Moving Backwards...

(My new blue chairs, embellished with number decals from the fabulous Leen, the Graphics Queen!!)

I have had a style epiphany of sorts. It seems that at a time in my life when I should be seeking out quality and making furniture investments, I am doing a bit of a backslide. I read many blogs where they are purchasing "quality pieces for their home" and mulling over each buying decision with as much thought as they plan their retirements. Cheaper make-do furnishings are being given away or sold to make room for newer, more permanent, quality additions.

So. what is wrong with me?

Even if I could spend the kind of money to purchase "better," I am not sure that I would. With two teen-age sons, university costs are looming and, technically, I am not "there" just yet. It seems silly to wander furniture stores when real-life expenses like that are almost upon us.

But that's not the point.

This picture (I bought it from from Kiki and Polly.com) depicts me in this time of my life:

Need/Want, need/want, need want...

Sure, as someone who sees many things I like, I have pangs to actually go out and get them. But I have matured in some ways and realize that just because I want something doesn't mean I need it...or deserve it.

And then there is the simple fact that I am pretty fickle when it comes to style. I can easily become lured in by a beautiful object, fabric or piece of furniture and it can set me to daydreaming about change. Luckily, budget and good old common sense can keep it in check for the most part, but I LIKE CHANGE!

So, even if I could spend $300 (or more) on a chair for my dining table, well, I need six!

And then what happens when I get tired of that look and want or need change?

I think IKEA is the place for people like me. Sure, there is a snobbery to some that IKEA is for college students or those on a tight budget...those who don't crave quality.

But I say this: sometimes quality is (dare I say it?) boring. Maybe not at first, when its shapely form or plush fabric seduces you from across a room. But let's face it. The shine comes off everything after a while and becomes vegetable lasagna.  And I haven't been disappointed by an IKEA piece, yet!

So what have I done?

I have embraced my inner college student and stored my perfectly fine but perfectly boring (read, unstylish) dining chairs and bought these $20 cuties from IKEA, in the softest shade of blue!

Seriously fun and sturdy, they can be easily cast aside and put to use elsewhere in my home when I fall for the charms of something else.

Something better? More quality, perhaps?

We'll see.

For now, I will go back to my flower and the want/need approach to decorating. Some things are worth the wait, for sure, and some things are just good, cheap fun!

Sitting Pretty...

After finally painting my dining table and chairs last summer (from an ugly honey stain to a fresh cream shade), I began the seemingly fruitless search for pretty and unique chair pads. I wrestled with the idea of paying someone to make them, but the cost of paying for foam, fabric, notions, and labour seemed not a whole lot cheaper. Since I'm fairly frugal with regards to some things, I decided to just wait it out and see if I could find something pretty in the stores. Those who know me well, know that patience is not a virtue of mine. But, there is something about keeping to a decorating budget that reins me in when we're talking the larger purchases...

A temporary fix until I found what I wanted...a vintage apron from my collection... as a seat skirt.

I just got back from visiting my family, kids in tow, and had barely a chance to pop in to a home decor store or two. I did get a quick moment to check out Homesense/Winners, and really didn't see anything I wanted or "needed". I think my poor mother was a bit taken aback that I was exercising so much restraint! Considering I usually fill my shopping cart with everything I love in my price range, and then weed through it as I get closer to the checkouts, leaving empty-handed from one of my favourite stores surprised even me! I lamented that perhaps I am done: that I have filled up the lonely crevices of my home and really cannot justify any more purchases. She agreed. She, too, was at a bit of a shopping stalemate and really was on the lookout for only a few bits and bobs to make her feel as though she is finished decorating. Her comment found me nodding in agreement. I knew what I was looking for (the chair pads), but the search had turned up nothing.

We took a quick run into Pier 1, which is not a place I usually visit. I do, however, love their summer stock, so in we went. On my last leg of the tour, I spied these pretty seat cushions. Perfect! Thay have the skirted feature I had been wanting, and the piping makes them seem less factory finished. I had wanted a floral print, and this pattern has a juicy orange shade running through it to offer me up a new accent colour. Their only drawback is that they have so much yellow in the skirt, and I have nary a yellow item in my whole kitchen. A sheer, gauzy skirt would have been ideal, but who knows? Maybe I'll try making some to replace the existing skirts someday. Yeah, someday...

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I love the mongrammed look, so I used these glittery scrapbooking letters to personalize each chair at my dining table. I love the quirkiness of them, and I don't have to commit or paint!!