I feel a bit sheepish making such a silly comparison to a wonderful thing like foster-parenting, but… Well, I might as well have it out. I’m foster-parenting a sofa in need. What? Who could give up such a lovely sofa, you say? Well, a girl who has three fabulous (thrifted!) sofas and has just moved into a teeny tiny dorm, that’s who! Oddly enough, while discussing our proposed wills of estate over drinks one night, my friend Catherine promised me her sofas should anything happen to her. Thankfully, Catherine is fine, just living in smaller accomodations for a couple of years. So, in came her pretty kidney-shaped sofa, and out went my uncomfortable old couch. Hooray!

Now yes, I am aware that someday Catherine will ask for her sofa to be returned to her. And on that day, I plan on confessing that I have absolutely no idea what happened to it. And that she can never come over to my house ever again. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll through hundred dollars bills in her face to help her forget. Or, I’ll just return the sofa and find another cheapo clunker from Craigslist. Awfully cavelier of me, eh? Well, when I spend about as much money on a new sofa as an alcoholic might spend on drinks in one week, I figure it’s a-okay.

As usually happens when I bring something new into my home, a bit of rearranging has transpired. My ice cream poster has moved to another corner. In fact, all of my wall art has been rearranged. You’re probably wondering how I keep my walls from becoming pitted with holes. Well, the truth is, I don’t. Ha! Another cavalier attitude, eh? Ah well. That’s just how I roll.

I’m finally getting around to photographing our entire home for a little tour at another blog, but in the meantime, I’ll tell you a bit about this corner of my living room. The sofa sits out from the wall about four feet, and behind it is a path for traffic on a striped kilim rug and also a rustic bench, which stores blankets and hatboxes for unsightly items. The coffee table was made by me and my father using reclaimed barn siding and vintage hairpin legs purchased on eBay. In case you were curious, I actually have a coffee table book that has a picture of my coffee table sitting on my coffee table. I’ll give you a minute to sort out that sentence. Fun, huh? The doily on the table was crocheted by my Great Grandma Caron (a lovely French lady), whose daughter (my Grandma!) is pictured on the wall behind the sofa.

Whew! I think that about covers all of the important details. But if you have any other questions, please ask them and I will answer in the comments section below. (P.S. Did you recognize my most recent DIY sitting on the sofa?)

“I think it’s time we get iPhones this month,” Phil said, surely expecting me to jump up and down with excitement that this long awaited moment had arrived. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders.

“I’d rather have a puppy.”

“Really? You’d rather have a dog than an iPhone?” Phil’s surprise turned to incredulity.

“Uh, yeah! Are you seriously surprised by this? Puppies are all I’ve talked about since we had to give up Archie last year! Can technology give me wet kisses when I’m lonely, force me to exercise, entertain me with ridiculous shenanigans, cuddle during long work hours at home, and tilt its head to the side when I talk to it, never daring to retort?”

I don’t think so. Puppies beat technology- hands down! But while we’re on the hunt for the perfect little doggie to rescue and love, I found this little ceramic guy at the Antique Mall and had to bring him home to keep my old Domino Magazines company while I spend my downtime browsing Petfinder.com.

There’s something about the impending arrival of Fall that makes me feel a bit more productive- especially domestically. I’m not sure whether it’s the love for all things warm, fuzzy, and holiday related, but in the Fall, I want my home to look the best it can. Even enough to clean up my office space! Our apartment has a very open floorplan, so when my office is cluttered, it makes the rest of the home feel a bit dumpy. Thankfully, I’ve been able to organize things to keep it tidy for the most part. I’ve come a long way since sharing an office space with my brother. Here’s how I keep things organized these days:

• Utilizing a pegboard wall for shelves, baskets, and hooks for my most used items.
• Keeping pretty milkglass bowls on the desktop for corralling buttons, tags, and scrap ribbons. I even have a little dome to keep the dust out of my little scraps.
• Never buy a desk without shelves. I learned that the hard way!
• Covering an ugly black shelf to hide away the not-so-pretty things I need nearby. (See how I did it at this post on Apartment Therapy.)
• Hat boxes are pretty storage solutions for larger items.

Struggling with ideas for your office or craft space? I’ve rounded up a few posts I wrote at Apartment Theraps that may help! Check them out below:

Creative Home Offices
Getting Organized: Tackling the Craft Space
Real Life at Home: Matt’s Converted Garage Design Studio
Workspaces: The Minimalist Designer vs. The Cosy Crafter