Dining a go-go

I have been a busy little bee lately, working on all sorts of projects around the house. I am totally hooked on the decorating blogs floating around out there, as you can see by my blog roll. And since I am eternally on a budget and always looking for a creative outlet, all of the thrifty, Do It Yourself, repurpose/reuse ideas and inspirations have been so much fun!

And on that note, I think I am finally finished with our dining room (well, for now anyway), so I thought I would show it off!

I know I've posted some "before" pictures, but here's a quick reminder:

It was okay I guess, but just kind of dark and definitely blaaaahh. I never really put anything on the walls and it was pretty boring.

So I went an entirely different direction with things:

Muy bueno!! This is so much lighter and airier (is that a word?) and much more to my current taste.

Here are some close-ups on the details and projects I injected:

I had seen this or something similar done in a number of magazines and really liked the look of the empty frames. I added two mirrors because, well, that's my prerogative.

Hubby has already taken full advantage of the height of the mirrors and his usual dining spot directly across from them. He likes to pretend he's gazing lovingly into my eyes whilst checking out his hairdo. (I kid! I kid!)

I bought a few of the larger frames and one mirror at an antique/thrift store and on clearance at Hobby Lobby. All of the others I had lying around the house. What I like about it is that it's non-commitment art. I have a hard time buying art because I get very drawn to something and then decide I don't like it not long after. :)

Luckily this phobia does not spill over into my relationships.

Here's a look at the (back?) wall.

Plates on the wall is something fairly new to me, but I've seen it all over blogland. At first I wasn't sure if it was too country for me, but I really like these white ones. They have a raised fern imprint that leans toward my natural vibe and for only $1.50 each at Ross, I had to have them.

This is a Salvation Army frame that I salvaged and spray painted. I just put a thick white mat around one of those bamboo place mats and called it ART. Love it.

I LOVE these pillows! I just made them and am smitten. I have totally jumped on the burlap bandwagon and knew these would bring a cool, natural element to the room. I painted the designs on with a stencil and sewed them up! What do you think??

Also, it's hard to tell by the pictures, but I recovered all of the chair seats. They have very thin, faint stripes. I initially wanted something with a little more texture, but found this fabric for $9 total, so it will do just fine for now!

So what do you think of our new and improved dining room?? I will have to start throwing dinner parties and afternoon soirees, don't you think?