Family Room! WARNING: Picture heavy

As promised, here are the pictures of the family room but I need to point out a couple of things. First, excuse the dust, fingerprints, misc. dogs and other things that I didn't get taken care of before taking pictures. Second, my camera really doesn't like indoor pictures so excuse the grittiness of some pictures. Third, I do not like my carpet, I would like to put in a wood floor but I spent my wad on a crown for my tooth so we must live with the carpet for a while. Fourth, I am not thrilled with the fireplace , the brick and the wood color annoy me. We are in discussions as to what to do with it. And finally, I'm still tweaking things like what is on the top of the treadle sewing machine, haven't found what I am looking for, mostly because I don't know what I'm looking for! LOL!

Got to thinking last night that maybe a before pic would be nice.


After:

See that lovely green carpet? It really needs to go. Even an area rug would be better. We would also like a small coffee table but so far I haven't seen one I really like.

Starting on the left side of the room as you look at it, you'll see my Grandmother's Antique Rocker. It's a lovely shade of baby poop green but I haven't located an upholsterer that comes highly recommended here in town and I don't want just anybody touching it. I kind of snookered away from my aunt. She lived with the grandparents and when they passed it was supposed to come to my mom. It didn't. So one year shortly after Dan and I were married I called my aunt and told her we didn't have the money to get mom a Christmas present and would it be okay if we came to Sioux City and picked up the rocker as that is what G'ma wanted. She couldn't very well turn me down at that point and I wasn't lying. We didn't have any money for gifts that year. Mom was very happy to have the rocker but after several years passed she decided I should have it so it's been in my house for about 13 years. You can also see an antique dresser in the picture. Dan and I bought it years ago at a 2nd hand store and Dan refinished it as it was in terrible condition. It's been in the dining room for many years and prior to that it was in my bedroom. Quaker Diamonds likes her new home there. the amber colored plate and covered dish are courtesy of Goodwill about a year ago. The lamp is one of a set that we bought a couple of years ago. It's kinda big but somehow, I really like it there. The curtains and sheers are new, both from StuffMart. The sheers are really cool, almost like cheesecloth. Great texture. The sign above the windows says "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. A sentiment we should all learn from.

Here's another shot of the dresser and rocker.

Moving around the room, I'm still looking for pillows for the sofa. It needs some . Badly. The armoire was gift from Dan several years ago. On the top are some quilts and quilt tops. One of them is an antique quilt top that my great-grandmother was making. She never finished it. I have the template that she used for cutting out her pieces. The others are tops I have never finished and then there is a store bought quilt up there also. The cardboard stars were bought 7-8 years ago at a store called Gordmans. Used to be called the half price store. I liked it better then. They didn't think it was a classy enough name.

Moving on to the fireplace, I am really over the whole orangey oak wood and I have never liked the brick with the oak color. Dan doesn't really want to strip the wood and darken it which is what I would like to do so it will most likely remain the way it is.

On the mantle is an antique oval portrait. While I would like to say the 3 kids in the picture are relatives, I would be lying. I have no idea who the kids are. My neighbor across the street bought the picture at an auction and he didn't want it. I thought it was pretty cool so he gave it to me. The sconces and mirrors were shiny brass and relegated to a drawer in the little dresser I showed earlier. A little spray paint and some new candlesticks and they work great with the picture. The cream color plates were purchased at Stuffmart a year or so ago in the clearance aisle. The transferware plates were also purchased a year or so ago from TJMaxx. The little cream colored pitchers and silver dish were thrift store buys about a year ago.

Can you tell I like balance in my arrangements? I try and try not too but that's just the way I roll.

On the left side of the hearth is an old sewing machine purchased at an estate sale about 10 years ago. The framed quilt block came from a quilt my great-grandmother made. It was literally in shreds so I cut out 5 pieces that were still somewhat whole and framed 4 of them up. I kept one and gave the others to my siblings. I don't really think they cared one way or another but someday I thought they might. The 5th block is laying on the sewing machine. I realize it doesn't go color wise in the room but I like it anyway.

On the right side of the hearth we have a bunch of dried grasses? Sticks? I don't know what to call it. I bought it new a couple of weeks ago at a store here in Papillion called the Weathered and Worn Store. Pretty neat stuff they have there. I could do some serious damage if I had any money! Sitting in front of the sticks are some random books from our library and a black tin my sis-in-law gave me many years ago. In the tin are vintage threads and spools, needle threader, tape measure etc....I picked them up at a garage sale earlier this spring.


to the right of the fireplace is my stitching corner. You saw a picture of it a week or so ago I think. I've tweaked it a bit since then.

You can't see it very well in the picture but there is a little table on the side of my chair that Dan and I picked up at an antique store about 10 years ago. On top of the table is a book I'm reading, one of my flower frogs, and an antique wooden box that folds out and holds sewing machine bits and pieces. We bought it at a thrift store an number of years ago. Cool huh?



The lamp was shiny silver but spray paint took care of that. The shadow box was bought last week at the Weathered and Worn store. The cream pitcher was purchased at TJ Maxx a couple years ago, the picture, again of no one I know was an antique store buy and the 2 glass jars are from my cupboard and full of buttons from my button box.

The quilt holder in the corner behind my chair was bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago. It's actually supposed to be folded in half and it has shelves on it but I unhooked the chain and straightened it out and voila! Instant quilt holder! The top quilt is a store bought quilt, the yellow quilt is antique purchased in Fremont Ne. at an antique store a couple three years ago and the bottom quilt is one my grandmother made.

See the butterfly? The whole quilt is covered with them. I can remember looking at all the different ones when I was a kid and picking out my favorites.

Coming over to the west wall is my treadle sewing machine. It was white when Dan and I bought it at a garage sale a few years back. Dan refinished it and it is beautiful! I'm not sure what I want to put on the top of it. Eventually something will trip my trigger but for now a bowl I have works for holding all the remotes. Everything on the wall above the sewing machine was bought at the Weathered and worn store. I started this whole room with that picture and now I am not sure it goes with the rest of the room. Maybe a bit too primitive. Some say yes and some say no. What are your thoughts? I can't hear you. Did you fall asleep?

Almost done now, the computer desk area is all that is left. The mirror is a few years old, like 8 I think. I added the wreath which was on clearance. The antique phone was bought in Wyoming when we lived there. It was painted white and again Dan refinished it. The guts aren't there but we hide a cordless phone inside.

The little chest on the desk was bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago. I dry brushed green on it and added labels on the drawers. The stone-look saying is one of my favorites purchased 2 years ago and the lamp base was bought at StuffMart. Shade courtesy of Weathered and Worn.

And that my friends finishes this tour of the family room. You probably know more than you ever wanted to know about my stuff! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm quite pleased with myself as I did not spend much money on the re-do. It was something of a surprise to me how much I was able to pull from other rooms in the house.

I've been stitching some but this is long enough for one post. I did want to answer Meari's question about whether Adam has recovered from his broken heart. Sadly he waited in vain for a call from the girl the entire time he was home. She had called him earlier in the week and begged him to still be her friend. He thought she would call and want to see him while he was home. I felt really bad for him. Do you think he will ever stop hoping?

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Take care!

Julie