Living Room Corner

Just wanted to share a quick photo of a corner of the living room that I've been working on.  After selling the Tiny House, I was able to bring the few furniture pieces home that I had been using for staging.  The living room at this house has kind of an awkward L-shaped layout with a large off center fireplace.  This far corner wasn't working for the sofa, so I decided to hang a new light fixture (from Lowes) over a small round dining table.  It can serve as a game table, or intimate dining area for two.  :)

The artwork above the table was a HobbyLobby find and mimics the popular multi-print applique pillow from Anthropologie.
I'm on the hunt now for some items to decorate the mantle for spring. I'll share more photos of the living room when I get it together. 
Have a great week everyone! And I hope its looking more like spring where you are, because here in Ohio, we're still covered in snow!

Our New Hardwood Floors

Yea! The floors are finally finished! There's still a bit of caulking and painting of the trim to do, but the major back-breaking work is done.
We went with a 5/16 solid hardwood "Tiete Chestnut". With this type of flooring you can either glue it down or just glue the joints and make it a floating floor. We decided to glue it down. I'm really pleased with the color. Its a nice medium to dark wood, but there is a lot of variation of lights and darks throughout the planks, so I think that will help transition it between whatever furniture I decide to purchase in the future. We installed the hardwood throughout the entire first floor with the exception of the bathroom. That's my sewing room you see at the end of the hall. As soon as I get the walls painted in there, I'll take you on a little tour. :-)
I still need to decide on area rugs. I'm thinking of a room size, cream-colored berber for the bedroom and something a little smaller for the living room. Have you seen the new Amy Butler rugs? They are large renditions of many of her fabric motifs and simply GORGEOUS! I would love to get one of those. A little pricey for our budget, but definitely splurge-worthy.

This project is also part of the "Make Your Monday" link event on Kim's Twice Remembered blog. Click here for other Make Your Monday participants.

Mini Living Room Make-Over

I felt the need for a little change in the living room. Something a bit brighter and more fun for the summer months. With just a few yards of fabric and a couple of pictures I was able to do it for very little money.
The major elements of the room remain the same...neutral green walls and white and dark wood furniture pieces. The pillows all got new covers in bright bold prints from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room line and a vintage 1960's bedspread. A linen barrel lampshade from Target (24.99) was embellished with fabric flowers cut from another 60's bedspread.
Over the chair, a new picture from Kohl's (50% off) is hung alongside two sepia-toned photos with vintage fabric matting. I'll share an easy tutorial for that project in the next post. :)
The only change in the dining room is a new table runner.
So there it is, for around $80.00 I have a fresh look for the living room. :-)

Living Small

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Amy from the Green Plan(t) blog, as part of her Tiny Home Obsession series.
Now, I have done my fair share of complaining about the lack of space in this house, but this interview really forced me to admit and recognize that "living small" has many advantages.
I list several in the interview, not the least of which is the economic perks.
With the current mortgage situation and economic strains, I imagine there could be many looking to downsize to a smaller home. The Tiny Lifers that she has featured are showing how that can be done in style. Stop by to see how others are living efficiently in their cozy surroundings.

What's Blooming in the Garden? and Thank You-s

Bleeding Heart

The timing of my spring flowers worked out so well this year. Many are in bloom at the same time, which makes the patio look nice even at this early stage of the gardening process. (it usually doesn't look very good until I plant my annuals in May)

Creeping Phlox

I've decided to showcase the blooms in close-up. I've been seeing examples of the "Macro Challenge" around, and it really does give a different perspective on everyday items.

Weeping Cherry

And I wish your computer screen was a Scratch-n-Sniff because these next two flowers are filling my house and yard with the most glorious scent. Our Lilac and Wisteria are normally staggered a bit in their bloom time but, for some reason, this year they opened at the same time.

And now for the Thank You s. The first goes to Jill at Forever and Ever House. I left a comment on a post about her lovely living room and I won a giveaway! The prize was this very cool Digital Photo Keychain. I'm a little backwards when it comes to techie things, so I may need some help figuring out how to use it. LOL
She also, very thoughtfully, included some cute children's books for my little niece who has been spending a lot of time with me lately. Wasn't that sweet of her?!

And last but not least, some very exciting news. I was recently interviewed and my humble little living room was featured on Angela's blog Cottage Magpie. It is the first in a series of Color Inspiration posts shes doing. I was very honored to be included.
She is collecting cottage-y color palettes to be used as an inspiration and reference library for color and decor. What a great idea! I can't wait to see more!

My Living Room Photos

I just wanted to share a few pictures of my living room. I'm not completely happy with the entire space, yet...so you'll only be seeing small corners. :)

The pillow above is FABULOUS, isn't it!? Its a vintage 1940's fabric that I just love. I've had it for sale on the website for a while now and was secretly hoping that it wouldn't sell until I found a use for it myself. LOL (Oh, I didn't use it all, there's still a couple yards left for sale)

It has found the perfect spot in my favorite big, cozy chair. The armoire is an old piece from my grandma's attic. She had painted it battleship gray (except for the side that was against the wall, it was mustard yellow. haha) Its now cottage white and I would love to, one day, have an artist paint branches and pink dogwood flowers across the front to match my pillow. How great would THAT be!
There are tiny lights and architectural pieces dispayed on top. On the opposite side of the room is the sofa, more vintage fabric pillows, and a small chandelier.
I made the drapes myself. (I know, I'm as shocked as you are). Usually, a project as large as drapes will paralyze me to the point of just abandoning the whole thing. But, I fell in love the this fabric and had to have it. It is a gorgeous ocean blue damask print in a buttery soft linen by Chris Stone. L O V E I T !!!
And this is my sweet Ubu. I would really like to get rid of that chair, but I don't have the heart to tell her it has to go. Its right by the door and her favorite place to sleep.
I have a few pictures of the dining room and a peek at the kitchen that I'll share with you in a few days. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!