living room recalibration

i like my spaces to reflect comfort and what i see as beauty.  we spend a lot of time in our living room.  we like to read, listen to music, peruse the internet, watch gilmore girls (we've just started to watch the whole series for the second time), eat popcorn, and do crafting here.  it has built-in bookshelves and is a north facing space.  my main wish would be for this space to get more light, but white walls and a vaulted ceiling make it airy.

this is my list of "necessities and things that bring joy" for our living room:
**my tribe :)
couch + blanket
2 chairs + blankets
stool
rug
3 lamps
candle
some books + sketchbook
computers
curtains
ceiling fan

i have a basket that holds my handmade projects and one that holds current books, planner, and sketchbooks.  i like to keep these very edited, because they can create stress if i feel like i have too much to work on.  i think it's nice for the girls to have a basket also for their current book, project or sketchbook.  they don't always work like that, but i think it's a helpful idea for kids.  they can move the basket between spaces easily and keep their things neat and together.  ;)

my books get frequent culling.  i went through them again and was able to sell a few on amazon quickly.  i only list ones that will sell for more than somewhere around $8... less and it's not worth it.  i just bite the bullet and list them for less than any price listed.  these books leaving my house and finding a new one where they will be appreciated are the highest priorities.  i want them to be appreciated, so i like selling on amazon (someone is looking for that particular book and wants it).  if they are not going to sell for more than $8, i donate them to the library.  they have a book sale in which they sell books to make money for the library.  i love our library system and use it tons, so i'm happy to help.  :)

one of our chairs is a leather chair we found on craigslist 4 years ago, and it is really showing wear.  it is also a darker leather than i ever really loved.  we've put it off for a while, but now we are looking to re-home it.  i've listed it on craigslist again.  while we won't get near as much as we bought it for, we have gotten a lot of use out of it in four years.  it was a good purchase and hopefully it will serve someone else's purposes for years to come.

i have been looking for a craigslist replacement chair for the leather one for a year.  i don't feel particularly great about it (because i would have really liked to find a used one), but we bought an ikea poang chair.   it is comfy, low profile and light in color.  i also bought a new cream cover for my vintage butterfly chair (the one it came with a year ago was cute, but sat too low and made the frame cut into your legs.  a guest couldn't sit in it and know they could get out again).  :)  everything was cleaned, a grapefruit candle was lit, and good vibes are flowing through this space.  :)  my tribe + some gilmore girls + popcorn = joy.  the stuff is just extra.

love, 
jane