New Living Room Chairs from Ikea!

So after considering practically everything I could think of in order to choose chairs for our living room we finally decided on the Ektorp chairs from Ikea! I had been looking at them for a couple of years now but since we already had the Ektorp sofa wasn't sure I wanted to have the matchy matchy look going on. However after listing the pros and cons they won out over the chairs from World Market I showed you on this post . Here they are in our living room with the Target pouf I also recently bought on a whim.

By the way here is my inspiration photo for my living room although since my style is a bit more shabby chic/cottage it won't be exactly the same

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

I think I'm going to use this fabric from Waverly called Chippendale Fretwork in Mist for curtains

Source: housefabric.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And I'm still on the hunt for a vintage french or queen anne style coffee table, can't wait to reveal the whole living room once everything is all pulled together!

A Visit to World Market and the hunt for a perfect chair

Sorry about the extremely long title but I just had so much to share in this post:) Over the holiday weekend my husband and I took a trip to World Market which is only about a half hour drive from our house but everyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a driver so if a store isn't 15 minutes or less from my house I just don't go that often! I'm always checking out the World Market website and had noticed that they had some new spring merchandise out that I so wanted to see in person. My experience with World Market has been pretty good but I have noticed that sometimes the photo's on their website tend to make the colors look richer and brighter than when you actually see the item in real life. We have lived in our house for 2 1/2 years now and I still have not found the perfect chairs for our living room:( Right now we have this chair that was purchased sort of on a whim from Ikea based mainly on the comfort factor and it being stain resistant!

You see I live in a house full of men, my husband and two nearly grown teenagers and one very cute little 4 year old (I'm partial:) so comfort for them is key and something durable and easy to clean for me is key! So again I purchased the chair on a whim at Ikea because it met both of those needs, it's super comfy and wipeable but not so pretty...I dream of two pretty wingback style chairs, something slightly french or victorian looking. So when I saw some of the new chairs on WorldMarket's website I knew I had to take a looks in person!

So these were my picks online before seeing the chairs in person and testing them all out.

The Peacock Quincy Chair

Source: worldmarket.com via Kelly on Pinterest

This is the Peacock Quincy Chair in person

My impression: first of all the lighting in the store is not so great so taking good pictures is kind of hard....but the color of the chair was gorgeous and I loved the velvet fabric! however it wasn't a comfy chair, more for looks than sitting in in my opnion, so definately not in the running for my house.

The Fern floral Print Erin Chair

Source: worldmarket.com via Kelly on Pinterest

The Fern Floral Erin Chair in person

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

My impression: I really like this chair, however the colors were not as vivid in person as they were online:( I really wanted the blue in the chair to be more of a true aqua blue but it wasn't although once I plopped an aqua pillow in the chair the colors seemed to pop more. It was also pretty comfy but I'm a bit afraid of it getting stained from being so light in color.

The Reading Chair

Source: worldmarket.com via Kelly on Pinterest

The Reading Chair in Person

My Impression: At first glance I liked it but didn't love it, however my husband really loved it, especially the comfort level. It was a bit more comfy than the Erin Chair but the background color bothered me a bit, it's sort of a cross between gray, beige and olive green..and yes I know I'm very picky:) This one will definately hold up better on dirty hands and sticky fingers though:)

So the contenders are the Fern floral print Erin Chair and the Reading chair. We are planning to make the purchase before their furniture sale ends on February 3rd so we have to make up our minds pretty soon! While we were there I snapped a few pictures of some other pretty home decor items I loved, there was so much eye candy and if I had been by myself I would have probably stayed in there all day snapping pictures...

I loved these gorgeous green/blue glass candlesticks, I think I'll pick these up when we go back for the chairs!

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

Pretty postcard style throw pillow

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

This Peacock artwork was breathtaking! my husband and I both loved it but at $300 it's definately a splurge purchase...

Floral fabric covered boxes

Cool vintage inspired clocks, I want one for my mantel...

Love this for the kitchen

Vintage style photo frames

So what do you think? which chair would you pick?

Be Still My Heart!!!!

This is what I thought when I laid my eyes on this image today and I just had to share!

Ted Yarwood design for Canadian House & Home

After viewing my dining room photo over and over and then looking at my future plans for the room something just didn't feel/look right.  I just think that the chairs in there now are too square for the curvy lines of the table and china cabinet.   So using the photo above as my motivation I started to think about painting these chairs that I purchased back in November of last year a shade of turquoise or aqua blue

When I purchased the chairs above I really liked them even though I knew they would need a lot of work and I decided I just didn't want to put in the work and so they sat in my basement, and sat and sat... you get the picture

When I saw that amazing photo of the turquoise chairs against the green table I just fell in love!  I really love color but I also love the photo's of white spaces I see all over blogland...  In the end I think my love for color is going to end up winning because today on a whim I  started the process of painting all 4 chairs a bright turquoise!  I can't wait to share the final project with you next week!!!

Fresh Magnolia Leaf Wreath and a Revelation About Me

Last weekend my niece and I collected a few branches from my mother's massive magnolia tree, the one I actually climbed as a child:) My niece loves anything crafty and has been my helper and my only craft partner since the rest of my family and friends don't really like crafting like I do, she's wonderful! I had decided to make a simple magnolia wreath for my kitchen with the leaves and I actually collected so many that I called my mom today to ask if she wanted me to make her one as well, her response was "yes I'll take it!". It took me maybe two hours but that was with interruptions by my 2 year old so if I had been making it non-stop it probably would have taken only an hour. So here it is! I just love it:) This one is going to my mom's house today to hang on her front door, I'm curious to see how long it will stay green...

Okay and now for my revelation! This has been something that has taken me quite a while to figure out but today as I was assembling the wreath it just kind of came to me that it makes total sense... I love flowers and I love making floral arrangements and wreaths, in fact I used to have a wreath business but when my father passed away last year I sort of went into a depression and didn't have the motivation to make it grow. What I have discovered about myself lately is that I love design but I adore flowers and anything to do with them, I would do it for free, and gladly play with flowers all day as a career.. So I guess my next step is getting some formal training in the art of floral design. There are some local classes I can take but also some online classes that I've seen that I'm thinking of taking. Anyway I just wanted to share with you my revelation that sometimes it takes a while to come to the conclusion of what you really want to be when you grow up.. I mean I'm 35 people! I grew up knowing a lot about flowers because my mother is a big gardener but I didn't love flowers until I was much older. Anyway I just had to share and let you know that I may start another blog devoted entirely to floral arranging since this little blog is supposed to be about decor and I'm not sure if you guys really want to read about my little arrangements and wreaths but please let me know if that is of interest to you! As always thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment, I truly appreciate it.

New Ottoman & Butterfly Pillows

I recently came across the perfect ottoman for my living room while in Homegoods.  Of course I was shopping for something else like a broom or something not very expensive but I actually have been wanting an ottoman to use next to our sofa that had a cottage feel to it and when I saw it it was instant love!  It was a bit pricey for me since I'm a cheapoholic ($99) but I walked away from it because it wasn't really in my budget.  I went home a little sad and told my husband about it, he basically said get it but just tighten up the budget next month, woo hoo!!! I was thrilled and went back the next day with high hopes that it would be there.  It was not where I saw it the day before and my heart sunk.... I walked around the store in despair and feeling really sad that I hadn't trusted my instincts the day before.  Something told me to walk down a side aisle that I don't normally go down and there it was pushed off to the side:) I was super happy and anxiously put it in my cart and paid for it!  I really love that it looks like an old post card and I really love the curvy legs on it...ah I just love it, oh and did I mention it's super cushy and comfy too?  Here it is in my living room ,

please excuse my ugly shabby slipcover, I plan on making a new one this month using the Lazy Girls's Guide to Slipcovers which I just purchased here  http://www.pinkandpolkadot.net/2010/04/lazy-girls-guide-to-custom-slipcovers.html and make a new fabulous one all by myself! (wish me luck).

I also wanted to share with you my new pillows, aren't they adorable?!!! I saw these on a recent Pier 1 advertisement that came in the mail and fell in love so when I was in the store a few weeks ago shopping for my giveaway I caved in and purchased them...

Stay tuned this week for a new wreath and some wall hangings I'm making using coasters!

So Excited and I Can't Hide It!!!

Yep I'm quoting lyrics from the pointer sisters cuz I'm a big dork! but seriously I am... Today I found these chairs on Craigslist and I'm super excited to say the least

I have been casually looking for some french inspired dining chairs for a while now, not really seriously looking since I do have dining chairs but I don't love them you know, but these I love! I love the price even better, they are $100 for the set of 4 and since they look to be in great shape I can't wait to see them tomorrow.  The only thing I'd have to spend a bit extra doing is painting them If I decide to do that and switching out the fabric on the seats... I'll post again once I pick them up, wish me luck they are everything I hope they are:)  Have a great night, I know I'll be dreaming of chairs tonight....

Goodwill Goodies and a Distressed Table!

I just have to tell you that I'm super excited because I just finished my first try at distressing furniture and I think I did pretty well for a first-timer, Woo Hoo!!!  The other day when I was visiting my Momma I stopped at the Goodwill near her house and found this great french chair!!!!!


Have I told yall how much I love anything french inspired?... Well I am obsessed, but in a good way:)

Look at the detail!

It was $5!!!!! it is missing a support bar from the base of the chair but I'm hoping either my husband Jerry can fix it or if he can't figure it out, I'm hoping a carpenter won't charge a huge amount to fix it... we'll see.  I actually love the color of the wood but I even thought of painting it an aqua or turquoise blue to go with a white desk for my living room that I've got my eye on from Craigslist.

The 2nd thing I purchased that was just calling my name since I've always wanted a little pedestal table in my living room, was this little thing that probably came from the 70's or 80's... It was $10 and I think worth it since it's very solid.

At first I wasn't sure what color I wanted it to be, and again I thought about painting it aqua but then again my walls are sort of aqua and some curtains I've been eyeing have aqua and turquoise in them and I didn't want it to be blue overkill!  I decided on a creamy white since I already have a white china cabinet and entry table and I really like how those pieces make the room brighter, plus I just love the shabby chic/cottage style... I really wanted to try distressing, I'd never tried it and I really just wanted a light distressed look and well enough babbling... I like how it turned out, but do you think I should distress it more?

Obviously Brendon likes it too:) as soon as I brought it up from the basement after the paint was dry he decided it would be great to climb on and watch tv.... 2 year olds!

Thanks for visiting!

Can You Love a Chair?...

Um, can you love a chair?  If that's possible, I think I'm in love.... After stalking the Josette chair at Pier 1 for about 4 months now I finally took the plunge and handed over my credit card.  At $199 a chair this was really steep for me.  Like a lot of SAHM bloggers I usually do a lot of our home shopping at the Goodwill, Target, Craigslist, etc.   but after searching for months for something similar on craigslist and in thriftstores I knew that I just needed to splurge on something.  An added bonus is that my husband Jerry really liked the floral print as well and that's saying a lot! Like most men he doesn't have too much of an opinion on home furnishings, I'm lucky if I get an "oh that's okay" cuz usually it's just a grunt!  Anyway let me stop gushing over this chair but seriously I am in love... The only con to the chair is that it's a bit short, I heard one shopper say it looks like a children's chair but they are wide and comfy and did I mention beautiful!  I think my little guy actually loves them too:)