Summer Reading Anyone?

Wait, a blog posting about books and reading? I thought this was a decorating blog? Well, it is, but it's my blog, and I love to read and I want to share some amazing books that I have read recently in hopes that you, awesome and wonderful readers, will share what terrific books you've read recently with me!

First things first, I have to thank my parents for sharing their love of reading and books with me. It is definitely one of the best gifts they gave me. Their home is full of books, magazines, newspapers, and other reading material. I have found memories of going away on beach vacations and everyone in the family curled up either on the beach or the sofa reading!

I am hoping that I passing along this love of reading and books to my students and my children. For my own kids, we read at least twice daily: before 'quiet time' (it's nap time for our 3 year old and rest time for our 5 year) and at bedtime. I was wonderfully surprised the other day to wake up and hear our 3 year old outside our bedroom in the 'reading corner' looking through books 'reading' them. He stayed out there for at least 30 minutes, allowing me to go downstairs first and have two cups of coffee while watching the Today show. That never happens! What a gift! All in the name of books!

Our reading corner (a little space in the upstairs hallway that needed to be something):

Okay, back to summer reading. I actually love to read all the time but I do have more time this summer to read as I am hanging out with my kids most of the summer before their school year starts in August then this momma is back to work and my reading will have to wait until bedtime.

Here are some great books that I have read recently:

I just finished Ann Patchett's State of Wonder. It's my first Patchett book and I am now reading her bestseller Bel Canto. In State of Wonder, Ann Patchett writes a literary page turner about a research pharmacist who is sent to the South American jungle after her colleague dies. There are ethical dilemmas, cannibals and a main character with a past. I really enjoyed it!

I was interested in Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken because of the true story of survival, resilience, and redemption. The main character survived so much and is still alive today. Hillenbrand was able to interview him. It is hard to decide which aspect of "Unbroken" is more remarkable -- Louis Zamperini's life story or Laura Hillenbrand's telling of it. In fact, the two are inseparable.

From amazon.com: Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting--from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot.

From amazon.com: Cutting for Stone by  Abraham Verghese  This brilliant novel revolves around what is broken -- limbs, family ties, trust -- and the process of rebuilding them. It starts with the birth of twin boys to a nursing nun, Sister Mary Praise Joseph, in a small hospital on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; an event which no one had expected: "The everyday miracle of conception had taken place in the one place it should not have: in Sister Mary Praise Joseph's womb." The delivery rapidly becomes a debacle when it's clear that Mary Praise Joseph can't deliver her baby normally; the last minute arrival home at "Missing" (the Mission Hospital) by Indian obstetrician Hema saves the children, but their mother dies and their presumed father father, surgeon Thomas Stone, disappears into the night.

Okay, let's see how I throw some decorating into this blog about reading.....here's my attempt....

Everyone has to have a place to read, right? Where do you most often find yourself reading? Do you have a favorite spot?

Here's my favorite spot to read in my bedroom (remember this room is currently receiving a "room make-over" so it will look quite different very soon):

Millie the cat is waiting for me to come back and read:
(You can't really tell in this photo all of her missing fur on her back- this move from Virginia to North Carolina has totally stressed her out, poor kitty!)

I also like to read here on the sofa with the blue blanket that is on the back over me but mostly end up falling asleep:

My philosophy is that everyone needs a special comfy place to read. Here's our 3 year old Brayden's spot to read stories with us and his book shelf:

Here is my husband Steve's reading corner:

Here is another of my favorite spots to read, outside on the screened-in porch with a cool glass of lemonade:

Here's our 5 year old daughter Bryce's favorite spot to read and she has a closet with shelves for books:

Here are some more shots of our book corner:



Dear friends, I would LOVE to hear from you on what some of your favorite books are. I am always looking for my next great book! Please share with me!

Happy reading, decorating, & living-

Megan

Megan's Old Favorites: #1 Slipcovers

Good morning friends,
Yesterday I shared about some new things that I am currently digging (trays, graphic panel curtains, and glass jars). As I was researching/thinking about what things I was liking I looked around my house and in my Idea Book and realized that there are many things in decorating that I have loved for many, many years. I'll call them my 'old favorites'.

Idea Book:

Megan's Old Favorites: #1 Slipcovers

-Slipcovered furniture: It makes so much sense to me! We wash our clothes. We wash our bodies. We wash our sheets and towels. Why wouldn't we want to wash our furniture? It makes sense when you think about how often we sit/lay on our furniture and how long we keep our furniture. With slipcovered furniture you can wash it so easily! You simply pull it off and either get it dry cleaned (if it's a linen material) or pop it into your washing machine. Another benefit of slipcovered furniture, if you get tired of a slipcover or after years and years of use when you're tired of it, get a new slipcover and voila, new furniture for a fraction of the cost of a new piece of furniture. Have I sold you yet on the pros of slipcovered furniture? I think the biggest selling point for me is how much I like to look of slipcovered furniture: crisp cotton, soft, warm, pretty, with clean lines. Here are some of the many slipcovered pieces I've collected for the years:

This sweet little chair I picked up in Frederick, Maryland for $35 and has an orange fabric underneath. I took this white cotton fabric to my favorite upholstery place and had this slipcover professionally made with zippers for easy removal. I've already washed it probably 5 times or more.  I made the ottoman slipcover last week:

Crate and Barrell Slipcovered Chair and a Half

(I took advantage of their slipcovered furniture sale last March):

An old brown nubby ottoman from Steve's bachelor days that I made a  new white slipcover for:

Pottery Barn sofa purchased many years ago. The originial linen slipcover never really got cleaned even when I had it dry cleaned several times. That convinced me to go with  cotton slipcovers in the future. I had an upholestory business make a custom cotton white slipcover with zippers for it to give it a new life. (photo from our old Virginia house)

New Crate and Barrell  sofa that compliments that chair and a half:

That old Pottery Barn sofa now in our Raleigh house:

Slipcovered furniture I like that I found online:

From the original slipcover queen of decorating, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic line:

Classic white slipcovered sofa:

Garden inspired slipcovered room:

Slipcovered sofa with this year's 'it' color, orange:

Slipcovered sofa with a lot of white and great light:

Slipcovered white furniture with pops of yellow and gold, a more formal look:

Slipcovered furniture with pops of red and pink, a traditional room:

Slipcovered white furniture with calming blues:



Slipcovered furniture with warm wood tones and neutrals:

A more rustic, modern approach to slipcovers with pops of red:

A traditional approach to slipcovers with warm tones:

An elegant mostly white approach to slipcovers:

Something I just tried for myself, the slipcovered headboard:

Here's my new slipcovered headboard (this room is currently getting a make-over):

Another new idea for me that I am currently trying out, slipcovered chairs:

More slipcovered chairs:

Which slipcover styles did you like best?

Slipcovered Furniture Tips:

1. Prevent Shrinkage: Here's tip about preventing shrinkage on cotton slipcovers: take your slipcovers out of the dryer when they're a little damp which will allow you to stretch them back onto your furniture easily and prevent shrinkage.

2. It's Worth the Splurge: Splurge and buy pieces that come with custom made slipcovers or pay a trusted upholstery business to make you a custom made slipcover for your favorite furniture. I have tried to save money and buy the cheap slipcovers that are made to fit any sofa and I am never happy with the fit. They look good when you tuck them into place on your sofa but as soon as anyone sits on the sofa, they get loose and look sloppy.

3. Go neutral! My personal philosophy is to purchase neutral slipcovers (in white, off-white, cream, or tan) and add the color to your room with paint on the walls or pops of color with interesting pillows or artwork. Your slipcovered pieces of furniture will have a much longer life if you buy them in neutral colors that you will keep for years. When you get tired of the look of your room, simply buy some new pillows or accessories in a new interesting color or repaint your room. This is a much cheaper and more practical option than buying new furniture. Also, if you buy white slipcovers you can add a touch of bleach to the wash periodically to freshen them up. However, don't add too much bleach, I made that mistake while trying to bleach my old Pottery Barn linen tan slipcover white- it literally fell apart in my hands!

As you look in your Idea Book and through your home, what are some things that you have loved for ages?

I'll post some more of my old favorites this week. I'd love to hear from you on what some of your favorites in decorating are.

Happy decorating and living-

Megan