A Summer-ized Coffee Room, take 1

Our coffee room was built long after we moved in. Realizing that we wanted a fireplace to sit around and be cozy with on cold mornings. That was 9 years ago !!?? Weird how time flies when you are an adult. Anyway, not until this past spring did we understand that we could actually use this room the other 6 months of the year! Who knew? I find myself sitting in here every morning....sipping my coffee....listening to the morning moo'ing and cock-a-doodle-dooing outside.....reading the day's Jesus Calling page....and catching up on my favorite blogs! There is no better way to wake up each day, in my opinion! 

What probably took me so long to use this in the warmer months was that the furniture placement was always wrong. This is a small room, and therefore I just had 2 big comfy chairs and an ottoman in here, along with some side tables. You can see the other ways that this room has looked HERE and HERE. But I longed for better seating, and since I am always rearranging my furniture to different rooms, why not try something new in here??

So in came the furniture that was a regular in the front room. It had a loveseat and matching chair and ottoman. Now normally, I don't go for matchy, matchy, but this works well together size-wise and are super comfy! They were hand-me-downs by my mom, so free is good, right?

Summertime is all about being outdoors, so I bring in a lot of plants to my rooms. Since doing the Cozy Minimalist class, I am trying to stay with what was taught to me, and tried to only use things that are beautiful and useful to us. 

A lot of pillows are always a must with our family, and not just because I'm a pillow hoarder! We actually gather in this tiny room most mornings, so the extra pillows are used as backrests for my kiddos. (That new "South Side" one is an ode to my upbringing, which makes me happy!)

And yes, I don't like the fact that you see a cord hanging down the wall, but this fountain is so amazing that I deal with the cord! Ha!

Now here is where I tell you that this room is about to get an overhaul. I actually LOVE how this room looks and feels, but you know how I told you that my mom gave us this furniture? Well, she wants it back....{Sigh}. 

But, with every cloud....there is a silver lining, right? I get to stretch my design wings, and see what I can come up with. It will probably end with me shopping for new furniture....but will start with me shopping our house and using some imagination. 

And why is it that when you see a picture of yourself, or a room that you think looks good, you can see ALL THE FLAWS?? Getting ready to load pictures and write this post, I suddenly can see that the stone wall is way too busy for the rug currently in here....which is sad, because it's my favorite and its super soft.... so when this room gets re-done in the next couple weeks, I will be sure to show you what I came up with as a temporary solution (until new furniture is in the budget). As of now, I have no idea!! 

Our Valentine's Coffee Room with some help from Bee Haven Acres

Valentine's Day is almost here...and since we have a "Snow Day" here in the midwest, the BaileyFamily took full advantage and decided to get a little "crafty". I haven't decorated for this particular holiday in quite some time...but I was inspired by a quilt one of my blogging friends, Bee Haven Acres, had made.

And guess what? It is now MINE!  I knew it looked a little Valentine-y, and my mind started to think how I could use it. And why not in my Coffee Room?....It's the first room that my sweetheart and I use every day....and Feb. 14th will be no exception! 

Isn't the quilt GORGEOUS? Bev from Bee Haven is one talented lady!! 

(and she loves her farm as much as I do)

Let's face it...this is a holiday that we are allowed to be "a little cheesy". So bring on the CHEESE!!!

I left the twigs and lanterns up from our Christmas Mantel. And we made paper hearts and hung them from the branches.

These cookies will be replaced with muffins, brownies, or bagels in the mornings, I like to have something sweet with my coffee.

I don't have much red and pink around our home usually....but thought this is fun (short term). 

Every morning, this is where you find us...his and her chairs.....

Happy Valentine's Day to MY SWEETHEART.......

Hopefully when he gets home from snow-pushing he doesn't think our coffee room looks TOO cheesy!

But the kids and I had fun....now we are destroying my art room by getting a head start on their valentines for their class parties! Thanks Mother Nature for this SNOW DAY!!

~Kim

Our Christmas Mantel 2012

In true Baileywife fashion....I am NEVER done decorating!

I tweek, I re-do, I OVER-THINK....

Our "finished" (for now) Mantel 2012

Sweet little Cowboy Santa given by my mama

With all the technology overload that is becoming "normal" (and fun!),

like Pinterest, blogs, etc.....I am even more perplexed on how to decorate for Christmas this year!

Not that my home will ever get into the pages of a magazine, or Martha Stewart will ever come and visit MY home....but someone inside me wants it to be perfect...FOR MY FAMILY. I want it to reflect who we are, and show what matters to US. 

I have become OBSESSED with "natural" decor, re-purposed items, and doing all our decor on a very tight budget. The only new item I have purchased for this holiday decor season is wrapping paper! :)

I had my boys cut some grapevine from our fence rows, and stuck it here, there, and everywhere.

And made a garland with some twiggy stars that I've had and jute twine that I have purchased by the truckload! 

Here is how my mantel started out...I actually thought I wanted a very "simple" look this year, and contemplated just throwing up the stockings and calling it good.

My not-so-merry start to decorating this year

My children begged me to add "more Christmas" to the room and fireplace. And to be honest, I just wasn't feeling it either....and needed that extra nudge to re-think and get more creative. 

I am so happy that I did...and looking into this main focal point of our Coffee Room, I am pleased with the result, and the fact that I did not spend a dime!

These are the Parties I have linked to....check them out!

~Kim

Summer Style- My coffee room

Thanks to Layla at The Lettered Cottage who invited bloggers to post about Summer Decorating of their mantel and link up to her Linky Party on the 18th.....she inspired me to re-think the way I display on our mantel in our Coffee Room! This room was originally inspired by our love of the Colorado Rocky Mountains....but after many years of the room looking quite the same.I figured that I could get ON BOARD with the idea of changing the look with the seasons....Not knowing that it would make us fall more in love with this room, seeing it in a different light!

I "shopped" my home for things that I would consider to utter the words SUMMER and quickly came up with this SEASCAPE theme. But I hate to use the word "THEME". Years ago, we all would decorate with each holiday or season and the rooms would look very THEME-Y. Now, with more taste, less cluttered collections...and hopefully more style....I like to think that the rooms actually tell more of a story. 

I used:

1. a sailboat from my son's room

2. grass cuttings from last year that look like beach grass 

3. a starfish we got along the beach at Freeport, Grand Bahamas (you can still see the sand on it)

4. a couple lanterns

5. a picture of our girls standing in the ocean, in a PORTHOLE frame

6. fish netting as the backdrop to the display 

The rest of the room had to be considered too to pull off the SUMMER FEEL. 

So I brought in:

1. our big palm plant

2. a galvanized "sand bucket" :)

3. denim pillows and quilt

4. a seagrass rug

5. more framed pics of our BEACHY travels

6. a coffee table book of the 50 states so we can start daydreamin up our next family excursion

Our inspiration for this little mini make-over came from our time visiting this......

.........while vacationing on this......

Thanks again to Layla for giving me the idea...I swear that I hadn't seen HER summer mantel until after mine was completed :) And hope everyone follows the Party:

I would love for more inspirational ideas for next year and can't wait to see what everyone else has done!

Come back again...I am going to be showing our other mantel's summer style next time.

~Kim