Reclaiming the House!

The family and I recently had a discussion about our house...should it be decorated for 'company' or should it be arranged for how we live in it?  For example...I do my sewing in the living room while we are all watching our shows together - on a card table with TV trays and such around me to hold the things I need....well if that is where I am going to sew all the time then maybe it should be a little prettier and a little more permanent!

So...here is my new 'old' desk!!!!!!!!  I originally painted this desk years ago - before I even had any girlies!  I believe it was my Honey's desk...and I truly love it. 

As  you can see it has shelves and drawers - lots of places to put stuff!

It is nice and large so I can fit a lot of my favorite things on it!  I just need to leave some room to work!

Here is a letter box that my Honey (my mom's dad) made for me. 

With beautiful Columbine flowers painted on it...

and sitting next to it - a doll from my mom's room, a gift from someone that loved her!

Her name (the doll's!) is Great Aunt Nita...and look at that sweet face.

You can never have too many Sharpies and I am a big fan of Miss Spider.

While I was cleaning up I found some cute little boxes that I didn't want to get rid of - so I put some stuff in them and set them on my desk!

Here is a clay piece that my wonderful friend, Karen, made me many years ago...it has scenes from my birthplace - San Francisco (or as we call it, The City) on it.  And next to it a fun Ebay find...a Bakelite container.

You can see the front of it here...and....

it opens up like this!

As I sit at my desk I can see some notes that are special to me...

on my lamp and....

on the piece of board that covers the top of the desk...

this one is just practical...so I can measure while I am sewing!

Some buttons I like...I save cool wrappers (you know, gonna make something with them one day!)...and fortunes saved for my Lane (she's gonna make something with them one day too!).

Some teeny notebooks that we made...

and my newest form of storage - Mason jars!  I am keeping them on the coolest old gum rack that has a story all it's own that I will share with you one day!

Well that is my new space...just the beginning of changes around here - this weekend we tackled the family room and it looks great too! The family room is where all my flamingos are and I really want to show them to you - but the room is very dark and so far my photos haven't turned out well.  I think I may have to enlist Madison and her new camera to do the job for me!

The consensus on decorating for us is - a little of both - pretty for company (and us!) and practical for how we live also.

Next we will deal with our classroom which, because Lane graduates from 8th grade this year, will become our studio - a place for all our combined art supplies.  I'll let you know how that goes!


xoxo    Elizabeth