Bookcase

I've had quite a few questions about this little bookcase I've been using as my backdrop, so I thought I'd share more about it and it's contents with you. It's currently my one of my favourite spots in my home.

I live with my parents and siblings. We never use our living/dinning room except for on holidays. For as long as I can remember dinner was spent in the family room either watching something, talking, playing a game, or even occasionally reading. So while we do use the room, it is very rarely. Beyond that, our house is weird. It was built in the 80's and there is so much wasted space. The house we lived in before this one was built in either 1903 or 1910 (we found record for both so we we really weren't sure), had beautiful woodwork (that the previous occupants painted Swedish Blue (it was awful and I spent much of my childhood stripping that paint), wonderfully high ceilings, adequate closets, wooden floors, and not an inch of wasted space. However this house is nearly all useless, weird angles. I mean you've seen my room, there's all kinds of weird "architectural" slants that serve no purpose other than being a thorn in my backside. But until my parents can build their (okay my mom's) dream ranch/mansion/commune (y'know so all her children can live around her like a creepy cult...), this is what we've got. So we make it as charming as we can! This is a recent addition. My mom found the bee boxes online somewhere for super cheap. She has a rather obnoxious obsession with bees, which is cool and all, but I am absolutely terrified (and allergic, though very mildly) of them. However, these boxes not only look nice, but make the whole downstairs smell like honey, which is heavenly!  And this little area has become quite a peaceful place for me to go. The lighting is perfect, this is the coolest room in the house, and I quite like this minimal clutter of the book case. I also love that it features many of the heirlooms that fascinated me as a child. I hope you enjoy this little spot as much as I do!

A house full of redheads needs paintings of redheads. My mom found these at an antique store in Orange. Pretty much everyone else mocked them, then she saw them and insisted on buying them. At first they were creepy, but they've grown on me quite a bit now, and I really do love them. Though we all do still argue whether it's a boy and a girl or two girls. What do you think?

Some of the "bee" things my mom has collected. A vintage tin, a pretty pitcher, a beeswax candle from Chelsea, and some weird beeswax/herbal thing my mom made. It smells divine!

I've always love this box! It was made by my maternal great-great-great-grandfather (who I believe was a good for nothing). The handwriting is that of my great-great-grandmother who had a most fantastic name: Vinna Burns. And yet I got saddled with Ashley...

The coin collection had always been there, though I have no idea where it came from or who started it, but there are some neat coins in there.

This pen was my paternal great(-great?)-grandfather's. The "W" stands for Whicle which is the Norwegian side of my family.

And a button hook for my paternal great(-great?)-grandmother. I've always wanted a pair of shoes to use this for.

Something my mom picked up somewhere

And yes, this is why the room smells so nice.

One shelf is dedicated to some of my mother's nature books. All bought for various nature hikes we took while on vacations.

Books that needed a home (we have alot of those. Book hoarding is a family trait). These pigeons are another purchase of my mother's that most people mocked. They're just so weird. Which makes them perfect for my family.

The bottom shelves have alot of books that Gracie can get into.

I like pictures of books.

The bell also belonged to my paternal great(great-?)-grandfather. There's a funny story about him ringing it and driving people mad, but I've forgotten most of it. I'll have to ask my dad again.

These flower prints are vintage and a flea market find. They are absolutely beautiful! There's three so that my mom can periodically change them throughout the year. And the silly little pigeon. A pretty paper weight and some sort of pod that looks like a rose.

And that is the story of this little bookcase.