Family Room Updates

A few changes around the Paisley Cottages as of late -

Mr. Paisley and I ran into a deal too good to pass up on a larger flat panel TV, so we bought it...of course it was larger than our entertainment center would accommodate and the entertainment center is solid oak and one piece...so no taking off the hutch. 

So after a week of watching Craig's List for a 2x4 Expedit from Ikea we just went to Ikea and bought one. No sooner was it assembled than the same one appeared on CL for 1/2 the price. 

Damn that Murphy and his stupid laws!

So for 3 weeks the TV sat on top of the new Expedit...and then one day I came home from work and it was on the wall. Yep. Mr. Paisley couldn't take it.  Within 2 months he also picked up a blu-ray player, a digital sound bar and a wireless subwoofer. 

So i've been working on redecorating that part of the room since it's drastically different. 

I also picked up a floor lamp at Target to put some light in the dark corner behind the sectional since there is no room for a table. This was a little more difficult than I thought it would be because I needed one where the light pole was off center so the base could go under the sofa...lucky me, I found a plain, basic on that was just what I needed on sale no less, at Target. I think it was $54. SOLD. Who knew a lampshade would fit in a flat box not more than 4" high? 

I'm still pondering an end table and a coffee table.  I'll know them when I see them.  

 I gave up on keeping the curtains hanging the way I want them - Mr. Paisley always pushes them all the way open even though they are never CLOSED.

 Clearly, we like shelves. They're over the windows at Robin's Nest and they're over the windows at the Paisley Cottage...best place to show off my doodads I guess.

 Work in progress...or rather work in slow motion. I need to find something to put under the cloche on the shelf above the TV and clearly, Mr. Paisley hasn't dropped the cables in the wall. And stuff has just sort of landed on the Expedit...def not what it will end up looking like. Obviously it's Fall - the Fall scent Febreeze is out on display...oy vey.

 I still haven't rehung the "stick art" so that it's above the back of the chair...

My decorating style is "buy what I like" and "find a place for it later". Very little of what I buy is planned ahead of time. The chair I picked up on clearance from Beall's Dept Store for less than $30 including the cushion. It was originally somewhere around $100. The little table I shipped home from Italy. The stick art was collected at 2 different Marshall's stores from the clearance shelves. The 3 glass bird top cloches were on clearance at Ross. Two were $3.99 and one was $6.99.  I got them a year or so ago - but I just saw them last week at Pier 1. They are out of stock online - but you may find them in store. The one I was in had plenty of them and they were $40something. Here's a link to them Pier 1 Bird Cloche

The 2 leaf canvas pieces over the TV were ordered online (on sale of course - for next to nothing) awhile back and I didn't have a place to put them so they were in the "future use" bin. The stacked pumpkins under the giant cloche came from Coldwater Creek a few years ago after season. The cloche (which is acrylic) came from TJ Maxx and it was on clearance for $9.99.  That black box on the middle shelf of the Expedit - that's a Discgear. One of the best purchases i've made recently. ALL of our DVDs fit in it with a little room to spare. If you want to ditch all those cases and save a TON of space, I highly recommend it. You can print labels and organize your discs (and print out a list for ref) from the Discgear website which is awesome when you want to add something. There's a little tray at the bottom that slides out and holds the list. You can also lock the lid so if it gets knocked off the shelf or whatever you don't have CDs flying everywhere. Keeps the kiddos out of it too.

 

 

Robin's Nest

I took some updated photos at Robin's Nest at the end of September. Here they are - there are a lot of new primitive items that my Aunt Alyce blessed me with on the 2 somewhat unexpected side trips to Ohio.

Her last home was filled with primitive and country decor. Her new house is more French Glam. She likes to change it up when she moves.

This is a really crooked photo of the upstairs bedroom - the gorgeous braided rug under the bed came from Aunt Alyce

 A less crooked shot at the foot of the bed - a couple of trips ago we replaced the glass door to the upper deck and it hasn't been stained yet, but the glass is CLEAN which is a lot more than I can say about the old door

 The bathroom upstairs

 

 The vanity outside the upstairs bathroom

 The old yellow bamboo dresser after the make-over

 The shelf over the door is a little short compared to the ones downstairs - however it was one that was in a closet at the Paisley Cottage (it was in the house when I bought it)

 The upstairs deck - it looks really tiny - it's small, but larger than it looks in the picture. It is also brand new - Mr. Paisley ripped off the old one in order to fix the leak in the roof of the screened porch below it.

 Finally hung up the stuff over the headboard...

 New artwork on the wall of the staircase and the candle holder at the top of the stairs is an Aunt Alyce piece as well as the three panels on the side wall

 Fall mantle - the Canada Goose came from Alyce - I LOVE it - I just need to add an off center hook for it

 The framed print came from Alyce - as did the glass milk bottles that don't really show up (in front of the red milk can)

 Nothing new here...but it needs an update

 The glittery goose...errr swan? on the far left was from Alyce and I added the thread spindles below the birdhouse print

 LOVE this red console table - yep it came from Alyce. It fits that space perfectly and leaves more room beside the bed with that bench there. The plate holder and battery candle were also from Alyce (the plate came from Marshall's)

 The 5000 pound teak bench was a gift from my in-laws. It is super cool.

 This is a hot mess in the downstairs bedroom. The framed basket print is from Alyce - the shutters are a pending project and the picture in the chair is just there because I didn't put it away.

 The screened porch - clearly, this needed the flash.

 Also from Alyce - there was a wooden pocket star here that now has a new home in the hallway.

 While I love this old bench that I grabbed from my Florida neighbor's trash pile, it doesn't quite take the place of the one in the Paisley Pumpkin banner that was stolen. However...there IS a real bench on my front porch in Florida that will make it's way to Robin's Nest on our next trip. It's a project in progress - you'll see the project here before you see it on the deck at the Nest. Stay tuned ;-)

 Gotta decorate for fall in the mountains!

 Voila! Robin's Nest - almost done with the fresh stain - the dogwoods were starting to turn pinky red at the end of September. Come spring when it's warm enough to stain again, the dormers will get cleaned and stained and we will be good to go!