Friday, April 26, 2013

Updates

I know this post will probably shock you. I've done a little decorating and it's not in red. I know, who am I?
Truth be told I'm ready for a change. We are doing some big changes and  updates at the cottage, and of course I'll show you when everything is done, but we are really just chipping away at it a bit at a time so it's a fairly slow road we are traveling.
My day off was yesterday and I spent the day whipping up these curtains. I had some darling wood valances  that Earl had made over these windows but I was ready for a change.  I may use the valances elsewhere but I felt the room needed a little more color and pattern.
 At any rate, I haven't done a lot of fluffing and staging, we're friends right? This is the real deal, it's how the room looks right now, right down to the dying primroses waiting in the corner for the weather to be warm enough to plant them outside. I thought I would like some more blue in the house and the inspiration for these is Miss Mustard Seed's dining room.  Do you read her blog?  I love her style and seeing her curtains gave me some idea what a blue print would look like with my creamy white walls. Now clearly I don't have the same awe inspiring antiques to work with, but I have my grandmothers farm table and I love it because it reminds me of her. So many times I sat at that table at the farm and ate with my grandparents as a child. I was thrilled to get it. I haven't hemmed the curtains yet, in fact I can see I pinned them a bit crooked, but they need to hang a few days before I hem them anyways. I love the color. The little light oak cabinet in the corner is one Earl built for me many years ago. It's been all over the house and is a handy place to store so many things.
We were also in need of some "new" chairs.  I'll admit, with my penchant for dragging things out to the yard for a quick coat of my wild hare idea of whatever color I crave at the moment, I don't like to pay a lot for chairs. They are usually crazy expensive and I have a bit of a chair fetish at garage sales anyway, so if they are comfy and cheap and look good I'm all over them.  I found this set on craigslist for $50!  All four chairs cost less than half of what I would pay for the cheapest chair in a discount store. They are sturdy, comfortable and freshly painted by the lady who sold them. I think they look good in the dining room and for that price I can do what I want with them without regret.
This room still has some items on the to-do list, refinish the floors, repaint the walls and trim,  but right now I'm just loving the way a few simple changes can transform the place. Now that spring is here (kinda), we are going over the fix-up list with renewed fervor. It's long, oh so long, but  I think we'll  get most of it done.
I hope you all have a great weekend! What's on your spring and summer fix it list?

18 comments:

  1. I always leave curtain hems to drop....for far too long! I do admire anyone who can say that she 'just whipped up 4 curtains in a day'! They look very attractive.

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  2. Love your new curtains...you are so smart to be able to do this in one afternoon...whew...I made some little short ones for my boy's room when he was little and it took me 2 WEEKS...:))
    Love your chairs...well, love the whole room. and, like you, I am ready for color changes, too. Not getting tired of red but with terra cotta walls in the new house, reds are O.U.T. :))

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  3. Beautiful! Love every detail and the chairs are perfect!

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  4. Very nice...changes are good sometime :) Blessings

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  5. I am shocked LOL!
    I LOVE the fabric and the curtain
    style and yes, Miss Mustard Seed, too.
    Love the table, the chairs...you are having fun!

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  6. I love your curtains, so pretty! And the chairs and table, love love them~
    Cindy

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  7. Your new curtains are wonderful Kathy. I love your farm table and chairs.

    Oh yes, I have a long to do list for this spring and summer.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  8. Kathy is that you? :) LOL!

    Love the curtains and I can totally sympathize with needing a change. I've seen her dining room (Miss MS) and it's totally stunning!

    Love those chairs (and the price is beyond fabulous). So much you can do with them!

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  9. You are ambitious indeed to try to complete your to-do list for the summer. Ours is never done, mostly because we keep adding to it. But like you, we'll be working all summer inside and out trying for perfection. And of course, we know that will never happen. Your curtains a very pretty, BTW.

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  10. I love the new look in your dining room. Your curtains are wonderful and your farm table is a treasure. Wish we lived closer so we could sit and chat about all the great things in your dining room - and more!
    ~Adrienne~

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  11. You did a wonderful job on your curtains, Kathy! I love the pattern and color...just perfect for this room. I am not only recovering from my fear of color, but of patterns, too! The table is wonderful, it's just what you need here and you have so many memories tied to it. And what a steal on the chairs, they are great!

    Most of my rooms come together slowly. I try to shop the house and then I wait for something to call out to me no matter how long it takes. I think rooms should evolve. You have your work cut out for you but it is definitely show worthy right now!

    Happy Weekend!

    XO,
    Jane

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  12. You have a beautiful room that anyone will feel at home in. That is the important thing ~ along with your love of course.

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  13. Your curtains are amazing, and you did this in one day? I'm jealous. Here I sit with skatey-eight yards of fabrics and I can't sew a thing. I did make a bunting for RJ's room recently...but I had to sew it by hand.

    Your dining room looks lovely to me. What's for dinner? i'll be over at six.

    Karen

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  14. Everything looks so cozy and inviting! You did an excellent job!

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  15. You just whipped! There beautiful love the color and pattern.

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  16. Looking forward to seeing what you're up to. Mimi

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  17. I love your new blue and white curtains!! Please come and make some for my dining room!! Pretty please with sugar?? :-)

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  18. Kathy, your dining room looks wonderful! These are some of my favorite colors, too. And yes, MMS's style is awesome and so is YOURS.

    So glad you got the table and the chairs look wonderful with it.

    The value of our items come with the love that goes with them, not the dollar value. A home that is filled with love is invaluable.

    xxoo
    Becky

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Thank you for taking the time to say hello :)