Treasure Hunting

While we have been in our home for a couple of months, I am just now getting to the fun part.  For many weeks, I was living in a hospital most of the time, and the house just sort of sat there waiting for me to come and make it ours.

There are many things I'd like to to do or change, but I am learning to just enjoy the space for awhile.  I am learning to love the old hand-me-down sofa and chairs, and just be cozy with my house full of boys.  But...I do love pretty things.  I have long-suppressed dreams of being a designer that works with gorgeous furniture and drapery.  In a dream-world my house would look like Iris's cottage in the movie, The Holiday.  A cozy English cottage I do not have, but I do have a little cottage of my own that I can take my time with and make it ours a bit more each day.

I like to find little treasures.  I am having fun shopping second-hand stores, and I was utterly thrilled to find my two matching end tables for the awesome price of $12.50 each!  Then of course, I had to find lamps and new curtains and other fun things.  In one Saturday afternoon I was able to put my living room together for about $50.00.

I realized I took these pictures before I put the bookshelves in a decent order, and I think I see the tags still on the lamps (which all have been addressed now).  I might have been a bit excited, but it is so nice to feel like one room is coming together.  I am however utterly stuck when it comes to the strange track lighting left for us from previous owners.  It is not centered in the room, it looks somewhat like a landing strip as there are two sets of these things (not pictured), and there is not a single light in any store that I have found to replace these with that looks any better!  It distresses me.  I will prevail eventually.  I also want to tackle my odd fireplace wall...there are some interesting mixes of styles going on that wall.  There were fake glass-block windows on either sides of the fire place.  The entire wall was painted a pink-orange shade.  It was all over the place.  It already looks better, but I still have work to do on that wall as well.  But...I like that kind of work!

I still have things to do in the living room, but we are getting there.  This Saturday, I shall tackle the dining room! Oh, and I already am ahead as I purchased my dining set in a grocery store parking lot for $90!  Table for six...Yes please!!

See you soon friends!

B Charmer