Ep. 404: Trials and Triumphs

Summary

Episode 404: Trials and Triumphs

Release Date: March 11, 2025
Host: Ballard Designs
Title: How to Decorate

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Introduction to Trials and Triumphs

In this episode of How to Decorate by Ballard Designs, hosts Caroline, Taryn, and Liz dive into a heartfelt discussion about their recent home decorating projects. The episode, aptly titled "Trials and Triumphs," offers listeners an intimate look into the challenges and successes the hosts have experienced while enhancing their living spaces over the past months.

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Holiday Season Challenges and Achievements

The conversation kicks off with the hosts reflecting on the busy holiday season. Caroline humorously notes, "It has come to my attention that we have not done a Trials and Triumphs episode since before Thanksgiving. It's been a long time, and that is a problem." (00:40)

Liz shares her experiences with hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in years, proudly announcing, "Everything was on the table at the same time. So I'm owning that for Thanksgiving." (01:55) The successful gathering serves as a significant triumph amidst the numerous projects Liz undertook.

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Dining Room Makeover and Unexpected Setbacks

Liz recounts her decision to redo the dining room chairs, opting for a playful and colorful IKEA fabric that offers an easy and temporary refresh: "It's super fun. It's not going to last forever, but I feel like I can change these out more often." (02:27) This approach allows for flexibility and continual updates to the space.

However, not all was smooth. Just before Thanksgiving, Liz faced an unexpected challenge when her heater broke down, necessitating the installation of a new, more efficient furnace. "But I totally redid my dining room chairs... and then just before a cold spell, my heater went out, and we had to get a totally new furnace the Friday before Thanksgiving before everybody arrived." (03:19) Despite the setback, Liz views this as a positive change, appreciating the upgrade from the 25-year-old original heater.

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Creative Decorating Solutions and Collaboration

The hosts discuss innovative decorating strategies inspired by previous episodes and guest appearances. Liz highlights a tip from Carson Kressley about involving guests in decorating the Christmas tree: "It turned out to be really... a really great thing to have like more people involved in it." (05:45) This collaborative effort not only eased Liz's workload but also enhanced the overall festive experience.

Taryn shares her triumphs in revamping her youngest child's room. She detailed the process of integrating antique headboards with modern twin beds, choosing a cohesive color palette, and adding personalized touches like custom bed skirts and themed pillows. "I just have to get through... we're just trying to pick out a king bed for in there, but we're taking our time because it's not... there's a place to sleep." (11:35)

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Caroline’s New Hobby: Needlepoint Stockings

A standout segment of the episode features Caroline introducing her new hobby—needlepoint. Inspired by a TikTok video, Caroline embarked on creating personalized stockings for her family. "I learned everything I needed to know on TikTok, went to my local needlepoint store, bought some canvas... and I'm now almost finished with Birdie stocking." (25:00)

Caroline discusses the therapeutic benefits of needlepoint as a screen-free activity and shares her enthusiasm for combining creativity with relaxation. "It's a very... very good mentally for me to be like creating with my hands versus just sitting." (28:31) She encourages listeners to explore similar crafts, highlighting the satisfaction of creating something handmade and personalized.

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Upcoming Projects and Future Plans

As spring approaches, the hosts briefly touch upon their plans for the coming months. Taryn mentions aspirations to enhance their outdoor spaces, including planting wildflowers in the front yard and optimizing the greenhouse for better plant growth. "David has a bunch of seedlings already, like, growing under the lamp in the back corner of our entry. So I know it won't be long till he's outside fully." (35:05)

Liz indicates a focus on reorganizing her pantry and transforming her basement art studio back into a functional space. The discussion underscores a collective excitement for future projects, despite acknowledging the inevitable return of new challenges as seasons change.

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Closing Thoughts and Encouragement

The episode wraps up with the hosts encouraging listeners to share their own decorating dilemmas and successes. Caroline emphasizes the importance of starting projects without waiting for perfection: "Don't wait for the whole project to come together. Just get started." (15:34)

They also tease future episodes that will likely continue to explore both indoor and outdoor decorating ventures, promising more insights and personal stories from the Ballard Designs team.

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Notable Quotes:

• Caroline: "I have a girlfriend who is really into it, and she's needle pointed me coasters that I've posted about." (25:07)
• Liz: "What I needed was like a pattern that's... not florally. Right." (12:18)
• Taryn: "It's like the wallpaper was so busy that the bedding can't have a pattern, per se." (12:34)

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This episode of How to Decorate beautifully encapsulates the blend of creativity, resilience, and collaboration required in home decorating. Whether you're navigating unexpected setbacks or embarking on new creative endeavors, the hosts provide relatable insights and inspiration for every decorator’s journey.

Transcript

[Caroline]

Free audio post production by alphonic.com welcome to how to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home. I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team.

[Taryn]

And I'm Taryn, and I'm a product designer.

[Liz]

I'm Liz. I head of the creative team.

[Caroline]

We're your hosts. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world.

[Taryn]

Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.

[Liz]

We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email [e-mail] now, on with the show.

[Caroline]

It has come to my attention that we have not done a Trials and triumphs episode since before Thanksgiving. It's been a long time, and that is a problem.

[Taryn]

So hopefully we've done something right. Accomplished something.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Well, I think making it through the holidays is an accomplishment.

[Liz]

I.

[Caroline]

No matter how many projects you've done.

[Liz]

You know, I think making it through February has been.

[Caroline]

Yeah, that's true.

[Liz]

I don't know how the shortest month has felt like the longest month, but we're totally good.

[Caroline]

Here we are.

[Liz]

Here we are.

[Caroline]

Well, who wants to go first? We're gonna do some trials and triumphs.

[Liz]

Taryn, do you wanna go?

[Taryn]

No, it doesn't. You can go ahead.

[Liz]

Okay. Okay. I'll go first. So it's starting to be spring. I'm totally, honestly, you guys just emerging from this cocoon of winter. Like, it's been. It's been a hefty winter. And so I kind of wanted to recap all the things that I did before the holidays to kind of prep because I haven't done much around my house since then.

[Caroline]

That's okay. You've been. It's a busy time of year. I feel like it's hard to.

[Liz]

Yeah. But I totally did a lot for Thanksgiving and did. So I hosted for the first time in a long time, and first of all, big win. Everything was on the table at the same time. So I'm owning that for Thanksgiving.

[Taryn]

That is a huge accomplishment for Thanksgiving.

[Liz]

I was really grateful for that one that worked.

[Caroline]

But.

[Liz]

But I totally redid my dining room, where I recovered my dining room chairs.

[Taryn]

Oh, yeah, Walk us through that. What's that fabric look like?

[Liz]

Yeah, so it's. I wanted to do something really kind of playful and colorful in there, and I had some IKEA fabric from one of their latest releases that I just put on there. It's a slipsy. So it's a very easy pop the seat off, wrap the fabric around, staple it on, put it back. So it's super fun. It's not going to last forever, but I feel like I can change these out more often.

[Taryn]

That's the fun part.

[Liz]

And it was just a really fun quick refresh. So that was great. And then I put in.

[Caroline]

Did we talk about this already, or did we. We just talk about this already?

[Liz]

I think we just talked about that.

[Taryn]

I don't remember this. I'll put it that way. But I also forget things.

[Liz]

Okay. I documented the process, and I know that I haven't shared those images yet with our listeners. So I can. I've got. I've got process perfect. I'm trying to be better about that. And then we updated some rugs in the living room and dining room, and I thought I was all done. And then just before a cold spell, my heater went out, and we had to get a totally new furnace the Friday before Thanksgiving before everybody arrived.

[Caroline]

Oh, no.

[Taryn]

So, yikes.

[Liz]

Totally unexpected expense for the holidays.

[Taryn]

Yeah. Especially that month.

[Caroline]

Right?

[Liz]

Totally. Okay. But you know what? It's. It's all for the best because our previous heater came with the house. It was 25 years old. It did its best. It sounded like a sloppy jalopy. Every time it started up, it was like, so. Yeah. So now we have this, like, wonderful, new, efficient heater. We're just going with it.

[Caroline]

Okay, nice.

[Liz]

And then one last kind of triumph is I want to give a shout out to Carson Kressley, who was on our show before the holidays, giving us tips on entertaining. And he gave us the tip of, like, having everyone decorate your tree after Thanksgiving while you've got people there. Just put them to work. And I did. And it was wonderful.

[Taryn]

Aw.

[Caroline]

So you got to have a Christmas tree this year.

[Liz]

So I had a Christmas tree.

[Caroline]

Aw.

[Liz]

Yeah. And it was so sweet. My nephew was super into it and was like. He was like, the only thing that would make this better is eggnog.

[Caroline]

And I was like, just me.

[Liz]

I have.

[Taryn]

You're like, I have eggnog.

[Caroline]

Oh, my God. If any of our listeners remember last year, I believe you tried to talk your family into helping you decorate the tree. And there were no takers.

[Liz]

There were no takers either.

[Caroline]

I can't remember whether you did it yourself or you just didn't do it.

[Liz]

Oh, no, I did all. I. I did it all myself.

[Caroline]

So, see, this way, you had some help. That's perfect. Yeah.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

That's not fair. You know what?

[Liz]

This turned out to be really. This turned out to be a really great. A really great thing to have like more people involved in it. I got. I had more decorations just kind of at the ready. So that was, that was the best thing that I could have done.

[Caroline]

Yeah, like you had it all organized and set up to where all you had to do is like, put it out and then.

[Liz]

Yeah, right. I had everything teed up, so that's perfect. And the eggnog to boot. So that was great. Um, and that took all my energy. And now it's spring.

[Caroline]

I know, isn't it? I feel like Atlanta is always such a tease because of course we had like a. A big snow. We had a lot of really cold. And then we had like a random 70 degree week. 70 degree weekend. Um, and that always happens here. And so then you kind of like get in the mood for spring. And now it's like kind of chilly again, but.

[Taryn]

Oh yeah, it takes that one.

[Caroline]

Hopefully it'll be in early spring.

[Taryn]

Yeah, that one.

[Liz]

The daffodils are popping.

[Caroline]

Yes, the daffodils are popping. It's always very cherry blossom.

[Taryn]

Wait, cherry trees or you're talking about Thanksgiving. I was like, that feels like a million years ago at this point.

[Caroline]

I don't know if you've done anything to your background or maybe I can just see it better for some reason today. But it looks so cute with your little Devon lamp and your red lips and your red headphones.

[Liz]

Looks are looking good on the purple walls.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Liz]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Caroline]

Thanks.

[Liz]

All right.

[Caroline]

Taryn, how about you? Oh, wait, is that it? Was that at the end or was it okay?

[Liz]

I got nothing else.

[Taryn]

Yeah, I've had quite a few triumphs. I feel like in the last little bit, we switched my youngest out of his crib and put in twin beds.

[Caroline]

So we scooted those few of these on stories. So I'm excited to hear the full. The full recap. Yeah.

[Taryn]

So again, like most, you know, I'm trying to use what we have. And so we still had two wooden headboards that I have like pediment style that were my sister had that were antiques that she gave to us. And I still had those in the basement. And we had the twin beds in a guest room situation. So we actually decided to move the twins into miles room and set those up and with a new headboard or with the headboards from the basement. And then I realized because of the beadboard, like it kind of hits weird like a little too low. And I probably need a taller headboard, but I think we're gonna make them work for right now because they're cute headboards. I think it's just with nine foot ceilings, they feel a little stouted, especially with the beadboard, the way it kind of, they, they kind of interact, but overall still pretty good. And then there's a wallpaper in there that's this travel wallpaper and it's this turquoisey blue and then there's red and like a little bit of black and like kind of a goldie color is in this wallpaper and it's all mixed in. So the, the beadboard is the blue. The headboards are this like old walnutty kind of tone. So then I was trying to figure out what bedding to get, you know, for just a little boy. And I just got fixated that it needed to be a gingham or a stripe. So I did a lot of searching and I finally found enough check or buffalo check style in like a taupey color. And I was like, okay, this is kind of a good basic because from here I could do a different skirt. I could do something fun with the skirt. And then I put it on the bed and I was like, it's just kind of reading flat. So I was like, what do I need? I need like a throw. So I picked out a throw and I was like, these are too expensive for right now. I gotta wait. And so then I decided to do my old trick that I've done on many a thing and bought some grow grain ribbon and was like, I'm going to trim this out. I'm just going to add some trim detail to this. So we have a co worker who is into quilting and so she is always sewing. So I pulled out my sewing machine, which didn't work. And then I was like, I'm going to reach out to this co worker. And she so sweetly was like, yeah, I'll do it. And she did it in like no time flat. And she added this blue, this kind of turquoisey French blue. It's somewhere between trim all, all around the edge of the bedspreads in there. And it just like made it come together. And then it's a travel wallpaper. So I bought some little London double decker bus pillows for both beds. And it just. And I painted a. The lampshade with some stripes and. And the lamp, the lamp I found at Ballard, it's one of our blue gourd lamps. So I got that and then I just to make it More playful. I decided to paint the shade with some stripes so we really kind of.

[Caroline]

My God, put it. The shade was so cute.

[Taryn]

Thank you. And then I found some hoofs that had yellow trim, but, like a linen kind of grayish linen base. But it had just the piping was this kind of yellow color. And so I bought those for the ends of the beds. And then what else? Oh, and so I just bought this burlwood side table to put between the two twins. There's not a lot of space, so I needed to be pretty specific with the width. But I was trying to get the most width I could just because it is a bigger lamp kind of between the two beds. So, yeah, that was. That has been my fun little project. The table's not in yet, but I got. Everything else is kind of coming along. I'll do something fun with, like, the bed skirts at some point, but, you know, so it. We just switched up his little room, and I kind of need a different piece of furniture now for, like, his books. So I'm kind of trying to decide, do I do a tall bookcase or do I do, like, a little reading bench with cubby? You know, it's because it feels very short. Like, he wants the books in there right now, but, like, eventually we'd be able to move them. So I'm kind of trying to find something for there. So. Yeah, that was my big.

[Caroline]

Can I tell you something funny?

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

In the cycle of us having the same things in our house, like our rug and our paint color and our bed, I also bought that H and M Buckingham duvet.

[Taryn]

Oh, you did?

[Caroline]

For Blair.

[Taryn]

You did.

[Caroline]

It comes in pink as well. Oh, fun. So that was funny.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

I was like, yep, got that one.

[Taryn]

Well, I had found a few different websites. You know, I love our bedding too, but I just didn't find anything that worked for this space specifically. So I. You know, that's when you. I. I needed something more masculine, and I definitely wanted. I got it stuck. I just wanted this check, and so.

[Caroline]

I know. Yeah. Gingham. Yeah. So it's funny. Cause I, like, got it for the same reason, but different. Like, I had this sort of busy sheet, and so I was like, I need a pattern that's, like, not. Not florally. Right.

[Liz]

That can ground.

[Caroline]

You know what I mean? Like, I needed something angular, and it's kind of like you did the same thing with the headboard. Like, you needed a specific kind of.

[Taryn]

It's like the wallpaper was so busy that you don't want the Bedding. The bedding can't have a pattern, per se. It needs to have like a. Or a smaller pattern that would work with the big overall pattern.

[Caroline]

So.

[Taryn]

Yeah, I guess it's just pattern matching to your point. Yeah. Because then I did little red stripes on the. You know, so I have a few different fabrics, but hopefully not overly competing.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

So that was my big one. Big one.

[Caroline]

It looked adorable.

[Taryn]

And the other thing I did recently and then I can be done. I know I had a lot of positives here. We got some Adirondack chairs for this little, like, nook next to the greenhouse outside. And David pebbled a little path and put those down. So those are looking great. And then very main.

[Liz]

I love that you're embracing the. The greenhouse too.

[Taryn]

Just like this. Oh, the greenhouse. Got a table. David got some chairs for it. And then he ordered this marble stone top iron base table to go in there. Because we, like, talked about things molding in there. And like, what do you, like, what do you want to put in there that's going to kind of like take it? So, yeah, we decided glasses in, correct? Yes, the glass is in. So he's been using it. He has a heater in there because it's been cold. So all winter he's had his little heater in there for the plants. And on days like this, which are sunny and beautiful, it's hot in there. He's got his thermometer and watching it. So that's been super fun. He says things are growing. I haven't been out to venture to see what's growing, if he means mold or. And. Or plants, but something's growing.

[Caroline]

Some boats.

[Taryn]

And then lastly, I have been putting off putting up a lot of things in our back hallway, our entry hallway. Again, this also has beadboard halfway up. And the blue matches all the cabinetry. And then it's just white walls. And I have wanted to put up wallpaper, but, like, this is very low on my. Like to do. Right. Like. And I've thought about just even painting some stripes or something simple that I could do. But again, just so low on my. To do that. It's like, still I had not hung up hooks for, like, dog leash and hats and stuff. We've been just stuffing them kind of cabinet for so long. And I think David just finally got fed up. He's like, where are the hooks? So I got some unlacquered brass hooks finally. And I was like, just put them up. If we wallpaper, we can take them down. I gotta Stop putting it off for this. Like, we're gonna. It's gonna be this amazing thing, you know? So I know we've talked about that a lot where it's just like, just do it again. It was $60 worth of hooks and they look great and of course it functions and like, we need a little bench to go under it again. Don't wait for the whole project to come together. Just get started. And so I was happy to see that little nook was a little bit better. So. Yeah, so I think those were my big ones recently that I remember that we did for the house.

[Caroline]

So that's a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Miles's room is so cute.

[Taryn]

Oh, thank you. It is fun when it. There's so many colors to play with and it's already set that part set. So it's just kind of like taking it and like moving it around and shifting and see what we had. Really tried not to buy too much and it's come together well. So that's. That's always when you're like, yes, okay, that was a good win project.

[Caroline]

Will you send. Will you send us some photos so we can put them in the episode? Because. And also because I want to see them because I've been trying to spend less time on Instagram, so I felt like I would catch little snippets of what you were doing, but I didn't. I don't. I think I probably missed something.

[Taryn]

I don't know if I took a final because again, the side table is like the one we have, like, just as a retro, you know, it doesn't fit well. And so I don't think I've like taken a stylized shot. But yes, I have some. And also, I mean, everyone knows everything's a work in progress, so I'll definitely put some.

[Caroline]

Cool. All right, Well, I. I'm excited because I have had something that I wanted to share and I haven't on the podcast in a while. It's. I probably have told y'all, but. Okay, so where do I even start? Basically, you know, we've got like a TV room where we have like a big L shaped, L shaped sectional that sort of hugs the wall. And I repainted that a few years ago and got the sectional. Well, I'd sort of been thinking for the past couple of years that I could probably fit another chair in there. It's a big sectional and it's, you know, there's tons of space, but occasionally, like if we have people over the super bowl or a football game, with, like, two kids, two adults, and then anybody else comes over, like, it starts to get a little, you know, cramped. So I always kind of thought I had, like, an. A little spot where I could put an armchair, but it's. It was pretty shallow, and it's sort of in a walkway, so I knew that it needed to be a very specific depth. Right. Like, probably about 30 inches, which for most armchairs is, like, kind of small. Right. You know, Ballard, for the most part, our chairs start at, like, 34 inches to, like, 40 inches deep. So I've always kind of had my eye out, certainly looking at Ballard, but never really found anything, just because it's really hard to find something in that space. And anyway, so then last fall, I went to a project that Kristin Kong did in Madison, Georgia, which is on our house, which is on our YouTube channel. And check it out. And she had these two great swivel chairs in that project that she'd had custom made. And when I saw him in person, I was like, this is exactly what I want. I need. It was, you know, like a skirted swivel chair, but it was very shallow. And I just kind of saw them, was like, this is exactly what I need, but where? Like, where do I find this? And she, of course, had had them custom made for her client, but she, like, gave me the information for the person that made them for her, and I reached out to him, and of course, like, it was a good bit more than I wanted to spend. So I kind of hemmed and hawed about it for a while, and, you know, like, it wasn't crazy. And there was a part of me that thought, you know, it'll be exactly what I want. Maybe I should just do it. But it certainly wasn't a need. Right? So anyways, one day I was randomly driving my kids to school, and it just occurred to me, I wonder if I can find anything on Facebook Marketplace, because it is really hard to find new chairs in this depth, because I looked everywhere. But vintage chairs actually are typically a lot shallower. So I was like, maybe I can find something that's a vintage chair on Facebook Marketplace and just have it reupholstered. Well, I did, and so I bought these. I found these two chairs that were, like, 70s swivel chairs, very low slung, very shallow, in, like, a gold velvet. Awesome. That actually didn't look as bad as I thought it would, but it was. It was very worn out. Like, it was bread bare in places. So. And there was a. So I initially was like, okay, I can Definitely fit one chair. But maybe I can fit two chairs. It might be, like, a little tight. Well, I did what we always suggest to people. I. I did our. I used our room planner tool. I measured, measured multiple times. I took two chairs from a different room, put them there for a week. See, like, if I do this, is it going to block? The walkway is going to be too big anyway, so got those. They fit perfectly. I took them to the upholsterer. I had them reupholstered in a krypton fabric that was in our clearance section. It was like a. It's a great looking, sort of like oatmeal color with a paisley on it. And I had them sort of read. They had to, like, redo the cushions they had. And I had them put on a waterfall skirt. Hold on, let me see if I can.

[Taryn]

I haven't seen images of this.

[Caroline]

I know, I know, because I've been saving it for an episode. Okay, wait, let me. Let me go way back in time and find a before picture.

[Taryn]

Okay.

[Caroline]

This is the before picture. So you all can see cute gold, real gold and velvet, like, Super 70s gold. Yep. But, gosh, they. They're like, like, unrecognizable now.

[Taryn]

That's awesome. Oh, so cute.

[Liz]

Those look great.

[Caroline]

So the. It was.

[Taryn]

Wow.

[Caroline]

I kind of. I went pretty. Pretty, you know, classic with it because I knew I didn't want to do. So I did have, like, a lot of back and forth and questions about the fabric. So I'll kind of walk y'all through what I chose, why I chose that. I didn't want to do a solid. Cause I already had this really big, solid sectional, so I felt like it needed to be a pattern. But the where, the location of these chairs, you're sort of, like, looking past them into, like, big sliding glass doors. They're in a walkway. So I just felt like they kind of needed to be something a little bit more, like, subtle, I guess.

[Liz]

Yeah. Something that can melt away.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah.

[Liz]

Grab too much attention.

[Caroline]

Yeah, exactly. And of course, my go to would have been a stripe, except that my rug is striped, so I couldn't do a stripe. I thought about a window pane, but ultimately, I kind of loved, like, organic feel of the paisley. And it's a krypton anyway. And I had them sort of redo the skirt to make it a waterfall skirt. I put a chocolate brown trim on the bottom. And I did. Was doing all of this while we were planning our fall collection and our, like, designing, like, that whole fall collection. And so we Have a lot of really fabulous pillows coming.

[Liz]

We do.

[Caroline]

So I sort of, like, pulled a bunch of pillow fabrics, did the paisley. So I have a lot of pillows that I'll be buying in late July, early August to help complete the space and tie it all together. But I did get two of our brand new Mercy linen pillows to go in them. And they're these great, like, sort of color block. Would you say it's like a sort of mauvy lavender with, like a brighter lavender in the middle. Anyway, they look great. I'll share a picture on the blog or on the podcast in the show notes.

[Liz]

Super cute.

[Caroline]

Anyway, and I feel like that was a pro move. Oh, it. You know what? I surprised even myself because basically by the time I bought the fabric and the trim and paid for the labor of the chairs, it was less than one of the chairs that I would.

[Liz]

Have had to have custom made to have custom made.

[Caroline]

So I was gonna get two chairs and both of these. Getting them on Facebook Marketplace and reupholstering was the cost of, like, one chair.

[Taryn]

That's so great.

[Caroline]

So I felt like, okay, like, I. I've done my best to make this as affordable as possible, but I will say I feel like people talk themselves out of getting things reupholstered because it can be pretty expensive. Um, especially when you've got to buy, like, you know, 6 to 10 yards of fabric, depending on your chair. But it's just, you can get exactly what you want. Anyway, I was really pleased with the whole experience. So check out your Facebook Marketplace. Buy a local upholsterer, you know.

[Taryn]

Yeah, that's good advice. I actually bought a dresser from Facebook Marketplace yesterday because I needed something. Is that the Burl with dresser? No, it's a different one. I've been looking for a side table on there, though. I have been. I. I do like how it feeds you. Once you, like, look for something, it continues to feed you the products, and you're like, oh, good. But no, I bought a big dresser for this guest room that I've now ripped apart.

[Caroline]

So I've gotta, like, you borrowed from.

[Taryn]

I borrowed from. So now I'm redoing that, but slowly. But I did find a campaign style one. Very kind of clean and fresh, but yeah. So I think it'll be a good shape to start kind of the space with. So, yeah. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Anyway, so those are my chairs. I kind of had. I had them. I got them back before Christmas. So I've been waiting to talk about them on the podcast and I just.

[Taryn]

Oh, my Gosh, that's it.

[Caroline]

We haven't recorded.

[Taryn]

Long time you waited.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, that was my big triumph, and I don't really have anything house related, but I think I have shared with y'all my new hobby that I've picked up.

[Taryn]

The needle pointing.

[Caroline]

Yes, I. Okay. There is quite the needlepoint community on Tick Tock, and I got sucked in and tick. And needlepoint is my new personality. I'm. I'm kind of kidding, but no, I. So right before Christmas, I had seen this Tick Tock video of this woman who cross stitched her whole family stockings. And they were so cute. Yeah. She had never cross stitched before. And growing up, we had always had needlepoint stockings that I think, like, my great aunt had made for us, but I never really considered getting some for our family just because I guess I just never really found some needlepoint stockings that I really liked. Like, a lot of times I feel like some of those stockings are, like, so Christmassy, you know, like, it has Santa's face on it. And I. That's. I don't know. That's not really my vibe. I kind of want it to feel, like, festive, but not, like, full. Now, I say that, of course, the stockings that I actually do have have Santa's face anyway, and there's nothing against that. I just felt like it's not really. Like, there was never anything I found that made me want to buy some needlepoint stockings, like the ones I had growing up. But seeing this person's TikTok, I was like, I wonder if I could learn to needlepoint. Like, is that something I could just pick up? I learned everything I needed to know on TikTok, went to my local needlepoint store, bought some canvas. I also decided I. I have a girlfriend who is really into it, and she's needle pointed me coasters that I've posted. Posted about. She's needle pointed me ornaments for my tree. She does one every year for my girls, so I've always liked it. And she, like, just showed me all the ropes. And I designed my own stockings, painted them onto canvas, and I'm now almost finished with birdie stocking. So I've done both Blair and birdies. Oh, wow.

[Taryn]

Oh, my gosh. Are you doing this while watching tv? When are you doing this?

[Caroline]

Yeah, well, okay, this is another cut. I don't know about, y'all. I. I feel like I need more hobbies that are unrelated to my phone. Yeah, you know, I love to cook and stuff, but that's not, like, gonna be Something I do at bedtime.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

And I just found that, like, I wanted to have something that could be an activity that was not screen related that I could do. Like if we're doing movie night with the girls or, you know, if we're just like sitting around or in the car. And it's so great for that. Like, it's the perfect combination of mindless and a puzzle.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

You know, like, you kind of have to figure out like, okay, where am I starting the stitch and what color am I using next and. But then it's also paint my numbers. So it's like very sort of mindless and repetitive and it's just like a really relaxing hobby. I do. I do kind of have the TV on while I'm doing it, but I'm not like doom scrolling on TikTok or Instagram. So it's. I guess technically there's still a screen, but it feels very different.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

And you know, like, it's so like hands on.

[Taryn]

Yeah. I think making something with your hands is for me, that is very therapeutic and very good mentally for me to be like creating with my hands versus just sitting. So. I agree. There's.

[Caroline]

And it's like. Yeah. It's energizing, like creatively.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

And it. I'm sure once you get closer and closer to done, you're like, oh, my.

[Caroline]

God, it looks so good. Yeah. Yeah. It's been really fun. Anyway, so I'm halfway. I've. I kind of told Will. I was like, the. The bad thing about this is that I can either do four or none because I can't just do like one person stocking. So now I have to like get through.

[Taryn]

But you're doing four whole stockings. But I. Because you told us about this, so like, I feel like you are.

[Liz]

You're moving along.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

So by.

[Taryn]

I think Christmas, you'll have winter helps.

[Caroline]

Winter helps because there's. You know, we've had like a snow day. Actually we had several snow days. We took a long car trip this long this past weekend. So I was like needle pointing in the car.

[Taryn]

Oh, nice.

[Caroline]

So it is. I feel like it's easier in the cold months where you're already kind of at home more.

[Liz]

Right.

[Caroline]

I think things would probably slow down once we were like, really get into spring. But anyway, so if anyone is a big needle pointer out there, then let me know what you think and send me your favorite shops to buy from and stuff. It's been a really fun little thing to pick up. I feel like both of you would Actually kill it. Because if you got into it. Because the designing of the pattern is like a very kind of.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

You know what I mean? Like, it's something that I've never done before. And so I think it's not necessarily something my brain naturally does. I've had to sort of work out some kinks, whereas I think both of you already do that so much in your job that you probably just, you know.

[Liz]

Yeah. I haven't done a needlepoint or, like, cross stitch since I was a kid.

[Caroline]

Yeah, well, you know, it's funny because it's very much like that. Grand millennial, sort of.

[Taryn]

So grand millennial. But the older crafts. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Like, that's great. As.

[Taryn]

I think somebody called him old lady crafts, and I'm like, oh, I could definitely old lady craft.

[Liz]

Oh, yeah.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Well, I think it's. I think it's becoming more and more appealing these days when you start to realize, like, okay, I do all my work on the computer. Everything I do is on my phone. Like, I, you know, pay the daycare, and I buy my groceries, and I, you know, check my bank, and I literally do everything on my phone, and I work all day on my computer, and then I watch TV at night. Like, that is scary, the amount of time you're looking at a screen. So it's nice to have some things that are, like, very.

[Liz]

Building your brain instead of just going out.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So anyway, that's awesome. I'll keep you updated on my stockings. Maybe I'll have it done by next Christmas.

[Taryn]

I love it. It's a goal. Well, you'll have to post photos, too, of Blair's. If hers is done.

[Caroline]

Yes, hers is done. I will say I. I didn't. I think my second one is looking a lot better because, you know, anytime you're doing something for the first time, like, you're. I was learning a lot. So I think Birdie's actually looks a lot better, to the point where I might redo Blairs. I don't know. This is another thing where I'm like, I'm doing too much. I need to do less. Yeah. But anyway, I'll. I'll keep you all updated and share photos.

[Taryn]

Thank you.

[Caroline]

All right, well, that's our trials and triumphs.

[Taryn]

Yay.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Yay. Yeah. We did it.

[Taryn]

Those are some good, fun projects. We did it.

[Caroline]

We did it.

[Taryn]

I'm sure by the time we do it again, we'll have another huge chunk, too.

[Caroline]

So hopefully we won't wait as long.

[Taryn]

Last time.

[Caroline]

That's too long. Of a stretch, but I guess in the holidays, it's like, there's a lot going on.

[Liz]

I know. I'm gearing up, though. There's. There's so much to do in the springtime.

[Taryn]

Yeah. I was gonna say, I'm sure our next one will be all outdoor things. Just watch. Yeah, we'll be like, well, we're back outside.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I don't really have a lot on my horizon outside of, you know, no.

[Taryn]

Planting, no seedlings or anything.

[Caroline]

Well, I mean, you know what? Normally this time of year, I get, like. Like an itch, and then I'd start planning things that I wasn't planning, but at this moment, no, I don't have anything planned.

[Liz]

Give it a week.

[Caroline]

But, yeah, like, I'm sure.

[Taryn]

Give it a sunny, warm week, and we'll see where she's at.

[Caroline]

I definitely have to repot some of the things, but. Yeah. Anyway. But what's. What is on Yalls to do list, then? Do y'all already have things on your, like. Oh, on your horizon?

[Taryn]

Yeah. I mean. And don't we all.

[Liz]

Yeah. I mean, I'm starting off with a whole bunch of reorganizing, so that's just kind of like, rah, rah. Boring. But, you know, like, digging through the pantry and redoing the pantry and like. Oh, that's good. I have a art studio down in my basement that has just become a place to store things, and so I'm cleaning that out, and I also keep all my plants down there in the basement during the winters because we have great windows down there. So. Yeah. Doing more things down there, but planning the front yard and trying to make it a little English garden with lots of wildflowers.

[Caroline]

That's nice. Oh, that's.

[Liz]

That's on the horizon.

[Caroline]

That's exciting.

[Taryn]

Sounds pretty.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Liz]

Doesn't it. Doesn't it sound pretty? Let's make it real. And that's the problem.

[Caroline]

Oh, gosh. Anything outdoor requires so much sweat equity.

[Taryn]

You know, but it's so validating, too, though, as it grows and, you know.

[Caroline]

Yeah. But then, like, in the summer hits, and, like, the last thing I want to do is be out in the.

[Taryn]

Oh, yeah, no, it's gone then, you know. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

No, you. It's. Oh, it's.

[Liz]

Yeah, you got to get done by June.

[Taryn]

Yeah, it's March to, like, June, and then you don't touch it until September. October.

[Caroline]

Just let it fry.

[Taryn]

Yeah. And then you just let it fry because every. It's too hot for you again to, like, go out and fix it. Yeah, I think I literally, in the summertime, do, like, minimal and, like, to Liz's point, it's like, right in the early morning. Like, if you're going to cut something back or trim something, you're doing it, like, first thing. Yes. And then you're back inside. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Well, wait, Taryn, what do you have planned for your pool? Because don't you have. You have a big, old new entertaining space?

[Taryn]

I haven't even thought about our pool because David's been so focused on the greenhouse pool. We've. We have that all. I guess it's all, like, square accessorized and stuff, so. Really? Yeah, for me, it's more like I still want to get the chairs in the living room reupholstered and I want to get drapes up in there. Wallpaper in that back entry, like I said. And then we're trying to switch the downstairs guest room to a king bed. So we're just trying to pick out a king bed for in there, but we're taking our time because it's not. There's a queen in there, so there's a place to sleep. Just. Yeah. So those are. I was gonna say, are those our bigger ones? Yeah, those are our bigger ones right now that are, like, top of my mind that I'm like, all right. But I'm sure we're already shifting focus because David has a bunch of seedlings already, like, growing under the lamp in the back corner of our entry. So I know it won't be long till he's outside fully.

[Caroline]

I've never grown anything from seed.

[Taryn]

He doesn't have that much success yet. This is his, like, third season. We have not been successful. The transition from the growing light to, like. But he has the greenhouse, so I'm hoping that that's the magic that it needs, right? Is to go into a nice, warm, sunny place. So we'll see. We'll see how he does, I guess.

[Caroline]

That's our show. And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog howtodecorate.com podcast to.

[Taryn]

Send in a decorating dilemma, email your questions to podcastallarddesigns.net so we can help you with your space.

[Caroline]

And of course, be sure to follow us on social media.

[Taryn]

Ballardesigns.

[Liz]

Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.

[Caroline]

Until next time, happy decorating. Free Audio post production by alphonic.com.