enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

currently + currently.

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I really wish I could say the above photos are a before + after of our kitchen chairs. But actually I only have one of the four done. And actually, I only have enough fabric left to do one more. This was one of those projects that I closed my eyes and jumped in without giving it too much thought. The fabric is held in place with paper staples and packing tape. Not my finest hour. But it looks pretty good! And I adore the fabric. It came from good-ness, Leslie's wonderful shop. She is in the middle of moving so what's left is 40% off.

When Paul and I first moved in, I had a million and one decorating plans. I have yet to accomplish 999,996 of them. But I have high hopes for our next place.

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Leave a comment on this post with a fun decorating idea and you will be entered to win a spot in my Get Crafty online workshop. If you have already paid, I will refund your money OR let you pass the free class spot on to a friend or fellow commenter. Winner will be chosen tomorrow at 10am EST.

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79 responses to “currently + currently.”

  1. Azura Avatar
    Azura

    Makeshift chair covering is not something to be embarrassed about. Good times. They look great.

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  2. Jennifer Monroe Avatar
    Jennifer Monroe

    I love the idea of a photo wall. My husband and I are in an apartment and painting is not an option. So we let our wedding pictures brighten up our walls. All of the frames are black except for a few that are painted in an accent color!

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  3. Christina Avatar
    Christina

    Paper everything. Take leftover rolls of gift wrap and paste it on a cardboard box. Cut out shapes and decorate your walls. Line the insides of cabinets. Kind of like the nice surprise you get when a standard trench coat has a flashy lining. 🙂

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  4. mrstjshelby Avatar
    mrstjshelby

    i have piles of kid’s art…that always look a little funky on the fridge or taped to the wall. So, I grouped a bunch of those clear acrylic frames on one wall. I can change out their art-work whenever i want, it’s not glass – minimizes danger of breakage with the kid’s enthusiasm. And, it looks “intentional”. I’m happy. The kid’s feel important. It’s all good.

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  5. kristy Avatar
    kristy

    i’m one of those ‘idea’ people too. somehow it never really gets accomplished.
    currently i am working on covering one wall of my son’s bedroom in vintage maps. it’s an undertaking. (and not entirely original)
    about the most creative thing i came up with (all on my own) was our sliding glass door treatment. you see, i am not a frilly person. and dogs like curtains in a bad way.. so when we moved in i decided to take bifold closet doors and mount them in the sliding glass door opening. then i had my husband cut a porch banister in half and mount it underneath a handmade wooden window valance we put around the top. when it’s closed it looks like it leads to another room, and it fully blocks out sun and unwanted eyes. we constantly get comments on it.. and i LOVE it!
    would have loved to take your class.. but the monies not there right now… somehow i know i could’ve really benefited from your class right now!! 🙂

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  6. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    I love photo grids hung up on the wall. Here’s an example: http://www.potterybarn.com/gift/thm/THMBEDBTL/index.cfm
    But from my experience, paint is something that can really make a room and it’s fairly inexpensive.
    Love your blog! I’ve never commented before, but I read everyday. =D

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  7. Allison Avatar
    Allison

    my very favorite decorating idea is to buy super cheap frames (walmart, goodwill, hobby lobby) and spray paint them all one color (i’m really into white on white right now). then i can splurge, or not, on the art to go inside them. i love photo clusters, we have them all over the house.

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  8. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    would love a spot in your class – I have taken a bunch of miss-matched photo frames and spray painted them black. A quick and easy way to make a cohesive photo collage.

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  9. Jennifer W. Avatar
    Jennifer W.

    My favorite decorating tip — is to decorate with only things you love…that’s it. If you love it, use it and it’ll work.

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  10. Lisa Martin Avatar
    Lisa Martin

    buy/obtain/use/decorate with what you love. Not even necessarily what ‘goes’ or what’s in vogue.

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  11. lindsey Avatar
    lindsey

    Every house I have lived in I first hang my wall art in the holes that were left by the previous tenants to see if I like their decorating style. I have only changed it to something different once in 8 houses.

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  12. Frances, New Yorker in the OC Avatar
    Frances, New Yorker in the OC

    I love reading these comments because I probably need the tips the most! The most I have ever done is paint the walls in a nice apple green, which is definitely cheap for the impact, and fill jars with colorful candy for dispay…and eating.

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  13. PJ Avatar
    PJ

    GREAT idea Elise!! You could take some fabric and put it on a canvas for some wall art too 🙂

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  14. Kristie Avatar
    Kristie

    I love the chair…I think it’s perfectly ok to recover chair seats and use whatever works to hold the fabric in place…I’ve used thumb tacks and they work pretty well 🙂
    My best ultra cheap decorating tip for this week is to take a piece of 12×12 scrapbook paper that you love and stick it onto some strofoam (with the edges covered with cardstock). Then add some chipboard letters to spell out an inspirational word (my word for this year is dream), then hang it up with some pretty ribbon. Voila, a cheap and pretty piece of wall art that costs about $2 to make and looks awesome 🙂

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  15. Kelly R Avatar
    Kelly R

    That fabric is so yummy Elise.
    And count me in for a spot in your class…that would be fabulous!!!

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  16. Megan Nason Avatar
    Megan Nason

    I like displaying ordinary objects in a decorative way, such as a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen table, extra towels rolled in a basket in the bathroom, books grouped by color on a bookshelf in an office…little things make a big difference in making a place look interesting and homey.

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  17. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    Reminds me! I have a cool old record that I’m turning into a clock. I finally bought the clock parts at the craft store this past weekend and I already forgot to put it together. Thanks for the reminder.

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  18. alex hardy Avatar
    alex hardy

    i quite like the juxtaposition of your chairs.
    very “His & Hers”.
    super cool as always.

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  19. Katie_S Avatar
    Katie_S

    Good luck with covering the rest of the chairs 🙂
    I’ve signed up for your class and can’t wait – it should be lots of fun going by your descriptions!
    Cheers
    Katie

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  20. Tammy H. Avatar
    Tammy H.

    I always have 10,000 crafty ideas in my head and few come to fruition but the ones that do…glorious.
    One of the best decor tips I ever got was use what you have and LOVE. I sometimes rearrange a few elements and add one piece from another room and it’s magic.
    Since you and Paul are starting new you will acquire things you love, trust your instincts and cherish the eclectic parts that you both hold dear and make them commune as one singular masterpiece.
    Thanks for the chance to win a place in your class, that would be the most awesome Easter gift.

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  21. veronica Avatar
    veronica

    Sounds great. I love vintage frames turned into chalkboards. Spray paint vintage frame and use chalkboard paint goes great in the kitchen!

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  22. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    I love to use old lattice windows as a notice board or display item. They are hard to find and / or expensive, though, at least here in the UK. An alternative are old cupboard doors.

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  23. Angela Avatar
    Angela

    How many chairs do you have? If you only have four chairs in the set, do one in the new fabric and leave one as is. I think that would look cool. And solves your lack of matching fabric problem too!

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  24. ~Kristina Avatar
    ~Kristina

    the chairs look great!
    a deco idea we run with in our house is let kids help. Sometimes our 4 yr old knows exactly where things look right. Display random artwork. Don’t ask too many people for opinions or you may not ever get started on any decor.

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  25. JJB Avatar
    JJB

    oh i do love those chairs…we’re still deciding on what we want our dining room “to be”
    my decorating tip…get rid of the clutter (easier said than done!) and frame a cluster of photos in similar frames, and voila… a focal wall

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  26. Kristen DeSimone Avatar
    Kristen DeSimone

    One of my favorite decorating tips is to tell people…do NOT be afraid of color! Color is your friend. PAINT is your friend! And it is versatile! And easy. A fresh coat of paint can make an entire room look brand new even if everything in it is hand-me-downs.

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  27. Mae Avatar
    Mae

    What a cute fabric for your chair. Can’t even tell you did it yourself…you’re awesome. You can probably frame some of the yummy papers you have (as shown from your previous post). I bet that would really look cute with different sizes of vintage frames.

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  28. Cameron Avatar
    Cameron

    I found these cool long, skinny shadowbox frames which are meant to hang the tassle from a graduation cap. They even have a hook at the top to hang it from. Instead, I took out the graduation stuff and hang my favorite necklaces inside, so I can enjoy them even when I’m not wearing them and they function as art and a conversation piece.

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  29. Elaine R Avatar
    Elaine R

    I’m NOT even joking, But I saw those chairs too and i WAS GOING TO SEND YOU THE LINK!!!!! Not even kidding! I saw the gray and the circles and the prettiness and thought of you because I know you are loving gray right now as am i! I’m so glad you saw them and BLGOGED ABOUT THEM because i was totes going to send you that link!
    brilliant!

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