Embracing Halloween minimalism...

 We're embracing a minimalist attitude when it comes to Halloween decor this year.

Other than some beautiful gourds and a huge white pumpkin from a wonderful Internet friend (thank you, Kathie!), the only other decorations I've put out are my two vintage black cats (who actually sit out year-round);.but when paired with pumpkins and gourds, they definitely up the Halloween aura.

The black chalkware cat and Baby look eerily similar as they stand guard over the gourds.

Pete (my Lefton parakeet) has kindly allowed me to use his cage to display some of the gourds.

Doesn't Baby look positively heavenly in this photo, with rays of sunlight streaming in around her? 

The only problem with this display is that there's no room for Baby on top of the chest or in the window...

... so I decided to rearrange things a bit to make more room for Baby. After all, this area is one of her favorite places to lounge.

I moved the large white pumpkin, some gourds, and the cast iron black cat... 

... to the end table in the living room.

And the chalkware cat and bird cage were moved to the top of the recycling center.

Okay, Baby, the top of the chest is all cleared off and ready for you!

(Not that she is spoiled or anything :)

This week I'm joining Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday. 

Pop over and join the fun!

Donna

The older she gets....

 ...the crazier she gets!

 (photo altered with picMonkey)

This is a photo of Baby sitting on the jelly cupboard, one of her favorite places to hang out. And why not? It's up high so she can look down on poor Mr. J, a floor dweller. It also allows her to oversee the entire living area of the house. But probably most importantly, from this vantage point she can easily watch the action at the screen feeder mounted to the dining room window.

Once upon a time, this little corner of the dining area looked so neat and tidy.

And even after sweet Baby came along, she was always so careful while perched on the corner.

But lately, she's been a wild woman. With reckless abandon, she leaps across the half wall from the family room to the top of the jelly cupboard. Therefore, all breakables have been completely removed. The crocheted runner isn't even safe anymore. I find it on the floor more often than not. If Baby's not around, I attempt to put it back on the jelly cupboard; if she is around, it just gets tossed over the back of one of the dining room chairs.

The bay window decor doesn't escape her shenanigans either. The placemat that sits under the plants is always bunched up due to her leaping down to the window to 'attack' whatever poor creature or bird is at the screen feeder. Just look at her up there, eyes locked on the feeder through the window!

It's the same thing in the living room, where I'm always having to adjust the lampshade on this vintage lamp. Sadly, there used to be two of them. We all know who is responsible for there only being one now.

Two days ago, this was the view outside our window, some lingering snow and frigid temperatures. The snow is long gone now (as temps rose in the 50's and 60's for 2 days!!)...

And something else is gone as well...

The runner that usually sits on the apothecary chest was in a heap on the floor, the calling card of you know who. (I love how Mr. J is on his way over to investigate. Don't worry, Mr. J, I know the culprit!)

It's this little beast, who races from one end of the house to the other, and then leaps!

And just look at this face. Not a shred of guilt!

It's okay, Baby. We know you're just being precocious, curious, and athletic... a trait most younger cats share :) And you're awfully cute, and quite entertaining, so I think we can overlook some of your messy tendencies.

We're bracing for some frigid weather again, I'm afraid. We sure were spoiled by the last two days!

This week I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday
and Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage for A Favorite Thing Saturday.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Donna

A project a day...

 For the New Year, I've been trying to work on a project a day.

 

It can be something as small as cleaning or organizing one drawer, one shelf, or a file folder up to tweaking and reorganizing an entire room (if the mood strikes).

Last week I shared my dining room hutch makeover.

(The dining room hutch actually sits to the left of the fireplace in the living room 

because there's no room for it in our tiny little dining area).

 

Of course that makes our already small living room really tiny,
with the sofa sitting right in front of the fireplace.

Speaking of the fireplace, I did a bit of tweaking on the mantel, trying out some new arrangements.

A piece I painted several years ago is flanked by hands, books, and busts.

This lady head planter and the vintage hat are a favorite, purchased for a song on the same day, but at different thrift stores in Cambridge. I think they were meant to find each other.

 

The fireplace and living room look so different today than they did in the 90's...

Back then, the fireplace was still brick. When we started switching over from a darker primitive decor to a lighter cottage style, hubby really did not want the bricks painted white (my first choice - I love that look!).  So we compromised and he built a fireplace surround/cover to go over the bricks. I think that one change has had the biggest impact in our living room makeover.

(There's a link on my sidebar showing how hubby built the fireplace cover.)

My church birdhouse is the only 'fireplace decor' that remains next to the hearth from my primitive days. Back in the 90's, an old friend and I were at a craft fair in Sturbridge, MA when we came across a young couple from upstate New York selling these awesome oversized, rustic birdhouses. It's a purchase I've never regretted! I couldn't bear to put it outside and chance it getting ruined, so it has always remained indoors. This angel has also been around for a long time. He was purchased years ago at an "after Christmas sale," and even though he was being sold as a Christmas decoration, I keep him out year-round.

The old weathered cutting board and wreath that used to hang over the mantel in our primitive days now sit above the sliders in the family room.

And although our living room is tiny, there's always room for cottage kitties! There are white ones...

 

... black ones...

... and one very special White and Black one! There's also a very special gray striped Tiger one, but she never ventures into the living room, preferring to spend most of her time in on the bed in Amanda's old room.

(As you can see, the snow we got Wednesday is just about gone... Yeah!!!!)

So now that the living room has been tweaked and organized, it's time to find another project.

A small one. Maybe I'll try a healthy new recipe for today's project:)

 

(Happy thought for today:
It's becoming more and more noticeable that the days are getting longer :)

This week I'm joining Claudia at Mockingbirdhill Cottage for Favorite Thing Saturday,
 Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday
and Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.

 

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Donna

Living Room - Primitive to Cottage

The following photos show how our living room has changed over the years...


This is pretty much what it looks like now, with the white painted furniture, cottage slipcovers and throws, white fireplace and hardwood floors... (I'm thinking a pale robin's egg on the walls might look good since there is so much white... Definitely something to think about...)


This was mid-way through the living room makeover. The furniture had been painted, but the fireplace was still brick. I had also painted our plywood subfloors white after we ripped up our ancient wall to wall carpeting & padding. The budget didn't allow for hardwood floors at that time, so we lived with the white painted floors for two loooooong years... Trust me when I say white floors are difficult to keep looking clean!


This was taken back in the early 90's. That's the same sofa that now sports a white slipcover... Most of the furniture was stained dark brown back then, and the wall to wall carpet was topped with a braided rug. I really like the look of the bookcases on either side of the window (being the symmetrical person that I am!). But once a TV went into the living room, the bookcases had to go into the family room.


This view shows the fireplace after being framed in and painted white (hubby didn't want me to paint the brick white, which was my first choice)...


And this is the same view from the early 90's... Some day I'll have to post photos from the 80's, during my glass, chrome, leather sofa, and arc lamp phase!

I do wish our teensy weensy living room had more walls or more square footage so that both the TV armoire and the bookcases would fit, but such are the challenges of decorating a small split entry living room!!!

Donna