project accomplished!

this is what my tv area looked like last spring, shortly after moving into the house. notice the wood scallops and green frills on the window valance.

and that cute red puppy!!

this is what the tv space looks like as of this morning. i wish i'd had better photo conditions, like the late afternoon sunshine in the photo above, but you can get the idea. i get up too early. look how pitch-black it was in the photo.

the scallops are gone!

my weekend project was tearing down that valance, patching the holes in the walls, making the new roman shades and mounting the shelves and putting new my library book sale books on them.

scott's wildlife statues were supposed to go on them, but alas, they're too tall and won't even fit up there. but, i kind of like the books up there. i will have to find another idea for the statues.

this is what it looked like still mid-project, before the shelves were mounted. this is where i will probably leave the shades in the daytime, to let in daylight but block the view of the neighboring house. it's a big improvement from the white plastic mini blinds that will go out with the garbage this week.

link felt like i needed his expertise when i was sewing the rings to the back of the shade, through which the cords run for lifting the shades up and down.

in this photo you can see the real pattern of the fabric. it's a very autumn-y color combination, and it does make the room dark. for winter, that's cozy, but i'm thinking maybe for the summer i'll make another set lighter in color and weight. they really weren't hard to make, once i figured out the measurements.

here's another 'before' photo, just because. now we have a different tv, and my photo collage has taken shape on that blank wall across from the couch. it's starting to feel more and more like home!

today is rainy and dark. and scott took the day off and he gets to sit at home and be lazy! it's not fair, but his mother is coming up and we're going to lunch this afternoon, so that will be nice.

at least we don't have the wood stove operational yet, otherwise i might not have been able to leave the house for all the coziness and warmth.