Erin C.'s Profile

Two of my favs for adding a pop. Definitely great for summer, but very uplifting in winter too!

Love your home. All the vintage details mixed with some modern really work. I aspire to do more crafting and sewing and your workspace is inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

I have the Karlstadt sofa along with three slipcovers, two white and one natural linen. We almost always have one of the two white ones on as they are machine washable. I strongly agree with the sentiment that white, washable slipcovered furniture is absolutely the way to go as far as upholstery. We had a dark neutral cotton twill upholstered sofa prior to the Karlstadt and after five years the fabric looked so awful the whole couch had to go. With Ikea sofas, you can essentially reupholster your sofa for as little as $50.00. How can you go wrong? Yes, changing an Ikea slipcover does take around an hour and some ironing/steaming is required, but I've found it's only necessary to launder them every four or five months (as long as no major mishaps occur) to keep it looking nice and clean. Because the white slipcovered Karlstadt worked out so well, we bought the Kivik with white slipcover for our basement and love it too. So do it!
PS We don't have kids, but do have a cat and a dog and when we do have children, I honestly can't imagine going any other way than white slipcovered Ikea!

Cutting in means taking a brush and painting around the edges of the area you're working on where you can't use the roller without touching trim, ceiling, etc. It's necessary to cut in around doors and windows too. And I agree that this should be done first. If you're painting a large area, it's a good idea to cut in a little, then roll a little, always keeping a wet edge, especially with anything other than flat paint. And I agree, you should always cut first.

I also totally agree about the priming thing. The only time you really shouldn't have to prime is if you're going over a light-colered flat paint. It's definitely necessary to prime over patching compound and over any sort of glossy paint, even just eggshell.

Another step that can make a big difference in the quality of your finished paint job is caulking up cracks around trim where needed.

I am in the process of painting our living room right now and am sharing some tips, so this is quite timely!

29and30.blogspot.com

Does anyone know of a source(s) for a fixture similar to the one in the third photo (above the baby)? I've been obsessed with it since I saw that house tour, but haven't come across anything in looking online. I know it's mentioned in the tour that the one pictured is original to the home.

I was just reflecting on how to add some color to my kitchen, and though I'm not sure that it will be via a cup collection, the bright cheery kitchen pics were quite timely. Thanks!
http://29and30.blogspot.com/

When my husband (then my fiance) graduated from college and got his first job and first post-college apartment I found an old primitive-look, white-washed drysink at an antique store for him (and later us) to use as a bar. We made the investment (a couple hundred dollars) because we knew we wanted a bar to be a permanent fixture in any home we made. I spent the next four years keeping an eye out for a glass front cupboard to hang above it for glassware, and finally found one, really dirty, but painted an awesome shade of blue-green, at an architectural salvage store. Unfortunately I haven't gotten it cleaned up and in use yet, but hopefully soon! Meanwhile, the original bar remains well-stocked!