Habitat For Humanity~ Dining Room Reveal

Yes, the 2014 Hidden Treasure Adventure was an adventure for sure.

From Georgia to Tennessee to Kentucky to the top of Ohio and back again to Cincinnati 

A caravan of Yukon Denali's filled with bloggers and a GMC crew
drove along HWY 127 stopping and shopping
at the plethora of yard sales along the way.

We were on a big time mission that
 involved junking, decorating & a surprise.

This year there were 2 homes that we were decorating as a surprise 

for 2  deserving Habitat families. One house was decorated by 6 DIY bloggers

and the other house was called the Foundation House. 

Which meant that it was GMC bloggers rather than DIY bloggers decorating.
Even Vivian Pickard who is the President of the GM Foundation was there helping out
and decorating a room.

I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved in this again.

Disclosure:
 I have been a big sappy mess of happy tears
thinking about this trip and what it means to be a part of it.
This is the second time I have gone on this trip and seriously-
 I would go every.single.year. if they would let me.

It's about not the shopping or the decorating.
It's not about driving in that beautiful new 2015 GMC Yukon Denali-
though yes, that is definitely an amazing part.

It's being a part of doing something for someone that you don't know
It's the moment that the family walks in and their faces light up
and the tears well in their eyes as they see their once empty house
looking like
a 
HOME.

You simply cannot go on this trip without crying.
We were all crying even before the family arrived just thinking about them arriving



After arriving in Atlanta and meeting all the other bloggers~

I picked the Dining Room & the Basement out of the GMC hat.

We were working overtime with creativity
   furnishing our rooms on a budget- but we were all up for it.

A dining set could easily eat my entire budget up.
 I looked each day on the yard sales and wasn't finding anything the right price
 or size for the small space.
On the last day of the yard sale trip- the day before we were decorating
literally down to the wire

 under big time table and chairs pressure 

 Chris from GMC emailed me a photo that the Re-Store sent her
 showing a trestle table with 4 chairs.

It looked like it was in good shape, it was the right size, it had 4 cute chairs

Simply put...  the Re-Store 

 who called around and scoured all other locations for the furniture for this house
Rocks.

Quick note:
Did you know that we don't actually see the house until the morning of the install?
Nope. We have a simple drawn floor plan and a couple photos to try and decipher what we are working with.

The basement was one of those areas that we weren't 100% sure if it was a living space or a utility space so we went with a few simple pieces that could easily be moved if need be.

 I picked up this large rustic bench made from barn wood for $15 at a sale
and made a coat rack/wall hook area with an old board and new hooks for a drop space area.
A couple of baskets for holding hats, gloves and scarves  and a few pillows and throw to plop on the floor for play time. There was a television and some pictures on the wall
 and probably the biggest hit of all was the foosball table.

Recognize that pillow and throw? 

Those were from the hotel room I worked on decorating for 

GMC earlier this year in Napa and were donated to the Habitat houses 

With the basement basically wrapped with a few pieces
I focused on the dining room and that was where the rest of the budget went.
I had an idea of what I was hoping the room would look like but I wasn't sure if I would find
the right pieces at the right prices to be able to do it.

I started shopping in Atlanta and picked up that piece that got all that attention

ahem... in a not so good way...

the faux fireplace.

The rest of the room came together with money spent on accessories.

Like this beautiful vintage round mirror 

and these crocks for the centerpiece on the table.

I picked up some yardage of pretty linen fabric at Ikea for re-doing the seat cushions

and wiped down the table with a stain touch up to fill in the dings.

The plates on the wall were put up using Command Strips- 

which won't damage the homeowners freshly plastered and painted walls

Knowing about using them for plates is a trick we learned last year.

For the fireplace mantel- I was leaning towards simple, rustic, quiet in color.

Something that brought in just enough but not too much to overwhelm the small space.

Enter 5 tiny bottles in the right size, shape and color

that I mixed with old books wrapped in paper

 A bundle of firewood found at a yard sale went in the fireplace opening
for a realistic feeling~ and to also give them a start for their wood burning fireplace in the living room.

Yes, you can even find a bundle of firewood on the 127 sale.

The crowning piece 

was this gorgeous gold mirror.

 It was the perfect piece and I literally sighed when I saw it.
I had searched and searched and searched for a mirror or a frame that had the vintage look
and brassy old gold that I wanted for the room- but to no avail at the right price.
I ended up bringing home that pretty round mirror that was a little on the small size.
Vivian had found this one which she couldn't use in her room and so she sweetly offered it to me to use in the dining room.

Yes, I most definitely hugged her.

A set of new curtains from Ikea went on the large window 

and for the table- I bought a set of new dishes and hand towels 

Of course, I had to find some pretty flowers for the centerpiece
- my gift to the homeowners.

Note: It's not so easy to find fabulous flowers at 11:30 pm on a Saturday night in Ohio
but these gladiolus were perfect for the room.

I also picked up a loaf of fresh french bread to welcome them and a bowl full of apples to enjoy.

After everything was in place, I was so thrilled to be able to put together a place for them to sit and gather together for special occasions and everyday

Do you know that when Immaculee  first walked in
she reached out and touched the table and smiled and commented that
they had a place to sit at a dining table and chairs now
Her family didn't have one before.

 Yep, tears over here.



Though this is an amazing experience on so many levels, it truly is about so much more
than just shopping yard sales and decorating a room for someone.

It is an emotional experience for each of us as we think about the family

what they need to make their house a home
 and how we can give them all those pieces and then some
while making their rooms look pretty and inviting at the same time.

That beautiful gold framed mirror, that collection of interesting books and bottles for the fireplace
and even the flowers on the table-
those were all just little extras

that came with
that dining room table and chairs for this family.

I want to say a HUGE thanks to GMC once again for the opportunity

 to come along and be a part of this adventure.

You can see the other posts from this years trip here

Hidden Treasure Adventure

Day 1 & 2

Day 3 & 4 

Disclosure:

My trip to attend the GMCHTA was provided for

but I was not compensated to participate or to share my experience with you

sharing at

wow

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