My Little Sweetie Sent Me Some Pictures!!!

A while ago I helped a friend that I called “My Little Sweetie” make some decorating plans for her and hubby’s first house.
Recently she sent me some pictures of their progress so I thought I would show you some of the things they have done.
Remember she is my young, fresh and colorful Little Sweetie that used this room as her inspiration

This room was designed by Judith Balis of Nest Interiors. This room has been all over blog land and enjoyed by many readers.

Here are the post that I did on “My Little Sweeties” Project.

A Fresh. Young, Colorful Project

Fun Project Making Progress

Progress Report: Moving Right Along

Painting has been done

I just got an email from My Little Sweetie and she sent me a few more pictures of their progress. It has been so fun for me to be a part of this project with her and her hubby.  The project  has been done via phone calls and emails so with each new picture it is a surprise for me also.

Let’s start in the dining room! It all started out looking like this…………….

All white with some great light from three windows. We knew we could get away with a darker color in here so they chose……….

Dining Room Painted but Before Decorating

Chairs painted black and recovered in a stripe. Fun draperies to echo more black and white. Pop of color in the yellow vases to introduce the color of the kitchen.

A fun art piece as you enter the brightly colored yellow kitchen.

A bright orange  letter above the kitchen window

A touch of black and white echoing the colors in the dining room with an addition of some bright orange accessories.

A vintage orange bowl and some fun plates are the stars here.

Next On to the Living Room:

All white No Color and My Little Sweetie loves color!!

Great color,but no decor yet………..

Start with a white Ikea sofa and some touches of black and white pillows.

Add a small marble top table with black legs and some beautiful fresh white roses. Then for a pop of bright color add two……………

Bright Pink re-upholstered chairs with shiny black legs. To top it all off……

How about a bargain priced mirror from the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I love the round shape with the little reflective circles on the black background.

For just a touch of sparkly whimsy why don’t we add a cute little……..

……….Owl from Tarjay!!

To echo the black and white striped chairs in the dining room a footstool that use to look like this………

Looks like this!!

Before we leave the living room I must show you this picture that was a gift from My Sweetie Pies big sister that she now proudly hangs in their living room…………

It is a picture of an old Hollywood starlet with the Liberty Bell behind her.

This is more than perfect for her home because she is from Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and she is a working actor.

This has been such a fun project to be included in!! I hope you have enjoyed my journey into , “Little Sweetie’s” Home.

"Enjoy the Process" Of:

Helping someone plan a design for their first home.

Kathysue

Green and White Delights!!

This past week I did a little “Goodwill Hunting!” (my friend Deb's catch phrase). I think I did pretty well in finding some items that I will totally use in my home. Let me show you what I found……….

My first little treasure is a green and white striped water pitcher. (price $2.00). It reminded my sweet Hubby of Dr. Seuss! I liked that because I love a little whimsy and then when you add stripes, I am a happy girl. I am totally going to use this for flowers. In fact ,I put some white dahlias in it and have it sitting in my kitchen by the window.

The tall cream pitcher with the chalkboard is from Pottery Barn. I got it on another GW Hunting trip for $6.99, SCORE!!

To the left of the green pitcher is a darling clear glass pitcher that I have some flowers in and I have it on my desk. I think it would look great with some simple syrup in it or Basalmic vinegar. I can think of all kinds of uses for this little beauty. The glass just shimmers and it looks like a very nice piece. I think it might be hand blown, but I am not sure.

On the left is a cream mixing bowl. It is a Mason Cash from England. I have a little obsession about bowls and the way they feel in my hand. The rim has to be smooth to the touch and kind of rounded. This bowl met all the requirements and it is cream, perfect!!! I paid $5 for this lovelie.

The oblong dish is a rarebit baking dish and it is made by Hall. This will be perfect to serve roasted asparagus in. Only $2.99 for this collectable.

I was really excited to find these water goblets. I had actually been looking for these for a long time. Who would have thought I would find them at GW’s for $1.99 each. I purchased five of these beauties. I took a close-up of the glass to show you the bubbles. Don’t they look lik 7-Up bubbles. It just makes anything you drink that much more refreshing.

Behind the glass is one of two of the silver candle sticks I purchased for $11.98 for both. They are very heavy and a classic shape. I couldn’t go wrong with these!

Last, but not least, is a sterling silver serving fork. I actually purchased this on another trip, but I had to share it with you. I had to pay a whopping 25cents for this beauty.

So there you have it!! All my Goodwill Hunting treasures. The best part of the day was spending it with my BFF. Time with a friend is “Priceless.” It was her very first time going into a Goodwill. Trust me she came out with some great treasures!!!

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Finding lovely and useable items for your home at bargain prices!

Kathysue

Choosing a Sofa Style and Fabric

The next step in designing my, “Someday Family room” is to choose a sofa. Now, I must be honest, I already knew exactly what sofas I wanted for this room.
I actually had this sofa for ten years and loved it. When it was time to get a new one I thought I would go in a totally different direction. I love my existing sofa style and comfort, but I'm tired of its pattern after about two years. This sofa is a Hickory White and it is covered in a beautiful linen fabric, but I have discovered that I am not a floral patterned sofa kind of girl.

  As all my faithful readers know I am a striped pattern kind of girl. That leads me to the sofa that I would like to buy again.

I will show you a swatch of the fabric that was on my previous sofa and that I plan on using again……

 

Before the floral sofa there was a blue and white ticking sofa in my life. It was cord welted in a pretty banana yellow and it made me happy for over ten years.  For the next sofa I am going back to my first love, the blue and white ticking sofa.

In purchasing a sofa there is a lot to think about. Budget of course, that is an unfortunate reality. What style of sofa do I want?? Am I going to want a contrasting cord welting again? Shall I use the yellow or should I use something different this time?

I tend to like a very comfy sofa since there is always someone laying on it to watch TV.

I think this time I might choose a sofa with a little deeper seat than the one I have now.

Here are some of the elements one will need to think about before buying a sofa:

Construction

The construction on a sofa is very important if you want it to last. A few construction features  that a well made sofa will have are

1. Kiln dried hardwood frame
2. Double doweled joints with corner blocks, screwed and glued.(this will prevent any creaking or sagging of the frame)
3. Sinuous wire spring backs.
4. 8way hand-tied spring system

My last two sofas have had these features and have held up beautifully. The only reason my last ticking striped sofa was replaced was because after ten years the upholstery became worn in spots.
The two sofa companies I have dealt with and have been very happy are Hickory White and Lee Industries
Here are three sofa styles that I really like……

Some of the choices in style that one will need to make are the following….

Arm Style

I like what is called a “R” roll panel arm. I like a soft low slightly rolled arm for comfort of whomever is laying down. It is a comfortable arm to rest your head or your arm. I also like that it does not take up space in the room by jutting out too far from the sofas edge, making the sofa longer, but not really adding any more seating space.

Bottom Treatment

I actually like two of the bottom styles. I prefer the “K” Kick pleat skirt base. I like that it has a pleat at each corner and two in the middle of the sofa. It makes for a nice tailored finish. You will notice the difference between the “K” kick pleat skirt and the “D” dressmaker skirt is where the skirt falls from. The dressmaker skirt falls directly from below the seat cushion where the “K” kick pleat falls from a panel beneath the seat cushion. This gives an extra area to showcase contrast cord welting.

The other style is an exposed leg as shown in the “G” Guilford foot base. If I chose this base I would use a dark wood tone leg.

Back Pillow StyleSince I am going for a tailored, but relaxed look I prefer the knife edge back cushion. I like a loose back so I can smoosh (technical term) into the back.

 

This time I will probably be going for a deeper seat depth. Our family room sofa is laid on more than it is sat on. I have a 38” depth sofa now so I will probably go for the 41” depth sofa. I also like what is called a “T” cushion. If you look at the sofa I have selected you will notice the cushion goes all the way to the side of the sofa, it does not stop at the arms edge. I am not sure why I like this better, I just do. It also gives you about 8in. of more space to place your foot when laying down. I prefer a foam cushion,double poly wrap with a down top cushion.  Can you tell I am all about comfort for myself and my guest?

So there you have it!! I will be choosing one of the three frames shown in a blue and white ticking stripe with or without contrast cord welting. My future decisions will decipher whether I use a contrast welt or not.

Next step is to choose  the two club chairs style and fabric color and design!!

Come back and join me for my next decision! What do you think so far??

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Learning all the in’s and out’s of sofa styles and making a decision on which sofa style best suits your needs.

Kathysue