In a cat's eyes...

... all things belong to cats (old English proverb).


And that includes the big screen TV.


It's just the latest in a succession of household items that Baby believes were put here just for her amusement.


She loves to lay on top of the TV and bat at the people or movements on the screen.

I can't even imagine what she would do if we put the Animal Planet on. She'd probably try to go right through the screen.

She eventually tires of playing...

... and settles down.

For about a minute.

In upcoming posts I'll share more of Baby's playthings. Items that used to be our playthings :)

Hope you all have a good week!

Donna

The improved TV area...

Before:


(click any photos to enlarge)
To recap our TV dilemma... no matter which side of the room the TV sat, it always blocked a bookcase.


Add to that the fact that bookcase shelves housed related electronic equipment (such as the DVD player and speaker in the above photo)...


...and the VCR, cable box, & speaker were permanent fixtures on top of the TV... It always seemed cluttered and messy...

After:

I rearranged the room so that the bookshelves no longer sat on either side of the slider. That one little change freed up this whole corner (which means the TV is no longer blocking anything!).


The cluttered look is now gone... A big yippeeeee in my book! And this TV, although an elephant, has a great feature - it's on casters, so we can easily roll it flat against the wall or angle it toward the sofa or chairs for viewing...


And now, instead of electronic equipment sitting on top of the TV, I have my stone birds and Home Goods lavender...

Oh, there is one more thing on top of the TV - the center speaker sits behind the woven basket, perfectly concealed...

(How cute! Spotty walked by just as I was snapping this photo... He's no doubt heading for the window to do some serious sunning!)

This is how the TV looks after the 'shelf project' I wrote about yesterday. I originally intended for the material to fall to the floor, but I actually like the way it looks with one of my tablecloths as a runner. It drapes down far enough on both sides to hide the ugly TV silhouette that I wrote about yesterday, so I'm just going to leave it as is (for now! I'm sure I'll occasionally switch out tablecloths - or even chenille spreads - for a different look from time to time)...

I picked up this little white nightstand at Target and it's perfect for the CD/DVD player (and the drawer is great for storing CD's, DVD's, and remotes!). I actually need to put the VCR and cable box on top of the nightstand (they're temporarily tucked underneath).

So there you have it - our little TV shelf and room rearrangement project that made a big difference in our family room! Next I'll show you where the bookcases ended up!

COMMENT UPDATE: Yes indeed, that is Clive Pearse from HGTV's Designed to Sell (I love that show!!)... And did you all know that Clive is an animal lover? As a matter of fact, he sits on the board of the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation (an animal rescue group/adoption site whose link I have added to my sidebar)... And I have to admit, although this TV is very hard to work around when rearranging, it is wonderful to be able to watch shows like Designed to Sell on such a big screen!!!

Donna

A "New Do" for Patience ... and a Giveaway!!

Patience, who you met last May, asked if she could please live inside during the long New England winter. How could I say no to this sweet face? However, I have a dilemma... Her summer bonnet of impatiens met its demise during a cold snap, so it's time to give her a new look for the winter...


This boxwood gives her a formal look...


She looks much more casual with blue hydrangeas in her hair....


Here she's sporting free flowing locks of ivy...

"If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..." Yes, she is definitely a 60's flower child with these little white blossoms...

Or perhaps she'd prefer a more punk, spiked style?

"Okay, Patience, I get it... You're the life of the party..."

Well, I've actually made my decision on her "new do" and I'll share it with you next Thursday. But here's the fun part - tell me which look you like best! And you don't have to match the one I picked... Just by telling me which style you like best, you'll be entered into a drawing for a couple of items, the first being....

... this copy of SENSIBLE CHIC, based on the HGTV show of the same name...

... where they take a high-priced "inspiration" room and help homeowners create a budget version of the designer room...

It's a softcover book of 191 pages with color photos or illustrations on every page... Lots of inspiration inside these covers!

The winner will also receive another giveaway prize, but I'm going to keep it under wraps until next Thursday (if I can wait that long!) when I announce the winner... But here's a small hint.. you'll really like it!!

So up until next Wednesday (around noon time), just leave a comment on this post stating which "do" you prefer... On Thursday I'll announce the winner and show you which "look" I chose for Patience! (Non-bloggers, be sure to leave an e-mail addy!)

And if you mention this giveaway on your blog, be sure to let me know in your comment so I can enter your name twice!

Donna