My new Ballard Designs Davenport Armless Chair

Yay! It's finally here.  A couple of months back, I placed an order for Ballard Designs Davenport armless chair.I needed to replace this one that I reupholstered myself.  It was my first attempt, and all in all it didn't come out that shabby.  Over time though, my very adorable cat (its the only thing that saved her), decided this chair was the perfect scratching post.  I decided to see what it would cost to have it professionally done. I hadn't counted on other things that needed to be done to the chair, like more padding, and securing the structure of it (which I thought was just fine). I was shocked, putting mildly when I received an estimate for close to a $1000.  Now, also keep in mind I have 2 of these chairs, and that's even before picking out the fabric.  I ended up giving one away to a friend and the other I listed on Craig's List.

So then, I was left with a blank space, and no where to read my magazines in peace.  Who am I kidding?  I have 3 kids and 5 pets, I don't know peace. I wanted an armless chair, because I like the look of them, and it had to be slip covered.  Me plus coffee, you get the picture? I searched on google first through images, and then onto web options.  I kept going back to the Davenport.

It was exactly what I was looking for.  Here's my honest experience with Ballard Designs, which I have been a customer for well over 12 years.  The chair itself, with shipping, plus white glove service adds up to be a lot. Less than upholstering the other chair, so that was a plus. Ignore the sale price stated, because there are NO slipcovers for that price, in fact the slipcover I chose is the cheapest and most basic, because I need to be able to toss it in the wash.  The slipcover arrived in a week but the chair took much longer.  I was told it would arrive February 13th, but it actually didn't arrive until today, February 25th.  Not a major deal, just a slight annoyance.  

The white glove service comes in handy as they will place it where you want, attach the legs, and cart away all the packing materials.  Although it was awfully tempting to keep the huge box and turn it into a fort.

Here it is, in place.  Looking a little low.

How are these slip covers going to fit the chair and the cushions?

These cushions are so soft.

I am so excited to catch up on my magazine reading tonight.  This chair has been worth the price as well as the wait.

Dreaming of Spring when it's about to snow

I'm lucky in some respects that where I live in Maryland doesn't get much snow, but at the same time I love a good snow storm.  I did grow up in Massachusetts, so that should tell you I know what a good snow storm is.  However, I just spent an hour outside running and working out and the chill is in my bones.  It's suppose to snow 6-8 inches this afternoon and while excited about it, I found myself dreaming of spring while I ran.  The second I got in the door I started up my computer, went straight to Brecks and ordered 30 Giant Lily of the Valley plants.  They won't ship out until the spring of course.  (I'm not sponsored in any way).  At my last house in the City,  I had a ton of Lily of the Valley by the front entrance.  It was the best scent to be greeted by every time I arrived home. 

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I just purchased this beautiful print.  It has both my favorite flower the Peony and my love of blue and white china.  She has another print very similar to this one, but really so many to choose from.

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I hope wherever you are Spring is on your mind.

Ikea Rast hack

This is the final reveal of my Ikea Rast hack using O'verlays and Anthropologie knobs.  Keep reading below as to how I changed it up.

You can pretty much find these in stock at Ikea.  It's called the Rast 3 drawer chest and it comes unfinished.  Very easy to put together considering it's Ikea.

I didn't have to do any special kind of prepping, which is a plus for me.  I simply gave it 3 coats of paint that I had leftover from my bathroom project.  

In comes the jewelry or otherwise known at hardware.  I actually bought 2 of these a few months ago not knowing what I would end up using them for.  They can be found either in store at Anthropologie, or online.   I ended up purchasing the rest online and I was impressed when 2 days later they arrived.

They have these gold details.

There is a company I've used before called O'verlays to add little finishing touches to furniture as well as the outside of my windows.  I'll post more on those in the future.  What makes this company really unique, is that they specifically make o'verlays for Ikea furniture.  They are light weight strips that come already primed and can be used as is or paint them whatever your desired color is.   I simply adhered them with super glue.  It's cheaper to use them for Ikea pieces because custom prices tend to run higher, with a special order fee tacked on.  

O'verlays offers quite a few selections to choose from. 

And here it is.....When you add up the knobs and O'verlays, it does come out to be somewhat pricey, considering this is an Ikea piece.  Honestly I love it, and feel it's worth it overall.

Sharing over at:
Missmustardseed

When 1 idea fails another comes to light

Last month I spotlighted items on Etsy with this post.  I also alluded to the fact that one of these items I had purchased.  Well, within no time at all the seller Chestnut Hill Vintage shipped me not just the two I purchased, but a third she hadn't even listed yet.  Talk about a delightful surprise.  My initial thought was to simply use command hooks and hang them on the wall, much like this image below.

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So, off to the Grocery store I went and purchased these.

Saving on Rugs

This is not a sponsored post but I do love passing on good deals to others.  If you are in the market for a new rug then this website has a 75% sale going on.  I've purchased my stair runner from them, and I have been happy with the quality and price of it.  Here's the link.

My 100th post and master bedroom update.

I can't believe I've written 100 blog post.  It goes by pretty quickly, and how I have managed to find 100 things to talk about is beyond me.  I'm just going to sit here and give my self a little pat on the back :)

Just when I think I'm done updating a room, I find something else I'd like to add to it. In this case, I have found a few things I've changed in my master bedroom.  

I bought a new duvet cover from Pottery Barn, I still intend on using my other one as well but it's nice to be able to change things up a bit. You may have noticed the chair I reupholstered is gone.  I listed it on Craig's list so away it went and I have a new chair on it's way, this coming week.  Can't wait to reveal.  

I'm thinking about putting up planks where the stripes are.  I loved the look of the stripes on a Pinterest picture, but have never fallen in love with it in my own bedroom.  Also you will note the dog bed in the corner that dog doesn't use.  She loves my new duvet as well.

My $4 dollar white pillow covers from Ikea got monogrammed.  I love how they turned out.  

My 16 year old bedroom set got a bit of a face lift with the help of a company named myoverlays.  I simply spray painted and glued the fancy designs on the drawer fronts.

I finally found a foo dog that didn't break the bank, and I got the recent milk glass bowl from an estate sale. For now, I'm satisfied with the look of the room, but you never know.