As I said in a once upon a time post, I think of beanbag chairs as being the purview of toddlers and teens. That said, I understand that there are some contemporaries of mine who’d like nothing more than to sink into the engulfing embrace of a beanbag chair at the end of a long, stressful day. But please, if you’re going to do it, at least do it right. Insofar as I can dig on a beanbag chair, I’m digging on the beanbag chairs sewn by a certain Lil Chrissy.

She uses vintage fabric from the 1970s to craft her creations – unless, that is you’d prefer that she sew you up a beanbag chair (or floor cushion or wind break) using fabric that you already have in your possession. As she puts it, perhaps you have the fabric, but not the skills to use it.

Actually I sort of like the second example, possibly because it seems structured? Like it could hold its own against other pieces of furniture around my house. More like a beanbag ottman than a beanbag chair. Less lumpy and frumpy, and not at all as squishy, surely, but certainly more stylish.

I remember when we were shopping for a houses, our delightful Realtor was always saying things like “You can’t just see what’s here now, you have to see the potential!” And he was absolutely correct – so correct, in fact, that we probably could have had a nicer or bigger or just more valuable home 20 years down the road if we’d listened to him. Alas, I opted for the devil I knew over the devil I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong – I love my little Cape, but that doesn’t mean I can’t pine for what never was!

*Ahem*…anyway. The same premise holds true for furniture if you’ve a knack for refinishing things or just want to get into the habit of refinishing things. That’s the whole point of refinishing furniture, is it now? If that old desk, side table, or bureau already looked just like you want it to, you could just buy it (or trash pick it) and install it in your home. To get the most out of refinishing furniture, you have to look at the bones, like Miss Mustard Seed of Mustard Seed Creations did with this yard sale dresser.

Missing, chipping, and bubbled veneer went bye-bye, hidden forevermore under paint and… sheet music! The end result maximizes the dresser’s pretty shape while masking the flaws like chips and bubbles. It’s win-win, and fairly simple to do, too.

Lovely, no? The whole sheet music thing might not be to your tastes, but one could use any sort of paper in place of it (a nice toile, perhaps, or scrapbooking paper you print yourself). A little sanding, a little Mod Podge, some new drawer pulls, and there you have it!

You know it’s spring round here when the forsythia buds start busting out all over. I’m sad to say that The Beard and I still do not have a single forsythia bush in our yard, but our neighborhood more than makes up for it. The blooms are a cheery yellow that never fails to make me smile, but they’re also impressive above and beyond their mood-improving qualities in that they both produce lactose and can predict the coming of snow! We’ve not achieved true spring weather just yet, if the forsythia bushes are any indication, but lucky for me there are plenty of forsythia-inspired prints, tablescapes, paper goods, and artworks that can stand in for the real thing until things warm up!

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I don’t know about you, but I am *this* close to running out for a forsythia cutting for my yard.

Don’t you just hate it when a shop puts together a room a that make you want to sell your husband* and then has links to all the stuff you’d need to buy to make your room look just. like. that? I felt that feeling today when browsing at Wake Up Frankie – a store I really ought to stay away from, since their tagline is ‘Fashion for your room” as if that’s the only space you have and they’re featured in such fine publications as Cosmo Girl and American Cheerleader. Yeesh.

But still, I’m loving this black, white, and yellow bedroom, even though I’m a super mature grown-up lady and definitely not a teenage girl (not even just in my mind even a little bit, cross my heart).

All that’s missing is this uber sweet Marilyn Monroe chair:

*But that’s only because the *me* who’d really want the above bedroom is the me of, oh, twelve years ago, and back then I didn’t even have a husband, so there. It’s really only the chair I want, anyway, and with the economy, surely no one is buying husbands?

I’m still on a color kick – since I need to do something about my way-too-neutral living room – so here’s some whole house inspiration from Molly Luetkemeyer of M. Design Interiors. There are plenty more sweet pics under the cut!

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When I looked for a plant for my garden that would be as awesome as it would be hard to kill, I settled on lavender. With a rich history – it was used by the Egyptians in mummification, by the Romans in cooking and bathing, and medicinally during the Renaissance and thereafter – lavender is surprisingly easy to care for as it, as the post’s title suggestions, thrives on neglect. Lavender is a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial that will grow in poor soils, and I should mention that the lavender you pluck from your garden will look and smell just like the lavender you can buy bundled or in sachets on farmers’ market days.

Seriously, when I carelessly mow over the lavender stalks that hang out onto the lawn, the scent is delicious! That heady, sweet, instantly-recognizable scent doesn’t just attract people, however. Lavender attracts bees, so you can’t go wrong planting one or two by your vegetable garden where they’ll ensure that plenty of pollinators stop and pick up a load before moving on. Don’t trust yourself to plant and grow it? I heartily recommend The Sawmill Ballroom Lavender Farm Guide to Growing Lavender.

What to do with it when it’s grown? You could hang it to dry, fill a few sachets, and try selling them to yuppies at the farmers’ market *grin* Or, depending on the sort of lavender you choose to grow, and there are many different kinds, you could cook with it (classic English lavender or Hidcote), make perfume with it (Provence or Grosso), make an eye pillow, use it to flavor sugar, or use it in your bath. Of course, if you’re a bit lazy like me, you might just leave it in your garden where it will emit its subtle perfume whenever kicked, mowed over, or chewed on by a cat.