The Wayback Machine

Whatever you may think of the various things I've done to my living room over the years since I started this blog, you can't deny that it changes frequently.  I'm still plugging away on my light fixtures and a couple other projects I'll have to show you in March; but for now, I dug out some old photos of the living room from 2004 that I thought I'd share:

Guys, this is the original almost-everything.   I hung the ceiling fan I wanted immediately, and moved the [really ugly] one that came with the house into a spare bedroom.

But the paint, doors, hardware, fireplace mantel and tile - even the original carpet is still in these pics.

No, the houseplants thing is not new, hehe.   And no, I don't know why there are pillows on top of the entertainment center.

Looking the other direction.    LOOK at that awful pendant lamp.   The original floorplan of the house had this area under the light designated as a "dining room", and was supposed to be tiled.  Thankfully, I had the option to just carpet the entire thing.  I've never wanted to do the whole dining room/living room thing.  

The area that I use as my dining room was originally tagged as a "breakfast nook."  I've never understood the idea of eating different meals in different rooms.  That's for people in Jane Austen novels.  I pretty much eat in front of the tv on the couch, because I'm a 37-year-old frat boy. 

All the king's arches and all the king's beige.  

The original kitchen and dining room light fixtures.  Actually, the dining room light is still the same, I just painted it black, long ago.  It was one of the first projects in the house, aside from the ceiling fan in the living room - painting everything  that was shiny brass, to black.  

(And because someone asked, that's a dog harness on the bar in the foreground, not something naughty).  

And that's that, folks.  Crazy, yeah?  I found these pics while looking for some others, and I was like  whoa.  And my BFF was like whoa.  And the cat was like,  are you eating that pizza crust?  

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Random Monday Afternoon Post

1.   I'm really hoping to have pics for you tomorrow, camera issues or not.  I just have to remember to take some tonight when I get home, before I lose the light.

2.   Came across my new favorite word today:  "designerati" - TM Decorno, who alas, is no longer writing her blog, but, happily, is still guesting at a couple of other design blogs from time to time.  I spend a LOT of time reading design blogs online while I should be working,   and, to answer the question that I've been asked a few times in person (but not here): NO, I am not one of the online "designerati."  I adore paging through design blogs, but I am not remotely inspired to become one of the people I read. This blog is for my projects, my house, maybe sometimes my gardens - but I'm not here to join an online world or become internet-famous.  I just like to blog, and feel like showing off.  I may link off-site sometimes when I find cool things out there, but I have no plans to create a "design blog" that consists mainly of pictures of other people's work.  I'm not entirely on board with that idea...though it doesn't keep me from looking at re-posted re-posted pictures elsewhere. Heh.

Edited to add:  that's not meant to sound all judgemental.  It's just not what *I* want to do, is all.  No offense to the online designerati intended.  :)
 

3.   The less-fun part of decorating:  maintenance.  *UGH*  Do not want.  What's hanging over my head right now that I'd rather not be doing?  Sprucing up the baseboards in the dining room, for one thing.  I did the entire rest of the house last summer, but somehow I forgot to do the dining room, and it looks that much more horrible next to the rest of the house where all the baseboards have been scrubbed, re-caulked, and re-painted.  It'd take me like an hour if I'd just get off my ass and do it...but I probably won't.  Bleh.


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- 1 for camera, + 5 for Sari quilt!

Well, it seems my camera battery is pretty much out of commission for the forseeable future.  It won't hold a charge for more than a few minutes - not even long enough to take a picture and then get it onto the computer before the battery dies.  Sigh. Luckily, a new one's only about $15, so I'll get one on payday.  ...I just hope the battery is actually the problem.  Everything else seems to work fine, so, here's hoping.  

Add to this the fact that I have about three hours during the day when there's enough natural light in the house to get nice pictures for you, during which I was working and the house was torn apart yesterday, I have no shots of anything I did over the weekend.  So you don't get to see:

1. The little semi-shrine for Ganesh I created in the living room with a little statue I recently got in a raffle, and a side table I painted yesterday. 
2. Any of the "new" houseplants I did yesterday - same plants, actually, but some in new pots, some in freshly painted pots, and most in new places in the house. Or...
3. An astounding, breathtaking gift from a friend which came completely by surprise yesterday:   a queen-sized silk quilt made of sari borders patched together, handmade for my friend in India many years ago while she was there, by a local shop.  This she gave to me yesterday, simply because (a) she wasn't using it anymore and (b) she knows I adore Indian textiles.  I think I'm actually in shock.  It's exactly what I've always wanted on my bed; but with eight four-legged companions, two of which enjoy fucking up fabrics, there's no WAY I'm using it as a bedspread.  I think I'll find a way to mount it on a wall as an art piece.  Have I mentioned, by the way, how much I love tapestries and fabric art on the wall?  <3

So:  camera battery on payday.  Until then...we'll see what happens.  Hopefully that week I'll also find out that I've won the HGTV/World Market Antonio Treatment sweepstakes and have a $10,000 gift card to my favorite store.  :o)


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