Candle Lantern Before and After

Hi there! Today I'm sharing a quick and simple before and after. I bought this candle lantern stand thingy (I'm never sure what to call it) a few years ago at Ross. I needed something tall and skinny to put in this corner and literally grabbed the first thing I saw that I thought would work. Mistake. I've never really loved it, but felt like I needed something in this spot. 

Here is how it looked before my little makeover.

I actually still liked the top lantern part, I just wasn't wild about the tall stand it was on. Then it hit me...I could have hubby saw off the lantern and I could use it separately. 

So, that's precisely what he did! It took him just a few minutes out in the garage (he used a Dremel tool with a cut off wheel) For now I have it by the fireplace, but I'm not sure where it'll end up. I keep moving it around. 

I really like the size of it. 

Here's a close up. By the way, that candle scent is "pecan praline" and it smells so good!

Here's something I shared on Instagram...see these magazines? I had a huge stack that I still hadn't read. Some of them are from the FALL, y'all! I hate to admit, but there were also a few from June of 2013 too. :) This pic isn't even half of what I had accumulated over the last several months.

It was a nice rainy day, so I curled up with my tea, skinny cow candies, and my favorite throw and read and read and read for hours. It was the perfect day!

The only bad thing about sitting and reading design catalogs and magazines for hours on end is that you get inspired by all the pretty pictures and start to see all kinds of things in your own house that you all of a sudden feel the need to change. :) Case in point...I now feel the need to put up a plate wall somewhere in my house and paint my kitchen cabinets white. :)

After I removed the lantern stand, I realized that I really didn't need to fill up that spot with anything. It looked okay to me with nothing in that corner. Below is a pic without the lantern. (Holly's toy basket is there now, but I don't know if it'll stay.) Oh, and see those prints? I  love Thomas Kinkade prints, but didn't want to spend the money on them, so I just bought one of his books (or maybe it was a calendar) and cut out the pictures and framed them. ;)

Here's another pic. Don't you think a plate wall would look good where those two prints are now? I'd like to do one with all white or cream colored plates, maybe with a platter in the middle. What do y'all think?

The other thing I realized while reading all those magazines/catalogs was that I really want to replace the cornice board in my dining room with full length curtains. Here's what it looks like now with the cornice board/valance above the window.

I love the fabric and would still like to use it for curtains if they still make it. I'll just use the same "no sew" method like I did for my kitchen curtains HERE 

Here's a close up of the fabric. I really do still love it, I'm just tired of the valance/cornice board look. I think full length curtains will give it a finishing touch. 

Well, y'all have a good weekend! I'm working on a post about my exercise routine (how I worked out in the past and how I'm working out now, what equipment I use, etc) and I should have that up soon, so check back if you're interested. :) Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa