Friday, July 30, 2010

The Big Reveal - The Great Dining Room Challenge


If you recall (or not) last week Angela of West Virginia Treasures and I were going to reveal our dining rooms after giving each other a week to get them all spiffed up. No big remodel jobs here, just a good cleaning, as these rooms are the dumping grounds of household accumulations of mail (opened and unopened!) and other things that are placed here as people walk by to grab a drink in the middle of working on projects, etc. You know how that goes in your own homes, I'm sure. BEFORE pictures are ABOVE, and without further adieu, here are my AFTER pictures!

First off, the large windows needed to be washed. That was a big chore because they tend to streak when they are cleaned as the sun is shining through them (which is most of the time!). My canary cage was relocated so he could look out the windows and enjoy the goings on in the yard below.
Since I have such a lovely garden happening outside, I decided to create a flower arrangement for our table. Flowers should inspire a dining room table to REMAIN for dining, don't you agree?
Vacuuming the area rug and mopping the wood laminate floor was not too difficult. For laminate we were told to clean it with Windex - and we would have no streaks! I've always done that since Mr. Wonderful installed the flooring, and it's always looked great. I proceeded with arranging a cozy "table for two"...
...and arranged the decorative items on the sideboard....

As you can see, I've brought the outside INSIDE with the use of houseplants, and of course, my little chicken salt/pepper shakers and antiques are things I can't do without! Love my little "cobwebby" Hens & Chicks! Looks rather cozy, don't you think?

Now, I'm headed off to see how Angela fared this week - she has a much busier schedule than I have, with young children to deal with. Wonder if she had to lock them in a closet in order to keep her dining areas clean for her photo shoot?? Click HERE to visit her house in West Virginia!

Keep it Squeeky Clean -
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13 comments:

Angela said...

Wow! You did a great job Monica! Your bird looks wonderful in that cage in front of the window like that! I'm sure it is loving being able to look out. You know I didn't even notice your stained glass window in the before pictures. It really pops out at you now! So pretty!

Hugs,
Angela

farmlady said...

Everything is so pretty and clean. You did a nice job. You make me want to do some straightening up myself... especially more window cleaning.
Love the hens and chickens. They must get sun there? I never seen succulents indoors before.
Very pretty dining room...

Kelly said...

ooo I love how bright and airy your dining room is! We have no windows in ours :( Must be nice to look out the window while you eat.

Nice job!

Jane said...

Everything looks great - so nice and clean!

Jane

Keetha Broyles said...

I love your dining room, and loved it even in the BEFORE shots!

Chatty Crone said...

This has to be your lucky day - you have a beautiful and clean home - looks great! And some other good news. Your home is pretty.

sandie

Melanie said...

Looks great!
I've already been to Angela's. Hers looks great too!
I really like the bouquet on the table. It's nice to bring some of the outdoor beauty inside. :)

Traveling with Maria said...

Your flowers look pretty on your table and your bird looks happy!!

P.S Thanks for doing the challenge with my mom!!Our tabels look alot beter!!
Thanks Maria<3

^..^Corgidogmama said...

What a nice room and that view is incredible!

Rose said...

you've worked hard. looks better. beautiful flower arrangement. have a good weekend. Rose

Love Of Quilts said...

Yes you have a very nice dining room...first I've hear of anyone cleaning the floor with windex...I'll have to give it a try. Trish

Diann said...

It looks great Monica! Very inviting. As I said to Angela in a comment, I must have felt the your "cleaning mission spirit" because yesterday I went through our dining room and cleaned it and decluttered! Woohoo! Love knowing when we return home from our vacation, the dining room will be nice and clean!

ocmist said...

Both of you did a great job with this, though I wouldn't even have started to call yours a mess in the first place! You both made your rooms look so light, cheery and inviting! I LOVE the view out of our window, too!

I'd seen Angela's a couple of days ago, so knew I would have to hunt yours up when I got the chance to get over here. Well, it's 3:45 a.m. here, so I'd better go get OC outside to go potty and then hit the sack. Linda