A Little Better

I was kind of bugged by an area in our house. Actually, it had gotten to the point where I had become complacent about it, so the day that I had some inspiration to fix up the space was kind of a miracle - especially with my some-would-say lack of motivation/energy lately. Hey, pregnancy can do that to a person. :-P

Anyhoo, this spot happens to be what I'd refer to as a "landing" - is that what YOU call that spot that adjoins two staircases? I had added a cat-friendly bench that I painted and reupholstered and threw up (ew, throw up) a hand-me-down window treatment, and called it a day. While the kitty boys enjoy the spot (especially since it gives them an awesome side view of...well, a very-close neighbor house, but a bird's-eye view of the backyards), something wasn't working for me.

The very dark "before" shot.

So, it occurred to me to hang the $4 bamboo blinds we recently purchased from Christmas Tree Shop (I LOVE THAT PLACE!! Hello?! $4?!) and some not-being-used sheers to add some...eh...pizzazz? Peacefulness? Suntin-suntin? And, while I was at it, the boys' toy basket found its way under the bench.

Helping...by sitting on a very uncomfortable bamboo shade?

 
Flowy!


A nighttime view. And, yes, I'm owning the "those sheers are a tad too long" look, for now. ;-)

The boys noticed immediately and were a tad disdainful for the basket change (especially since I took away an awesomesauce hiding spot - sorry, boys, you'll get over it), we otherwise love the change. I'd like to keep an eye out for a better curtain rod, but in the meantime, I'm a happy camper. Can we say $5 fix-up?

On a side note, while I'm on the complainy train, I HATE the carpet in our house. While I'd adore being able to tear it ALL up and get all the floors refinished, I'm not sure that it will ever happen. New baby + hardwood floor dust + THE COST = craziness. *Sigh* And it saddens me, it does. BUT, since Mr. Jasper came into our lives, the carpet has gone through some very rough times - especially on the stairs. SO, I'd like to at least rip up the carpet from the bottom of the stairs upward. It'd be nice to clean them up a tad and possibly paint the front of the risers. Sound like a safety hazard? (Less friction while carrying a newborn?) Any ideas/opinions?