Wednesday, March 12, 2008

CED 2008 ~ Monday - Wednesday

After working to create my Home Sweet Home book, my thoughts were still on our home's decor. I knew several things that I desired to change in our living room so when we went shopping on Monday and I was able to find several new pieces of furniture for our home. I knew instantly as soon as I seen them that these pieces would help me achieve the look I'm striving for. So, I spent all of my birthday money that I'd been saving for this purpose, and then, dipped into Don's pocket, LOL!

I purchased a new, yet damaged curio cabinet. The cabinet was missing the front glass; I assumed it had been broken either during shipping or assembling it. My original thought was that I could somehow replace it. It also had side pieces of glass doors that use a magnetic piece to keep them closed. Unfortunately, while unloading the piece in the dark on Monday evening, both of the glass side doors flew open and although we didn't break them, we did do some damage to the cabinets frame. Thankfully, the breaks in the wood were clean breaks that I could repair with some strong Elmer's Duro-wood glue and a few "C" clamps. {That's why I haven't uploaded a photograph yet. I'm continuing to allow it all to dry.} Anyways, the cabinet is a rich, dark wood, and has an antique appearance to it so it blends with our coffee table and end stands. Not too matchy-matchy; but it co-ordinates with those pieces perfectly! The interior shelving are glass and the piece has a beautiful mirror back, so it assists with reflecting light back into the space! I love that! Along with a new birdhouse accessory which I placed on top, our living room is becoming lighter and air-y and beginning to say, "Spring".

By digging into Don's pocket, I was able to purchase a new rug, which little did I realize at the time was a 3 pc. set so discovering that was an additional bonus! The rug is a bit smaller than the previous rug I had in the room and where the one before was one solid color and seemed to blend right into the color and textures of our recently purchased sofa, this one is patterned and contains all the colors in our space! It has a bit of burgundy, sage green, a lighter sage, the gold, and a touch of what appears to beige that matches our paint color well. I was so surprised once I replaced the solid rug at how our sofa now doesn't appear so big and bulky, yet it was graceful with its curved arm and decorative trim. Along with the new mirrored back cabinet, the rug assist with lighting our living room. I'm remaining hopeful that I'll get so lucky when it comes to finding the just right solution for replacing the heavier tapestry style curtains that hang on the picture window behind the sofa. There great for the colder months of winter, but too heavy for the warmer seasons.

We also purchased a new end stand. It's Broyhill, a good quality furniture manufacturer. I love the style of the end stand as it is actually two tables that nest together. Not only are they functional together, but I can use them as two separate pieces, should the need ever arise. For $126.00; I'm happy with our purchase!!!

I also put a hold tag on two new chairs, which we'll purchase soon. I probably could have gotten by with only one, but I so love the look or a pair of chairs with a small table in between them. They offer a comfortable, yet quaint vignette, inviting you into the space to share a cup of tea with a friend. These two chairs will certainly assist us with creating a wonderful conversation area, perfect for entertaining the company of family and friends.

The good news is I can now take my larger green rug and my leather recliner and put them back in my studio! That's where I originally purchased them for. They assisted us while we made the transition with the new redecorating of the living room so we're very thankful for that but its time to be returned to their place of origin.

I spent the majority of my day yesterday re-arranging this end of our living room. After moving several large pieces, I hated the look, so I moved it all back, LOL! During and afterwards, I accomplished quite a bit of our home's Spring cleaning and decorated the new cabinet. It so much fun to go shopping in our own home! I was even able to remove a few pieces from a shopping bag I'd store them in, that we'd purchased from a gift shop during one of our trips to Amish country last summer! The room is still in the transitional stages, but I'm continuing to make progress.

Oh! Do you remember the old handmade antique frame that was a wedding gift to Don and I from Aunt Alice? It contained two items. One a picture of Don's uncle, Carroll, and the other a family memento of Mary Myrtle Reams. It was a memorial card... Well, I trimmed the memorial card down just a bit. Thankfully, it had a gold embossed border that I was able to keep, but I've added it to one of our 4x6 pictures frames. It' makes a perfect accessory and is a sentimental piece! Perfect for our living room. I am also intending to scan and print some older black and white photographs that we're given to us by my MIL and add them to some additional frames that we've scattered here and there and create a grouping. These are another perfect touch for assisting us in creating the home of our dreams!

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