Creating a Reading Nook

The last few months have been... insane, beautiful, hectic, fantastic, and overall a huge adjustment into married life! I will post more about that later though once I get all our wedding pictures. Patience, young grasshoppers!

So we live on the second and third floors of a really old Victorian house which makes for some interesting spaces, especially on the top floor.  It was a bit overwhelming to know what to do with all these places at first, but after living in it, staring at it with the contemplative hand on chin, and a little bit of online inspiration, I tried to make a reading nook for us.

  It was a lot more simple than I first imagined.  I had the hope chest (which my dad actually made me, it is one of my most treasured items), and I just folded up a quilt and added throw pillows.  The globe lights I found at Target during Christmas time for about $6, and I cant wait to add more around the house as the chilly weather settles in!

And this is the little new addition to our family, Theo, who I think just found his new favorite spot.  If there's anything to do with perching and stalking birds out windows, he's game.

Before - you may remember this
from a previous post :)

After

This has officially become my new catching up on emails and editing photos spot, and I love it! Cal loves to use it as a place to study for his notary, which is coming up later this month.

What is your favorite space in your home to relax and get away?

With Love,

Cathy

My Place: Taking the Outdoors Inside!

I'm not sure why, but I have an infatuation with bringing things that belong outdoors indoors for decor.  Take, for example, this old door that I found.

 
I absolutely LOVE old doors, and the older and rustier the better.  I placed a wreath on it to make it feel more homey, and some white lights behind it for Christmas, and I absolutely loved the feel.  Needless to say, those lights are staying up far past Christmas!

I hung my earrings and jewelry on a shutter that I found at a garage sale last summer.  I got a few for what I thought would be for photo props, and after spending some months in my closet I thought I should put it to use!  I have hooks above to hang my headbands and long necklaces, but you could definitely place tacks on the top and hang it off there!

This was/is supposed to be a photo prop, but I love displaying this old ladder when it's not in use! I only use it for decoration purposes and well, to dry flowers, but I've also seen it used to place towels on, which is a great idea!

This table is actually a flower pot stand.  It is the perfect tiny size to fit in this small space, and -if you didn't know all ready- I love that old rustic feel!  I also think those birds on the table and the plate match wonderfully!

I think that no matter what size your space is, you should make it your own!  In doing this for me I have noticed a trend - bringing the outdoors outside!  I wonder now how I will like to decorate the outdoors...

With Love,

Interior Inspirations: The Simple Life

Cal told me the other day that he would like everything in our future home to have a story.  It may sound crazy, but I agree with him.  What's the point in filling up your space with useless clutter? I want our house to be a place for our art, the things on the walls to remind us of places we've been, and the living room table to tell a story, even if it just is that it took us weeks to hunt that cheap thing down.  I like the idea of the simple life, where the clutter doesn't get in our way to let us live our lives.  A good professor I had told me that if you care about the things you surround yourself with and put quality in to making them (like your home, in this case) then not only do you respect yourself, you also create better things.

 

A nice light beige with the white gives this a nice clean but rustic feel.

All one nice clean color.  I like the idea of displaying your pots, also.  

With Love,
Cath

Interior Inspiration: Text on Walls

I always love good typography when I see it, so why not place it on your walls? 

Put a page from your favorite book in your laundry room or office!

Uhhm yea. This is happening someday.

 

 Unique placement for house number.

 

All you need is some stencils and paint and you're on your way to a beautiful and unique home!

With Love, 

Cath