Greetings
from the Lewis-Clark Valley, where smoke from regional forest fires has
seriously impacted the quality of our air. It's been bad enough that my eyes and throat burn
mildly. I headed out for
shopping this afternoon anyway.
Mike
and Nellie are off on a three-day hunting trip, so I’m having a lovely vacation
here at home. Nellie is a member of our family, and though I love her, I get a
little tired of playing to her whims and opinions. Whims and opinions she has. A
few days off from my usual duties is a good thing, and I have plenty of things
to keep me busy.
Much
of my recent town time has been devoted to my “studio,” and I’ve had a great
time decorating it with a ‘50s influence. When I saw the red sofa with its
straight lines and multi-colored pillows, I knew it was just right for the look
I wanted. Unfortunately, the storage cabinets and the sofa take up a lot of
floor space in this small room. With the addition of the sewing table and chair
and the ironing board, it’s really quite cramped, but it still constitutes space
dedicated to my interests, and I love it. 
Of
course, I have a large bulletin board for inspiration and display. The hand-crafted
necklace was a birthday gift from Mike.
Things
left over from my childhood room – familiar things that just haven’t had a
place in my home for years – provide welcome accents. These charming little
angels were a gift from a dear friend of my dad’s, “Mom” Fairchild, in the ‘50s.
On their backs they say, “Yona Original Japan.” Apparently they aren’t rare.
Sets can be found online, and someone dated them at 1956. That’s about when I
received these.
The
shadow boxes beside the bookcase were also mine in childhood and my parents
enjoyed collecting bone china and blown glass miniatures for it. Many of those
things survived my childhood but were broken in the course of time.The three-legged end table, left over from a by-gone era, was struggling to find a purposeful life at the farmhouse but serves well beside the sofa.
One
thing leads to another, especially in the small house, and the room could be
made somewhat more efficient if the closet were also cleaned out and organized.
I’ve made a start by pulling out the pillows you see on the floor, which were
hooked by my dad and finished by my mother.
Now
that the room is functional, I’ve made a start on quilting my Christmas quilt.
The Halloween quilt kit I bought is in the cabinet calling to me, but I must
finish the Christmas quilt first. KW
8 comments:
Your room is looking great! As you use it, you'll probably figure out just how it will work best for you. The closet sounds like the perfect place to make more room. Custom built-ins? I'm pondering that for the closet in my room.
How goes the quilting?
Not sure I need custom built-ins -- maybe just stacked see-through boxes. To date, I have made just one determination, and that is that Mike's suits and sport coats, mostly unworn for 25 years, have to go. Oh the freedom!
When I started stitching in the ditch, I told myself there would be no un-stitching in the ditch. This is practice work and that's that. I have quilted around the nine center squares and have begun the long seams. It's off here and there, but really "not awful." (I'm sure there are degrees of awful, but I'm a pleased beginner.)
Yay to freedom!! Yay to pleased beginner!! :-)
The room looks perfectly comfortable. The red couch is a nice splash of color. I'm glad you have a special place of your own. :)
It was very difficult to displace Hallie's things, some of which dated back to when she was four. But, it's a huge clue that she's moved on and not coming back now she's married. Her things are in storage boxes in the shop loft, including a set of china (five boxes) that had been Grandma Bennie's. Ah well -- good use of the loft.
Mmmm nice! It is a fun thing to be able to use items from one's past. I envy you that Kathy. I must be satisfied with what I have now. Enjoy!
Your bookcase is doing what every good bookcase should do...hold and protect books. There are always decorating shows on TV with before & after photos of bookcases. The "after" photos show 50% of the bookcase displaying "things." I shake my head. Don't these decorators read? Why are they maligning books?
My bookcases, just like yours, are full of books, with only a little space for collectibles.
Something to be said for being content in the now, Dr. Molly. Ultimately that's all any of us have -- and that's enough.
Leah -- I so agree! I don't even watch those programs. It angers me when decorators insist that people put away what they like and enjoy, destroy the functionality of a home, or make value judgements on the way people want to live.
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