A little fabric goes a long way...

As you can see from some other photos posted on my blog, my dining room chairs usually have slipcovers on. One of the main reasons for this was I didn't care for the fabric covering the seats. There wasn't really anything wrong with it - it was a sort of nondescript beige/orange Southwestern plaid. And even though it wasn't exactly my taste, at first it was fine. The chairs sat for quite a few years uncovered.

But then, well, things changed. I fell in love with the light, airy Shabby Chic look (thank you Rachel Ashwell). The Universe then serendipitously brought me slipcovers I loved and could afford - six matching slipcovers on clearance for $30 total (regularly $20 each)! So, my chairs got beautiful slipcovers and I smiled every time I walked into the dining room.

But last year, I got the itch to remove the covers and enjoy the pretty lines of the table and chairs - that was, after all, why we purchased it originally. The problem was that seat fabric. Then I remembered I had purchased some old fabric on eBay awhile ago. In the way things that are meant to be tend to work out, the fabric was perfect. It suited the chairs, the current color scheme in the house - and there was just enough to go around. Even my little Shih Tzu seemed to approve. 

I wish I had thought back then to take a "before" photo, but I didn't. My earlier description should give you a pretty good idea, though, of what the old fabric looked like. The "after" photo is posted here. Doesn't the chair look lovely? Now I have a dining room table and chairs that make me smile covered or not. How fabulous is that?

I share this for a couple reasons. One, when I decided I really wanted to add some beauty to my world by changing my dining room chairs, the Universe provided - not once, but twice. This sort of thing happens to me all the time, reinforcing my belief that we truly are meant to embrace what we feel is beautiful. And two, remaking your environment to brighten your life really doesn't have to be expensive. Creativity (and a little luck) goes a long way.