Before I moved to France, I would only wear earrings...and the very occasional necklace. Even upon moving to France, where one wears a scarf for at least 9 months of the year, a necklace just seems pointless. But nevertheless, I found myself being drawn to jewelry more and more here. I love bracelets and necklaces in the summertime, and earrings all year round. As I began to accumulate more jewelry, I realized that I needed a box to put them in. At the time, however, pragmatics won over aesthetics, and this was the result:
I kept my earrings in the top two drawers of the little plastic doohickey, and the bracelets in the taped up Taboo box. Pitiful, I know. Well, last week, when looking for an old window frame to use as a photo frame at a store similar to the furniture section of Goodwill, I found my jewelry box(es).
The drawers are made of ceramic and are very heavy. They hold my earrings and the box on the left holds my bracelets. I've got a work-in-progress project to hang my necklaces from, and when it's done, I'll post photos. But it's basically an old cabinet door that will be painted that teal color seen above (which is the same color as my bedspread), with several doorknobs that are hand-painted like the ceramic drawers screwed into it. The necklaces will hang from the knobs. Look at me, being all crafty!While at that store that is sort of like the furniture section of Goodwill, I found my reading chair! I am a lover of the big, comfy arm chair that one can curl up in for hours upon hours lost in a ridiculously good book. I hadn't gone looking for the chair...I was still looking for the windowpane (which I have yet to find). But the chair found me. I rearranged my dining room/bookshelves to make a nook (and still have room for dining room table). The Chair fit perfectly.
The thing is, I do not love that fabric. I don't even like it. But she's SO comfortable, and was SO cheap! Joy and I took turns sitting in her at the store. We lifted the cushions to see how easily they could be re-upholstered. (Quite easily: they zipper right off!) And, who can resist a chair that has a hidden compartment with a little door at the feet, where one can hide a reading blanket, or reading slippers, or the next book on the docket, or Christmas presents from sneaky peaky people like CSI and Pantene?! I saw potential in this chair, and Joy agreed with me. I took the plunge and bought it, as is obvious from the picture of her in my living room.
CSI and I were digging through my fabrics to find what I would use on my next quilt, and lo and behold! I had this huge piece of fabric that could work for covering up the chair until I find the perfect reupholstery for her. I nipped and tucked and pinned and voila! A blue, grey and brown chair that would look perfect in my bedroom...except it's in the living room. Ha!
I plan to stain her a dark brown to match the bookshelves, and one day (probably not until I'm in the states next year), will reupholster her in some kind of brown, cream and accent color plaid. Maybe I'll go all crazy and do argyle.
I've sat in her every day since she's arrived, and I have to say...she's wonderful. When she's all finished and has some friends (an ottoman and an end table), she'll be the reading chair I always dreamed of. And even more so because I helped her find her true potential and become all that she could be. With that--I think I'll go curl up in her and read for a bit.
