the zen of puttering

There's just something about puttering around the house that's both relaxing

 and rejuvenating all at the same time. I find myself losing track of time, rearranging

 things and creating new displays and vignettes. I move from one project and room 

to another, like a moving meditation. Maybe this is why I was never really good at 

crafts. It's very hard for me to sit still and concentrate on one thing. 

So here's a few things I did today. I saw this easy, clever idea on Pinterest.

Take a metal baking rack and hang it behind the stove or on the backsplash,

add some small s-hooks, and use to hang cooking utensils.

There were just a few summer clearance items (75 - 80% off!) left at Michaels.

I found this polka dot planter that ended up costing $1.50. I love how it looks

in the kitchen with the succulents in it.

 

Remember the watercolor of the Golden Gate Bridge that I found at Secret

Treasures last week? I was saving it for when we re-do Tim's room after he

moves out, but I love it so much that I wanted to use it now. I played around

with staging it in different places, and finally settled on the ladder bookcase in

the living room. The vivid blue in the painting goes perfectly with all the other

pops of blue in this room. The glass and silver bowl in front of the painting is

filled with rocks, shells, and little pieces of wood that we found on the beaches

when we took our trip to San Francisco and the surrounding area back in 2009.

I found this old wax sealer last month when thrifting at Goodwill. It's obviously

painted over, but I did like the red. I love how it goes with the red wall at the

end of the hallway. PS - see the top book, The Riley Reader? Found this at

an antique shop years ago and couldn't resist since our last name is Riley.

Since then, I've found Riley Farm Rhymes and Riley Love Lyrics, both beneath

The Riley Reader.

Moving on to the main bath, I changed out the bottom shelf with a framed print

that used to be in the living room (where the Golden Gate Bridge painting now is),

a pink hydrangea, and stacked green and pink candles.

On to "my" room/office/quiet space/TV room - we still call it "Phil's room" - 

I made a new vignette on top of the dresser. I used an old letter sorter that belongs

to my hubby...he had it on his desk as a kid. I filled it with some note cards, an old

children's Bible (Brian's), some little dishes...and a Goebel bird sits on top with 

Brian's childhood rosary hanging from it. Stacked some books, a plant from the living

 room, a couple of small, colorful picture frames - and voila.

I'm still working on a couple of vignettes in the living room...the top of the buffet and

the top of the console table when you walk in the door. For some reason, these two

spots are a challenge for me. They either look too sparse or too cluttered. Oh well,

that means I get to keep on puttering ~ which is good for the soul!