Pre-decorating (otherwise known as the cleanup)...

A good part of today was spent cleaning the living room. Not just straightening up, but really cleaning in preparation for the Christmas decorations that will be coming up soon. As you may have noticed, our living room is teeny tiny, so the fact that the cleanup took so much time should give you a good idea as to how many dust bunnies were living in, around, and under furniture!


I changed the throw on the wing chair to a simple white king sized bedskirt, with a vintage "pink rosebud" pillowcase covering the seat cushion.


Last week when I showed you the "bargain of the century" painting, a lightweight blue floral spread was covering the wing chair and blue & white pillowcases were covering the brick hearth. They were all waaaaaaaaaay overdue for a trip through the washer.


Now that the wing chair was covered with clean, fresh linens it was time to decide what to do with the hearth. I thought this vintage sheet looked like a good choice for the holidays... a nice cottage green...


... with white polka dots, pink rosebuds and a scalloped design on one end.

When we closed in our brick fireplace a couple of years ago and painted it white, the pillowcases and/or sheets that we layed across the hearth were meant to be a temporary fix (until we decided how to finish off that area), but I've come to really like them. It's fun being able to change colors and patterns, so as far as I'm concerned, the hearth is officially done!


And I know I've mentioned this little guy before... doesn't he look like a little imp? I bought him as a Christmas decoration at TJ Maxx many years ago, but I really like him so he stays out year-round. I think he looks like he's playing Rock, Paper Scissors with someone. (I suspect he was meant to be holding something, but that during assembly that certain 'something' was omitted by mistake!)


Okay, I'm pooped after all this cleaning so I think I'm going to sit down and rest a while before starting supper... I wonder if there are any roasted vegetables left....

Donna

Creative Concealment

What a super idea! Melissa at The Inspired Room shared lots of tips and ideas on how to conceal the "less than flattering" areas of our homes, and she invited readers to share their own "creative concealments." Boy, am I familiar with that process because I've got lots of flaws to hide in my house!!!

We'll start in the family room...


This isn't a bad view... especially when you realize this could be the view....


Yup, this wall - visible from the kitchen, dining room, and family room - was the only wall for the circuit breaker box when we had the family room put on almost 20 years ago; the mirror does double duty, both hiding the ugly breaker box and providing a nice view of the deck from inside the house. (And I thought I was the only one concealing a circuit breaker box until I read Cindy's "creative concealment" blog post the other day!)


Just today we moved mirrors around. The larger mirror that used to hang here is now in the entryway.... But oh, dear, this will never do... Look what I just noticed - the nasty gold hanger/hook on the mirror shows, and it is ugly!



And then I had an "aha" moment....


... I went into my old 'clip earring' stash and found a sweet little flower shaped earring to sit on top of the mirror - right in front of the ugly gold hanger...


Much better!!! Okay, on to the living room....


When we (hubby) made the new fireplace surround (which, in and of itself, hides the ugly beige 80's brick underneath), we (I) didn't take into account one minor detail... the flue knob. Since hubby insisted on cutting a big hole to access it, I had to get creative... So see that little framed painting just above the fireplace screen?


Here's a closer look so you don't have to squint so much... Well, this is the ugly little secret hidden behind that miniature masterpiece:


{{{shudder}}}....

And finally, the kitchen... When I painted my dark "fake wood" 1980's cabinets a creamy white, I thought it would be nice for one cabinet to have glass or Plexi inserts... I mean, heck, I could keep at least one cabinet neat and tidy, right?... So when we took off all the cabinet doors for painting, I gave hubby the two I wanted 'altered'...

....Well, after hubby cut out the center panels, I realized that this was the cabinet that had the center shelf that looks like an old swayback horse! I suppose we could have gone out and bought another shelf, but I decided to give the kitchen a little "cottage" influence instead...


... so "old swayback" is now hidden behind two fabric panels... Mission accomplished!

I have lots of other concealed 'flaws' but I'll save them for a later post as I've already rambled on too long! Melissa has a link to all the bloggers who have posted their own "creative concealments" so be sure to visit her blog and check them all out!!! There are some great ones!

Donna