Linen Closet turned Cozy Reading Nook

This used to be my linen closet. It is now my little reading nook. It isn't quite finished yet, there is a little more to do. 

I knew just what I wanted it to look like. I have a fetish about knocking holes in the walls, you know, things tucked away in little nooks and crannies. It brings me great satisfaction. Some adjustments still need to be made, like the light, it is way too stark and we have not yet added the stained glass window in the opening that we created through the wall that opens up onto the stair rail side. I also have some paint touch ups to do and the baskets will be different.

For the blue arched area I just took paper and traced around different sized plates and cut it out and traced it on the wall and then painted it (you can't see the ceiling but it is also painted blue). For the pillow I used 3 napkins from the second hand store. The one for the front of the pillow I traced on letters and then filled them in with embroidery stitches, ( the initials stand for Mr. Humpty Dumpty--because it's his picture on the wall). Then I cut two other napkins to make an overlap on the back and I turned under the cut sides and used fabric tape that's washable to connect it all together and then I put in a pillow form. This was the first pillow I have ever made, it was fun.

The hedgehog I bought a year or so ago in a kit at a yarn shop in Seattle, I attempted to knit it but wasn't very successful. So when I went up to my sisters in Washington she told me to bring it with me and she would knit it, and she did--isn't he the cutest thing? The cushion was made by a man who lives down the street from me.

My husband wired in the light, and he also built the bench to sit on. Another neighbor built the wall insert that will hold the stain glass window. The window will actually open all the way up and lay against the stair wall when fully opened. It will have a latch on the outside of the window so it can be locked and not opened by any "little people".

All in all I love it :) I especially like to light the candles on the other wall and sit quietly while  watching the flames flicker.