Friday, February 21, 2014

my happy place

 I love this room. It's my quiet, happy place. This is where I blog,
read and write email, work on scrapbooking or card making,
read, or sometimes watch a little TV in the evening.


I was never a fan of yellow until we had the room painted this color.
With two windows, this room gets a lot of natural light and is so cheery.
Depending on the time of day and how sunny (or cloudy) it is, the wall
color looks different...from soft yellow to a brighter hue.
I know I need curtains - and I do have a couple of pairs from IKEA sitting
in the closet - but I'm not sure if they're the right ones for this room.
 

I am surrounded by things that make me smile - our family portrait on canvas,
 books, my cat figurine collection, a pretty quilt, and plants.
 

 It sounds wonderful to have a room of my own, but how this  room came to be
 mine isn't a pretty story. This used to be Phil's bedroom. If he were still alive, would 
he still be living here? Who knows. He'd be 25-1/2 years old now. All that's left of him 
in this room is his memory shelf. Even though I say this is "my" room, we still
call it Phil's room.


Phil obviously left his quiet, gentle, sweet spirit in this room.
Zippo seems to agree.


Do you have a room of your own? Or even just a quiet little niche that
is all yours?
 

37 comments:

  1. Melanie,
    I like yellow a lot! In our previous home we took different shades of yellow through several rooms and it was just as you describe, cheery and warm-chased away Winter blues for me. I have a room upstairs which I enjoy, it is blue and it is where I keep my sewing machine and crafty goods. It is also used as an extra bedroom. It will be going away in a few months though as one of our daughters and 2 year old grandson will be coming to live with us for 6 months while her husband transitions into the FBI.
    So, I will craft in the kitchen!
    Have a lovely weekend,
    Jemma

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    1. I agree that a warm yellow room is especially nice in the winter. I think that's awesome that your daughter and grandson are coming to live with you for awhile. :-)

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  2. I am glad you have a sweet spot to relax and Phil is there with you in spirit.

    My happy spots are working in my new creative space or sitting on the window seat in the dining room.

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    1. I love your new creative space. Much better than the garage, isn't it?

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  3. Hi Melanie;
    What a beautiful room! I have always had a yellow kitchen and it brightens the spirit! I would enjoy visiting you and sitting in yours and Phil's room. I firmly believe ones spirit lingers in the spaces where he was so dearly loved. Have a great week end. Love and Hugs, Nana

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    1. You can come and visit with me anytime, Nana!

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  4. I love your quiet, restful room. Yellow is one of my favorite colours and I have used it in our main bedroom. I find it so calming and comforting. Isn't it wonderful to have a room to call your own and filled with all the things you love. It only makes sense that you feel close to your son here and of course that makes you very happy, I'm sure. Deb

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    1. I don't really find yellow calming like I do with blue and green, but I do find yellow cheerful and happy. Hope you had a great weekend, Deb.

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  5. I think that with all of the light coming in you are wise to have foregone the curtains thus far ...and because it was and is your son's room as well..if you enjoy it the way it is don't tamper too too much with what works. It looks warm and cozy and wonderful to me..full of new beginnings but infused with the past and much love and memories

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    1. The curtains are a sheer white with a subtle pattern, so nothing that would detract from the warmth of the room. I was also going to just use one panel per window and pull that panel to the side.

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  6. I'm glad you are finding calmness and peace in Phil's room. I think he would have liked that. And I love what you have done!! I like the yellow, you know I have that in my family room and yes, it does change quite a bit throughout the day with all the windows in there. What sort of curtains do you have? If you are not concerned with privacy, I have several panels of lace curtains that I used to have in my living room. That would give you a more breezy look if you like that. Let me know.

    Hope you have a great weekend! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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    1. Not concerned with privacy at all with this room - except at night, which is why I have blinds! You are so sweet to offer your lace panels. I will let you know...I am going to try hanging the IKEA panels this week and see how they look.

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  7. I love your sunny yellow room. I think of the room as both your rooms, the room where you and Phil's come together. I feel that way about a room I am working on now. It was a craft room upstairs, and my Mom lived with me for 5 years before she left this earth. We would sew, craft and talk girl talk. Now I am turning this room in to my dressing room. It's 9 x9 and I do my yoga here, listen to music, read book. But whenever i am in there I always think of happy thoughts. Hopefully you do too. I like Blondie's idea of the curtains for a breezy look, just seem like it fits.

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    1. I love that you have a little room of your own too, Cathy. Oh yes, I sometimes do yoga in this room as well.

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  8. Our hall bath is yellow, it came that way when we bought this house. It is a cheerful sunny roomy and new guests always comment that like it.
    I like your room so much! I like all your wood stained furniture too, it just looks warm and timeless.

    I think about Phil often, especially with the news stories. God bless Phil, and you because I can only imagine how much you miss him.

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    1. That beautiful wood dresser in the corner was Phil's, too. It's an antique and was refinished by a family friend who gave it to us as a gift when Phil was born. Funny you should say you think about Phil when you hear all the news stories - there are so many of them lately. I just had another friend mention the same thing to me. She said her town in VA is filled with stories lately of young people dying from heroin OD's. It truly is an epidemic now in the US.

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  9. It is lovely that you have a room of your own to use as you wish and to do in as you wish, and it is a good use of Phil's room too and I am sure that he would agree. xx

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  10. Melanie, I love this room, for its bright and cheery colours, its practicality and its history. The red armchair, lined with the quilt and the sunlight softly settling on it, gives the sense of peace and clarity. It seems like a quiet spot, open both to creativity and relaxation. Thanks for sharing.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Poppy

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    1. You have such a lovely way with words, Poppy. Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts with me.

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  11. It looks so cozy, which you know is my highest form of flattery! Love the quilt on the chair. I've always loved yellow rooms. So cheerful. Yes, it is sad how it came to be your room. But I think you must feel like you're close to him there. One gentle soul to another...
    Brenda

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    1. The quilt belonged to an elderly family friend. He used to sleep under it at his aunt's house as a little boy. I do feel close to Phil in this room sometimes and wonder what he'd think of his room now...it's so different!

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  12. This room reflects you so well - warm and comforting!

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  13. I do have a room of my own it was our Fireman's before he moved out. It must have been so difficult for you to use the room for anything else at first, but i'm sure it makes your heart feel closer to him there. The shelf must bring wonderful memories of your baby.

    xo
    Leann

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  14. It's such a lovely room, Melanie. I really like the colors. I'm glad you have such a peaceful place for yourself, and that you can feel Phil's spirit when you're in it. I do not have my own room. Someday, when my kids are older, I hope to take one of their bedrooms as my own space. I do have a desk, and one corner of my husband's home office all to myself, which is nice. I'm always working on ways to personalize my little corner. It's a very girly little space in a very nerdy-man room. :)

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    1. I remember seeing photos of your little space on your blog. Hey, whatever it takes! When my kids were little, I had a desk down in the basement that I used as my space.

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  15. I love your room...so bright and inviting. A place for all your things.
    balisha

    new blog address.....http://simplybalisha.blogspot.com/

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  16. Melanie, I love your room. It is so bright and cozy. I have made a room for myself in a small bedroom we have. I need to cozy it up a bit more. Your pictures have inspired me to do just that. I love Phil's memory shelf.

    Debbi

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    1. I hope you can work on cozying up your room...usually things like favorite blankets or quilts, decorative pillows, books, plants, pretty curtains, photos of loved ones, and pretty tchotchkes will cozy up a room.

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  17. I can see why this is your happy place! Creative juices must flow and deep relaxation found in your lovely space!

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  18. Why yes, I do have a room of my own! Mine is aqua blue, but it's a work in progress. It's cheerful and colorful, but it's just not quite right yet. Mostly I need to get rid of the old tube style television, and then I'd have the room to "finish" it. Another thing is that I have Kristen's day bed in there, and it takes up a lot of space. But I need it for guests, so it stays. I'll figure it all out soon!

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    1. Ooh, aqua blue - one of my favorite colors! You can donate the old TV to Goodwill - they're about the only place that will take them anymore.

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  19. What a sweet room. Our library/music room is my special place. I should do a blog post about it one of these days.

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