Spring time around my house and a MUST see shop…

I’m at it again. Rearranging. I don’t know what it is about the change of seasons. But this time its a welcome change for my husband. I figured it was high time he got his much-deserved and long-overdue man chair (“who are you and what have you done with my wife?”). Therefore I had to make room for the new addition and my plan is coming along fabulously. By moving some chairs out, solves a traffic flow problem for future plans I’ll share with you all later. So a win win for both hubby and wife  = happy life.

I took these chairs…

and moved them to the keeping room…

(and changed the pillows to a brown silk skinny lumbar, a favorite shape of mine, but truly all look and not a lot of function these little pretties are). Recognize the table?

This vignette I haven’t tired of yet. I’ve collected each individual glass ball gathered in that urn and just love the mix. The artwork in the background was a find for $20. Hard to see, sorry, but its white birch trees that are prevalent all through Michigan. A sweet reminder of home and the country roads near our family cottage on Torch Lake.  Voted the world’s third most beautiful lake, by National Geographic, in humble, unassuming Northern Michigan. Who knew?

I’m enjoying the new set up. So much that I had to take a photo of the beautiful sunshine coming in last Saturday as I sat, feet up, sipping coffee and reading magazines. Yes, all that and I got up to take a photo. That’s how much I love you!

Probably my MOST favorite thing in my house are these wall to wall cheesecloth drapes Susan Ferrier custom designed for me back before I turned from a saleswoman to a designer and could afford such luxury. They are DRAMA and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell my children and their little free spirit friends to get out of my drapes (!!!) as they wrap themselves up inside them.

I love my herbariums too. They were purchased at a flea market years ago and I floated them in very affordable frames from Wal-mart. They mirror the other wall on the opposite side of the niche for again, that drama and impact repetition can accomplish. I had my builder trim out this little alcove in one by six tongue and groove boards,  including the “hidden” door to my china closet. THIS use to be my office. More on that later.

As I stare at this picture I realize my inspiration/memory boards are lacking texture and heft around the edges and maybe a focal piece is needed up top now. I’ll have to work on that. In the interim, what should I embellish them with? Buttons? Shells? But I have so much of that already. Rope? Any ideas? Bird seed? Wow that one came out of left field. Yeah probably not a good idea but you can see where I’m trying to go with regard to earthy organic texture. Driftwood would be fabulous but simply not attainable. Sticks? We’ll table that for later.

Here’s a color I’m totally hot for right now. It’s called “hosta” by Martha Stewart available at The Home Depot. Check it out because this picture does not do it justice. I can picture it in a den, all the walls and trim the same with some knock out patterned panels… “oh yes I can girl, oh yes I can” (channeling my inner  bon qui qui).

And one more. Since we’re on the topic of color. Who would I be without my beloved orange taken on the back patio yesterday.

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