…are so hard to photograph!

Instead of decorating pre-existing curtains, I decided to sew some yesterday.  I mean, I must have been feeling good.

I bought this fabric from Sew, Mama, Sew a couple months ago to put in the kitchen.  Then something horrifying happened that changed my mind: Emily spilled spaghetti sauce.

It was epic.  The sauce got all over the less-attractive-orange-gingham that presently covers the broom closet.  That is precisely where this new, lovely, cream-colored fabric would have been had I felt like sewing in these past months.

Thus the fabric now safely resides in our living room.

It does not match the sofa.

Time to buy a new sofa.

I don’t know what it is about that wall… Maybe it’s because the wall isn’t particularly functional.  It’s a long kitchen wall with no cabinets or counter space.  It also faces the dining room.

And, as you can see, the dining room has it’s own special situation with that rose border.  It came with the house and just looks like an awful lot of work to remove.  It’s called “Norfolk Rose,” which adds a whole new level of whimsy and whatnot.  I sort of feel guilty about wanting to remove it.

So anyway.  I did a quick Picnik edit in Flickr to see how the iconic “Keep Calm” poster would look on the wall.  It took me literally 2 minutes to do this.  I actually can’t imagine paying $25 for a poster I can create in 2 minutes in a simple editing program.

But I might pay like $7.

Since I’m on the market for a poster, I’ve been scouring Etsy for great posters/prints.  I’ve seen some fabulous stuff, and I’ll share some of those links soon.

What do you think?

We checked in on each other periodically.

I made a quilt top for Jacob, and she made art for Daddy’s office.

That’s our family, an extra baby, and an alien flying over us.  Emily’s the clothed one.

Which makes sense.

She’s our quick-change artist.  You can’t tell, but she’s wearing 3 skirts between her dress and pants.  Layers are in.

It’s amazing to me how a thrifted wool blanket can brighten a room.  I found this one with my mother-in-law while on vacation last summer.  Can you believe it was only $15?  I couldn’t pass it up.  I think I shrunk it a bit when I washed it, despite washing it gently in cold water and laying it flat to dry.  I mean, it had to be washed, right?  Who knows how long it sat in the antiques mall before I adopted it.  Anyway.  It still fits perfectly over this settee (borrowed from my MIL… She sure is a huge help!).

Here’s a little perspective on this space, lest you think I have endless corners to share.

Yep, that’s my “sewing nook” to the right.

So far, this room seems to be more of a foyer than a living room or even a craft room, although it’s too big to just be an entryway.  It’s also lacking a closet (and we don’t have a coat tree).  So when we have guests, their coats and purses get dumped on the granny-square-covered settee.

No big deal.  It’s one of those things you worry about when you first move into a space.  Then you just cope with it.  Or buy a coat tree. :)

And they’re alright with sharing a room.  For now.

Afterall, they are preschoolers.  Preschoolers who endlessly entertain one another.

I made Emily’s quilt for her birthday last October.  And I couldn’t leave it at that.  I had to make a matching pillowcase and giant strawberry pillow.  She was grateful.  I was surprised.  It doesn’t sparkle or light up, doesn’t have ruffles, and has no Disney Princesses.  I had no idea she’d love it.

I based the quilt on Amy Karol’s wonderful Bend the Rules Sewing lapquilt.  It was perfectly easy and simple — which is just right for the preschooler set.  Agonizing over something that will be washed hundreds of times is just plain silly.  And Emily’s quilt has been washed at least a dozen times if not more since it’s debut.

Now it’s Jacob’s turn.  His bed is a little sad in comparison.

But I’ll be making the same kind of quilt for him as an early birthday present.  The quilt he has now was Evan’s as a child.  It’s sentimental and wonderful in its own way — just a bit threadbare.

Here are the fabrics I chose for Jacob’s quilt.

I think he’ll love it.  He’s sweet like that.  I plan to use the first fabric for a pillowcase as well.

And I might make a whale-shaped pillow to finish it all off.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before we left Tulsa, we sold well over a hundred books through Craigslist.  Kinda crazy.  Now most of our books (besides a few stacks here and there) fit right here on this little bookcase.  We don’t purchase many books anymore.  We’re huge fans of borrowing from the library, although the occasional new craft book or thrifted novel finds its way onto our nightstand.

The framed painting is by Jack Perlmutter.

The other painting was my Valentine’s Day gift to Evan.

I think this scene needs a plant in it.

This little space under the stairs has a teensy bit of my sewing paraphernalia in it, so I’m just gonna call it the sewing nook.  As you can see, there’s no table on which to sew and very little storage for several boxes of fabric.  And I have quite a good deal of the woven stuff.

The doorway with fabric is a boarded up door that apparently used to be the backdoor of the house.  It was closed off sometime after the back porch was turned into a kitchen and another room and bathroom was added to the back of the house (circa 1950).  I can hardly imagine how tiny the house must have felt in its original state.  Of course, it used to be a summer beach cottage.  Neat, huh?

The dressform seems to scare my guests a bit, like there’s a person freakishly lurking in the corner.  But I’m hoping to put her to good use once I get more settled here.  It’s gonna happen.

I hesitate to share this one because the chairs we bought were shoddy and the whole table & chairs set is being returned.  We’re on the lookout now for either a good thrifty find or plans to make our own.  I was pretty disappointed that this didn’t work out, but maybe it was for the best.  I love modern furniture, but maybe it’s just too modern for this space.  I don’t know. :)

A new friend of mine suggested I check out Ana-White for furniture plans, and that might be the trick.  Just gotta convince Evan…

Our new house in Norfolk has been a lot of fun to decorate.  We moved in with a sherbet orange kitchen awaiting us.  This might be a lovely color for many folks out there.  It’s really not too offensive.  I mean, it’s not lime green.  Which I am guilty of using.  In a very large living room.  But I digress.

Even if we’re just renting, and even if it’s just for a year (we don’t know for sure), I needed to change these walls.  So my dear mother-in-law visited and helped me paint them a semi-gloss white.  (I love her.)  Of course, we had to enlist the help of Evan to get the highest points.  He was a trooper about it. :)

I love the tile on the floor in here.  It’s a terracotta with accent tiles.  I never would have chosen this, but I absolutely adore it anyway.

I even love that old stove.

And here’s a little nook of shelves, filled with some of my favorite kitcheny things.  (This shows just how bright white the kitchen is now.)

It might be a bit much, but I can rearrange it every day if my heart desires. :)

I’m thinking about putting a “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster on the wall to the left of the stove.  What do you think?  Has the fad worn itself out?  I just like the red & white together.  And now it makes me think of The King’s Speech.  Which is great.

Well, there’s a bit of the kitchen.  I’ll be back soon to share more nooks and crannies in our new home.

What are some of your favorite decorating resources?  I love Decor8 and Design*Sponge.  Now that we’re in our new home in Norfolk, I’m scouring all my favorite sites for ideas.

Here are some places inspiring me now:

• all the luck in the world - Cheerful and fresh and handmade
• Smile and Wave - Rachel Denbow epitomizes vintage-modern, which I adore
• here’s looking at me kid - I love Mandi’s interior and her vintage wardrobe
• nice*room - the name says it all
• AprillAprill - I don’t have to understand the language to appreciate the blog, but the English translations are nice :)

We’re on the market for a new sofa too.  I’m so torn between slipcovered furniture or leather.  And the price difference is kinda huge.  So I’m having analysis paralysis.  Oh, and Evan needs to sit on a sofa before he’ll commit.  Understandable.

I like this one at Ikea.