I think one of the aspects of decorating that I get the most thrill from is finding new places for old things. Rethinking uses. Reworking the look of an item to make it work elsewhere. While this satisfies the cheapo in me for obvious reasons, it also appeals to my inner problem-solver (..say, Nancy Drew, whaaat?). 🙂

Ive mentioned several times that I like to Craigslist items (here and here, for example), but I think it’s also pertinent to discuss the process which leads to this decision. Items in this house are definitely not Craiglisted all willy-nilly. Typically, they’re cast off for an undetermined length of time to Decorating Purgatory (also known as No Mans Land. Also known as our spare bedroom.) while I continue to marinate over it. ….Think over relocation options. …Discover any possible way to utilize the item to avoid that ole’ “darn it, why did I get rid of that” regret. And you KNOW that my thrifty side cringes if I (gasp!) have to rebuy something because I’ve sold or donated the previous item prematurely. So, it’s a calculated decision. And you can imagine how happy it makes me to rescue an item from Purgatory to rejoin the land of the living if inspiration strikes. With that in mind, I’m happy to announce that two items found new homes within our four-walls. No Craigslisting today, my three readers!!!

So without further adieu… remember when this wall of Lucas’s room looked like this???

And then it looked like this…

Well in this process, the beanbag chair was displaced as I wanted to free up floor space for a future play-zone.   At first, I considered Craigslisting or donating it.  Then, I realized that I had the perfect place for it.  Our front room is coming along swimmingly.  Last we left off, it looked like this…

We’ve been loving it, but I kind of felt like there was a lot of “square” going on.  Lots of straight lines.  So, I thought the beanbag chair would be the perfect contrast.  It’s casual and fun to balance out the clean lines of the sofa and other furniture.  Plus, additional seating is always welcome. Especially since the front room has recently become Lucas’s favorite viewing arena for Baby Einstein (he’s still into it after all this time) and other such visual treats. The best part is that since The Great Swap, our little ‘ole beanbag chair is finally getting the lovin’ it deserves. Lucas snuggles up in it regularly now, where as it was often ignored when it resided in his bedroom.

Check it out….

I added a faux sheepskin which I found at Marshalls. for some added softness and texture…

I think it’s fun and quirky… not to mention comfy as all get out.   Great for movie watching.  I’d love to add some sort of casual, woven area rug to further tie the room together, but I figure when the time is right I’ll find it.

Another item that became displaced when we adopted Drex, was our large Ikea mirror.   I wanted to relocate it to the foyer to replace the sizably smaller mirror that hung before it…

Now that area looks like this…

For now, it’s leaning vertically on the wall, but I’m not completely sold on leaving it that way.   (And I chuckle because every time I hear the word “leaning” in my head, it sounds the way they say it in While You Were Sleeping when they describe a man’s stance while flirting.  The mirror’s “leaning” (insert leaning hand gesture).  Heehee!)   Anyways, I digress…. I’m still thinking the mirror needs to be hung horizontally both to fill the space and allow room for the guest drop-zone I’ve been wanting to create.   And I’m considering painting it a fun color as well.

So, those are two small but happy changes made from stuff we already had.  I love giving items new life.  Such fun.

Any swaperoos going on with y’all recently?