Readers, I need your help! I am almost ready to pull the trigger on fabric for curtains for our dining area, but wanted to ask your opinion first. Just to refresh your memory, here’s my inspiration for our living room/dining room, which is really just one large, open room:

{Click to enlarge!}

And here’s the fabric I’m considering:

Here it is in the iPhone pic I took at the store:

It’s Khandar Indigo by Robert Allen. The usual price is $34.99 per yard, but it’s 50% off until Saturday, which puts it under my self-imposed limit of $20 per yard. BUT since the sale is only until Saturday, I must make a decision soon! So tell me: should I go for it?

(Click to enlarge!)

You’ve all seen the many (many, many, many) different directions I’ve decided to go in with my humble home’s decor, but I think this might be the winner. Blue shades from royal to navy plus lots of texture? I think I can handle that. I particularly like that it’s a little bit beachy without being over the top, and that it’s adaptable to all seasons.

Some more inspiration:

Southern Living

via Simply Seleta

Domino

Jack and Lulu’s house via Design*Sponge

via Simply Seleta

House Beautiful

via The Inspired Room

from Cannelle et Vanille

from Canelle et Vanille

I have recently become transfixed by tree trunk side tables. Modern but still rustic, warm but clean. Love them.

via Simply Seleta

West Elm

Real Simple

They’re certainly expensive enough online, though: the best I’ve seen is $169.

West Elm Natural Tree-Stump Side Table ($199, 19″ tall)

VivaTerra teak trunks ($169 (18″ tall) or $189 (22″ tall))

However, I’ve got an ace in my pocket, and her name is Emily! My best friend is a senior furniture maker at RISD and thinks she can make me one of these. Yesssss. Christmas present? Yes, please!

P.S. Anyone seen any other lovely examples of rooms featuring tree trunk side tables? I want to add a few more to my happy collection.

For no apparent reason, I woke up on Saturday morning with an intense urge to clean out our linen closet. Well actually, here’s the “before” — you decide if I had no reason, apparent or otherwise, to have an urge to clean:

Yeah. It was bad. And pretty uncharacteristic for me, but it was definitely one of those spots I just kept shoving things, you know? But on Saturday morning, I had had enough. I started by pulling everything out and piling it on the bathroom floor. This was about the time that J woke up — poor timing on his part, as I think he thought I had turned cuckoo overnight. No matter — I forged ahead.

It’s really a decent-sized closet with nice built-in shelving, so all I had to do was find a spot for everything. I’m proud to say I didn’t buy anything new for this project — it was simply a matter of organizing, sorting, and repurposing supplies from other parts of the apartment.

Want to see what I came up with? Okay! Ta-da!

Muuuuuch better, wouldn’t you say? Let’s go shelf by shelf.

Before on the top, we had a nasty snarl of ribbons, jumbled extra boxes, wads of tissue paper, and random do-dads I was saving to decorate a someday present.

Now? A nice, neat bin o’ ribbon, and neatly stacked boxes (the smaller ones are inside the larger ones).

Before one step down we had some more boxes, a few beach towels, and a tangle of sheets.

And after, neatly folded beach towels and pillowcases!

Before, towels, placemats, and napkins, oh my!

And after, neatly folded sheets on the left and table accessories on the right.

Next we had a mess of toiletries.

And after, neatly folded towels and toiletries in cute berry baskets.

On the second to last (seriously underutilized) shelf, we had a few random cleaning supplies.

In the after, the toiletries, now neatly organized, took their place.

And finally, on the floor, we had bulk storage.

And now? Well, it looks pretty much the same. :)

Did you tackle any projects this weekend?