Making disappointment FUN!

We have been wanting to go on an adventure. Somewhere like this:


It's a picture of Thursday Island, between Australia and Papua New Guinea. We had hoped that we would receive a transfer there for work. We had been told if you say you will go super remote (which, hello, is there more remote than that?) you will for sure go... so we hadn't even considered the possibility that we would stay. So, we purchased a townhouse close to shopping centres and main roads that would rent easily. We did little decorating, I put off buying winter clothes knowing that I wouldn't need them next season on Thursday Island (one of my saddest moments), and we just lived in bliss as we waited to go country. Well... you can imagine our sheer shock and surprise when we were told we were staying. WHAT?!??!

So here we are. In Brisbane for the next 3 years (unless of course we take a change of career or something...) But for now, here we are.

I took a few weeks to recover from my disappointment. But now that I know we are staying, I have been shopping for bargains to do some decorating. I can't believe we are living in a townhouse with very little backyard with a dog the size of a small horse for the next three years, but alas, I make the best of it!

I've loved looking for bargains. If you know me well, you must know I love a bargain. If you tell me you bought a $3000 sofa I will think you're nuts. But if you tell me you got a $3000 sofa for $600 I will think you're a champion. One of the things I like most about my engagement ring is that Josh got it for a bargain price. I'm a weirdo.

Firstly, we decided to buy an armchair or two for our living room. We wanted a colour to contrast well with our cream couch (which will get replaced in the future but for now it's okay) so we decided on green or blue. We found a bargain that I love, did a bit of re-arranging (and recovering from the fact that it's WAY bigger than it looked in the warehouse and realising we definitely should NOT have bought two) and put it here:


Then, realising we now had 2 and only one fits in the living room, we have changed our spare bedroom into a second living space. We never used it as an office anyway, and now it gets used. To make that room feel homely, I've started a photo wall. It is by no means complete, but it has begun and I love it. All fun memories of our lives together on one wall...


I made some little art pieces, put up some vinyl, and bought some new vases for above our piano (which I refinished just before having Noah but REALLY need to recover the seat):


And my super talented husband made a bench seat to match our table. Which I love. We also bought those cute leather chairs for either end for $20 a pop (one is in the living room while we have the table pressed up against the wall - you can tell by our slightly-too-large-for-the-space furniture that we hadn't planned on staying here long - ce la vie).


It may seem materialistic, but it has really made me feel happier in this space. And hey, if it's giving me a project and something to enjoy - who cares :) I'm now on the hunt for the perfect rug for our two living spaces and our bedroom. Still trying to find the perfect 'bargain'...

What do you do to make your house feel like a home?