Decorating dilemma. Advice appreciated!

I’m having a bit of a DIY dilemma, a DIY moment if you will. I need your help and advice. History of this odd little room: I know I just shared a sitting room makeover with you. I painted the walls then decorated for Christmas. This room is right off of our dining room. The short hall to the right in the picture leads down the basement stairs.

I’ve un-Christmas-ed it and de-cluttering feels so good!  But now I’m re-thinking things. I’m so indecisive.  DIY is a disease, I tell ya. 😉 But friends, it’s a room without a real purpose. It deserves a real name and meaning in our home. It’s actually one of my favorite spaces. Small, lots of light and easy to clean.

When we bought our house, it looked like this: (GASP!  Hey…what was it even back then? I have no clue…no one needs 3 back doors/back entryways, do they?) Maybe everyone inside really needed to escape to the outside because it was in poor condition?

We installed French doors to bring in some light.

Much better!

Looking from the dining room:

We added a closet to a corner that housed a cubby area running beside the basement stairs.

 

Mr. DIY installed the slate tile…

We call it the mudroom…but we don’t enter the house here. We don’t exit the house here either. Maybe sometimes in the summer if we’re entertaining on the patio. But it does have a twin sister on the back side of the house…(into the kitchen which is where we enter/exit):

(Oh…how I miss summer!)

So, anyway, it became the sitting room and it’s had a lot of different looks:

to this:

to this…

to this…

then this…

But, the only one who sits there is Lalka. DON’T sit in that seat! Your backside will be covered in fluff.

I just painted the walls last month and I love the drop cloth script curtains (tutorial here) so they’re staying. I also like the mirror (recycled). But other than that, I’m indecisive.

So I was thinking…maybe keep it a sitting room because I love rearranging and decorating in there. It gives me my monthly (maybe even bi-weekly decorating fix!) I’d love to add a settee. I’ve been searching Craig’s List for months to give an old piece a little DIY love but no luck so far. How cute is this one from Frou FruGal?

I’d love to DIY a thrifty treasure to look like this…

{via pinterest}

And then my mind wanders and I think maybe a little more dining area seating would be a nice option? We do entertain on occasion and although our dining room table can seat 8 (10 if we squeeze in), it might be nice to have a little extra dining/seating, especially with nieces and nephews. Something like this…

{via Restoration Hardware}

The views of the back yard under snow or the barn and grape arbor in summer would be pretty at dinner scene. It’d also be an option that works with something else, but that’s a secret. 😉

Or a photography studio? (I take pictures for my family/nieces/nephews.) It might be a challenge to keep it looking nice and a little odd off the dining area (although if I can talk my cook into starting a blog, it might be handy!).

{via pinterest}

Or an office area? Love this the changing ‘studio’ at WhisperWood Cottage (I’m not the only one who loves to rearrange a room!):

 But we do have two other “office”/desk areas in our home and I actually sit on the couch in the living room with my laptop. lol Go figure! I should sit in the “sitting room”, huh?

I did warn you that I’m indecisive, didn’t I? What do you think?  What would you do? I may have already decided but I’m curious about your input and advice. And with the right idea, I could change my mind…again.  Thanks!

PartSelect Contest ~ Guest Blog Post by Roeshel's Dryer

Guest Blogger:  Dryfus (Roeshel’s Old Dryer).
::whispering:: When I overheard Roeshel telling Mr. DIY about the AWESOME contest going on at PartSelect.com with a $5000 GE prize for new appliances (she learned about it from her friend, Gail), I decided to hi-jack the DIY Show Off blog while she sleeps to tell my sob story, for the sake of Laundry Room who has been depressed for four long years…ever since Roeshel and Mr. DIY moved in and started giving all of the other rooms tons of DIY and affection. Laundry Room isn’t a priority because replacing us isn’t in the budget. We’re hidden away and kept secret from the rest of the house and the DIY Show Off readers.
My best friend in the whole laundry room world is Wally Washer (he’s too shy to talk but we’re a great team and work well together). We haven’t earned a place in the DIY Show Off  spotlight because we’re mismatched, old, noisy and outdated. We aren’t very photogenic either. Roeshel loves our functions and visits us weekly. We do a great job. But I have to admit, I think she’s ashamed of us. I know she’s considered giving us a DIY makeover. I have nightmares about damask stencils and paint (oh please, PartSelect – save us…we really want to move on to someone who will love us for just doing our job). I can see that look in her eye every time she helps herself to our services…the look that says we’ll one day become DIY guinea pigs. You know Roeshel, once she focuses her attention on Laundry Room, walls will be painted, doors will be added, shelving will be built, plumbing hidden, floor will be tiled, things will get all girly and frou-frou and a new utility sink might even move in.  ::Wally grumbles::

Laundry Room is so mad at us for holding up the plans.  Laundry Room is a diva and she’s tired of being moved to the bottom of the DIY list. She blames us. She throws a tantrum nearly every day and we have to listen to her go on and on about how she’s ready for her debut and how it’s her time to shine in the DIY Show Off spotlight. We remind her that if it wasn’t for Roeshel and Mr. DIY, Laundry Room would still be living in the dark, damp basement with spiders.

{previous owner’s laundry area}

She’s been upgraded to a new room on the first floor and she still demands more attention. But alas, until it’s in the budget for Wally Washer and I to be relocated to Roeshel’s daughter’s home, Laundry Room won’t undergo a DIY procedure and she is such a pouter. She dreams of DIY surgery. Imagine the glares we get. Time to take action! Winning the PartSelect GE giveaway would be a dream come true for us all.

Here is what we look like now (please don’t tell Roeshel or Laundry Room that we shared these top secret before pictures when there are no after photos to compare! We’d be in so much trouble! It’ll be our little secret! She’d gasp in horror if she knew.) …

{once a short hallway/closet turned laundry room}

Okay, we’re dated.  I’m older than Washer. Want to know another secret? Washer has some mold issues.  Nothing serious that a little vinegar or bleach and scrubbing don’t handle (he’s due for a routine cleaning), but I think Roeshel’s just ready to move on and so are we. We know there’s a young adult who’d jump up and down for joy that she didn’t have to lug clothes to the laundromat or mom’s house. We’d be loved and be appreciated for our laundry skills with little regard for our appearance.
So, I’m hoping that this post qualifies as an opportunity for a one way ticket to Roeshel’s daughter’s basement and Laundry Room can make friends with new improved better looking GE models who won’t cramp her style.  Wish us luck!

::SHOUTING::
Could you use $5000 towards GE appliances? There’s still time to enter if you hurry! Choose from the 5 Official Blog Topics:  
  • Share your worst DIY disaster.  But if you don’t make DIY mistakes, choose from the other options:
  • Highlight your proudest DIY creation ~ I know you have one! Roeshel talks about you DIY bloggers and your amazing DIY projects all of the time!
  • Interview your appliances…they’re not happy if you’re not happy.  
  • Tell about the coolest way you solved a home related issue. We’ve heard you’re DIY heroes!
  • Brag about your best trash to treasure happily ever after story.

Lots of ways to enter! See all of the details and enter to win at

I was not paid to share the giveaway details or link. In fact, until I submit my informa
tion with this post to enter the giveaway, PartSelect doesn’t even know Dryfus, Wally, Laundry Room, Roeshel or the DIY Show Off exist.  Think you’ll enter? What do you have to lose?

Now Closed!

Would you like to give your opinion and earn a little extra money in the process? Yea, baby! Who wouldn’t? Check out this opportunity from one of my favorite manufacturers!  (Sorry, I am not allowed to tell you who they are… so that I don’t bias your thoughts—but trust me they are awesome and I know you’re familiar with them! I’ve met my contacts in real life and I <3 them.)  

You just take a quick 2 minute survey to see if you qualify to be a panel member.  If approved, this will open you up to money making survey and product testing opportunities throughout the next year.  Money AND products for DIY projects, are you in?

If you are one of the first 100 panel members to qualify, you will even get to take your first survey today and have your choice between a $10 Lowe’s gift card or $10 Home Depot Gift card!  That should come in handy this time of year!

The secret company is actively looking to recruit some knowledgeable DIY’ers from the DIY Show Off readership for some research.  They’re looking for participants to give their honest feedback without telling them what you think they want to know. 
If you qualify as  part of the DIY expert panel, the first 100 panelists will immediately get sent into the first survey opportunity.  After completing the 10-minute survey you will take home your choice of a $10 Lowe’s gift card or $10 Home Depot gift card.  Sometimes they are going to ask you to take a survey; at other times participants will be asked to try out a product and give feedback.   You won’t be asked to do ANYTHING without being compensated for your time and effort and this is a company that I’ve worked with so I feel comfortable passing along this information to you!
Sometimes I’m asked, how to get involved with companies that support DIY and home improvement.  This is your chance. Remember that responding when you see sponsor related posts and giveaways helps get you noticed by sponsors because you’re showing your support.  Ready to get started?  Click HERE to take the survey to apply. If you want, leave me a comment letting me know!  I’d love to hear about your experience.  


Depending on the response from my blog, I may receive compensation for sharing this information with you. I’d love for you to check it out and appreciate your support and hoping that you’ll have a great experience and make a little extra $ too!   🙂  Good luck!


Don’t forget to enter the giveaways at the top of the side bar!  A chance to win more goodies too!  🙂