Over-Propped with Pillows

The next time you look at a pretty picture showing a sofa (or bench or loveseat or chair) with a lovely grouping of pillows, ask yourself, "Where would you sit?"   What I am finding is that most of these sofas have so many pillows on them that the message seems to be don't sit here at all.

It looks pretty in the photo.  But it's not real life.  The only reason I can think of to put that many pillows on a sofa is if you truly didn't want anyone to sit on it.  Maybe to try to keep the kids or dogs off...  That wouldn't work at my house.  The dogs know how to push the pillows off.

The funny thing is, many of these pretty photos are not from magazines.  They are from the homes of bloggers.  We all seem to be showing off our homes.  Don't get me wrong, I love reading blogs.  I spend way too much time looking at home photos on Pinterest.  But lately, I've been taking a closer look at these beautiful spaces and NOT liking what they say about us.

We are OVER-PROPPING our homes.  That's my new favorite term.  I came across it here in a New York Times article.  Another great term they use in this article was design porn.  I've heard that one before, but had forgotten it.    Mr. Andersen likened the flood of online design porn to that of actual porn in its potential to influence behavior: “People see pictures of stylishness and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to try that.’ ”

Back to pillows.  Pillows are just one way many of us are over-propping.   I am just as guilty as the next person.  I can give many examples of over-propping right in my own home.  I can even point to examples using pillows.  I plan to start taking a look at that.  Starting with pillows.   

Think about over-propping as you look at these photos.  And, for the record, I LOVE these photos.  They are beautiful.  They are saved on my Pinterest page.  But, when I think about actually being in these rooms, I know the pillows would end up on the floor.

This room wouldn't be nearly as pretty and colorful without those pillows, but really... Where would you sit?  I couldn't get comfortable without major pillow re-arranging.  

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Perhaps this one is a display in a shop selling pillows?

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Are you kidding me?  Those two front pillows might as well have an embroidered sign saying, "Don't Sit Here!"

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This one breaks my heart, because I really LOVE it.  But truly, only a cat could get comfortable with all those pillows.

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Here's another room I love.  And if you took away the pillows, the room wouldn't look nearly as pretty.  Can't we figure out a better way to get color in the room without all those pillows?

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I'm thinking for most sofas, two pillows is all that's needed.

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And if you think you need more color, add a throw...

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- or a quilt.

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Dear Car-makers

Dear Car Truck-makers, I would like a truck something like this, in a nice girly, not-too-crazy turquoise, with up-to-date safety features.

Don't carmakers realize that lots of women have things to haul - furniture, plants, garden supplies, large vintage treasures... - and we need trucks!?!?!

We don't want one of those big honkin' high-testosterone pick-ups.  We want a picturesque vintage look to go with our vintage style.

If you do this and make a fortune, I think it would only be fair to give me one. Like I said, turquoise, please. And I would like those wood rails, too, if it's not too much trouble.

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My Grandmother's Side Table Gets a Re-Do

I adored my grandmother.  We were really close.  She's gone now, but to tell the truth, it feels like shes still with me.  I generally know what she'd say about things, but I have no idea what she'd say about seeing her side table painted.  She took a paintbrush to many of her things over the years, so hopefully she'd like it.

The table was one that she had in her den as long as I can remember.  I used to love to dust at her house and this table was a fun spot for that.  Thinking back, I don't actually remember anything being dusty.  I just loved moved her treasures around and hearing her talk about them.  Unfortunately, that love of dusting didn't last into my adult years.

Anyway, back to the table.  It had seen better days.  I am in a phase where I'm looking at everything I own and thinking, "Use it or lose it".  This table was not being used.  I was NOT letting it go.  In order to keep it, I needed to make it pretty and put it in a spot where it would make sense.  I'm proud to say, I did just that.

I love color and thought about all sorts of colors I could use.  In the end, I went with white.  It just seemed right for this table.  When my grandmother had this table, the bottom shelves were always filled with books and magazines.  At our house, they are holding the sofa pillows.  Hubby always tosses them off to give our dogs more room on the couch.  That's the sad situation at our house.  Dogs trump wife.  I put the pillows back on.  Now, they are stored on this table and I can access them when I want.

I put a piece of glass on top of the table.  This was a piece that I had in the attic.  It almost fit.  Hubby got a new piece for me that fits perfectly.  I don't have a photo of that and I'm just too lazy to take another.

This project was completed a couple of months ago.  I have been really bad about posting lately.  I'm playing catchup.  Looking at this photo reminds me of things that have changed and are changing.  My current project is making a slipcover for the loveseat.  The worst of that is finished.  I just need to finish the cushion covers.  I need a day where energy and motivation combine.  :-D

Organized Paint Hoarder

I organized my paint by color the other day and realized, I am a paint hoarder.  I obviously have a problem.  I've been painting lots of signs over the last year or so and there's always another color I need.  My first thought was to ban myself from buying any paint for at least 6 months.  I panicked just thinking about it.  What if I ran out of my favorite blue?  So now, I'm making deals with myself.  I can restock tired and true colors, but seriously, I need to use what I have.  A whole wall of paints???  It's ridiculous!  Sigh.  Maybe organizing is the first step to getting a handle on my addiction.

This paint wall is in my attic storage room.  I have attic access right off of my loft craft room, so this is very convenient.