CHANGE IS GOOD!

This time of the year, I'm usually ready to do some DEEP cleaning before pulling the Christmas stuff out of the closet.  So, this week it has been time to tackle the computer room.  Deep cleaning also usually involves change around here.  I mean if you're going to take all of the books out of the bookcase to clean, you might as well move the bookcases and other furniture around.  Right?
Carolyn at Aiken House & Gardens quoted her Mother this week - "A change is as good as a rest."  I agree - not only does change refresh a room, I seem to come away refreshed as well - just like taking a good occasional nap!
We hadn't changed the furniture layout in this room for five years.  Previously, we had the bookcases split up on two different walls.  We now have lined them up all on one wall - it seems to make the room feel larger.  That's a good thing, as I intend to put a Christmas tree in this room this year (another change).

 These aren't beautiful bookcases to be styled -- they are workhorses designed to hold -- well, books!
In moving furniture around, I then had to work on the small gallery wall in here.  I added prints that we had picked up in England, France, and Germany to go with prints of our Rocky Mountains, specifically antique prints of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park owned by our little town.  Now all of my favorite places are grouped together.

It is cloudy out today -- snowy and cold, but I'm refreshed and ready to tackle cleaning another room.

I'll be joining the following:
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Creatively Living for Monday Funday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Heart of your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays At Our Home
Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday
No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House

FAVORITE ROOM

Alison at The Polohouse is hosting her monthly get-together, and this month's theme is 'Favorite Room'.  Please be sure to go by her wonderful blog to check out every one's favorite room.

My favorite room in our house is actually not a room, but a glorified hallway that just happens to hold our dining room table.  We live in a small rambling ranch-style house; and to get to the bedroom and bathroom wing from the kitchen, garage, and mudroom it is necessary to walk through the 'dining room'.  It gets lots of traffic!!!

For the first 12 years that we lived in this house, it was actually a closed-off room with a doorway from the entry way.  It really did not function well.  So, in 2009 we did a small remodeling job.  Where you see this entry table and mirror, there formally was a coat closet and the wall/door to the dining room.  Out it came to open up the entryway to the dining room/kitchen.  What an improvement - you can see my blog post here to view that dirt and demolition.

It still is a narrow area with lots of traffic, so there is minimum furniture.  To compensate, Bob made this hanging dish rack to accommodate some of the dish addiction.  Next to the plate rack is the door to the mudroom and garage.

As you move around the area past the opening to the kitchen, we have the necessary ugly corner.  We do have cell phones and a portable phone with an answering machine base; but there is something comforting about always knowing where at least one telephone is at all times -- hard wired into the wall with a ridiculously long, ugly cord!  This little table was my grandmother's and always set by her chair holding her bible, poetry books, diaries, and her current crocheting project.  The doorway to the left leads to the living room and the screened in-porch.

On around to the gallery wall that holds various yard sale pictures, plates and a shelf with small family bibles.  One of the bibles belonged to my great-great grandmother and is dated 1846.  It came to Colorado with my first ancestor to come west in 1876.

When we remodeled, I measured to the inch leaving enough wall to house this old wardrobe.

And, what does it hold? -- scads of dishes, of course.

The table and chairs sit right in the middle of the room/hallway.  Previously, when this was a closed-in room; we used a couple of different tables from previous houses.  We tried a round table with leaves; then a square table with leaves.  Nothing ever functioned right -- we were always moving the table, adding the leaves, and back again, etc. etc.  I knew I wanted a stationary table that would seat at least 8, but it would have to be narrow to accommodate that walkway traffic.  The solution was for Bob to make a table that is only 30 inches wide and 7 feet long.  He used the five legs from the previous square table and made the top from old floor hardwoods.  

Our chairs are family pieces purchased when my grandparents married in 1904.  They have been used daily for 108 years and are as sturdy as the day they were purchased.

We are now back to the entry which has doors to the living room and the guest bedroom plus the hall to the other 3 bedrooms and the bathrooms.  Thanks for stopping by to view this long post about my favorite room, the true hub of our home.

I often think of this room as a round-about with our table as the Arc de Triomphe in the middle!
THE DETAILS:

I'm also joining the following parties -- please check them out, too!

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures

Northern Cottage for Partytime Tuesday

Jann Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

FAVORITE PROJECTS - 2011

In reviewing my blog posts for 2011, I realized that we didn't do as many projects as we usually do.  Then, I realized you have to stay home to get a lot done.  But, I was fortunate to do some traveling this year to Germany--

 And to France--

 Plus, I had a great girlfriend's trip to Santa Fe for 5 days, and Bob and I went to the Round Top, Texas antique extravaganza by way of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas.  At our age, I'll take traveling any day to staying home and working on stuff!!  Here are a few small projects that we did accomplish.

We had been looking for a way to display Bob's collection of plumb bobs for awhile.  When we were in Round Top we saw some displayed on a big spool, so this was our copy of that idea.

This was a cheap yard sale rocker (without it's rockers).  Bob made new rockers and restored the finish to its Mission-style roots.

I upholstered a new seat and made a cushion for a more comfortable back.  This project went home with our son for his study.

 Below was a little rearranging project with a Restoration Hardware vibe.

Another rejuvenation on an old chair -- Bob did his magic in the workshop taking this walnut Victorian chair apart, regluing and refinishing.

 

We then upholstered it in blue velvet.  We just took it to the consignment shop, and hopefully it will find a new home.

 A two-year entry way project was finally completed when I found this table; and we refinished a yard sale frame and inserted the mirror.  The alabaster lamp was a gift, and I covered a lamp shade with a herringbone wool fabric.

 Another project from the long ago-entryway project was this gallery wall.  I debated a long time about what to put on this wall, and finally decided on this arrangement.

All in all, nothing big or too exciting, but fun projects just the same.  I have a few things in mind for 2012; we'll see how many get done (if I stay home)!

I'm joining the following parties this week.  Check these blogs out for a plethora of inspiration.

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

Southern Hospitality for Top 2011 Projects on Wednesday

From My Front Porch to Yours for Auld Lang Syne Party on Saturday

GALLERY WALL

The dining room in our 1980's small ranch-style home is basically a hallway that connects the kitchen to the rest of the house. We have a 7-foot narrow harvest table that sits in the center of the room, which we really enjoy. But, it doesn't leave any room on the side walls for furniture. I've really struggled with what to do with this long wall, but I'm finally satisfied with a gallery of pictures, plates, and small shelves.

My latest addition to this wall are the two Bavarian bird plates, one that I bought from ebay for $7 and the other from an estate sale for $3. Then, I found the two frames that are marked Germany at a junk store for $1 each.

They say (whoever THEY are?) that if you buy what you love then everything will go together. I love both the plates and the frames, so I just put them together.

The remainder of the pictures are watercolors, oils, and prints that I have picked up at estate and yard sales over the years.

This week I will be partying with the following:

Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Please check out these wonderful blogs for great inspiration.