HAVE A SEAT

No really, just pick a seat.  

There are plenty to choose from. 

I mentioned in this post that I counted the chairs in our home and came up with 37.  

Now, just to clarify, that does included dining chairs and two child size chairs. 

Here is a look at the "chair situation" in our home. 

We have owned this chair for a long time. 

It was originally dark brown wicker and I painted it with BM Kingsport Gray.

I ordred these two swivel/gliders a couple of years ago. 

They are a bit hit with the kids, since they are similar to a merry-go-round.

Still loving these bentwoods that I recovered recently. 

Here is a shot which includes quite a few chairs. 

I picked up the two floral chairs at a consignment shop. 

They work perfectly in "The Nook".

I have four of these vintage school chairs sprinkled around the house. 

One now resides in the foyer. 

My ghost chair was a steal from Craigslist. 

There is a whole lot of chairs going on in here. 

We have the yard sale wingbacks I had reupholstered, 

the wicker and chrome chairs I found on Craiglist 

and the rattan and chrome chairs I got from an estate sale. 

Mixed together, they make one big happy chair family.

The black Eames chair I found at an outdoor antique show is still residing in the office.

These two beauties, which also came from an estate sale are currently living in the basement. 

I love these chairs, but I still don't have a place for them.  Might have to get rid of them soon.

Moving upstairs, the boys have two red tolix-like chairs in their room. 

They came from Kroger, of all places. 

Another vintage school chair fits right in at my daughter's desk.

This chair was another thrift store find that I painted and had reupholstered. 

Lastly, this thrift store find makeover in our master bedroom.

Full disclosure, there are a few more chairs living in chair/lamp purgatory the basement 

and four more on the third floor. 

I also have quite a few barstools, lamps, frames and art that I need to let go of. 

I'm thinking of having a tag sale soon. 

Not to be confused with a yard/garage sale.  

I've done that before and the last time, I vowed never to do it again. 

If you are local and would be interested in coming to the tag sale, send me an email here.

Date and time TBD. 

Thank you so much for being loyal readers and I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

For some reason, my husband has decided he really wants to take the kids to the circus this weekend. 

I volunteered to stay home and get our taxes together.  The lesser of two evils, in my opinion.

RECOVERED DINING ROOM CHAIRS - A SIMPLE DIY

Last week I dove right into reupholstering the seat cushions of my new (to me) chairs. 

I used some striped fabric I had on hand. 

It is the same fabric as the relaxed roman shade in our mudroom.

I am not good at DIY tutorials.  I jump right into a project.  

I ignore everything and everyone.  I make a giant mess and I always forget to grab the camera.

It's like any other project I take on.  

I strongly dislike the before and during process, but thoroughly enjoy the end result. 

My process was no where near perfect.  

I promise you do not want to see the bottom of these chair cushions 

(and the one million, crooked, half inserted staples).

But they sure look good from the top.

My stripes are probably a little off too, but oh well, for a $3 chair and free fabric, 

I am going to call this DIY a success!

We are looking forward to breaking these chairs in.

Just as soon as I attach the seat cushions to the bases.

One thing at a time.

Thank you for all of your kind comments on my dresser post yesterday. 

You guys sure made me feel like I made the right decision.

In case you are curious, the dresser was re-listed yesterday for $595.

Anyone interested?  

CHAIRS, CHAIRS AND MORE CHAIRS

I have lost count of what round of  musical chairs I am on now, 

but it seems I have a bit of a chair fetish.

I just recently bought these great Bentwood chairs and loved them at the dining room table. 

For about two months, that is.  

Then, I came across these vintage chrome and rattan chairs.

I bought them from an on-line estate sale.

I paid $12 total for the four chairs. 

They are similar to the chrome and wicker chairs I bought last year. 

Those are now residing in furniture purgatory (AKA, the basement).

I am in the process of recovering the seats with some fabric I had on hand. 

I have every intention of finishing up the project over the weekend.

Since the new chairs ended up in the dining room, 

I decided to move the Bentwood chairs to the family room.

Those seats will be recovered this weekend also. 

How about we take a little walk down memory lane to see just how indecisive I really am.

It does make me feel a little better knowing I didn't pay more than $10 a piece for all of these chairs 

(with the exception of the parsons chairs - still a great deal from the Pottery Barn Outlet).

Full disclosure here folks!

I think I need to start getting rid of some chairs (and tables & lamps).

Furniture purgatory is getting a little over crowded. 

MORE MUSICAL CHAIRS

I love playing musical chairs. 

Keeps things interesting around here. 

Remember I told you I scored four bentwood chairs (and a butcher block table).

I bought the chairs to use at our dining room table. 

I am still on the lookout for two more.

Let's just pretend you don't see my pathetic looking jade plant in the background.

The houseplant you can't kill - HA!  Apparently I can.

I like the dining room to feel very casual and welcoming.  

I don't want people to be afraid to come in, eat a meal and relax.  

Sometimes formal dining rooms can be intimidating and 

I certainly don't want any rooms in my home to give off that vibe. 

So come on over, pull up a bentwood chair and make yourself at home.

Curious where the chrome and wicker chairs went?

Stop by tomorrow for another game of musical chairs!

BENTWOOD BEAUTIES

Good thing I only spent $40 on the 4 dining room chairs I bought earlier this year.  

Little Williee did a number on the corner of one (or two) of them.

They still function fine, but I'm thinking of scattering them about the house 

and finding something new for the dining room table. 

I've got my heart set on the lovely Bentwood chairs. 

Ideally, I would have six of them.

I have always admired them, but these two images from the new Domino issue solidified my love. 

Images can be found here.

My friend, Cassie, just added some Bentwood chairs to her super cool dining room.

I started this post on Friday and as luck would have it, 

I scored four Bentwood chairs (and a round butcher block table) from an estate sale on Sunday. 

I'm on the lookout for two more. 

I do plan to recover the seats of these four.

I would love to replicate the look of these beauties currently for sale on Etsy. 

An old Persian rug was used for the seat upholstery. 

I also love how they wrapped the top half of the chair in twine.  

Seems like an easy DIY. 

If Williee knows what's good for him, he'll stay clear of these new chairs!

BRASS SOFA TABLE

Last week I came across the most perfect sofa table on Craigslist for a steal.  

After a little back and forth texting with the seller, it was mine for $30.  

It is exactly what this little bay window needed. 

The velvet love seat was so lonely siting there all by itself.  

It needed a something to ground it.

It was also quite the boring sight looking in from the outside. 

Not anymore!  Now my vintage thrift store lamps are proudly displayed on the brass sofa table.

Oh, and since this is Willee's favorite spot to hang out, 

the sofa table also acts as a buffer to help keep his slobber and nose prints off the window. 

I wasn't necessarily on the hunt for a sofa table.  

I was actually just searching "brass" on Craigslist. 

But when I came across this, I knew it was meant to be. 

Don't you love it when things work out that way?

My kids went back to school on Tuesday.  

I have a 1st grader, a 4th grader and a 6th grader.

Sending my daughter to middle school was bittersweet.

Her entire childhood flashed before my eyes as she was walked into the school.

It was a very emotional moment for me.

Fortunately, they all three have had a great first two days back.

I hope to get back to a regular routine of blogging. 

I have plenty to share.

Let me know if there is anything you're just dying for me to post about. 

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS

This is how I started the conversation with my husband.....

Me: I have some good news and some bad news.

Husband: What's the good news?

Me:  We have a new love seat!

Husband: Yes, I know, it's in the garage, right?

Me: Ready for the bad news?

Husband: Sure.

Me: We have another new love seat!

Husband: Silence.....

You might remember that I just bought this love seat a couple of months ago. 

It is still sitting in the garage, awaiting its fate. 

In the meantime, I found this beauty at an estate sale.

I fell in love with the coral/salmon velvet fabric and the simple lines.

It came from a beautiful old estate in Cincinnati and is in perfect condition.

I'm sure I'll be getting a call from TLC to appear on Hoarders any day now.

The love seat that used to sit here, now awaits its fate in the basement.

My upholsterer stopped by yesterday to take a look at the love seat in the garage

to give me an estimate to reupholster it.  

I'll either invest in having it reupholstered and use it in "The Nook" 

or I'll leave it as is and sell it on Craigslist. 

What can I say, I love love seats!

Spill it, what are you hoarding?

MUSICAL LIGHTS

I've been putting off a few projects around our house for a while.  

I blame my decorating ADD.

Ever since "The Nook" was created, we have had a bit of a lighting issue.

The two lanterns that used to hang over the dining room table had to be taken down.

I originally thought I would have them moved to the new dining room.

And I contemplated ordering this light for "The Nook".

I changed my mind, imagine that.  

A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I ordered this light from Restoration Hardware.

It was a final sale item, which means it cannot be returned. 

The good news, I got it for a great price.  

The bad news, it was costly to ship. 

There was no way around the shipping cost.  

I called the local store and they do not carry this light.

They do carry the metal version (not on sale) and 

the sales woman invited me to stop in to view the size in person.

Since I was pretty darn comfortable shopping from my couch that afternoon, I politely declined.  

I proceed to tell her that I see the dimensions on-line and I have a tape measure. 

I promptly hit "Confirm Order" on the screen and there was turning back.

A tad daring for me, but thrilling nonetheless.

Last week, the freight company showed up to deliver the light.

I saw the box and thought for sure they had mistakenly delivered a sofa.

I wish I had taken a picture of the box.  

It was HUGE!

Then I thought, well, it's packed in there well and I'm sure it's not that large.

I asked them to take it out of the box for me. 

Yep, it was HUGE!

I then persuaded my husband to hold it up over the coffee table/trunk in "The Nook" 

to confirm my suspicions.  Yep, it was too big!

I also called over two trusted girlfriends to give me their opinions.

We all agreed, too big for that space!  

But wait, I paid almost as much as the light cost to have to darn thing shipped, 

and it was not returnable. 

I was determined to make this work.

Suddenly, it came to me. 

Why not hang the amazing HUGE light over the dining room table.

Ah yes!  What a brilliant plan.

And guess what, it looks better there anyway.

Problem solved.

But wait, what about "The Nook"?

Have no fear, two problems were solved this day.

I'll show you my solution tomorrow. 

I'd like to say that I'm just trying to keep you on the edge of your seat, 

but in reality, I'm just really exhausted. 

It's been a LOOOOONNNNNGG DAY!

And it's only Tuesday.   

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE VIEWS

There are several spots in my house that make me really happy. 

I walk by them many times a day, and I always think, I should take a picture of this view.

Today, I did just that.

First up, the view from my kitchen windows.....

Deer are abundant in our little town and they love to hang out in the back yard.

Willee isn't quite sure what to do about this yet.

I certainly wouldn't call myself a couch potato, 

but when I am lounging on the couch, this is one of my views.  

I love seeing the two consignment store chairs, the butterfly art, the glass bottles,

and the family photos when I glance this way.

Here's another view from the couch.  

I think it's all the textures in this corner that always catches my eye -

like the fireplace stone, the metal scones, the woven blinds, the wicker baskets and the fabrics.

This is the view into the dining room from the foyer.  

We don't come in and out of our front door, but neighborhood kids are forever ringing our doorbell.

Therefore, I see this spot often.

It's definitely the color that draws me in here.

I love a neutral backdrop, but I have to have color in my decor. 

It just makes me happy.

(Notice my Jade plant is still alive)

This spot makes me smile for many reasons.  

For starters, the baby doll, which my daughter has had since she was three. 

Also, the chair is so darn comfortable and I love the bright raspberry fabric on it.

The thrifted lamp and rusty stool round out this corner nicely.

You will often find me hiding out in my daughter's room, reading in this chair.

This is what's happening in the boys' room now.

Who doesn't like a good dinosaur fight? 

I've got my money on the T-Rex.

This is the view from our bed, into the master bathroom.

I think it's the painted ceiling that makes this view so pleasant for me.

I am such a sucker for a ceiling painted with color!

This has to be one of my all time favorite views - my little guy playing the piano.

I posted here, about how happy it makes me to hear him play, but lately,

I have found myself on the verge of tearing up every time he plays a song.

I think it's because he is normally a pretty rough and tumble little boy.

 To see the softer side of him literally melts my heart. 

Best $75 I ever spent!

On the flip side, there are other spots in my house that I'm not so fond of right now. 

I'll share those in another post....