New Look in the Nook

Hi everyone!

Last week I shared my vintage roller rink baskets with you all and today I want to show you where they ended up in our house!

We converted a cluttered and under-utilized cabinet at the top of stairs into a cute little nook a few years back,  I told you about that here.  Besides looking cute and cozy in our small hallway, it has tons of storage space and is used far more effectively than when everything was behind closed doors.

I originally used old soda crates for storage, but when I found the baskets at the flea market, I thought they would make a fun change.  It's actually a much softer look than the crates and I really like it.

The little antique school desk was used by Baby Bluebird for many years while she was growing up.  It has been painted a million (yes, a million!) times and I even refinished it down to the bare wood at one time.  It fits nicely in this little space, don't you think?

We have two tiers of shelves and then three wire baskets from Pottery Barn with hooks.  They are from their Kellan line and it looks like these particular baskets are no longer available, but there are other items similar on their website.

 The open shelves are perfect for storing and displaying my overflow of throws and pillow shams.

I recently found the "Butterscotch Waffles" tin on ebay and had to have it!  One of our sweet kitties was named Butterscotch and I thought the little tin was a cute remembrance.

There are zero windows in this hallway and even when I open the doors to the nearby bedrooms, the lighting for picture taking is dreadful - as these pictures attest!  This is a night time shot with the lamp  on and a very special photo bomber, our buddy Palmer.

Well, that's my tour of the new and improved nook area - this tiny space always makes me smile when I pass by.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Partying over at these fun blogs:
Amaze Me Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Let's Talk Vintage
Coastal Charm Show & Share
Inspire Me Tuesday
Wow us Wednesday
Party in Your PJ's

The Clock is Ticking....Farewell 2014!

Hi Everyone!

It is hard to believe that is in time for another "year in review."  I am approaching my three year blogiversary.  I have really enjoyed my humble little blog and feel that I have grown and improved over the years.

I have a  long way to go and I am not even close to how I would like my blog to look, read or feel.  It has been a kooky three years with several health roadblocks that prevented me from really sharpening things up. While I am not planning to take the blog world by storm, I am interested in putting together quality posts with quality pictures to go along with it.  In that direction, I have purchased a Canon Rebel and have had fun these past few days playing around with it.  My photos won't become artistic works any time soon, but they will be a vast improvement over the old point and shoot! I also have more time to devote to projects,  posting, blogging and corresponding - all those things that are so important to being a good blogger.

Thank you to the many friends who have stuck with me during these three early years.  Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the time, but it always comes back to yes.  And with that, my 2015 Bluebird 1959 new year's resolution is to be the best blogger I can be.  That doesn't mean the best blogger. Just the best  I can be.  I hope you will join me for the ride!

Now on to my top five viewed posts:



Who would have thought a cheap little picture from Wal-Mart would be my top viewed post of the year?!  See the full post at I Fell in Love at Wal-Mart.

Found an olive bucket knock off at Wal-Mart for a song.  Check out how I transformed it to mimic the real one on the left at You Put the Suds in the Olive Bucket.

I found some cool old crates to use as storage in my newly created nook.  Read about them at Vintage Crates.

In a related and popular post, check out the nook Mr. Bluebird created for me. Look! A Nook!

These were so easy to make and I just love how they turned out.  Sadly, the two cats both passed this year, one just a few weeks ago. See how you can make your own Pet Silhouettes.

Again - and as always - thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to be a part of Bluebird 1959.  There are many, many blogs out there to read and I am humbled and grateful that you have made time to visit mine.  Happy New Year to you and yours.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Look! A Nook!

Hi everyone!

I am sooooooooo excited to share today's post with you all.  I have been working on this project for months now, with the help of Mr. Bluebird.  And ~hooray~ it is finally done!

Our upstairs hall has always been a nothing special area.  Kind of neglected actually.  It's small, dark, and really had little room for any kind of personality.  It has been a very sad space.  At the top of the stairs is a very large closet.  While spacious, over the years we never used it efficiently and it had turned into a harbinger of  clutter and "jamming in junk that had no home."  What a waste of space!

One day while cleaning out this junk heap - yet again - I got the idea of changing this closet into a cozy nook.  I threw this idea out to Mr. Bluebird - thinking he would nix the idea of losing a closet - and to my surprise, he was all in!  So I emptied the closet, took out all of the shelves, and began the process of patching and painting.

I knew I still needed some storage space and came up with the idea of black shelving filled with baskets and vintage crates to fill that need.

 

I also purchased three Pottery Barn Kellan Cubbies with hooks for underneath the shelves.  I also added a wall mounted lamp to amp up the cozy factor.  This is how it looked at Christmas. Not quite finished yet.

 

 

 Mr. Bluebird was kind of enough to add oak beadboard and chair rail.  We did this for the entire hallway and one wall of our stair case (that reveal coming soon!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided on real beadboard because of the high traffic this area gets - the beadboard wallpaper, we felt, would be prone to scrapes, nicks, etc. that would be difficult and/or impossible to repair.  I do love beadboard wallpaper though!!! No, the lamp is not hardwired - I do plan on putting a cord cover on and painting it out to match the walls & beadboard.  (It's okay - cords are a fact of life, not going to hide them and pretend it's something it isn't! I am all for keeping it real!)

 

And voila! The finished nook.  Isn't it the cutest?  I placed a white washed bench and two cushy pillows in the sitting area.  I just love coming up the stairs at night and seeing this view!  It has taken our forlorn upstairs hall to a completely different level.  I don't regret giving up the closet at all.  I still have storage space with the crates and baskets!  I also think this could be a cute area for a desk, but for now, I am enjoying the little sitting nook.

I will post the cost breakdown of everything soon and give you the details on the items used to make this area so darned cute! (Yes, - I do say so myself!) I also have a few pics coming of the rest of the hallway and the staircase.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Linking with:
Amaze Me Monday
Masterpiece Monday
Monday Funday
Metamorphosis Monday
The DIY'ers
Masterpiece Monday
DIY Showoff Party
Make it Pretty Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Scoop Link Party
The Makers
Wow Us Wednesdays