I've Got the Blues

I have slowly been working on my 2018 goals

and although changing the color palette throughout the house wasn't one of my goals,

it seems to be the happening with each change.

Making a new cover for the window seat cushion was high on the list.

The dining room plate racks are filled with blue and white dishes

so I chose a blue and white plaid fabric.

A year ago my sister-in-law gave me the white fabric which was perfect because it has just a little bit of texture.

I struggled to find another fabric for 2 more pillows and then one day I walked into Marshalls to find the perfect pillows to finish off the bench.

The next change was difficult for me to make -

I loved the dining room chairs in red, but they clashed with many of Steve' paintings

and the blue chairs compliment his art.

The room looks "put together" now.

I've definitely got the blues -  blue and white dishes,

 blue and white pillows

 blue and white cushion ...

 and even a blue and white house.

Having the blues means being depressed, but I don't know how anyone could be sad around this happy combo.

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2018 Goals

January is nearly over so I decided I had better write my "2018 Projects" post before February arrives - I like writing my goals on the blog because it holds me accountable.

Last year I wanted to have plate racks built for the dining room and despite it taking 7 months, it happened.

 The racks make so much difference in the dining room

 and I have fun styling them in different colors throughout the year.

Another goal was to make new covers for the chaises in the garden - this fabric wore thin from the sun.

Just like the old covers, the new covers were made from an old duvet and cost me nothing.

They are so easy to make that I ended up making a second set in plain white to use for the patriotic holidays.

About 8 years ago we had the front porch covered in stone and for several years repeating the stone on the back porch has been on my list of goals.

As you can see, it hasn't happened - maybe this is the year.

So what's up for 2018?

A new window seat cushion cover to replace the red and blue striped one I made in 2013.

I made this cover out of an old quilt, but I only had enough fabric to velcro it on and it was always slipping.

The fabrics in this stack of pillows shared on Instagram by pure_michigan_gal is my inspiration and I just need to make the time for the hunt.

I love the old door in our guest room and have fun changing it with the seasons or holidays,

but when I saw this picture on Instagram from Dreamy Whites Lifestyle, I decided I wanted to paint the other side a color so I can switch them around.

I'm torn between Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue or Provence - I think Provence will win out because I actually have a sampler can of it on hand.

Also on my list is fixing this "fail".

I absolutely loved this little table in green and yellow, but didn't like the colors in our bedroom and so I painted it.

I actually painted over the white right away, but it doesn't have the pizazz that the two tone table had.

These are the colors of the bed pillows now so I think I'll leave the legs blue and use teal or aqua for the drawer, table top and shelf.

How about you, is there a list waiting to be checked off?

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A New Year & A New Look

It's a new year and the perfect time for changes around the house.

I spend most of my time in the dining room and I am a bit tired of the red window seat cushion, 

but I have made 3 cushion covers since 2003 when we added the window seat and with a dead sewing machine, I needed a simpler solution.

I found this chenille bedspread in the attic - one of two on the twin beds in my childhood room.

I decided that after a white look for a few months, I will be happy to return to the red cushion cover so I simply wrapped the chenille spread around the existing cushion.

My favorite quilt was added mainly because I just like to look at it.

Next up was some new pillows - I love the white, but I am ready for some color.

My sweet sister-in-law, Carrell, gifted me with a remnant of Waverly check fabric because she said it just looked like my style.

There was just enough fabric for two pillows and KC's sewing machine works well enough until I can decide on a new machine.

The red striped pillow was made out of a table runner that I never use.

We are having a cold and rainy January so I decided that having my embroidery

and some reading material on hand are a nice touch for the room.

The colorful pillows brighten the room on the cold gray days of January.

As you can see, Lulu has given the new look her stamp of approval.

The Happy New Year banner will come down soon, but I am content with it for now.

And now that the dining room has a fresh look, I need to find just the place for my latest acquisition.

A wonderful friend just gave me a vintage cart and I have no idea where to put it.

What are you up to in these first days of the new year?

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