It’s a new year and time for a few new projects around the house. After being partied, fooded (I know that is not a word but it fits how we felt), and full of wine for the season my hubby and I decided we would just stay in for New Year’s Eve. I was feeling a bit under the weather anyway after the party the night before (stomach bug or something) and wasn’t sure how I would make it through another party without getting someone else sick. Given that we were at home for the night what better time than to add a little something to the family room in the basement?

This past fall on an excursion to Rocky Mountain National Park to photograph the elk we wandered through a number of shops in nearby Estes Park. My husband saw a rack of coat hooks made of old railroad nails for a low-low price of $85. Are you kidding me? Well that sparked an idea that we thought we could do for less. We needed a place for blankets in the family room and what better way than to hang them on cool rustic hooks within reach of the sofa? … Yes, this was my husband’s idea and I just executed it. 

Materials used:

• Scrap rough-sawn pine from the location where our log cabin is in the process of being built (more posts on that in the future)
• Iron coat hooks acquired for half-price from a local craft store
• A few screws
• Total cost… about $12 (not including the blankets)

Once in place we hung the blankets and I added my cowboy hat for a little something extra.

On a recent excursion to an antique mall I picked up a cowboy bench. It’s a funny little piece that was an impulse buy for $20. When I brought it home I wasn’t sure what on earth I was going to do with it. Now it has a perfect home… a “not-so-vintage” 1970s inexpensive piece that looks just right next to the blanket rack.

I have to say I am happy with the New Year’s Eve project. So simple yet so satisfying… and just the touch of coziness our family room needed.