We Now Return To Our Regularly Scheduled Reading Room Re-do

Howdy folks!
Did you miss me?
I haven't taken three days off since I don't know when!
It wasn't by choice though. My pupils made me do it.
Yep, I woke up on Thursday morning and they were huge. I looked like a cast member of "People Under the Stairs". (In case you missed that one, just imagine a bunch of people forced to live in a dark basement their entire life. Now think about what their pupils would look like. Yeah, that was me on Saturday.)
Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out. Normally, when you look at a bright light your pupils get smaller. But unfortunately, my pupils weren't in the mood to move, and after several unsuccessful attempts, I finally gave up and decided to wake up Mr. LC.

"Honey?" (me)

(grumble, grumble) "Yeah?" (Kevin)

"I think I have vertigo again." (me)

(wide awake now) "Really?" (Kevin)

"Yeah. The whole room was spinning when I woke up, and my pupils are huge." (me)

(sigh) "Well, just take it easy." (Kevin)

So I did.
I took it easy for three whole days, and I'm happy to report my pupils are no longer huge. :-)

While I was "taking it easy" I managed to sew a sweet little pair of curtains for the reading room. You remember the ol' reading room...

(Move your cursor back and forth over the photo below to see how the room looked when we moved in, and how it looked as of last week.)



Well, now that Kevin is finished working on the ceiling...



...it was time for me to dress the window.

Money's tight, and vintage napkins are super cheap, so that's what I decided to use as curtains.



I bought six of them about of year ago at a flea market. Kevin was with me at the time, and I remember him looking at me like I was crazy when I held them up for his approval. The look in his eyes said, "Why do you want to buy white, linen napkins? We eat on tray tables in the living room and I can't remember the last time you used a regular napkin, let alone a fancy-schmancy white, linen one."

But boy was he happy when I pulled them out the other day and introduced them to my friend Janome...



A) because he loves window treatments, and B) because he can now justify what once seemed like the weirdest impulse purchase ever.

That little basket sitting next to my sewing machine belonged to my Grandma Evelyn. I have her pin cushion too...



I haven't sewed since before my blog was born, so I had completely forgotten about her little name tag...



And I'm not sure I ever knew my Grandpa Richard's tag was hidden inside hers...



It was a really nice surprise, and seeing them reminded me of the day they wore them. It was their 50th wedding anniversary. They rented a great big building for the celebration because they loved, and were loved by, so many people.
My Grandpa is still alive (he's 92 now), but my Grandma has been gone for eleven years now. Finding their name tags folded together like that made me think about how much I miss seeing them together.
I also thought about the time my Grandma tried to teach me how to sew on her antique machine. I never got the hang of it, but I bet she'd be so happy I managed to make friends with Janome. :-)

I started by sewing a rod pocket across the top of one of the napkins...



Then I sewed another napkin to the bottom of it...



I love a simple, "farmhouse fresh" kinda look, so I hung them on a small branch I found in the woods behind our house...



I adore the way the sunlight filters through them, and the little embroidered bits make me smile every time I see them...



I did buy a new pillow cover from Pottery Barn to use on the smaller pillow in the middle of the bed...



There's something about blue and white stripes that just drives me wild!

And come to think of it, I've got quite a thing for Pottery Barn's pick-stitch bedding too...



...and their Medici pattern (which is now discontinued) is not only beautiful, but a whole lot of fun to say too. Kevin has worked it into conversation a number of times since we bought these pillow covers, and our dogs name (Max) has morphed into "Medici" on more than one occasion as well.



I'm totally diggin' the way the pillows coordinate with the sheets now...




(TJ Maxx)

Our design plan continues to evolve, so there are still lots of things to do before the room is ready for it's big reveal. Kevin spent part of today building some shelves for the wall on the right...





His feelings aren't the only thing he wears on his sleeve...



I'll be back soon with some more pics of his handsome, new handiwork.

'Til then, cheers!



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