Bright New Spin

Our new living room is finally decorated.  Renting a home can have limitations on how one can decorate.  The walls are white and the carpet is forest green.  I really was not fond of the carpet color.  It is a color I would never choose for anything and it is really dark so it weights down the whole room.  The overbearing carpet makes me miss the nice hardwood floors that we had in our old place.  I did not let the carpet get me down.  Instead I used creative problem solving skills to balance it out.  

Calder Pillow by Funamals can be found at Minty Keen.
Bike Pillow by artgoodies.

The first improvement were the curtains.  I refused to spend a dime on them, so I created big hobo curtains like i did for my laundry room, only for the living room I used much brighter fabric scraps.  Many of the scraps came from my Mother and and Aunt's sewing rooms as well as my own after lots of projects were finished.  I added a three tiered hanging basket, draped with green tool and vines placed in the bottom.
 

Once again, I was too cheap to buy curtain rods and didn't really want to go out in a snow storm. I also thought there must be a way to hang curtains with whatever is laying around in the house.  We have a plastic bin that we keep any and all loose and unused power chords, cables and chargers in.  Many of them are from electronics long gone.  I found a few chords we don't use and strung the curtains on them.  I stapled the cables to the wall.  The plugs add character.

With even smaller fabric scraps, I tied them together to make a multicolored garland to string across the wall opposite the big windows.  This project only took me about a half an hour from start to hanging.

My potted plants are displayed in a community together on a coffee table in front of the window.  The front window in the living room is the best source of light.  Many of my plants are snatched up freebies found at my side job-rescued from an almost definite fate in the trash.  A small wooden shelf and a tall pillar painted red adds varying level to my homage to mother nature.

One perk of being an artist is that there is always spare artwork around.  Above our $60.00 vintage couch I hung my piece "Beach Blissed Seals."  It arrived home with some other pieces after a month long stay in my gallery showing "Don't Think, Don't Blink."  It will probably live here until it is sold or taken to a gallery.  My fiance Cam currently has a gallery showing "I Thought I heard a Stranger."  What doesn't sell or go to galleries will come home and our work may get switched around.  One thing is for certain; around here the artwork on the walls never stays in one spot for long.

"One Small Discovery" on Etsy

Here is another piece from my recent show "Don't Think, Don't Blink."  It too has currently found a spot in the corner of our living room.  It goes nicely with our lamp with the lace shade which Cam picked up somewhere at a thrift shop.  I love the warmth that this corner gives off.

Not everything is for looks.  Our living room has to function too.  Here is a table set up to keep things organized.  A small display holds Cam's laptop and our most recent reading material.  Right now we are reading the Catechism which we are studying in our classes to prepare us for marriage.  The woven piece by Rose Beerhorst houses our remotes so we can always find them.  The coasters were a gift from my cousin, Sara.  The phone doesn't really work, its just for decoration.

Woven cozy by Rose Beerhorst.

We have a lot of dvds and I must say I am pretty proud of our awesome selection.  I took all of our favorite, and most frequently used and put them into this vintage suitcase for easy access.  

Dog Pillow by K Studio

Our fake, handmade fireplace is a'glowin making our house feel very cozy.  The rocking chair is a piece carried down from several generations.  It was my Great Great Uncle Cal's, I believe.  I look forward to rocking my children in it--and I have already rocked my nephew in it a few times :)  There are a few simple details on our tv stand.  Since using such bright colors makes it have more of a feminine feel, many elements were added to balance it out.  Cam's vintage film projector is on display with a few toy soldiers guarding it.

The other side of our "mantel" has Cam's favorite Buddha Statue and my clarinet lamp...made out of a real clarinet that my Dad gave me as a kid.  My Dad would never admit it, but we have similar tastes.

Loving the new cozy space.  Since our studio is in our house, it is nice to have a place to relax.  We are definitely not afraid of color!