you can link to your photobucket album by copying the link into the space below your message where it says: optional URL link. in the second line space, just make up a name for it and type it there. something like Margaritalady's family room. Or you can click on the photos you want to post (one at a time) in the html box (it will say, "copied" and then paste them into the body of the message here. Make sure they are not too big. The html will post as text and you can only see if your pics are going to appear by using the preview message button. You should then see all your photos as they will appear. Let us know if this isn't clear.

This is lkplatow's sister. Thanks so much for your advice - I'm just horrible at picking interior finishes and this room has proven to be a challenge because of its location, shape and function (or lack thereof). Right now, it's used mostly for a den/playroom for our 4-year-old. Once we get the shelving figured out, we'll move a lot of the open toy storage into the base cabinets, and his books on to the lower shelves. Again, have to apologize for the clutter!! Here's a wider shot of the room, from the doorway to the kitchen which is opposite of the fireplace wall: There are some faux beams on the ceiling that have been painted the same color as the paneling which is on the walls. (We'd love to drywall the whole thing, but again, time being what it is, we really just need to get this room pulled together for the short term!) The next three pictures are starting on the left side of the shelves and looking along the adjacent wall with the sliding glass doors to the backyard, and then the small seating area with the leather club chairs, and a vintage advertising poster on the wall. Please ignore the lamp - I hate it but DH doesn't. We're working on that! :P (Oh yes, and the brass switch plates are also getting the axe ASAP.) Continuing to look at the opposite side of the room from the fireplace, you can see the doorway into the kitchen and then immediately adjacent on the other wall, the doorway into the center hall of the house. And then finally, coming back around, this is a shot of the wall to the right of the shelves/fireplace with the door to the hall in the back and the door into the living room in the front. We put in these white built-in's shortly after we moved in. That room was a desert rose color that was way dark, so we painted it a creamy yellow and all the trim white, along with building a wall of bookshelves with a fireplace mantle in the middle. I don't know that I'm crazy about the idea of going black on the shelves. I was originally thinking a shade or two darker than the wall color, so this is a lot of good feedback! Keep it coming!!!!

Couple of things with these barrister bookcases: if you (like me) have large books (textbooks, art books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.), you will need to make sure that the barrister bookcases are deep enough. I found that several were too narrow for my larger albums and collections. Glass doors are really elegant and keep the dust off the books (important for my allergic family), but they do tend to discourage casual browsing (also good to keep little sticky fingers off your nicer books, but a bummer for adult readers who become reluctant to pick something off the shelf). My guess is that anythign in a glass case becomes "collectible" instead of for everyday use and enjoyment in the eyes of those who are browsing. I prefer the Hampton Bay bookcase, but that's probably because it resembles my favorite furniture piece in my house. :) Make sure you check on ebay in the antique and used furniture section. Last time i looked, I saw many wonderful pieces that would work great as bookcases -- particularly some old curio and china cabinets. You might find something really spectacular there and get a great price. After I had already purchased my bed and the barrister bookcase from EA, I won on ebay a 1940s demi-lune Drexel dresser (mint), an 1880s French marble top side table with drawer and door (near mint), a gentleman's armoire, and a small buffet for super cheap -- all gorgeous pieces and I didn't pay more than $250 for any of them. (English Gentleman's armoire, reproduction circa 1950) French marble top side table, circa 1880s and 1940s Drexel demi-lune dresser (used as bedside tables -- ignore the lamps; they're in a "transition" stage) (small buffet)

Words fail me @Little Bird ! All that talent in those young little hands and minds. You can see by my Houzz icon that I have a weakness for ”fluffy animals”. I live with that one - a Papillon. She’d be an excellent subject for your daughter! My sister has an Amazon parrot that your other daughter would love! Her fish is simply amazing! Is their art done with chalk pastels or colored pencils? I have these prints in my laundry room that make me smile while fussing with laundry - found them in a cute store while on a road trip - sort of whimsical I thought. The already framed fox caught my attention so I had to get more prints to make an arrangement! They seem your one daughter’s style.