the blog, HOME: MADE, where I share my passion for intentional homemaking, mostly from the angle of living an organized life.  Two of my favorite hobbies are organizing and decorating, so this series is right up my alley!

First of all, I'd like to thank Nikki for inviting me to take part in this fun series: 2 Bills 2 Blow.  When you asked, I did not hesitate one bit.  After all, the next best thing to shopping for real, is pretending to shop, right?

Of course, if I really had $200, I'd probably put it towards bills or buy a deep freezer because I'm usually super practical that way.  But, the rule states that it must be spent on home decor, so I had to think long and hard about what I might do with that kind of money if, in fact, I had it.  Then, it hit me!

This is my kitchen.  

{Side note: please excuse the iPhone pic.  A professional camera is on my wishlist.  But, alas, it's gonna cost me more than two Benjamins... Sigh...}  

Anyways, back to my kitchen...

Everything, except the wall color, is the same as it was the day we moved in.  Cabinets, counter tops {laminate, ugh!}, back splash {laminate, again.  double ugh!}, floor tiles... everything.  The wall color was chosen "under pressure", which is never good.

Needless to say, I'm not head-over-heels in LOVE with my kitchen.  I've kept it this was mostly because of budget restraints {Money could always go elsewhere.  See?  Super practical...}, but also because everyone who comes over to our house, seems to like it.  I know, I know... that last reason is a pretty pathetic one.

I say all that to say this: if I was given $200 to use on home decor, I would use it to jump-start a kitchen makeover, taking it one step closer to becoming a place I enjoy.  {Hey, maybe if I spend more time in there, I'll become a better cook!  One can only hope, right?  That "one" is probably my hubby...}  ;)

Here is one of my favorite kitchens thus far via my Pinterest board:

{Via}

I absolutely adore this kitchen.  That tile is beautiful but probably pricey.  Because I want my kitchen to be a bright, colorful space, I plan on bringing that teal color into my kitchen, along with orange like those flowers and the yellow of those lemons.  I'm thinking something along the lines of this color palette:

{Via}

So, here's how I'd use the $200 to get the ball rolling on my kitchen makeover: 

I'd paint my cabinets white and then repaint the wall color.

Anyone good at math will automatically realize that this doesn't take up my entire $200 budget.  I have $80 leftover.  I'd probably purchase one of each pattern of these {$36} just because I absolutely heart them:

{Via}

Then, I'd use the rest {approx. $44} to buy one yard of one of my favorite fabrics so I can make a faux roman shade for my kitchen window:

Ahhh... loving my new kitchen already.  Too bad reality is going to set in next time I get a hankerin' {southern word for "craving"} for some sweet tea {southern word for "sugar with a hint of tea"}.  Oh, well!

Whenever I do get around to making these changes, I will be sure to post them on my blog, so be sure to stop by and follow along.

Nikki, thanks again for having me.  

I had so much fun daydreaming about how I'd spend some "free money".  ;)