In the early days of being married and setting up our first home, I think I did make a few hurried and maybe rash decisions when it came to buying furniture. I think it was because I wanted to have a beautiful house as quickly as I could. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that I started to collect beautiful antique furniture from such a young age but I do look back now and ask myself, why was I in such a hurry. That seems to be the way I’ve always run my life. I’ve always been in such a hurry to get everything achieved.
These days when it comes to buying furniture for home, I find myself slowing right down to almost a halt. I haven’t really done much with our new house because, to be completely honest, I just can’t get my head around it with everything else which is going on in my life right now. I seem to be way too busy trying to keep the shop decorated and looking beautiful instead of our own home.
These days it’s all about trying to find that perfect piece for the front window display or the perfect antique cabinet or table to fit in a certain spot in the store. I find that I don’t make rash decisions these days about pieces of furniture. Instead I sit and wait patiently for the perfect piece to come along.
One such piece is the beautiful antique French bookcase which arrived in the store last Friday. I have been looking for this piece for about 8-10 months. I wanted an antique cabinet which had glass doors so that I could display things inside of it, timber shelves because I don’t like glass shelves at all, lovely carving, a straight top so that I could put things on top of it, the right size to fit on a particular wall in the shop and also be in good condition. It needed to tick all of those boxes and also be a good price.
I was so thrilled when I found this particular cabinet as it actually reminded me of one my mother has at her house. When it arrived on Friday I immediately went to work filling it with all of the new blue and white jars we had also just received into the store. I was like a child on Christmas morning.
I thought my beautiful bookcase would be in the shop for a while so that I could enjoy it. But Saturday morning I was advised that the bookcase was no longer mine. It had sold. I’m so thrilled it is going to a good home but now it's back to the drawing board.
Earlier in the year I was so impressed by the pretty Dahlias one of my clients had flowering in her garden, I decided to plant some in our garden for this Summer. About 4 1/2 weeks ago we planted 60 Dahlia Bulbs and this week I cut my very first bunch. My Mum and my Grandmother and Aunty came over yesterday afternoon and each of them picked their own large bunch to take home. It really is such a joy to be able to give flowers from my garden to my family and friends. I can't wait for the Asters and Zinnias to flower in the week ahead...
I'm throwing in the towel. I can't stand it anymore.
I have always, always, always loved white slip covered chairs and sofas. I just love them. I don't ever get tired of them. I can change the look of them by throwing a new cushion on them. They can be placed in any room in the house because they go with everything. They are perfect in every way except for 1 major problem.
White Slip Covered Chairs + 18 Month Old Baby + Big Golden Retriever = DISASTER
On the weekend the filth and grime of my white slip covered armchairs in our lounge room got to the point where I couldn't stand it any longer. I ripped off the covers and threw them into a big tub of cold water with lots of Nappy San. After a day or so of soaking I removed them and lay them out onto some towels on a big table and let them dry.
Tonight I put the covers back onto the chairs whilst they were still damp so that they would fit back on perfectly. I was so relieved to see them on the chairs looking all white, fresh and pristine.
I walked away from the chairs for approximately 3 minutes. I walked back into the lounge room and there it was. Smack bang in the middle of the seat of one of the freshly washed chair covers was a big dirty 18 month old hand print of biscuit smudged right into the fabric. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I ripped the covers off the chairs and I have vowed and declared - THAT'S IT. No more white slip covered furniture.
Tomorrow I am going to work and I am going to select a fabulous patterned fabric to cover the chairs in which will disguise the dirt and grime.
Good-bye pretty, simple, elegant, interchangeable, timeless slip covers. I promise you I'll pull you out again someday when it's safe!!
xx
Anna