Organization is the key!

Oh my gosh, it feels so good to be organized!! I'd love to have a room completely lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Not only do I love the look of bookcases, but I have so many more books than this (not to mention all of my girls' childhood books), so I'd have no trouble filling them up!


(click on any photos to enlarge)

I love having the bookcases pushed together on this wall (why did it take me so long to do this?)... And although I hated having the TV and/or treadmill sitting in front of the bookcases (this post), I think the chair looks right at home in front of them... A cozy little place to sit and read (recognize the free reading lamp I found this summer? Perfect for this spot!)...


I used to be so embarrassed by these cluttered, messy bookcases (previous post), but not anymore...


Oh, I know, they're probably still too "packed" with books and such, and there's probably some perfect "book-to-knickknack-to-basket-to-dead space" ratio that I'm way out of whack with, but they're so much more organized than before!!!


(It wouldn't be fair if I didn't let you in on a little secret though... the wing chair is conveniently hiding the shelves that still need some organizing... so don't look behind it!!)



But the rest of the shelves got tidied up... I've started organizing old photos in storage boxes, and I picked up these great woven baskets at Home Goods. That place never lets me down - I take my measurements with me when I go and I always find exactly what I'm looking for! (Remember the vintage chenille scatter rug storage baskets I got there that looked like they were custom made for what I had in mind?)

I also did a little shopping for the top of the bookcases at Home Goods... I fell in love with these garden rabbit statues. I'm really trying to incorporate a year-round "garden room" feel for our family room, so these were perfect! I must have put them in my basket (and taken them out) about 3 times... My daughter, who was with me that night, said, "Mom, you're really going to be sorry if you don't get them." I'm so glad she gave me the nudge I needed because I really do love them! I already had everything else... it was just a matter of pulling things from different places and then arranging it all. (The little resin fox in the birdcage might go back to the garden come spring, but he likes being inside for the winter!)

The tall bunny sits on an old copy of The Wizard of Oz that was mine from childhood. (As a child, I was apparently quite worried about losing all of my books because I wrote my name in about five different places in each one!)

In keeping with the garden theme, a little birch tree birdhouse sits between books and little stone birds...

My bluebird music box and Mellen Infant Formula bottle (thrift finds I posted about over the summer) are on another shelf...

And here's another little garden bird statue, as well as a closeup of the beautiful woven baskets...

I also spotted this little "bookend Scotty Dog" at Home Goods and, since I was picking out a few things for my bookcases, he came home with me as well...

I like this view toward the sliders so much more than this..... What took me so long to rearrange this room???

(P.S. We had a beautiful New England snowstorm today... I'll share some photos tomorrow!)

Donna

Deja vu ... and another naked photo

If you feel like you just saw a wing chair covered with a throw on my blog, you're right...


But this time it's the living room wing chair getting a "summer to winter" makeover. This throw might even look familiar - it's the same lightweight bedspread that I use on the Family Room Wing Chair, but in a cottage blue floral instead of pink. But it's time to pack this one away, too, now that summer is over..


This is the chenille spread I'm using on the living room wing chair now that the cold weather has set in... robin's egg blue and aqua have really worked their way into the colors I've been using in the living room (and in a lot of other rooms, too!)...


The great thing about these throws and/or bedspreads is that they're a breeze to keep clean (and with two cats who love to lay on chairs, that's a must)...

Into the washer and dryer they go and they come out as good as new! I also love to switch pillows around. This is the pillow that I used in the family room all summer, but I kind of like it with this throw so I think I'll use it in the living room over the winter...

In the family room, my wing chair sits in front of the bookcases so you don't see it from the back. But in the living room, its backside is out there for the world to see!

I like to tie the back corners of the spread or throw into a loose knot. Sometimes with the larger throws there's a lot of extra material just hanging in the back - this makes it look a little more tidy.

Okay, ready? Just like in my Family Room post - I'm going to show you the naked chair... (Now remember, we've had this chair for about 16 years and during that time period, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 daughters, and all their friends have used the stuffing out of it - literally!) I absolutely loved the fabric (I still do!) - a black background covered with roses! But it definitely needed a makeover. Number 1, it's a bit dark for the lighter cottage look I'm now craving; and Number 2, take a good look at the arms! I wasn't kidding about the stuffing coming out! But that's the beauty of throws, right?

This photo was taken a couple of years ago, before the hardwood floors were put down and before we enclosed the brick fireplace. We lived with those white painted plywood subfloors for a couple of l-o-n-g years before we could afford to have the hardwood floors put down (what a chore to keep clean!!)

And that handsome boy on top of the chair is my sweet Mr. B who I'll be posting about later this month. He was a very special kitty...

Hopefully we'll be doing some Christmas decorating this weekend!! It's so much fun to get all the decorations out of storage (not so much fun putting them back into storage come January!!) And I'm really getting into the mood after seeing how many of you have already started decorating - you've inspired me to get started with all your beautiful photos!

Donna

Winter nesting has begun...

... at our little cottage.


The lightweight pink floral bedspread that served as a summer throw for the family room wing chair has been replaced...


With winter approaching, it's time to bring out the chenille bedspreads to use as throws for the wing chairs. Somehow they make the chairs seem warmer and more cozy. (Notice the reading lamp next to the chair? It's the one I wrote about in my One Man's Junk post back in May - it's perfect for this little reading nook!)


I'll be sharing more photos of the family room soon... As I mentioned in a previous post, I've rearranged some of the furniture and done some tweaking here and there... I love having the chair right next to the bookcases...

This also happens to be my favorite chair in the whole house... It's a big, soft, oversized wing chair that we bought back in the 80's. It was purchased during my 'primitive' years, so without the throws it wouldn't fit the casual cottage look I now love. (Not to mention that after 20+ years of kids, cats, & dogs the fabric has seen better days, so it's definitely for the best that it's hidden under these throws!)

So goodbye for now, my little summer throw... I will most certainly look forward to seeing you in the spring!

But until then, I'll curl up in my chenille chair and feel cozy as I watch Old Man Winter approach...

Note: Only the bravehearted should scroll down to the next picture... It's the wing chair - naked - for all the world to see, with its old, worn upholstery and the tattered netting underneath... But it's a sturdy, comfy old chair and I am hoping we get another 20+ years out of it (if not more!)... (Isn't it amazing how a simple throw can transform a primitive wing chair into a cozy cottage chair?) I'll end this post with a favorite quote that I think sums up this chair perfectly...

"A house that does not have one worn, comfy chair in it is soulless." ~May Sarton

Donna