Field Notes, vol 19

Last month marked six months since my move, and I’ve added a bit of decorating to the apartment since my original post. I want to get back in the habit of posting today but am a bit too worn out for much typing, so I snapped some photos and will take you on a tour! I forgot to take any pictures of the bathroom and the closet is not in a state to be photographed, but I got a few in the kitchen this time. Half of it is sorted the way I’d like; the other half of the kitchen is still in progress though, so that part has to wait. ;) And there are plenty of photos of the main space, this time with a wider angle lens too! Now that I’m on Instagram a couple people have mentioned wanting to see more, so this should work for that as well. Clicking on the photos should enlarge them.

Come on inside! Once the door is closed, I can hang up your coat for you on one of the entryway hooks. My coat lives on one, and when I don’t have guests I keep Thistle’s leash on the other. I got that tote bag at the Strand bookstore on my recent trip, so I popped it up there to admire for a bit! The window in my door lets in the hallway light at night, so I had to cover it up. In an attempt to make it more decorative, I added a few postcard prints by Emily Winfield Martin. I didn’t manage to include my rug in the photo, but there’s a little rug to hold shoes under the hooks.

On the other side of the door sits my bookcase, six feet by six feet square and with shelves deep enough to hold books on both sides! It divides up the big main room of my living space, making a little hallway, in addition to holding all of the bits and bobs I’ve gathered over the years. And keeping my books easily accessible of course! ;) The vintage quilt now lives there too; since I brought Moth in, I decided the hand stitching would be safer on the shelf than used as a slip cover over a chair. I still pull it out as a throw though, as I’m a big believer in using objects, even pretty ones. Anyway, you’ll also notice the bottom square is empty too; Moth really enjoys the little tunnel it provides her, so I’ll just have to limit my library books in future! Surely I can manage that without too much difficulty. ;) I’ve got space for at least thirty without touching that square, probably more. There’s also a scratching post at the end of the bookcase now, yet another cat modification!

To the right of the entryway is the kitchen. As I mentioned, it’s a work in progress, but here are a few photos. I have two little ‘still lifes’ set up on the counter, my aprons hanging for easy accessibility (I’m far too sloppy of a cook and dish washer to not have aprons in my life), and a fridge that’s slowly getting more decorated; when people send me cards, I pop them up there. I have a few birthday ones to add actually! I use the book print up top to try to disguise the ugly box the sewing machine lives in. ;) As you can see, I have an abundance of cupboards and addiction to the little removable hooks! The white container with a sprout on top is a compost bin my sister got me for Christmas. I wish I’d taken a better photo of the soap dispenser; it’s a handmade piece of pottery in beautiful teals and browns that my mom got me for Christmas from Etsy. Next time!

I showed you the main space in the first tour, but a few things have changed since then. Mainly, I got some decorations up on the walls! My ceilings are quite tall, so it took me awhile to decide what to do with them. Above my computer is a wreath made out of fiber, to reflect my knitting and spinning hobbies (isn’t it in beautiful colours? it’s from this store in case you’re interested & the seller does custom orders), and then photos of friends and family attached to a yarn braid with tiny clothespins. There’s also the giant cat tree in the corner; it looks particularly dramatic from this angle, but from where I usually sit it blends into the walls better!

Then I turned the wall above the couch into a ‘gallery wall’ style display, with some more Emily Winfield Martin prints, some photographs I’ve taken over the years, and a couple pieces of art I’ve picked up in my travels. The unicorn print and a couple of postcards are the newest additions; I got them at museums in D.C. and New York City. And my leaf print mirror, which I’ve had since high school! Above the top of the little cabinet, which I use as a ‘landing strip‘ I’ve added a couple more postcards and another little ‘still life’ arrangement. The jar contains currency from all over the world, brought back by my dad from his work trips and then from me on my adventures. The beautiful embroidered bird resting against the doors is new; I just received it on Friday and I haven’t decided where it will live yet. So it’s staying there while I think it over! And note Moth, enjoying the blanket. ;)

Just so Thistle isn’t left out, here she is enjoying her own blanket on my big reading chair. Usually I would’ve tucked the footstool in for photos, but I wasn’t going to disturb her nap! The suitcase is just wide enough for a couple of books, a pot of tea, and a snack, so it works as an end table in a tight space. And I included view from my chair, except the window scene is blown out because the camera can’t see both the room and brighter outdoors at the same time! Since I took the quilt off the little armchair, I got another cream blanket to work as a slip cover, and a little quilted blanket to go on top for Moth, since I guessed it would be a good window viewing spot for her. They’re both machine washable, so very pet friendly!

The opposite wall has my bed, with the old, inaccurate world map on it (it uses a projection that makes the northern hemisphere look far bigger in comparison to the southern than it is). I received an accurate National Geographic one for Christmas, that you saw in a kitchen shot, but the muddiness of the colours and smallness of the actual map made it impossible to see any countries, so I’m sticking with the old one for now. On top of the Korean jewelry box, a hand-me-down from my mom, I’m keeping some poetry books so that I can read a poem before I go to sleep each night. Most of that pile was bought at a bookstore in New York City that Clare showed me. :)

Well, my dinner is ready, so I should probably go. But I hope you enjoyed this new little peek into my space! Almost everything I own has a story to tell, but this post would be far too long if I mentioned them all. I love living in a sort of scrapbook space though. Even if it occasionally requires some extra dusting. ;) And just because I can, here’s a sleeping kitty face to finish things off!