reading room update

Yeah ... I know.  I've been promising to show you pics of my reading room for weeks now.  This time it's the real deal ... I promise!  :)   It's not finished yet but I wanted to show you my progress so far.

 In its former life, this was a completely unused spare bedroom.  I've been toying with the idea of a reading room for years but couldn't bring myself to part with my old bedroom set.  Someone kindly took the bed off my hands and I was able to re-purpose everything else (more on that much later!)

The sofa bed is from Ikea ... not the one I originally picked out but I love it!  The cushions are also from Ikea ... don't you just love that place?  I always find great stuff there.  The wall colour is "Swiss Coffee" by Behr and it's quickly becoming my new favourite shade of white with just a hint of warmth to it.

 Still left to do ...

♦ Artwork on the walls ... they're feeling a little bare and I've got a few ideas that I'm keeping under my hat for now.

♦ The bookcases need to be painted ... probably white ... to unify them.  It was a bit difficult to get a decent picture of them because of the angle but there are three, two smaller and one large in the centre.

♦ New lamps.  Those orange flowers have got to go.

♦ Not sure about painting the chest and end table ... I'm leaning towards leaving them natural.  Let me know what you think.

I have to tell you that I'm totally loving this room now.  It's so cosy and the perfect spot to curl up in.  Even though it's not finished, I still find myself heading there whenever I need a few minutes to unwind.  And I still have a room for the occasional overnight guest!

lilac love

I've got a thing for lilacs.  There are 6 bushes in my garden, which is definitely on the small side, and I never regret having planted that many.

Their is nothing like their fragrance.  I spend a lot of time just burying my nose in the blooms because I cannot get enough of their scent.

Even though lilacs don't do well as cut flowers, I still bring a few branches inside.  I figure I'm going to have the prune the dead ones anyways, so why not?  At least that's my rationale.  :)  They rarely last more than a couple of days but it's still worth it.

Have a wonderful weekend!  See you next week.

pretty in pink

hello spring I

These little blossoms are still hanging on!  Usually it's one week and they're outta there but the beautiful blooms on my redbud have really outdone themselves this year. 

hello spring II

My only disappointment is that everything bloomed so early!  The lilacs are already fading and my bridal wreath spirea is showing a few white flowers here and there.  It usually doesn't bloom until June!  I'm crossing my fingers for a bumper crop of roses.  :)

I hope to have an update for you later this week on my reading room.  Can't wait to show you my progress!

a feature and a giveaway!

 
I'm one of today's featured artists over at Simply Hue ... thank you, Vicki!  For a chance to win one of my photos, be sure to visit this post on Vicki's blog for all the details!