Weird-room makeover

Our master bedroom has a little side room off of it. It is mirrored and I believe was designed to be a small gym. It, however, serves perfectly as a room for our dog, Ralphie, and for other necessities, that any room that has lots of activities, acquires.

The room does not have a door and both from the angle of the room and the uses it has, we are in and out of it all the time. This is going to sound really dumb to some of you and to others it will make perfect sense.  I was tired of looking at this haphazard hodgepodge space, and for my own peace I wanted it to look nice. When my house feels pretty and not chaotic I truly feel less tired.  I like pretty things - period.

So, a few months ago I started the first step in all my projects.  I THOUGHT about what I wanted to do in there. That's usually the most fun part.  I kept my eyes open for good deals on the supplies I decided I may consider, and I set a budget for myself.  As time when on and nothing was happening I decided it was time to move already and get it done so I could start enjoying it all.  I also decided my budget was like zero.  How can I justify a dog room/closet makeover? I actually decided on $20 max.

In the end I spent $15, but that could be justified as a supply I needed anyway. And the rest is sort of cheating because it was all stuff I already had.  

Get ready for slightly dull photos of pet supplies and ironing boards -

I took the fabric that I had draped over Ralph's cage and sewed seams to make it an actual cover and I added the trim that matched the window valance - just to give it a more finished look. I am not a fan of matchy-matchy, but in this case I was looking for cohesiveness. 

 I covered the earwash bottle in cute paper and put our earwash supplies in a basket. These were all supplies I already had.  Ralphie is a bloodhound and as a long-earred pooch he gets daily (sometimes hourly) ear cleanings, so these are supplies we use all the time.

I spent $12 on a new ironing board cover, which I needed any way.  I got this one at Target.  My mom bought me a cute ironing board cover a while back and of course I couldn't find it. I also spent $2 on the laundry basket fabric.  It was $1 a yard at Wal-Mart (!!!).  I liked the slight pattern, the classic stripe that looked like ticking, and the fact that it was sturdy and washable. 

Apparently if you just clean out stuff it makes the whole place look better. I threw out, grouped together, moved things to better spots in the house, and organized.  The black and white vases at the top were from elsewhere in my house. I bought these burlap bins at Marshall's with a store credit to keep store Ralph's stuff. They had some cute black and white patterned bins, but I wanted a warmer and neutral look.

I bought craft paint at Wal-Mart for $.88. I taped off the laundry basket and painted it up.  I think it went from cheapy and ugly to bold and happy.  I squeezed the paint right onto the basket and just spread it around with a big craft paint brush.

 These are the kind of activities that take up my time and energy and in the big picture aren't legacy-worthy. No one will say about me: "Wow, did she have a cute ironing board cover!" BUT these are the kind of activities that I enjoy thinking about and creating.  And when I plop in to bed at night (and my sweet dog plops in to his cage) it is relaxing to look in there and see a slightly more put-together room. 

Sometimes it's the littlest things that make me less tired. 

Ralph would not cooperate in posing for a photo of himself in his cage.