My not so fancy corner office

I must have some kind of gypsy blood. Or ants-in-my-pantsitis. Because I am constantly moving stuff around. I had taken over the dining room as my office which at first was great because I could spread out but that ended up not working because that is also the puppy prison. And the dog really did eat my homework. And my office chair. And my credit card. And my curtains. And my...well you get it.

I tried working upstairs in the spare bedroom but I am not gonna lie, it was far too comfy. The smushy bed and all those pillows--um yeah I usually fell asleep, which is great for bedtime not so much for project crunch time. I mean seriously, could you stay awake in this room and study?



So then I thought instead of using the little folding TV tray table why not move my Grandma's desk into the  living  room. But that meant something had to go. I sacrificed the big comfy recliner. It was old, the foot mechanism was sticking,  it wasn't so comfy anymore and quite frankly was just plain big. Grandma's desk has made the rounds between various family members and is a little worse for wear. Someday I will refinish it or something. I just haven't got there yet.

I stacked a child size bookcase I purchased at a thrift store to give it a hutch look. I like that it is off center so I can tuck in a basket of pens (possibly some candy canes--don't judge) and my phone in the little nook.

The chair I am using as an office chair is an old wooden folding chair and is NOT comfortable at all. A quick fix involved 2 old throw pillows and apple green standard sized pillowcases to use as "slipcovers". I wouldn't fall asleep in this chair but at least my butt is no longer doing so. And I don't  have to get up hunched over like a turtle because my back hurts from sitting on slab of wood.

I had to spend FOUR hours cleaning, organizing and decrapifying my living room to make room for everything but I probably needed to that anyways.  The room feels much more open. Overall I think it looks nice tucked in the corner and fill what would otherwise be an awkward space.

Tovah approves this blog post, haha

So much for a bargain

Last weekend I found an AWESOME chair on clearance at the grocery store. Yes the grocery store. It is Kroger Marketplace. You can buy everything you need for your house, well from furniture to groceries. It is a tad  modern for me and my house but I liked the neutral color (browns) to match my brown couch. The design isn't too foo-foo which is funny because I love girly florals. Anyhoo I purchased the chair for 70% off for  a reasonable $75.00. The chair is the perfect scale in my miniscule living room.

But then I realized the pattern on the new chair didn't work with the quilt I usually have tossed on the couch. Ok no problem, I will just take the quilt off. HA! Big problem. I have 2 dogs and 1 cat. And they kept getting fur and stuff all over the suede of the couch. I was stressing and of course they were acting like I was beating them or something when I told them to GET OFF THE COUCH!

Obviously we know who rules my house. My animals... because I gave up trying to keep them off the furniture. I was tired of vacuuming it 5 times a day. I do have several slip covers but they don't match the chair. I priced compatible slipcovers and even some plain coverlets--Um NO! I can't afford that! I finally settled on a king sized fitted chocolate brown sheet for $11.00. ...Ahh much better!

It isn't pefect by any means but it is protecting my couch and saving my sanity. And stopping my dogs from acting like they're abused....sheesh.  I can take it off when company comes over (which is usually never), and it is definitely way easier to clean than the suede. Seriously what was I thinking when I got this couch? I was thinking it was cheap!

And because the room has lots of brown in it I felt like it needed a little something to break up the chocolate fest going on...mmmm chocolate, so I added some new pillows from Garden Ridge ($9.99 each). They added the much needed pop of color and even pull corresponding shades from the chair.

Except now I am thinking I may need to update the curtains. And the lamps.  And you know I need to paint or stain the chest I am using for a coffee table. So much for a bargain right?

What's behind door #1

A NEW CAR!  Sorry I just had a momentary lapse and daydreamed I was on The Price is Right. Man I loved that show.  Although can you imagine being the person who loses the awesome prize because you were off by a $1. That would suck. Anyhoo, what IS behind door # 1?

I had blogged about my living room  back in November. I have done a few subtle tweaks.

Goodwill trunk for my coffee table

Here I am using an old army trunk and a vintage wine crate flipped upside down as my side table. (Ignore the wireless router)

I added my gossip bench as temporary extra seating. And the table arm is great to set your drink down.

More books  and room for a basket

I tucked a vintage child sized bookcase (only 9 inches depth)  along with a industrial metal magazine holder behind the door. I can stash my books and magazines for easy access without cluttering up the room.

Still need to paint the bookcase

And look at these nubby cable knit sweater pillows. I bought these at Meijers on clearance for $6 each!

The covers are removable to I can just add new covers to use the pillows year round

That's it for now. I love that I have been able to give the room some personality by using some of my frugal finds. I realize it isn't everyone's design. It isn't matchy-matcy. It isn't high end (or middle end for that matter). What it is--collected and cozy. Just the way we like it!

 I need to find a permanent home for the gossip bench. As much as I LOVE my big comfy recliner I think it may be time to retire it (sniffle, sniffle) and bring in more appropriate seating. I have a chair and ottoman in the spare bedroom that would better fit the space and all I need to do is slipcover it. I still need some decor or art behind the sofa. A little DIY will be in order as I  patch in the baseboards and paint them. Paint the bookcase. Paint the door and door molding.

And if you are wondering WHY I have a door on my living room it began several years ago when I had abdominal surgery. I was unable to climb the stairs so I slept in the big comfy recliner and my hubbs installed the door to keep the dogs from jumping on me. I decided I really liked being able to close the door and limit access to this room.  Besides this is the room where my guinea pigs now live!

Pansy (left) and Petunia (right) waiting in their holding pen while I clean their cages and after their baths.

At one point I considered naming my blog Crooked Critter Shack instead of My Cozy Little Farmhouse. I decided that was just depressing and kinda creepy. So me and all of critters thank you for stopping by. Kinda reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies closing scene.

Y'all come back, now hear!

Any updates you want to share?

Frugalistic with a muffled thud....

I haven't posted much lately between the demands of my job and ongoing house remodel.  After 11 looooonnng years we have finally reached the point where we could begin the house remodel.  We began by doing some insulation work and installing carpet in the living room and both bedrooms.  I can't begin to tell you nice it is to have this carpet in a drafty old house...in the winter.

The house isn't being remodeled in the manner I had first envisioned.  Due to unforseen circumstances (impending job loss and re-evaluating our finances) the projects have been scaled back to frugalistic (frugal+realistic).    Cue the "wah-wah-wah" sound here.  Nothing like have your dreams hitting the ground with a muffled thud.

After feeling sorry for myself (and drowning my sorrow in booze food),  I decided everything will be ok. Instead of running to a big box store everytime I need something for a project , I am going to put on my creative thinking cap and find a less pricey alternative.  Anytime you can re-use, reduce, recycle, and repurpose is a good day for your pocketbook and mother earth. This is also an opportunity to see exactly how creative I can be. (No pressure!)

Drawing inspiration for the color pallette from my favorite piece of art and focal point of the living room.



I had hoped to gut the room to the studs but reality reared it's ugly head.  So we worked with what we have. Painting the panelling a creamy, dreamy pale yellow (like cool glass of buttermilk, mmm) and added crisp white crown molding has done wonders to amp up the the charm factor.  Splashes of color in the pillows, artwork and the quilts covering the couch keep the room from feeling bland.  Bamboo shades bring texture and much needed privacy.  The living room is approximately 90% complete.  I still need to install the new chunky 4 inch cottage style baseboards also painted a crisp white to match the mouldings.



The "someday" dream would be coffered ceiling and non-panelled walls but for now I will enjoy the plushy carpet and seek cozy refuge from the chaos elsewhere in the house.  So come on in sit for a spell and let's get acquainted....