Tablecloth or curtain?

Since we bought our home this past fall, I've been slowly decorating it, room by room. Our family room's extremely large windows have been tricky for me- they were so big that finding coverings I loved were really expensive, and I have a hard time justifying spending $300+ on curtains. Alas, I gave in and bought some from Anthropologie, but when they finally arrived and we hung them, they just didn't work. For one, each panel was only about 50 inches wide, which meant I'd need a total of four panels, bringing my grand total to about $500 even with my discount. NO THANK YOU! I looked and looked for reasonably priced curtains but nothing was popping out at me, and the cost to buy fabric I loved for that space was pricey as well. Then I remembered our fabulous DwellStudio tablecloth from Target. It's 60 inches wide, and 104 inches long, and cost only $20. I decided to order three more and just try them out as curtains. For a grand total of $80 you can't really go wrong, especially after sending back the much pricier Anthropologie ones. The tablecloths arrived, we hung them, and we ended up loving them! They add such a light feeling to the room, and really add to the space rather than take it over and close it off. The best part about using tablecloths is that they're already hemmed on each side, and it's so easy and cheap to change them out when the mood strikes.

We're so happy we our makeshift curtains, and I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner, especially with the huge windows in our master bedroom.

If you'd like your very own bird tablecloth curtains, you can click here to check them out at Target! They also have an 84 inch length for those with shorter windows (or tables! ha!).

Happy decorating!

{Vintage Inspiration} It's in the Details: Doilies

So I know there are some doily lovers out there, but when most of you think of a doily you probably think of your grandmother's house or of a bad homemade valentine.  Well, the vintage wedding trend has breathed new life into the doily, and I for one am really liking the fresh take on them and all of the fun ways to use them.{doily paper goods}{via etsy, via martha stewart weddings, via etsy,via

Around our home

We've been in our new home for about six months now, and now that we're more settled into the world of being new parents, I've really been focusing on trying to get out house put together the way we want. It's so fun to have rooms to decorate, and I am taking my time picking out things we really love to fill each space.  We have a long, long way to go, and the "to do" list seems never ending, but I know we will get there one day, and it'll feel great!  I thought it would be fun to give you a little, tiny peek inside our home via instagram. Enjoy!

part of our mantel

a bit of Henry's nursery. 

dinnerware

shelf in our kitchen- family portrait by Jess, chalkboard thought bubble from Red Velvet/Rachel Denbow

half of our wall of bookshelves in the front library room

our (amazingly comfy) bed- best new thing we bought last year!

dresser (that's our wedding invitation framed)

Have a great day! I'll be back in a bit with this week's "Mama Said" and Henry's belated 4-month post tomorrow. xoxo

Old chairs/new chairs

Hank and I have had these dining room chairs for a long, long time. We originally purchased the entire dining set (table and four chairs) from a woman via Craigslist about four years ago for a total of $50 or so, and she had gotten the set from her mother, and dated the Drexler pieces to the 1940s. Now, I am clueless when it comes to old furniture, but they are such quality and I've always loved them so I knew we should hold on to them. The details are really gorgeous- check out the flowers engraved on the top- and they are really sturdy pieces. Originally I wanted to get a new dining set for our new home, but recently I've become inspired to try redoing the things I already had, and I thought I would try my hand at the simple task of reupholstering the chairs. And it really was simple! Before this year I was almost an anti-DIY kind of girl. My attitude: why make anything when I could easily buy it? (sad but true). Once I took Home Ec though something in me changed, and now I LOVE making things. Sewing, crafting, creating...I can't get enough. 

I'm really proud of the way these chairs turned out, and I think they definitely add a lot to our dining room. Once I finish the room (slowly but surely- on the hunt for the perfect sideboard now) I will post photos of the entire thing. Below though I'll share the steps I took in restyling our chairs. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

fabric
scissors
screwdriver
staple gun
short staples (5/16 inch)
iron
ironing board

First, find fabric that you love. I saw this fabric at Joann's, and immediately fell in love! I initially wanted to use it to make curtains for the front sitting room/library, but the print was really too small for such a big window- perfect for our chairs though! I purchased four yards but used a total of about 3 and a 1/2 yards for the four chairs.

To get started, turn your chair over and unscrew the cushion. If you have to replace the actual cushion I can't help you there, but luckily the previous owner had redone the chairs before we got our hands on them so they were in good condition. I chose to staple my fabric right over the fabric that was already in place to save time and a lot of work. Plus, extra padding can't hurt!

Once you have the cushion off, lay it on top of your fabric and cut around it, enough to fold over onto the cushion.

Iron the fabric.

Next, staple the fabric to your cushion base. Make sure the fabric is pulled tight and the corner are folded and tucked neatly.

When you are done, trim the excess fabric and be sure that the holes are clear so you can reattach the cushion to the chair.  An optional step here would be to apply stain guard, which I didn't do.

Finally, screw the cushion back onto the chair and wa-la! You have a beautiful "new" chair!  Or in our case, four!