I love, love, love this book, but I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing when I get it out and look at it! I mean, I can make everyone in the house miserable trying to turn my home into something it simply cannot be without a major rennovation!
My den — very much a family room, has seemed too dark and cluttered for me lately. Hey, I thought, why not get out the Shabby Chic book and get some ideas.
I can control myself.
I can control myself.
I can control myself.
I decided to get the book out. I told myself, “Self, you can redo the den, but only as much as you can do while staying inside your very own little budget and not turning this into a month-long project that requires a construction crew. Because you cannot hire a construction crew right now. Remember?”
I made myself apply only as much Shabby Chic as I could without overwhelming everyone in the house.
Now I realize this is not a dramatic change. I would love to have hardwood floors in a beautiful, light-colored wood. And much bigger windows to let in more light to brighten things up. And while you’re at it, a bigger den altogether. And could someone paint the entertainment cabinet? White, please? Actually, I’m wondering if painting the wooden bookcase and the coffee table in, uh, white would be a good idea…
See how out of control I can get??
But girls, I did it!! I kept myself in control!! First I cleaned up the room. The regular stuff like dusting and vacuuming. I did a quick decluttering fling and got rid of some 1 or 2 books we don’t use anymore plus some junk that had accumulated in the den. Then I plundered through my store of fabric and found an old, white bedspread that made wonderful pillow covers — very washable, and some floral fabric to make a cover for the large cushion in the wicker loveseat — also washable.
The curtains I made are a very light beige/pale yellow with just a hint of very pale pink in some of the larger roses. I put some pom-pom trim on them, which seems sort of Shabby Chic to me. Do you think so?
Ewwww, isn’t the fabric pretty?? Bear in mind that these pictures were taken at night. I had to use the flash on the camera, which just does not do the fabric justice. In the day light, these curtains really brighten up the room.
On the wooden coffee table, which I covered with an old scarf, sits a pewter bowl full of seashells. My decorating efforts stopped there. The room is brighter and it’s a change and I can be content with that.
Tomorrow morning when I sit down in my nice clean little den with my cup of tea, and light a white candle for ambiance, I’ll thank myself that I did not lose control tonight.
Updated Photos
I took a few more photos this morning after finishing up one last pillow and placing one more throw, and lighting my candle.
The light’s starting to come in! On my wish list is a cover for my checked loveseat.
Sitting down with my tea this morning, this is what I see.
This room has also become a nature room, where we keep many little nature finds, including rocks, turtle shells, old (sometimes antique) dug-up bottles from yard…
and seashells.
With three teenage boys and a 9-year-old girl, I’m glad it’s all washable. And yes, that’s the same fabric I made my skirt from.
Yes, I finally brought my work computer home yesterday! Up until now I’ve been working on-site at the hospital, training, and waiting on the hospital IT staff to get it built. Well, it’s done! I brought it home yesterday. Then today I spent some time cleaning up the office and setting everything up. The office has had all its final touches and it’s ready for use!
Now that’s a bunch of computer stuff. I’ve tried to make the office as nice as I can, even with all the cords and power strips and monitors. There’s only so much you can do to make a computer look shabby chic.
One of the things I’ve been wanting to get yet is a small memo board for little reminders for appointments, etc. I’ve been on the lookout for one at the thrift store that I could buy for nearly nothing, bring home and fix up. I found it today.
See the memo board sitting on top of the cabinet? Note all the dings in the cabinet as well. I like to think of it as “authentically distressed.” So I paid only 2 dollars for the memo board, but it started out looking like this:
No, I don’t want lipstick and mascara tubes on any fabric in this office, thank you. So I took out the hot glue gun and some pretty blue fabric that’s covered in — what’s the theme again? — roses!!
I am such a new hot-glue-gun-convert. I never had one until last month! How did I miss out for so long? Anyway, after stretching the fabric across and gluing it securely around the back, I criss-crossed some blue ribbons over the front for holding little memos and glued them into place at the tops and backs.
I glued cute little buttons over where the old ones were. The board works great and holds the little things I need it to.
I’ve spent time today going through paperwork and just thinking of how I’ll work out my cleaning schedule, menu planning, and homeschool lesson planning. The cleaning schedule will have to change. I don’t want to have to clean on my work days, except to wipe down the bathrooms. I am also working on a way of journaling or notebooking many things into one place — menus, schedules, diary. It’s in a trial stage and I’ll post some about it later.
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” ~Helen Keller
Note: See if you can find all five of my office birds…
Today — again — has been a day of cleaning around the house and continuing to work in the office. I also took a break to stock up on some groceries. While out, I stopped by Goodwill in search of a rug. I did not find one, but I did find two gorgeous plates to hang on the wall in my office.
The plates are Rose Chintz by Johnson Brothers (Made in England) and they fit in nicely with my theme of vintage, birds and roses. The colors are a perfect match when you look at the office over all, even if the above picture doesn’t give you that view…
The plates pretty much round out the collection of what I intend to have on the walls. And it’s all so versatile! These plates can be easily exchanged for two other plates should I change themes or colors. The same goes for the poster above my work station — easily changed.
I did go ahead and paint the baskets that sit in the white hutch. The hutch was a thrift store find for about 14 dollars a few years ago. It has come in very handy for storing electronic things, CDs, cords, etc.
I contemplated adding a few more silk flowers to the vase, but I haven’t bought any yet. Isn’t it fun hunting for just the right things? I did go ahead and spray paint the old wooden box I mentioned yesterday (or was that the day before?). It holds my books of quotations, which I refer to so often, and the plant looks great on it.
Finally, here are the final (well just about) before and after pictures. There is still one more computer to bring in, but you already know what a computer looks like.
BEFORE
AFTER
(I am not in love with the big black chair, but hubby is. We’ll see…)
Tonight was a night for homemade pizza and a salad. Not all of the salad came from the garden. Some of the lettuce did and the parsley and radishes did. I did buy the pizza crusts, though I want to take care to start making them to save money now that I’m home.
I mixed mozarella and cheddar cheese for those.
Year of the Doll House
Yesterday I mentioned a doll house treasure. While I was in A.C. Moore the other day, I could not resist these fresh eggs and milks for the doll house.
There’s gotta be a lesson in these. I’ll let you know.
My office is coming right along and I am totally loving the results! I may just stay in here all the time…
The hard work is done – painting, carpet stretching (yes), setting up furniture, and cleaning, and now remains the fun task of shopping and decorating. I wanted a print above my work station that would allow my mind something to think on, but not something to make me wander so far away in thought that I don’t do a good job. I think this print Windows of Burano by Catherine Archuleta is perfect.
The print’s windowbox theme ties in perfectly with the roses on the curtains and the plants in and just outside of my large office window.
Above the plant stand is an old print that I’ve had put up for several years now. I bought a mat today which I cut down to fit this old frame with some peeling paint. This pretty and prim gardener is perfect above the plant stand.
While in Tuesday Morning today, I spotted this little cast robin (so heavy!) for just 4.99. What a steal! She’s guarding the mail tray.
I also picked up a new blue planter at Tuesday Morning. It picks up the blue in the Windows print, the blue in the curtains, and the blue in this little gem by Marjolein Bastin…
It says:
A nest filled with eggs — a gentle reminder that nothing is more beautiful than a new beginning.
So appropriate, don’t you think?
I did make a new cover for the pillow in the chair.
The stripes look a bit wavy in the picture, but I promise they are just straight and cute little pinkish-red stripes.
The office has a vintage feel and the theme has certainly taken a turn towards roses and birds. I am still not completely done. I am haunting the thrift stores for the perfect cheap rug and I still have an antique wooden box to spray paint and set up to hold some of my reference books. I’ll also be moving around and adding some computer equipement. Sigh.
I did remember to slow down this evening and spend some time with Princess of the Universe. I bought her some new crayons (what’s more better than new crayons???) and five new coloring books. So we colored and drank hot chocolate, and tomorrow I have a doll house treasure to share.
My daughter’s hair is twisted up in the cutest little top-knot. Mine won’t all go, so part of it is twisted up and part of it is hanging down. Hubby smiled and said I looked like the queen of some ancient tribe. Thanks.
Yesterday on the way home from dropping the children off at mom’s house, I had a strong feeling something good is at the Goodwill you don’t often visit, but you’re going close by today so stop!
Ever get a feeling like that?
I was so glad that I stopped in. The store was nearly void of shoppers — a rarity. And sitting in the back of the store, just put out, were two wardrobes. One was the old wooden one pictured above and another one was an old metal locker that will be great for one of the boys. I got both for $50.00. I am so glad that I stopped! I’ll show you the metal one later, but for now I have just been focused on getting the wooden one cleaned up and finding a spot for it. This “new” old wardrobe is very similar to the one I found for my daughter awhile back, only this one’s darker and the doors lock.
The doors unlocked nicely with the key. Thank goodness there was a key! I did open the doors while still in Goodwill and I did note quite a few hangers and some parchment-type paper in the bottom of the wardrobe, but nothing extraordinary. When I got home I realized there was much more than just papers and hangers.
I carefully pulled the large pieces of paper out and began to look at all the little things. There were dated items going all the way back to 1967. Maybe the lady who owned this is probably no longer with us. I can tell you her name was Nettie. And that she saved little things like this…
and this…
And there was a tiny little copy of The Little Bible.
It’s very delicate and old, but the pages are all untorn and intact.
It was a bit sad to go through this stuff, wondering where the lady was now, if she was even alive at all. And wondering why her things would be disposed of in such a way.
I put all of her papers neatly into a large envelope and placed them into the wardrobe underneath my things. Her things have a place in my house.
Housework, man! But in all actuality, I probably did more playing than cleaning today. I got “stuck” in my daughter’s room and had way too much fun.
Is there anything better than a clean house? And a homemade quilt on the bed? Maybe it just doesn’t take much to make me happy.
I sorted socks and played dolls for a bit. Then I weeded out worn-out clothes. And I dressed a few teddy bears. You get the picture.
Out with the old and in with the new. Princess of the universe has a framed photo in her room: an 8×10 of whatever is new or she deems interesting. Today, I surprised her by printing our Braids picture and placing it in the frame. She likes it!
I enjoyed getting Bitty Baby in her high chair. She had her face and hands washed, as did all the other baby dolls. They just get dirty and need a bath from time to time. A few drops of essential oil in my cleaning water makes them smell good, too. After getting cleaned up, the other two babies were dressed and put into their crib.
This is the crib princess of the universe slept in as a newborn, by the way. There’s something so sweet and magical and fleeting about being in my daughter’s room. I think I want the dolls and the innocence of playing house to never end.
The bears are dressed and on the bed, ready to be read to. Or to partake of some tea. Either one would be quite fun.
Big, soft, floppy and sort-of-heavy teddy bears, dressed in real baby clothes, are awfully good to hold. I should know.
The dresser top was wiped clean and everything put back into its proper place. Including a picture of the best cousin in the universe.
And last, but certainly not least, is the doll house. I am, after all, the silly girl who started The Year of The Doll House. I have not mentioned it of late and I am well aware of that. I’m concerned that some might wonder if it just fell off the map. Well, no.
We still play. In all honesty, I have not met my own challenge to play everyday, but my personal mission to play dolls with my daughter every day this year has heightened an awareness within me of how much I need to pay complete attention to her. I’m still committed. We are still playing dolls, but my daughter has had sick days, I have had sick days, there have been days that we felt we’d rather draw or read, and there have been beautiful days that she just wanted to go outside. I am still grateful for the idea and we have many doll house adventures to come before 2008 is over, I hope.
I was thinking that it would be fun to share your very most favorite thing in your house. Not to be focused just on material things, of course, but do you have something that just makes you happy? Something that is sentimental? Something that you hope you never have to get rid of?
My favorite thing is my spice cabinet, and it certainly has a story behind it. It is sort of a focal point in our kitchen and gets used every single day as we cook our family meals. I think it fits perfectly into our 1921 home.
I love the rustic old handles and the rusty latches on the doors. I love the glass panes that allow me to see all my spices, including some old-looking Watkins spices. The rusty-but-sturdy hinges appeal to my liking of all things rustic and useful, and I even love the peeling paint.
The story behind the cabinet makes it even more special. I had been looking for a spice rack, but needed something bigger than the standard little spice racks I was finding in the thrift stores at the time.
I walked into a local antique store one day and chatted with a newly-made friend. I enjoyed so much looking at the items in her rented space in the store. She just had an eye for finding things that I loved. Not that I could afford anything I wanted, but it was fun to look and dream. Anyway, when I saw this cabinet it was exactly what I had imagined for my kitchen. It was the perfect size and had that look I needed. Anything too new just does not fit into my old house. It clashes.
I wanted that cabinet so much, I figured that I would put in on lay-away, budget a portion of my grocery money, and pay it off over a period of three months. It went well for about a month and then we had a financial crisis and corners would have to be cut. I knew that luxuries could not be afforded and the spice cabinet was a luxury (as much as I hated to admit it). So I went to the antique store, not even expecting to see my new friend, as she was usually not there unless stocking her booth, but she was there that day. It was with embarrassment that I told her of my situation and that I needed to end my contract, losing a portion of the money, but I felt I would be unable to meet my obligations to pay any more payments. I was astonished at what she said.
She told me that she had — for some reason – felt like I was having a hard time. She said that the Lord had put me in her heart and that if in fact it did turn out to be true that I was struggling, she was going to mark the bill paid at whatever point I was in the contract and just give me the cabinet. And that’s what she did!
So every time I look at this cabinet, I am reminded of the kindnesses that have been shown to me, even in little things, and in things that I really didn’t need, but just wanted. I am reminded that there are many, many kind people in the world, no matter how harsh our world can seem at times. And also I just love how this old rustic spice cabinet fits into my home.
You’re invited to leave a link to your blog and YOUR favorite thing and why you love it so much! It’ll be fun! I may even tag a few people.
Lynn
PS – I did decide to tag 3 people: Hannah at Cultivating Home, Patty at Morning Ramble, and Shauna over at Shauna Rumbling. They may or may not feel like joining in, but it would be nothing less than intriguing to me to find out if they have a favorite thing and what that thing would be! It was hard to stop at three blogs, because there are SO many blogger friends on line and I would love to know everyone’s favorite thing. So anyone join in!
Okay. Sometimes I like clutter. I am a thriftaholic, so clutter is a part of my life. But every so often something snaps and I have to declutter. Today it was the living room. I know, I know. I’m not supposed to be in the living room today, but I’ll swap today’s rooms for tomorrow’s and it will all be fine.
If you remember the art center that was recently set up in here, don’t worry. It’s on the move. Everything’s still intact, but the art desk itself is going to a different area. More on that later.
Do you feel like things get moved around a lot? My husband does too.
Anyway, here is a view from one side of the room:
There’s a new lace panel hanging in the front of the shelf that had so much stuff in it. The music makes its way right through.
The loveseat is set up to face the warm stove, where I can sit and read my gardening magazines, dream of spring, meditate and nap.
I really like it. It didn’t take much work. A few pieces just moved around a bit and a few items came out, some for donating, some for the recycle and the trash, and some for another spot in my home.
Just wanted to share part of the day’s happenings.
Here’s more about creating an art center or “craft room” in your home. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s all about a focused place to work, with a nice countertop or table space and all art supplies within arm’s reach. For me, it’s in my living room — my special room!
The work space nearly covers a wall, so it’s pretty adequate for me and my daughter.
Her work space is lower and she has a little oak chair to sit in. (It was husband’s when he was little!)
The larger desk is the one that already held my Singer and was where I worked on crafts alone.
Right next to where I sit is my large shelf — found of course at a thrift store for… are you sitting down? Twenty dollars. It’s heavy as lead and my dear husband came dashing over with his work van to haul it home for me. He added the shelves for me. It has a drawer in the bottom that houses my scrapbook supplies. My CD player/radio is right there to play classical music for us while we work. (Either that or I’m listening to Clark Howard.)
This room is basically my room and I love to be in it. It’s small and can feel cluttered, but I just try and keep things put away and enjoy it. It’s got the most comfy loveseat in the world!
Today has been a cold, rainy day, and my daughter has not felt well. This morning I glanced the view through the living room window.
The view drew me to my sewing table desk and I sat down facing the window. I mused over the fact that before my daughter’s room makeover she had a really cool art center. (I’ll have to tell you about it some time.) I like her bedroom better now because she has more play space and I love her vintage furniture, but she needs an art center now more than ever so she’ll have something constructive to do while I am working. It would also give us a place to work on doll house stuff together. (As a working mom, I have found that an art station goes a long way in giving the children something meaningful to do while I’m busy.)
I guess in part it was the rainy day outside, but I was suddenly motivated to set up an art center again. It’s actually something that’s been on my to-do list.
I took a heavy wooden door that we had removed from an old cabinet from a doctor’s office and laid it across the old suitcases. Now my daughter has a work space and so do I — side by side. Granted, it would be nice to have bigger rooms that would allow for more stuff — but without a cluttery feel; however, I’m happy with what I have. It’s all just more stuff, after all.
We gathered up all art supplies from all over the house, sorted through every single item, sharpened pencils, threw out non-working pens and markers, cleaned out the desk drawers, and made everything nearly perfect!
In the rearranging of the living room I had to let go of a pretty shelf. After some thinking, off it went to my daughter’s room to replace a basket of play dishes. The dishes now have a pretend cupboard.
She loves it!
Once the art center was complete, my daughter and I went to work on some rugs for the doll house — hers painted and mine done with colored pencils. After hers had dried, we took the rugs upstairs to determine which rooms to put them in.
I love this face. She declared this rug in the children’s room a 3 on a scale of 1 – 5. I am glad to say that placing the rug in the kitchen scored a 5!
This is the rug that ended up in the children’s room of the doll house.
We are waiting for our coat of mod podge to dry. Then we’ll put another one on. We talked about women who had to make real rugs by hand to keep their real floors warm — a lot of work! It reminded us of the Virtuous Woman who “worketh willingly with her hands.”
The kitchen rug is drying as well. It won’t be long before we can put all the furniture back in. Won’t that be nice?
Last of all, we took a tiny picture frame that we found at the thrift store awhile back for a quarter and we put a picture of the two of us in it. Where is it? You guessed it. In the doll house den.
Overall, I’d say it’s been a pretty productive day.
Approaching-50 mother of four. Thrifter. Content with lots of clothes bought for very little money. Loves retro. (That could be styles from the 40s and 50s. And sometimes stuff even older than that. And sometimes stuff from all time, all mixed up together!) Bluffs about decluttering but secretly loves STUFF. Goes through stages. Has standing and staring spells before rearranging the entire home. Just because. Tune in each day to see what new outfit comes home from G.W. Boutique next. (That's Goodwill, by the way.) Oh, and she owns a spoiled beagle named Annie. And this blog.
Grab A Button
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.amothersjournal.com" title="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong"><img src="http://www.innatelygray.com/images/abitofbirdsong_120_200.jpg" alt="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do
Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
.
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
Recent Thoughts