Chaos reigns ~ living room update

When I started this project I was hoping to have it finished by the holidays, well...at least by Christmas.

As of today, the painting and wallpapering is done and I have the new area rug. The fabric for the living room drapes is on its way, and as soon as it is delivered I can start making them. 

Meanwhile, the room is in chaos. Most of the upholstered furniture will either be discarded or moved to another room, I have managed to work around it but it will be very helpful to have it gone. Next week I have someone coming to move the heavier pieces and bring in the ones from storage I do intend to use.

 So far I like the way it is going, although I had a completion goal it really wasn't a deadline, but it will be nice to see it finished. I have found that when you do a room slowly it doesn't have that big impact because you adjust to each change gradually. How nice it would be to leave for a few days, come back, and find it all done exactly to your specifications.

 There is some satisfaction of knowing that you did it all yourself, or at least most of it. I will paint, wallpaper, and make simple slipcovers, but I definitely will not attempt upholstering.

One thing is for sure it will be done by next years holidays, but then I will probably have something else torn up.

Have a wonderful day!

Color in the fall garden ~

I may be wrong, but I think that along with football games, falling leaves, and cooler weather most people associate Chrysanthemums with this time of year. Mums are very abundant now in shops, nurseries and gardens. They are beautiful, and a pot of chrysanthemums can add instant seasonal color. I do love them and every year add more to my garden.

But...

there is another flower that means autumn is really here for me, and that is the fall blooming, perennial aster. 

These asters are hardy garden plants, in many ways almost garden thugs. They really would like to take over whatever bed they are planted in and need judicious thinning over the summer months in order not to run rampant.

But for any gardener willing  to put in the work, this is what you get; the most splendid display of  tall stems bursting with flowers that provide marvelous color to the fall landscape.

These will continue to bloom like this for several weeks. Then I will cut them back to the ground and wait again for their return next year.

Pretty, don't you think? You might want to add some to your garden.

Thank you for visiting, have a wonderful day.

Best laid plans ~

In the beginning phase of planning the redecoration of my living room I found the fabric you see below for the drapes and  thought it would tie in well with the wallpaper I was using.

Well...now that the painting is completed and the wallpaper is up I have had a change in direction. This fabric in very pretty and I will eventually use it in another room, perhaps my bedroom, but I decided it just wasn't right for the living room.  

I thought I needed something with a bit more of a wow factor, so I set off on a search for a different fabric.

This is the result

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My first option was this charming print, but when I got the sample the background was too dark and didn't tie in with the wallpaper. 

This one has a gorgeous 'gently worn' look which I like and the color was okay but it didn't offer me the range of colors that I might like to use as accents in the room. 

Next there was this Waverly stand-by, nice. but really two dimensional in it's color range.

Then I found this. I ordered a one yard sample and crossed my fingers that it would turn out to be exactly what I wanted.

And it was.

 It completely matches the wallpaper in color and the range of pinks and raspberry will allow me to use some of the furniture I already have without the cost of reupholstering.

 With the exception of two raspberry checked bergere chairs that I will be using this will be the only print in the room, so I think the boldness of it will work. I can just image a velvet throw pillow across the room on a cream colored chair in that wonderful dark, mossy green.

Whenever I redecorate a room and and along the way make mistakes like this I always wonder what professional decorators do, do they also make these errors and have to rethink a decision. Probably not. Meanwhile I will continue to bumble along.

Have a splendid day!

Fall decorating ~

I am a little late this year with my fall decorations, last week I finally ventured down into the basement and brought up the storage boxes. It's always fun to go through everything and discover things you fondly remember and those you completely forgot you have.

With the main part of the house still in disarray with the redecorating project I decided to limit my holiday decorating to a just couple of rooms: the kitchen and the media/library.

I love adding seasonal decorations to the kitchen, probably because I spend so much time here. For the shelf under the kitchen window I brought out the wooden box I made last year and filled it with pumpkins, gourds and fall foliage. Then added a wreath.  

Next to the sink I just 'plopped' a few of the extra pumkins in a very casual, but colorful arrangement.

 Once again brought out my little black witch to put on the bookshelf in the library/media room. I have had her for a very long time and every year when I take her out I am reminded how cute she is. This year I added the lighted jack-o-lanterns to the vignette. When I go in this room at night to watch TV it is fun to click on the light....spooky!

After Halloween I will replace the little witch with a turkey. Voila, Thanksgiving.

Miss Twiggley is her own holiday decoration. She is starting to get her winter coat and is looking, as you can see, quite beautiful for the upcoming holidays. She likes to sit in this window and watch the birds and insects flitting around outside. I left just enough room on each side to indulge her.

That's pretty much it for fall decorating this year, the living room project is still taking up a lot of my time. It is slowly progressing but more about that in a future post.

Have a great day.

Stumbling across something new ~

In my quest to make my home a more inviting place I am always looking for a way to add fragrance. I love coming home to be greeted by an inviting aroma, or walking into a room that smells clean and fresh. Herbs, flowers, and fragrant foliage from the garden are the ultimate, but not always possible.

 Scented candles are another option, they not only lend a yummy smell but provide a romantic and soothing atmosphere, however I don't feel comfortable leaving them in a room unattended. 

And then there are reed diffusers. I always keep one in each bathroom and the powder room. They seem to do best and last longer for me in smaller, enclosed spaces.

So,
up to now these have been my choices, but... 

 just recently I stumbled into the world of essential oils.

I think I am pretty late in finding out about essential oils. My yoga instructor always uses them in class during shavasana, the final resting pose at the end of class when she comes around to properly position us. But that they could be put in a diffuser and used to add fragrance to a space was something completely new to me, and very exciting.

I bought this very inexpensive diffuser online. I am not especially recommending this brand although it certainly works well enough. There are lots and lots of them available at many different price points and styles, but to begin with I wanted something very basic.

For those of you unfamiliar with how this works, it is very simple, you fill it with water, add several drops of the essential oil of your choice and plug it in. It gently emits puffs of fragrant steam every 30 seconds When the water runs out it automatically shuts off. All of this allows you to leave it in a room relatively unattended.

The one caveat I have found is that for maximum effect you need to use a good quality essential oil; you cannot use synthetic products. There is a huge array of different oils available, my current favorite is rose oil with a bit of lavender oil mixed in. I turn it on in the early evening in my bedroom and when I go in to go to bed I am greeted with the most lovely, soothing fragrance.

This has worked out so well that I will definitely be getting a couple more for other areas of the house. 

I am curious to know if any of you have tried using one of these and what your experience has been. For me it has offered another opportunity to enrich my daily life.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you have a fragrance filled day!