My Dining Room Chair Saga

Hello everyone!

I have always liked slip covered chairs!  That's no secret as most of my furniture has some sort of slipcover on it.  I guess it's like clothing for furniture, so that is why I like it so much.  So, what happens when your clothing doesn't fit so well? You buy something new!  Well, my husband was going to let me get some new dining room chairs for Christmas, so I decided which ones I wanted.  I chose the Anna slipcover chairs from World Market.  So, I went online and secured the stock (that was on sale) so we could pick it up from the store.  We had to drive around to three different stores to gather everything since one store didn't have everything.  We got home and pulled the chairs out of the box and they were cracked or broken.  Almost all of them.  (Insert sad face.)  My husband was mad and said they were "crap"!  We couldn't even replace them because they weren't of good quality.  I agreed.  So the chairs will be going back to the store.  However, I did keep the cute slipcovers that we bought separately.

They happened to fit the chairs in my kitchen.  Not perfectly, but enough where I could use them.

I love the material that they're made out of (cotton and linen).  And I LOVE the little bow ties on the back.

So, it wasn't all bad news with those chairs.

We even got four free Downton Abbey mugs by going to so many stores in one day!  

They were having a giveaway and we just happened to get there before they ran out.

So, being able to use the slipcovers and getting free mugs made the trip a little better, I guess.  

I managed to get some Christmas decor started too.  I hung this wreath in my kitchen window with a cute paper mache deer head I found at Michaels.  

So, now back to my dining room chair saga, my husband gave me carte blanche to find some better quality dining chairs, but everything I came up with was either super expensive or not something we both liked.  So, I decided to just keep my current chairs (that are well made) and have CUSTOM slipcovers made instead.  Why didn't I think of that in the first place???  I ordered them online from a store that I found that makes ready made and custom slipcovers.  I gave them all of my measurements and pictures of my chairs.  Fingers crossed that I will like them and they will fit just right.  I will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying my newest slipcovers in the kitchen.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

How I Spent Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  It was such a nice week here.  The schools were closed and it was  nice to sleep in and not have so many deadlines to meet during the week.  However, I think I got a little TOO relaxed when I realized that I forgot my son's orthodontist appointment on Wednesday!  Oops!  Guess I'll be adding that to my "back to reality" calendar for December.  

I wanted to share a few pics from Thanksgiving day with you.  We spent the day at my niece's husband's family farm.  It is the same place that they got married so it was nice to see it without so many people around.  I was able to actually see the property for a change and it is really gorgeous.  

There is a huge lake that wraps around the front of the property, along with a barn full of livestock.

Here is a view of the side of the house.  I forgot to get a picture of the front.  It has a pretty porch off to the side too.

This was where their reception was held.  See all of the chandeliers inside?

It was extremely cold here!  But despite the cold, the guys (and some of the gals) did some skeet shooting.  It was fun to watch.

Here is my husband having a go at it.

Back inside, there were beautiful tables set up.

This was the kids table.

And since the main event at Thanksgiving is eating, we had plenty of food to eat!

There were several TV's scattered about to watch football on too.  

It was such a nice day!  Now, that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas season has begun.  So, yesterday I started my Christmas decorating.  I'll share some of that soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Antique Shopping

Hello everyone!

 Last week, when it was pretty, I managed to go to an antique store that was new to me.  They had a lot of neat things for sale.  Thought I'd share some of my favorite finds with you. 

I loved this satchel!  I thought long and hard about it, but didn't get it.

They sold real gourds for great prices!  The small sizes were $3 and the large were $5.  

I thought these sock stretchers were so unique.  They would've been cute hanging off the mantel at Christmas.  

I love burlap, so these French stockings caught my eye.

Cute farmhouse signs.

Look!  I even found another manzanita branch!  This one was huge though.

Look what this sign said.  Too funny!

I'm also loving driftwood this year.  This star was pretty.

I recently bought some new boots, so I thought these leg warmers would've been cute peeking out the top.

I love these kinds of lights.  I would use a clear light bulb though.

I know you've seen these wreaths everywhere.  This one looked easy to make.  I have sheet music on hand too.  Hmmm.........

I really want a large old dough bowl.  This one had nice patina but was a bit pricey.

I remember wanting one of these elves one Christmas when I first started using red and white in my Christmas decor.  These are from Maileg and are mostly found in Sweden.  This booth had a large supply!  Now I know where to find them.

Here is a cute Christmas mouse in a matchbox.  This is also part of the Maileg series. They had a box full of these!   

What did I buy?  This hanging basket.  I fell in love with the rope hanger too.

(It is very dark and rainy today, so excuse the poor picture quality.)

I have it in my kitchen window for now holding some greenery.  I thought about using it on my front door too.

Hope you enjoyed another shopping trip with me!  It's always fun to bring you along.

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Shopping at Isabella Bleu

Hello everyone!

Hope you're having a great Friday so far.  It is gorgeous here in GA!  I have to enjoy it now, because it's getting ready to change for the worse though.  Rain is heading our way. 

I went shopping at a beautiful new shop called, Isabella Bleu.  It's one of those cute shops that the owner works at  and greets you at the door like you're her new best friend.  I was drawn to all of the soft colors and feminine styles she offered.  Right now, it's full of elegant Christmas decor.  I thought I'd share some of it with you today.

Here is a good shot of the store overall.  It's not very big but has no shortage of things to sell!

Sorry, my iphone pics aren't the best.

There was a small selection of Fall decor items left for sale.

I bought something too!  Isn't it packaged pretty?  

I bought this distressed pedestal.

I love it!  I have been wanting one for a long time and this one was priced lower than some I've seen in the past.  Right now, I'm using it on my secretary with some greenery.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Small Side Table

Hello everyone!

We use the side table next to our sofa quite a bit.  So, it's important for it to be the right height and be large enough for a lamp and a drink. 

I had a woven hamper with a lid beside it recently, but it was a little low and the texture didn't make it ideal to set a drink on.

So, when I saw this little table, I thought it would be better suited in it's place.

It was already in the perfect light shade of grey and slightly distressed.

I love its unique shape.  It is smaller on top with legs that spread out.

Do you want to know why it is shaped like that?  Well, it was originally made to be a stool! The home interiors store that I bought it from said a lot of people liked them as tables instead.  

Well, that is what I planned to do with it anyway.  Glad I wasn't the only one!  

The woven hamper still makes a nice side table, but I relocated it beside this chair instead.

I'm loving this little side table now.  It's the perfect height and color and best of all it's a better fit than what was there.

 Now we can access our throws better that are stored in the hamper!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~