A Little Bit of Grey, a Little Bit of Color, and a Little Bit of DIY

It's raining again today. It's been raining pretty much the whole week and then some. I don't mind rainy days all that much. Living your entire life on the West Coast of Canada, you get used to these things. Besides, our spring, summer and fall completely make up for the lack of color and abundance of 'damp' that graces us each winter. Plus, rainy days are usually an excuse for cups of tea, comfy chairs, blankets, books, fireplaces, warm socks, and every other cozy thing that I swoon over. Speaking of which, a picture to share:

This is my new favorite spot in my house. Rewind a few days, and this corner was virtually empty. The only thing I had here was my guitar on its stand. Before that, the Christmas tree. Before that, my tv on its stand. After Christmas I decided to leave the corner open in the hopes that I would find a chair to put here. For some time I've really wanted a cozy chair in this corner so I could sit with a good book and a blanket, or just to have the opportunity to curl up and gaze outside on a day just like today. After a spontaneous trip to my local thrift store on Thursday evening, I spotted something floral and pretty in the furniture section. Like a moth to a flame I glided toward the soft burst of color that my eyes have been craving for weeks, and there it was. My chair. I say that because the second I saw it I knew it was mine. It looked brand new, no signs of wear whatsoever. I gave it a thorough exam, unzipping the cushion covers checking for marks of any kind that told me of the chairs previous love, I scoured it for the smallest tear that would, to some, justify its finding a temporary home in a thrift store......nothing. It was mint. Then, I looked at the price tag. $39.99. I was elated. I quickly found a store clerk and had them slap a SOLD sticker on her, and she was mine. I very carefully loaded my new-to-me chair into the back of my minivan, the kids squeeling with delight as I did (I swear, they are truly mini versions of me), and home we went. As soon as I got it through my front door I knew this was meant to be. The colors on the chair went so nicely with the color of my walls, and when I placed it into the corner by the fireplace and the window, my living room felt complete. Not only was this chair a great deal, but it is the most comfortable chair ever and all 3 of us can even fit into it. I finally have my cozy-curl-up chair. I'm super happy. I had been comtemplating for awhile about buying the Ektorp chair from Ikea which starts at $250.00 CAD, but frugal me wasn't thrilled to pay that much, and I knew if I held out long enough I would find the perfect-for-me chair at the perfect-for-me price. The step stool/side table in the picture is from Ikea ($14.99 CAD) and with a little DIY it goes very nicely with the rest of my decor. I purchased two of them, sanded them a bit, and stained them with a dark brown stain and now they serve multiple uses in our home. We use them to reach things on the tops of our bookshelves, the kids use one each when we are in the kitchen baking, they make for great side tables as you can see, and we also use them around our kitchen table as extra seating and for seating for our daycare kids as the stools are slightly higher than our kitchen chairs, which makes them the perfect height for younger ones to sit and eat comfortably. I also use them when I'm on my laptop in the living room. Great little stools they are.

Well I'm off to finish my tea and to watch raindrops fall outside my window from my new favorite spot. I definitely think a fire in the fireplace is in order this evening. Have a cozy night! ♥