Living Room Mini Makeover

Have you heard of the Irish Travellers? They're basically this group of totally crazy Irish people who roam around from place to place, complete nomads who are always on the move. They also, incidentally, have some craaaaazy weddings! (seriously - watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on TLC. it's absurd!) Anyway these crazies are always moving from one place to the next, never truly settling down. Which brings me to a confession.... I think I may be an Irish Traveller at heart. It's strange because growing up I lived in one house from age 3 until I left for college, so it's not like I was an army brat or anything who was accustomed to moving, all the same I LOVE to move. Since I was 19, 2-3 years is the longest I've stayed in any one place. Any longer than that and I get super antsy and eager to move. We're in that boat again right now. We are working with a  realtor right now to see if we want to find a new place or stay where we're at, but in the meantime I decided I needed to make some steps to make myself happier where we're at. Part of the thrill of moving for me is the total redecoration. I love packing and unpacking, buying new things, setting everything up, it's reminiscent of how much fun rearranging your room is when you're a kid. Since we're renting this place a complete overhaul (i.e. new paint, new cabinets, etc) is out of the question, but I could do some other things to spruce up the living room and make it feel shiny and new. I have some before and after shots of the living space so you can see the changes we've made, as well as some detail shots!

The new sofa was a joint Christmas present for our family from Tim's parents. It's a Newton Sofa from Room & Board, and soooo comfortable. The ottoman I purchased so I could throw my feet up. I like to lounge folks! It was a fabulous Target find (the throw pillows are also Target!). I was dying for a chevron rug, but much to my dismay they were out of stock almost everywhere. Luckily I found a Surya rug that was in stock and was just what I was looking for. Lastly I decided a side table would be a good idea, but wanted something narrow since our living space is sort of a strange layout and not all that roomy. I found a great Gear C table at CB2 that was perfect. They only had one in stock and it had a teeny tiny scratch on it, so they said they'd give me a $40 discount. You could barely see the scratch, and let's face it, in the land of two boys and crazy dogs our stuff is going to get scratches and nicks, so I took it as a great deal! Oh and please ignore that cord hanging out of the couch. It's there so I can charge my iPad, and I'm really regretting that I didn't notice it before I took the pictures! I also could have fluffed the couch cushions.... oh, and sorry about the dog. He refused to move! lol 

I added some new photos and accessories to the mantle. I know some of my e-friends out there are going to be really excited about one particular addition!

The photo wall felt too small for the wall space so I doubled it in size. I also wanted to make sure we had Henry up there, so it was a perfect time to add some pics. And now that I'm looking at this I'm off to straighten a majority of the frames! lol.
ps - how much do I hate that ugly motion sensor on the wall?!?

 I wanted a personalized tray for the ottoman so we could set drinks and things on it. This Clairebella tray from Layla Grace was too cute to resist.

I purchased a wedding date print from Apple Bottom Prints on Etsy awhile back as a wedding gift for a friend, and it was so cute I wanted one for us as well! Mini makeover time was the perfect excuse to order one!

I think that's pretty much the jist of it. I'm toying w/the idea of moving the Blue Dog art by the kitchen and replacing it with some accent wall decals, but I'm waiting to see if another move is in our near future (look out for a post on that!) before I pull the trigger. Other than that I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out! Now I'm on the hunt for a new bed! Maybe in the next few months I'll have a bedroom makeover to share with you as well. (Sorry Tim!)