Hidden Storage

Do you have the same issues as I do with storage? There never seems to be enough! We have downsized dramatically since our last move and still I have trouble finding somewhere to keep it all. One of our biggest challenges is with blankets. We are a blanket family. We like to tuck them around our feet, cuddle under them when it is chilly, snooze under them when the drowzies hit, you get the idea. We lack storage in our living room for all of the blankets. So, I have been keeping them in this since we moved in at Christmas:

Lovely, isn't it? NOT!!! I keep thinking that we will get a new piece of furniture to use for storage but, so far, we haven't had the money to spend on something that really isn't a necessity. Well, the other day, I just got sick and tired of looking at this awful rubbermaid tub  (that I had thrown a pillow on to use as a pseudo ottoman while I sit in the chair near it) and decided to give it a very quick facelift. Now it looks like this:

So much better, don't you think? This is an old quilt made by my great grandmama. It was passed down to me a few years ago when my grandmama died - mostly because no one else wanted it! It was already well passed its prime as quilts go when it came to me. Too far gone to really salvage and use properly but I still loved it. A true patchwork made from bits and bobs and a few rice and flour sacks thrown into it as well.

Lately, I have had it thrown over a chair in the livingroom and it was literally going to pieces. I cut it to fit by eyeballing it against the rubbermaid tub and then went to work on the sewing machine. I am very happy with how it turned out. You can not tell by looking that there is a rubbermaid tub under there and it is easy to access the blankets when we need them. It has that shabby chic look that I like and blends well with the other furnishings. Plus, I think of my father's family and the South every time I put my feet up on it. Quite simply, it makes me happy! I am still undecided about the rug you see it on but as it was another freebie (scored by my crow while out walking the dog!) I am going to learn to live with it (at least for the time being.)

What small changes have you made around the house lately that bring a smile to your heart? Making our house into a home is one of the most rewarding jobs I have taken on. Each little step I take makes me even more glad to open my door and call out "I'm home!" at the end of a long day.