Sweet Spots

There are lots of areas of my house that warm my heart. Here are two of them, both in the study.
When my daughter and I moved into the house, this room was a dining room. Being that it is just we two, that we always ate in the kitchen, and big holiday meals were always served at my parents' home, I decided to make this room into a study. I had the built-ins installed by a carpenter, a feature I always dreamed of having in a house someday. Initially the room was a place where Harleigh could do her homework. In elementary and middle school there was rarely the need for a computer to tackle homework projects, so this spot — surrounded by reference books (including an old encyclopedia set that I can't part with), cans of pencils and markers, a good working light, and a dropleaf table on which to spread out books — was perfect. As the years went by and dear daughter retreated to her room or the rumpus room (where the computer lives) to do homework, I began migrating all my craft paraphernalia onto the table and the shelves surrounding. Now it is where I do all my projects. I can see Gideon chasing birds in the backyard, the stereo is right there, and I can even see the reflection of the TV in one of the windows in case I want to do some TV watching. (The big basket on the floor was a discard from my sister that I have loved. It holds a bunch of blankets and afghans.)

This dresser is one of my favorite finds from a local flea market. It's a beautiful pale pink color with glass knobs. My parents bought me the navy and ivory check wing chair for my birthday one year, and it is one of my favorite sitting spots in the house. I found the slipper chair at a yard sale and it's perfect to have as extra seating when guests come over, not to mention that it's girly. I took an old negliee (don't you just love that word?) from a flea market spree and made the lampshade cover. It softens the room, not to mention . . . it's girly (a key word in our household, if you didn't already get the idea). A friend's mother painted the vase and flowers above the dresser and I found a chipped frame that fits it just right. The footstool is a Shabby Chic piece from Target that I got on sale.