Not-So-Surprised

I love when you order something special in the mail and then you forget it's coming. It's like a surprise even though you're not surprised. Know what I mean? Well, the other day my not-so-surprise came. Inside a package that arrived was a stack of fabrics samples, all bundled together perfectly and wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with an oh-so-cute sticker. Nathan suggested I rip into it; he did not appreciate the fine wrapping.

Here they are after I delicately took the tissue paper and sticker off. I appreciate this:

So, "What's this fabric all about?", you're wondering. I told you all that I wanted to Dress My Nest (link). Well, I picked my inspiration items for Thom and he never showed. Really, I thought we were much closer than that.

So... I figured I was on my own in the whole redesign project for my downstairs. I have looked high and low for months now to find the perfect fabrics for my curtains, which will then become the color palette for my downstairs. Aren't you dying to see them? Now, some of them didn't arrive in the bundle of fabrics above, so I'm looking forward to my next not-so-surprise to arrive in the mail with the remainder.

I've chosen to use the fabrics from Anna Maria Horner's collection called The Drawing Room (link). What I love about this collection is that they are all bold and fun. And, while one wouldn't say they 'matched', they all magically go together and you can use them together like a collage. I'm going to narrow it down to a few of these and use them together, like the wild and crazy stay-at-home-mom that I am.

I really like the fabric called Sketchbook-- you can see it above (it's the yellow one draped on the chair and has the bird on it). They also have it in blue. Here is a tiny snipit of the blue version:

I suppose you also want to know why I am re-doing my downstairs. Well, for one, we have lived here almost 9 years and some stuff simply needs updated. Other items never got done in the first place (like white walls that never got painted). And, finally, I really had no sense of style then. I thought that when you bought a house you simply went to Kirklands and bought whatever was on sale. I'm now learning that I want to fill my house with things I love. I am thankful for friends who have opened my eyes to a whole world of beautiful fabrics and various styles. My current house does not reflect me or the things I love which is the new look I'm going for. I figure I'm in my house 90% of my day so I might as well make it beautiful for me to enjoy.

So, Thom...... you are still welcome to come. But, in the meantime I plan to start dressing my own nest!