New addition

Nope - we're not adding onto the house. We're not moving. We're not adopting another Berner (although, if they didn't shed so much...we sure would love to have another). We're having a baby! Due at the end of March, we are waiting for the surprise to find out if Little T. is a girl or boy. Both of us love surprises and we figure that this will be one of the best surprises of our lives. We can't wait to meet Little T., but until then...it's definitely time to get down to business.

Our bedroom is on the first floor of our house while the spare rooms are on the second, so our first decision was to figure out where we'd put the baby after we move her/him out of our bedroom. We knew we wouldn't really want to be doing stairs in the middle of the night - so we thought briefly about our closet. That sounds a little ridiculous, but before we added shelves and clothes racks, it was a small, cozy empty room. But then we finished the closet this summer and knew there wouldn't be space for a crib. In discussing this with family, my father-in-law said, "What about Susanna's first floor study?" And that's when it clicked. My study is a nice size, cozy room with two windows, a coffered ceiling and opens to our open-concept first floor with two french doors. When we moved in we brought my grandmothers large desk into the study, filled it with all of my books, computer stuff, stationary, etc, and I figured we might be able to clear out my stuff and repurpose the shelves and two cabinets for baby stuff.

Close up of the fabric - beautiful 'drape' I think.

I knew the french doors and windows would need curtains and I hoped that adding fabric to the glass surfaces would help muffle some of the sound that could go through the doors from our TV or kitchen while the baby was trying to sleep. So the second decision was fabric for the room. This room is ultimately going to remain my study after a few years and I knew I didn't want to make curtains that could only be used for a nursery. And because the french doors have window panels, the fabric would need to work with the rest of our first floor - the colors of which are mostly blue, white, and flax. I scoured fabric sites and finally found on fabric.com a navy and white linen/cotton blend print that I loved and seemed gender-neutral enough for a baby's room - Dena Designs Sunshine Ornament. I ordered 15 yards - more than enough for curtains, door panels, and a crib skirt. Added bonuses to this fabric: it has a beautiful drape being 50% linen and 50% cotton and is easy to measure, cut, and match, given the pattern.

The view from our main living area when the doors are closed.

First up - door panels: I decided to line these in a white cotton linen, instead of doing both sides in the print. I didn't want the room to feel overwhelmed by the pattern while inside (more for me when the room goes back to being a study). I made one stupid, rookie mistake with these: I cut the fabric before washing it. I never expected the fabric to shrink 2 inches! So, although others won't be able to notice, I would have really liked these to be about 2 inches longer to give a little more light block from our living area when the doors are closed.

Second - curtains. I've always made curtains that fit inside the frame of the window, but for our house I wanted a more current style. I also thought that we would need easy-to-use shades to actually block light, just in case our baby is a fussy sleeper. So I decided to make curtain panels that would go almost from the ceiling to the floor, over roman shades that would sit within the window frame. I lined the curtains with a light, yet insulating fabric to give more light-blocking potential and to keep the cool air from the surface of the windows contained. I washed everything before cutting and sewing this time. From the stories I've heard, everything in a baby's room needs to be washable!

Curtain liner to add insulation and light-blocking.

Window treatment - finished and hung thanks to my amazing husband who installed the hardware and the roman shades.

Third: crib skirt. I had seen many variations on the DIY crib skirt and found a post on the tealandlime blog that seemed to have the best instructions. I wanted to attempt a box pleat and that post has very clear instructions. So I measured the washed fabric to fit the sides of the crib, added 16 inches per side to allow space for the box pleats and set to sewing. I decided the panels didn't need to be lined. I think if I had had more energy at the time, I would have lined them...but in the end I can't tell that they aren't lined so I'm okay with my decision to be lazy.

Apologies for the mattress showing - I haven't gotten to sheets yet and don't want to buy anything until after our Baby Shower (coming up soon - I'm soo excited!).

Cribs are usually made to have adjustable heights. The highest setting is used first, when the baby can't stand up and try to crawl out. So I knew the skirt would have to be adjustable. I'd seen some great solutions on a few blogs, but ultimately decided to go with ties at the top to make my skirt adjustable. It seemed like a clean, simple solution. So I cut about 14 12-inch lengths of satin ribbon and sewed the ties to the top of the skirt. This way, I can tie the skirt higher as we adjust the crib down for growing Little T.

Here's the tie solution for when we need to raise the skirt and lower the crib height.

And here's how it all looks together. I still need to organize the desk for storage, purchase a rug, find some artwork, and pull it all together...but I'm so happy to have these 3 sewing projects completed. 10 weeks to go! (Also, I think the contractor khaki paint is going to have to stay - it looks more brown here than it does in person...and I just don't want to mess with paint while I'm pregnant. I'm still feeling burnt out of painting our last 2 houses!)

Sewing projects for Little T.'s room completed. Check!

Feeling Crafty

Since we moved in almost one year ago (WHAT?), I have done very little to actually decorate. My thought was that I would wait until our house in Maine sold to get busy on this house. Maybe I just needed a break after putting so much effort into Maine, then moving twice in one year? Whatever it was, I'm feeling like it's definitely time to get down to business here in the woods of Western Massachusetts. It's lacrosse season, and for a coach's wife, that means lots of time to futz around on my own.

So futzing, I have begun. Last weekend I dusted off my trusty sewing machine and created a curtain and two valences for my office at work. (In the middle of these projects, Coach made a really great point: "So, you do remember that we don't have any curtains in our house, right?")

Our school has a vintage feel - and because my office is right on the main hallway, I wanted to pick a fabric that worked for me...and for the existing decor. I think I succeeded (and even managed 100% cotton for $7.99/yard at my local Joann's!)

I made my door curtain double sided so that when the door is closed, it still looks nice and put together.

I lined the valences so they last for a LONG time. I feel like I made them too short, but my office doesn't get much sunlight and I definitely didn't want to lose the little bit that I get.

So what should I tackle next? Our house is still painted with "contractor's choice neutrals," which are great and non-offensive...but our bedroom is a light moss green color that I don't mind...but isn't my first choice. So paint and curtains for the master bedroom is next. Okay - I've said it out loud, in writing. First step to getting it done, right?

Vintage Table Linens...or...send me to Betty Ford - I admit, I'm addicted.

My Mom came to visit me this past week and oh my goodness, did we get ourselves into Trouble. And yes, it deserves a capital T. For starters, I found a new addiction: handmade, gloriously whimsical, and completely unnecessary vintage table linens. But, I'm ahead of myself.


My Mom (my best friend) has thrown off the anchors, and is starting out on a new endeavor - which you'll hear about directly from her in her new blog, soon to be created. This new endeavor has brought her into the world of vintage textiles and fabrics...so when she found out that one of the best East Coast vintage textile shows was to occur in Sturbridge, MA, we schemed a week together.

The vintage textile show was this past Monday, the day before the start of the infamous summer Brimfield "Antique" Shows (more soon on that!). Sturbridge is about an hour east of the Pioneer Valley, so we planned an early departure so that we could arrive at the start of the show. After a drive through the small towns that make up most of Western and Central Massachusetts, we arrived at the Host Hotel in Sturbridge where on the front door was a prominent "No photographing or sketching permitted" sign. Apparently, devious types had been visiting, sketching and photographing, and then creating reproductions to be sold to unsuspecting consumers at top dollar. Too bad for the bloggers of the world.

We paid our $10 dollars and passed through the door, sans cameras. In the first booth we wandered into, we found the most amazing placemat and napkin sets, likely from the 1940s and 50s. I found a set that I immediately fell in love with, but thought - "No, we shouldn't buy the first things we see." So we proceeded to meander through the booths. Vintage clothing racks lined each booth, Bakelite jewelry abounded, vintage buttons, lace, fabric and hats took over any available space. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming. The vintage clothing was difficult to see because so many pieces were crammed on each rack. The '50s cocktail dresses looked a little sad with their crinoline squished up against cotton day dresses from the '30s- '40s. (Hint to vendors - organize your merchandise by era.)

Despite the sheer volume of stuff (some great, some okay, and some JUNK), it was so much fun to look and admire. We spent hours going through the booths, but at lunch we both decided that we should focus on the things we really wanted. I kept coming back to the fact that I had NEVER forgotten some pink elephant cocktail napkins that had been used during the wedding shower weekend for a dear friend of mine. I thought, "Well...hell. Here I am at a vintage textile show. Maybe I can find some neat cocktail napkins." I also kept coming back to the amazing placemat and napkin set that we had seen at 8:00 AM in the first booth. Over sandwiches, we decided on a plan: 1) Go to that first booth and see what hasn't sold. 2) Go back to the one place we saw an assortment of cocktail napkins.

Upon return, we found that the two sets we had fallen in love with were still there. Hooray! And so, we made some purchases. Perhaps my Mom will blog about her purchase, so I'll give you a peak at the one she so generously made for me (thanks, Mom!):

Love the sailboats! Can you see the cloud detail in the upper left corner? The edges are amazing too. 

Here's some detail of the sailboats - complete with little people to man the sails! Apparently the pink color of the sails is desirable in vintage linens.

Here you can see the fish detail and the gorgeous edge stitching.

Can't you just see these used for a summer lunch? Why aren't things made like this anymore!? The extra special part of this story is that the seller of these linens bought them at an estate sale in Pennsylvania and she discovered that the previous owner lived in the same area I grew up in! She was a baroness. With exquisite taste.

After we made these fun purchases, we made a beeline for the vintage cocktail napkin ladies and spent about 30 minutes devouring their collection (and book on the subject!) My Mom and I couldn't resist buying 3 sets - one of which we will share by sending back and forth whenever either of us needs to host a baby shower (each cocktail napkin was appliqued with a pink elephant balancing a pink/blue/white ball!). The other 2 sets have started my collection. And yes, I have a marine problem:

The shape of each napkin is perfect for folding and handing to a guest with their custom cocktail - mojito anyone?

The detail of these fish is so impressive - check out that tiny delicate stitching.

And because I love navy. And I wanted to keep with my marine problem: fish. Each was handmade in Portugal.

The result of this vintage shopping spree? Parties at my house are going to go swimmingly. Hah.

Serena & Lily

Usually I hate mailing lists. I'm actually one of those people who spends hours on the phone trying to get people to stop mailing me stuff: charity mailings, credit card offers, mortgage invitations, etc. But, somehow my name/address has been added to a jackpot mailing list from home design heaven. After a long day at work writing annual reports and planning fall programming, I arrived home to a beautiful catalog from Serena & Lily.

This company is fantastic. I want to be Serena or Lily. Preferably Lily, because I like that name better. But I digress.

They sell some furniture, fabric, rugs, paint, and baby stuff. Their designs are colorful, chic, and just a bit eclectic. Their rugs are on the high end of affordable for my budget...but still in that range. Yay! And their baby stuff. Oh goodness. It actually makes me want to get pregnant or adopt just to buy things! Ha! (Mom...don't faint...I'm just joking.)

Here's a look from their design studio.  This is the perfect tool for someone like me!

From Serena & Lily

And if we ever have a child...the nursery of my dreams would be outfitted in the Dylan collection. Boy or girl...the elephants are just so cute.

And check out their Bazaar - fun, one of a kind objects pictured in their catalog for purchase. 

So...thank you to the genius data entry specialist who added me to this mailing list. And Serena & Lily, you will have a new customer as soon as I receive another paycheck.

Auction fun

Antiques are an obsession. And it's really too bad that my wallet can't support this obsession. So...I go to auctions in my current home state, Maine, where prices (on antiques and other things) tend to be a bit lower than say, Massachusetts, Connecticut or Pennsylvania. Last fall I went to an auction near Farmington, Maine for the sole purpose of a Maine painted bed that I saw pictured in an auction flyer.

I dragged my dear friend Kate along with me. The two of us sat teeth-chattering under a tent in the cold fall rain surrounded by a lovely assortment of Mainers. I hinted to the auctioneer that I was there for one thing...and one thing alone: the painted bed. He agreed to auction it off relatively early. Wink, wink.

So before the auction started, I inspected the bed; it hadn't been amended to a normal modern bed size (twin, full, queen, king) and looked to me to be almost full size. It had holes in the rails for the roping (as do most New England antique beds). The rusty red paint looked original. The headboard had original 'decoration' with black paint on top of the red paint. It was in pretty great condition. I loved it and decided I could go up to $250. What's funny is that you probably can't even buy a bed at Wal-Mart for $250...

The auction started and a few things were lined up, selling for relatively low prices. My adrenaline started pumping when I saw my bed disassembled and carried to the front of the tent. After a few bad jokes, the auctioneer started it at...$25. No...I am not joking...twenty-five dollars.

So I bid. Then another person bid at $35. I brought it to $45. And...then...the other person stopped. The auctioneer called $55 multiple times...trying to entice the second bidder. The second bidder didn't bite. The auctioneer paused...eyeing the second bidder once more, then lifted his gavel..."SOLD. $45 dollars to bidder number 61." That was me!

Yep, I bought my Maine painted bed for $45.00 last October. And I just got around to roping it up.

Here it is assembled, but not roped. The white board below it is called a bunky-board. I had this made at Portland Mattress Makers. My original plan was to have the bunky-board sit level with the rails on-top of L-brackets and then sit a full-size mattress on-top of the rails and the bunky board. I found a problem: modern mattresses are too high and will hide the headboard. So...I'm going to have a custom mattress made. Then I will lower the bunky board below the rails (on longer L brackets) and then sit the custom mattress inside the rails. Cha-ching. So much for my $45.00 bed. Custom mattress will be expensive. So...in the meantime, I decided to rope it up, place the bunky-board on top of the ropes (so that the mattress doesn't sag) and put my futton mattress on-top.

This is what it looks like from underneath. Roped, with the bunky-board resting ontop of the ropes.

Here it is assembled, roped, and fitted with our full-size futon mattress.

And here's the side view. This futon mattress is actually very comfortable with a featherbed on top. You can see some of the 'decoration' on the headboard.

Back to curtains...

You are probably picking up on a trend here: I have lots of ideas...and lots of desires...and no implementation. I keep telling myself if I only I didn't have to work...maybe I'd have time for all the things I want to do. Ohh...such is the life of a modern working lady.

So, our bedroom has been complete (other than all the things I wish I could buy to put in it) since, well, late-October. And we haven't had curtains this whole time! It was okay during the winter when it was dark for most of the time here in Maine- I'd just turn out the lights in the room to hide from the neighbors, but now that day light savings time is in effect...and summer is nipping at my heels, I really need to do something about our curtains!

We just have too much to do around the house- it's almost debilitating. Do I go outside and pull weeds? Stay inside and strip paint? Stay inside and strip wall paper? Paint? Vacuum dog hair? Clean dishes? Shop online for new light fixtures? Scour catalogs for more things I can't afford? Or do I sew curtains?

I told you I needed to quit my job.

I got a bunch of samples from Calico Corners and narrowed my search down to one specific print, but I'm still deciding on color. I think I'm veering away from brown. I think I like the light, slate blue color better. It's softer and more relaxing - good for a bedroom. The fabric is 55% linen and 45% rayon so it has a lovely drape. I can just imagine my completed curtains billowing in the cool summer breeze. Hah. Oh yeah- and these are the only new windows in our house. We added these during our major bedroom renovation:

Rug fetish?

It seems I'm obsessed. My last post was way back in February. It is now April and I'm STILL talking about rugs. Unfortunately, I haven't actually purchased anything. I've mentioned Porter...our 110 lb Bernese Mountain Dog. He can't be trusted with anything valuable under-paw, which has paralyzed me from buying anything at all for our floors.

So the other day I was looking through the Williams Sonoma catalog dreaming of new fritatta pans (yes...fritatta pans) and I saw a rug with blue and white stripes. Now, I love blue and white anything...but stripes!? Stripes are the best! I flipped the pages with ferocity to...

 (Nautical Stripe Outdoor Rug from Williams Sonoma)

this amazing Nautical Stripe Outdoor Rug. "Outdoor" basically means that it's made of polypropylene and to clean, you simply wash it off with a hose (or take it to a car wash - genius advice from my friend Alice at Henbogle ). A mold resistant, washable, and durable rug may be perfect for most peoples' outside deck or patio, but I think it's perfect for the INSIDE of my house. Porter's claws and occasional barf won't ruin this rug- oh no he won't!

The front hall seems to be taking the brunt of the beating from Porter's daily travels. As is evidenced by the scratched floor boards, he must spend his entire day sauntering back and forth from his lair (our living room) to the front door where he probably terrorizes the mail lady, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, H.S. Football Boosters, and anyone else who dares to walk up to our house. So, I think I will buy this rug in the 3 x 9 size and put it in our front hall. We will strip the (AWFUL) wallpaper from the walls this summer and paint the hall yellow...and of course nothing goes better with yellow than blue and white!

I think I may actually purchase something. Williams Sonoma...you are back in my good graces. Check out the excellent prices on this rug! Nautical Stripe Outdoor Rug from Williams Sonoma.

More on rugs.

Okay...I am a little (make that very) slow on the uptake. I'm sure a few people reading this will say..."Um, hello. Where have you been?" I don't know where I've been, but now I'm found. And found is two words, one designer:

Madeline Weinrib

While searching for carpets to take the place of my MISSING WSHome rug, I stumbled into Madeline Weinrib's website. And then spent the entire morning dreaming and trying to convince stores that sell her stuff to sell to me and ship. Yes...living in Central Maine has its drawbacks. Also, I found an article about how Madeline Weinrib actually sued WSHome for copyright infringement. I agree Madeline!

So check it out:

(from Meredith Weinrib site)

(from Williams Sonoma Home)

Anyway, onto more positive things. I may have changed my mind about a rug for the dining room anyway. Look at this one:

 

 (from Meredith Weinrib)

The inspiration for the color change comes from my Mottahedeh Sacred Bird and Butterfly China: 

(from Mottahedeh.com)

Plus, I'm still very definite about navy and white for the living room. Because the dining room and living room are connected via two beautiful pocket doors, I need to consider that the colors in each room work together. I adore navy and orange together.  Jon is not sold...so I still have work to do. Also...I can't find prices for the Madeline Weinrib rugs anywhere! In the process of trying to find prices/someone to sell me these rugs, I found this adorable store/interior design company in San Francisco: Lotus Bleu Some of their interior design does what I wish I could do -  blend modern patterns with traditional and antique furniture.

Why do I have to live so far from cute shops!?

I am mad at Williams Sonoma Home. Very very mad.

Okay...I haven't posted in a while. A VERY LONG WHILE. Mostly the renovations were on hold because of our overly busy lives. Sob, sob.

Well, because I wasn't getting busy with a hammer...I decided to get busy with my credit card. I started scouring the web (let's face it...I live in Central Maine and online shopping is pretty much all I have) for deals. And I found what I believe to be the deal of the century from Williams Sonoma Home.

The WS Home stuff is way higher quality than Pottery Barn or West Elm and thus...more expensive. I stumbled onto their sale section a little after Christmas...and there...I found the most beautiful HAND NEEDLE POINTED RUG in a herringbone design for $199.00. Originally it was nearly $3000.00.

It crossed my mind at the time that it was probably mistakenly priced at $199.00 and should have been $1,999.00...but I didn't wait. I got out my card and purchased it in 9 seconds flat.

So...then I wait. It says it will ship in 3 days. I start monitoring the lovely UPS tracking device. All it says is:

Location	Date	Local Time	Description
MEMPHIS, TN, US	01/11/2010	2:53 P.M.	ARRIVAL SCAN
OLIVE BRANCH, MS, US	01/11/2010	11:49 A.M.	DEPARTURE SCAN
	01/11/2010	11:05 A.M.	ORIGIN SCAN
US	01/11/2010	9:43 P.M.	BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

So I wait. I think...wow...it must take so long because it's so large. And then I got tired of waiting. I called yesterday. And Williams Sonoma Home gave me the biggest load of bullsh*t I've ever heard:

"Ma'am, our records show that the rug was delivered to your house, was denied and then sent back to our distribution facility in Tennessee, where we resold it."

I proceed to calmly say that it was never delivered to our house, there was no record of any UPS person coming to our house (you know UPS leaves those notices when they can't drop off something and then after three tries you have 2 weeks to pick it up at their facility), and that I want my rug.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. We don't have anymore rugs. We sold out."

Then I get slightly agitated, "I don't understand. The rug was never at my house. I wanted the rug. My husband wanted the rug. It wasn't delivered."

"I'm sorry Ma'am. There's nothing I can do. You should call UPS. They certainly shouldn't be conducting business that way."

So...I hang up annoyed out of my mind and call UPS. I speak to the UPS agent and give them my tracking number and they tell me that the rug was never delivered to my house. The rug never left Tennessee.

Now...UPS has never failed me. They are amazing. Why would they lie to me? There's no reason...they get paid no matter what. But WS Home? Clearly...I purchased that rug for less than they were willing to sell it for and somebody figured it out.

Well...they messed with the wrong customer. I'm pissed. And the last time I posted something about a company...they FOUND it on my blog and commented. So WS Home, I have one thing to say:  I would like that beautiful herringbone needle pointed rug in my dining room. I am willing to pay more for it. Seriously. I just want it underfoot in my diningroom. I'll forget all about your dishonest customer service representative. Thanks.

22 Windows Without Curtains

When Jon and I moved in to our new house at the end of June, we were struck by the design choices of the previous owners - and not in a good way. They were lovely people so I'll be polite. As I've noted before, the wall paper covering every room was likely put up in 1982. Clashing florals: hot pink in the dining room, white and pink in the kitchen, dark green in the center hall, and tan plaid in the study.  To compliment the floral wall paper, the previous owners put up lace curtains in the living room, sheer (and not silk sheer, I'm talking straight polyester) panels of a greenish tint in the dining room, green sheers in the pink bedroom, more polyester lace in another bedroom, and brown canvas panels in the study.

The previous owners left their window treatments behind, which was a very nice gesture. And because I knew I wouldn't get around to sewing new curtains for quite a while, I decided to leave them up even though I wasn't so keen on the appearance.

Well, I couldn't take it anymore. At the beginning of October when Jon was away I just went a little nuts. I took everything down in a rampage. I called Jon like an ashamed little kid, "Jon. I have something to tell you."

"What? Are you okay?" I could tell he was worried.

"I took down all the window treatments. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"Well, what are we going to do? Just have no curtains?"

"I'm telling you...it looks WAAAAY better."

"Fine."

Click.

It was a little more cordial than that, but it does look waaay better. But now I need to select fabric and at least try to get started on curtains. I have a long, dark, cold Maine winter ahead of me which will provide lots of time for sewing.


When I was growing up, there was a Calico Corners within 15 minutes of my house. Actually, pretty much anything you needed or wanted was within 15 minutes of my house, so I'm spoiled. Central Maine is a different story. Thank goodness for the internerd.

You'll remember that we painted our bedroom a light blue/turquoise color. I'm still questioning that decision a little, but I'm hoping to fix it with my curtains. I need to dress up the room a bit and to do that, I want to add a dark brown element. Here are some of the initial swatches I've ordered from Calico Corners. I WELCOME input:

The first one is called Blossom (in Chocolate) and it is made of 95% cotton, 5% linen. The second one is called Scramble (in Chocolate) and it is made of 55% linen, 45% rayon.

Here are some tips on drapery fabric (all credit to my Mom, an incredible seamstress):  Always get a swatch of the fabric before you buy all that you need. You can't tell "drape" from an image in a catalog or online. The "drape" of the fabric is key. How well does it look hanging- does it fall naturally or look stiff? Just imagine a curtain blowing in the wind: one that billows slightly will drape naturally, but one that moves in one big piece won't drape as naturally. In my limited experience, I love the way linen blends drape. I aim for natural fabrics (linen, cotton, silk), but those are usually more expensive. Just stay far, far away from polyester. I mean it.

Soon, I'll post how to make a gorgeous curtain that's actually pretty easy. It's a historic design that I learned from my Mom, but it fits perfectly in a modern home meaning that it's totally functional yet lovely and unique.

Let me know which fabric you like better!

Slipper chairs

In last month's House Beautiful, they featured these great (made in the USA) slipper chairs from Urban Outfitters. On first look I thought, "I ADORE that fabric, but can I pull off the mid-century modern look in my 1840 house?" But then I started looking around at other slipper chairs and realized that it's really a pretty classic piece (this one definitely has a mid-century feel however). And while ikat print is especially trendy right now, I think it has a hold on tradition as well. I deliberated for a week or two and finally came to the decision that if they went on sale or offered free shipping, I would cave in and buy them. Well...last week Urban Outfitters announced free shipping on select furniture, so I jumped at the opportunity and bought two. I have to say that I was INCREDIBLY impressed with Urban Outfitters customer service. They called me immediately to talk with me about my order and make sure I was who I said I was (which always makes me feel good).

I also need to give some credit here to one of my best friends, Abbey A.B. Bloom, who I consult on nearly every furniture purchase (and most clothing purchases) I make whether it be from Craig's List or anywhere else. She has the best eye for style and I trust her to tell me if I misstep. :)

The chairs helped me to make an executive decision to do our living room in blue and white, with yellow accents. The living room is on the front of the house, and the windows in the room are under the porch. The room receives a lot of light, but not streaming-in sunshine. To help brighten the room, I've decided to paint the walls white. The wood work and tin ceilings are already white, so I'll have to be really careful to select a complimentary white. The white will also give us a blank canvas for bold prints in the window treatments and furniture. Plus, I want to do the connected entry way in yellow. The idea is for the yellow accents in the living room to work with the yellow paint in the entry to connect the rooms visually. That's the hope anyway! I have no idea when I'll ever get these things accomplished, but now that the chairs are arriving in a couple of weeks...I hope it's soon. They'll look pretty stupid in the room the way it looks now.