Have I told you I have a big red couch? Not only a big red couch but a matching red love seat. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Now? Not so much. I've read or seen on tv when choosing colors for decorating your house you should look in your closet. I have maybe one red shirt. Why did I think I would want to look at a red couch for 10 or so years? It was cool for about a year or I tried to pretend it was, then I began to face the ugly truth. I am stuck with a couch I don't like for a good long while. So I began trying to ignore the fact that it was red. Use colors I like as accents and pretend the red was a neutral. You know, red is the new beige. I do like aqua. I'm wearing an aqua shirt right now. So I started looking for fabric that was both red and aqua. I had an image in my head of what I wanted but couldn't find it. The closest I came was a tropical feeling print. It was a greenish aqua with some orange-ish red. Next to the couch the orange looked more red so I went with that even though it wasn't what I had in mind. I made throw pillows, a cornice cover, and a couple of fleece lined blankets. I was luke warm about it. I liked it, didn't love it. Last week I was in Crate and Barrel and saw the perfect plate to make my red play nicely with some aqua. I L-O-V-E this plate! They also had napkins with, you guessed it, aqua and red with some lovely brown in the mix. Oh how I love brown and aqua. When I got them home and started making pillow covers out of the napkins I realized I had several Denyse Schmidt prints from the Flea Market Fancy collection that also had the shade of aqua I wanted and coordinated beautifully with the C&B stuff. I bought the DS fabric for purses and never thought of using it in the house. I'm happy with the results and I guess I can live with the big red monster and her little sister for a while longer. It was really a quick change that cost very little. Just 2 napkins ($5.95 each) less than two yards of fabric and stuff I already had. In the pictures below the first picture is the plate that inspired the change. The other pictures are before the change.
And some after pictures.
The napkins made 2 pillows with some scraps left. To squeeze one more pillow in I used the scraps in a log cabin pillow. Certainly not as beautiful as Lisa's but inspired by. It is my favorite thing in the room now. I want to make 10 more. I know that "less is more" and that pieces like this have a bigger impact alone but I have trouble with moderation when I like something.
This guy doesn't care what color the couch is today.
He went to the doctor this morning and has pneumonia and bronchitis. He had mono this time last year. He doesn't get sick often but when he does, he has to do it in a big way.
So on to gratitude Friday.
- I am grateful for the antibiotics that will have him feeling better in a few days and for the tylenol that brings his fever down.
- I'm grateful that school is out so we won't have to worry about how many days he misses and making up work.
- My sister (who is quite the drama queen) was in a bit of a crisis this week and since I don't deal with drama very well I am very grateful it is resolved.
- I don't know if this falls under grateful, or something that makes me very happy and proud. Not proud like I had anything to do with it but proud to know kind of proud. Kelli's son Nick graduates from high school today. Nick is a SUPER kid. He's kind and considerate and polite. Just an all around good kid. I am proud for my friends Kelli and Norman. Congratulations on raising a wonderful boy and congratulations Nick on finishing this chapter of your life.
- I'm grateful for all the things that make summer time beautiful. Rain, sunshine, green grass, flowers, birds, the ocean, long days, fresh from the garden vegetables.... I could go on and on.....
