A Little Nook for Books

Project Book Nook is finished! 

When my grandchildren come to stay, books are always part of the visit.  Always. When we remodeled our home three years ago, we created a beautiful library room downstairs, and lately I've been working on a little reading nook upstairs.

Because of the dormers in our two-story Cape Cod style home, both of our upstairs guest bedrooms have funny little "dead space" corners. I measured and found a sweet William Morris inspired futon cushion and throw pillow from DocATot.  The cushion can lie flat and double as a "floor bed" for any visiting littles at night.

In case there was any question that this can also be a reading nook, I applied this adorable "Once upon a time..." decal that I found on Etsy (from Old Barn Rescue Company).

I think it turned out to be a very cozy space!

TAKE A PEEK...THANKFUL FOR MY NEW HOME LIBRARY!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours! 

At the moment, I am sitting and typing this blog post from my cozy new library/office, definitely thankful to be done with our home renovations and getting ready to be off-line for the holiday while I do my Thanksgiving baking and turkey trimming!

This time last year we were cooking in the laundry room (which is now a butler's pantry) while our kitchen was being remodeled, sleeping in our guest room while our small master bathroom was being enlarged and renovated, and basically living out of our burgundy dining room...

...which we turned into the gray-blue library/office pictured in remodel stages below!

My boxes of books (read my Bookworm post) filled up the shelves quickly!  Here's a peek...

With the help of my niece, who is an incredibly talented interior designer, we're almost done with all the finishing touches.  We still need to get a rug on the floor and some art on the walls, but we're almost there.  It's my new happy place!

If you can't find me, I'm probably there!

Which brings me to today's book, The Library by Sarah Stewart and David Small.  If you love books, you'll love this story!

Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesn't like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. Lots of books. The only problem is that her library has gotten so big she can't even use her front door anymore. What should Elizabeth Brown do? Start her own public library, of course! With charming verse and watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's oldest and finest institutions.

 

(The Library is a 1995 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year.)

Sparking JOY in 2016! Two Books About Tidying Up

My Grandma always said, "A place for everything.  Everything in its place."  But how do you get there???

If you want to tackle household clutter and dis-organization for 2016, I have the book for you!  Two, actually...

My husband and I have really enjoyed reading Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  (Yes, you read that right - my husband is reading it too! We want to do some re-modeling soon, and our house and garage are in need of major de-cluttering.  We need help, and this book has given us the courage to start.)

Chapter I: Why Can't I Keep My House in Order?
The "KonMarie Method" doesn't involve the latest innovations or short-cuts to cleaning; it's about getting rid of "stuff" and recognizing what things are truly useful, meaningful, and worthy of holding on to - because let's face it, having fewer things to clean makes life and it's quotidian chores a lot easier!

Illustration by Eloise Wilkin, from We Help Mommy

Marie Kondo is doing something right: more than 3 million copies of her "Life Changing Magic" book, translated into 35 languages, have sold worldwide!

Her first book was a helpful introduction to her tidying up philosophy: only keeping things that "spark joy", and putting them where they belong. 

But for those of us who are not natural organization gurus like Miss Kondo, it lacked some further helpful details...we needed diagrams of that shirt folding (her shirts stand up by themselves when folded, no kidding!), and pictures of what organized drawers and shelves should look like.

Not to worry! Now Marie Kondo has a new book: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.

In her new book, Kondo expounds on her six rules of tidying:
1. Commit yourself to tidying up.
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
3. Finish discarding first.
4. Tidy by category, not by location.
5. Follow the right order.
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.

I can guarantee, if you follow her principals, you'll find yourself being able to "Whistle while you work!" because you'll be surrounded by things that give you joy.

If like me, following Epiphany, you have an annual house blessing for the new year, this book couldn't have been published at a better time!

The only recommendation from her books that I take issue with is her section for going through (getting rid of - gasp) books.  Most of my books are worthwhile, or I wouldn't have bought them.  

My home library is one area that I'm not going to pair down too much. Even if I'm unable to re-read every single one of my books, can one have too many?  After all, shelves and shelves of them make even the grandest of homes feel cozy!

Decorating with Books

“Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.” ― Henry Ward Beecher

Sharing some favorite pins today from my "Library and Reading Spaces" Pinterest Board...

here

here

here

here

here

here