Well, Thisbe’s not for sale, but she did serve as a lovely model for my latest project – a windowseat for the living room!

When we bought the Ikea shelf to house the records and record player (down there at the end), we thought it would also be a great way of bringing in a little more seating. Maybe not for four people at once, but in a pinch, someone a little heavier than Thisbe will have somewhere to sit besides the floor.

Using four-inch upholstery foam (you can see a hunk of leftover in the right side of the pic), I covered it with a cheapo fabric from Joann’s that I got originally for pillows for the sofa. Since the background color (the brown) matches the sofa EXACTLY, the pattern looked like it was floating on the couch. Weird effect. Luckily we had this spot waiting for some fabric.

I cut the foam to shape (wishing I’d had the ladies at Joann’s do this, as it would have been a cleaner cut) and wrapped the fabric around it like a present, using fabric glue to secure it. Do I wish I had the skills to sew a box-structured cover with piping and a zipper to remove it when someone spills? Yes. Am I going to Scotchguard the hell out of it because I didn’t take the time to learn to do that? Yes.

Luckily Thisbe seems to like her new sunny morning spot to perch. What do you think?

This was actually sold as a coffee table at Target a few years ago when I bought it, but all the reviews said they used it as a tv stand. It was great for me when I had a tv and a dvd player. But boys come with toys, so we’re now storing a stereo, blu-ray player, xbox, apple tv…. etc. So it’s a little crowded and isn’t a “forever” piece. But it is a “right now” piece and I’m working with what we got. By the way, it’s photographing as much more “cherry” than it is in person. The wood is warm, but definitely a dark espresso stain, not cherry.

So I picked up two brass ring pulls from Lee Valley (pulls were cheap, shipping was a little high for only two items, but it was still under $15). They took me about 4 minutes to install last night while Ryan cooked dinner.

I LOVE them! The piece looks like it cost $100 more than it did. And what is inside? Man toys, of course!

Oh yes, I managed to fit all but three of the video games in there (and one controller lives with the remotes on the coffee table because I do like to stream Netflix on the xbox).

What else is going on in our living room?

Our new pillows have fluffy inserts! $10 for an 18×18 down pillow form at Crate and Barrel.

There’s the fourth. It will soon be sitting on a cushion that will be our new “window seat”. For now Thisbe has been sleeping on that fuzzy throw blanket. Speaking of which…

Thisbe says hello!

Dear [home store that shall remain nameless],

The wrapping job on my friend’s wedding gift was lovely (I especially love your logo all over it – nice touch!). Unfortunately, our kitty cat Thisbe thought that this was a gift for HER. Next to a bin and cardboard box, I can see her confusion in thinking we bought her a special kitty jungle gym. And it seems that your wrapping is not kitty proof, so I will be rewrapping.

Oh well, at least I can pick something pretty. This time.

xo Maggie

Why is that these giant stores at which SO many people (at least my age) register for their weddings cannot come up with a tasteful wrapping paper? Kind of glad Thisbe crushed everything because I was feeling bad about having to waste all that paper. So, like responsible cat parents, we took pictures instead of reprimanding her. And we let her keep the cardboard box from our Costco trip. She loves it.

I wanted to introduce a recent addition to our household, our new kitty Thisbe, the new Maggie Rose mascot!

We got her a week ago and she has already settled into life with us and has taken over the house (as cats are known to do)! This photo is of her hanging out on her new favorite perch–my desk! She loves to sit behind my computer and watch for birds outside the window. She had a vet appointment last week and they said she is a healthy two year old.

If you’re thinking of getting a pet, I would encourage you to consider adopting a shelter animal. We felt good about adopting a slightly older animal instead of a kitten because they are less likely to be adopted. We also got to skip the whole litterbox training thing (whew!). We got her from the King County Animal Shelter over in Bellevue. This winter they have waived the basic adoption fee. It still cost us to get her microchipped and to get a pet license for the City of Seattle. But we even got a voucher for a free vet exam if we took her in the first week.

Both Ryan and I are really enjoying having a cat in the house. Adopting Thisbe was our Christmas gift to each other, and we’re very excited to share our home with her. Please give her a warm welcome!