COTE DE TEXAS: Ikea Tales

Ikea Tales

 

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Well, it’s that time again – school’s back in session.  Last year, I showed pictures of my daughter Elisabeth’s dorm room (above) that we fixed up with help mostly from Pine Cone Hill and Target.   My daughter is really the one who furnished it – she picked out the brown futon and hot pink chairs and ottoman from Target – and the brown and white bedding from Pine Cone Hill.  She also picked out the white flokati rug.  I think I only picked out the lamps with the brown shades from Target and the white desk chair from PB  Teens.   While pictures of her dorm room made the school magazine, she didn’t make it the whole school year with her roommate.  School schedules and boyfriends got in the way and in the spring she moved into a single room which I wouldn’t even dare show here - what a mishmash all this cute brown and white and pink furniture ended up looking like!   So, now she’s starting her second year in a new apartment, unfurnished.  She’s spent the summer on Pinterest, planning out everything.  The car left today, packed with lots of things “borrowed” from my house, such as a blue and white garden seat and white vases.   I haven’t had much say in her apartment’s decor, again, but I have tried to steer her in one direction or the other.

 

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Lucy Webb, the new puppy

We’re off now to Florida to help her settle into her new apartment.  We have five days to pull everything together.  It’s been like planning an army maneuver, preordering things online and talking with delivery men and installers.   To make everything even more complicated, she is taking a new puppy with her, Lucy.   I gave up my annual trip to the beach in order to housetrain Lucy for the apartment.  It was my goal to have her completely broken in by September, but you know – that’s Elisabeth’s problem now.   Ben and I think we stand about a 50% chance of having to go back and bring Lucy home permanently with us, but we’ll see. 

 

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Hooked on Houses new sunroom Ikea chaise with Dash and Albert Rug and Pillows by So Sarah Sews To read the story, go HERE.

Our first stop will be IKEA, of course.  I only wish we could have ordered online from Ikea and had it all delivered and waiting for us – but Elisabeth swore to me that they didn’t sell online and I didn’t find out that they actually do until it was too late.   So, we are going to fight the crowds and hope everything she wants is in stock.    Her major purchase will be one of their famous slipped covered sofas in white (see above.) The big discussion is whether she will get the sofa and chaise or just a sofa.  I want her to just get the sofa because the living area is small, but she wants the sofa with chaise.  Not sure who will win this battle.   We’ll be getting the matching side chairs and ottoman – either one or two depending on the sofa we get.    I was so excited when Julia from Hooked on Houses posted pictures of her new sunroom with the Ikea sofa  in it.  Did you see it?   Her sunroom really turned out so cute!   I was surprised by how full and cushy the cushions looked and emailed Julia to see if she had added any filling to them.  Nope, the cushions are original to the sofa.   Also, Julia gave a tutorial on her blog on how to best iron the slipcovers which come extremely wrinkled in the box.  Now they tell me!  Add an iron and ironing board to the growing list of things to buy.

 

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This month’s cover of  Country Living really got me excited!  The sofa is the Ikea slipped one – with the Bemz lilac slipcover.  I originally wrote about these linen slipcovers that you can buy to fit the Ikea sofa’s here.   While somewhat pricy, one day, Lizzy can always update her sofa with a cover like this.  Sooo cute!  Since I originally wrote that article, Bemz now offers slipcovers in some contemporary Designers Guild and Marimekko fabrics.    

 

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While staring at this picture, I realized that I actually have this same exact coffee table in my garage – I had bought it for a job but it didn’t work out.  It’s perfect for Elisabeth though – it’s free, minus the shipping (which costs more than the wholesale table cost, typical.)   With the Ikea sofa, chairs and this bleached coffee table, it’s a good basic start.   I doubt everything we ordered online will be in while I’m still in Florida, so I’m not sure I’ll have pictures to show, but here’s what else she has chosen for her apartment: 

 

 

She got two chocolate colored linen pillows from  Restoration Hardware in the big size for the sofa and two in the lumbar size for the chairs.  Funny, she didn’t want any printed pillows.  Hmmm, wonder where she got that from?

 

Chenille Heathered Stripe Throw

And this throw in the brown stripe – to keep the sofa clean from the puppy.   Also, I have a striped brown and beige small dhurri rug that I gave her for the sofa – the more it’s covered up, the less she has to wash the slipcovers.

 

W3830 Linen Table Skirt for All-Purpose Table Linens

From Wisteria, this skirted table will hold her TV.  We thought it was cuter than a typical TV stand.

 

W3539 Sunburst On The Scene Mirror Mirrors

She got this mirror from Wisteria for either behind her sofa or bed, not sure which yet.

 

W2498 Cooper's Small Draftsman Stool Stools & Ottomans

These stools from Wisteria are for her island bar.

 

DOCKSTA Dining table, white Diameter: 41 3/8 " Height: 29 3/8 "  Diameter: 105 cm Height: 75 cm

I want her to get either this table from Ikea or…

 

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Maybe this one from Cost Plus World Market.  The table would double as a desk for all her homework.  Cough.

 

 

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The lamps are from Ballard Designs.

For her bedroom, we went with the standard Pottery Barn arched, white slipcovered headboard with white and linen colored bedding along with lilac linen accent pillows.   The dresser is in bleached wood and comes from Ikea.  The tables and lamps all come from catalogues like Wisteria or Ballard Designs.  And late one night, I preordered all the dishes and glasses and cutlery from World Market (so cheap).     Furnishing an apartment could be really expensive, but by buying a sofa for $400 and chairs for $200 – we are really keeping costs way down.  Also, a lot of the items are on sale now, which helped even more. 

 

W6053 Stacked-Column Rattan Side Table Side Tables & Pedestals

The end tables for the living area came from Wisteria.

 

While shopping online, Elisabeth kept a number in her head – anything over $500 was “way too expensive” I would hear her murmur.   The linen and white and brown theme started when she picked out the skirted table from Wisteria.   I had thought she would go for more bright colors, but she wants it all to be more monochrome and muted.    If she ever changes her mind, she could always add a few printed pillows which will change the entire look.   Who knows?  Maybe next year, she’ll get that lilac linen Bemz slipcover and really change the decor.

 

  

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We picked out the Belgian linen duvet and shams and dust ruffle from Restoration Hardware.  A  few days later we were informed the dust ruffle is back ordered – now what?

 

In the end, it’s just a college apartment, her first one, and hopefully she’ll live here for the next three  years and use most of this for her first after-college apartment too.   It’s hard to sit back and not order everything from my wholesale sources, but Ikea, Wisteria and Ballard  Designs are much better suited for a college student.    So, now it’s on to Ikea.  Wish me luck.  If you are in the Boca Raton area Ikea and you see a fat, middle aged lady in all white linen – on the floor passed out – that will be me.   Ben will be at the hotel, watching the puppy.  Tough duty.   At least he won’t be on the beach.  As luck would have it, there’s a hurricane heading straight for Florida this week!  I’m hoping it’s not an omen.

 

 

 

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And, finally, on The Skirted Roundtable this week, Linda and I welcomed Artie Vanderpool from Color Outside the Lines to discuss the end of the Million Dollar Decorators season one.  Megan was out of town, so Artie graciously agreed to join us.  He wrote a weekly recap of the series on his blog and was quite knowledgeable about a lot of what was happening behind the scenes.

 

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The five designers from the Million Dollar Decorators

 

Here are some of my favorite scenes from the series:

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Kathryn Ireland’s fights with the uber bitch, socialite Shannon Factor.  I’m dying to know what Shannon thought when she saw how Bravo portrayed her.

 

 

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Martyn Lawrence Bullard (Delicious) and Kathryn Ireland (Darling) the night that Kathryn passed out drunk in Palm Springs.

 

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Nathan Turner and  Mary McDonald slumming it at market!  These two are the funniest together and made me wish I was besties with them!

 

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Ross-Pretty Boy- and “Jam” take a bath together and everyone goes crazy, especially moi.  These two have to be the most gorgeous couple after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie OR Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (haha.)

 

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Anytime the wine drinking housekeeper Jacqueline showed up, it was hysterical.   The breakout star of the series.

 

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OMG!!!!!  Jacqueline The Second!   One day I had my wet hair in a scarf and my glasses on and I looked in the mirror and screamed It’s Jacqueline!!!!!  Blackmail material.  Scary.

 

Be sure to listen to this week’s Skirted Roundtable!!!  It’s a good one.  HERE.

115 comments :

  1. Joni- Your daughter's room will turn out so fab. She's chosen some classic pieces that will stay with her for a long time. Have a great week in Florida!

    Loretta

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  2. Joni,
    I laughed out loud when I saw Jaqueline the second!!! Lucy is adorable! Hope Elizabeth has great memories in her new apartment! Wonder if she will show pics in the years to come, like you have?
    Tina Ramer

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  3. Thats great Joni!
    Wish you luck this week and now I get the connection with Lucy!
    Great stuff...loved MDD, some of my fav moments too!
    And yes,I luv the new "do".
    LMF.
    l.

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  4. You're a brave woman Joni Webb... I love ya! Lucy is too cute and I can't wait to see Elizabeth's finished product, goin to be great.

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  5. Her apartment is going to look SOOOO good! I can't wait to see! What a blessing and treat to start off in your first college apartment with such fun finds and such a talented mama! Brings back memories of my first college apartment...a hot glue gun, some moss, and a cheap walmart mirror for above the sofa... and a blue toile tablecloth used as a slip cover on the sofa. It wasn't as bad as it sounds...

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  6. I can't decide if Elisabeth is the luckiest little college girl ever, or if I'm waaaay to cheap with myself and my house. Ha!! Seriously, it will be FABULOUS! I had major leftovers from my Mom's house and some random stuff from the local Hilton's going out of biz sale.

    I'm here and holding off Irene for you (and for me whose 2 year old goes back to school this week!).

    Baylor Says...

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  7. I was going to ask how your checking account is feeling but it sounds like Elizabeth is being smart about her purchases. I just bought a linen duvet cover and skirt from RH, great sale! I hope Elizabeth shares some pictures once her aparttment is ready to show. Lucy is adorable too! Love your Jaqueline the second take!

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  8. Joni, my sister and I helped my niece move into a new house in Berkeley this summer. Many IKEA pieces were purchased, including a bathroom cabinet, and additional kitchen cabinets, we were totally overwhelmed trying to get it all done before I returned to Texas.
    My niece made a brilliant discovery: on Craigslist she found a couple who had a business putting IKEA pieces together! It was a miracle! They arrived and were whipping furniture and cabinets together in a quarter of the time..
    So if you all get swamped, look on Craigslist...
    Have fun with your girl.

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  9. Hi Joni,
    your daughter has a it of your great taste! the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..love the slip covered sofa!! and you are fabulous in your scarf and glasses..Hollywood is calling!!!
    best,
    maureen

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  10. I agree, the apartment will look fantastic...and when you mentioned the fat lady passed out in ikea--well, I was worried you were talking about me! You're beautiful and your daughter is very lucky. Lucy is adorable. It reminds me of when my sister came home with a puppy in college, who quickly became my parents puppy. Soon after, they began signing the dog's name to our birthday cards and buying him souvenirs when they went on trips. Every photo of their new grand baby had to include the dog. Years later, I've resigned myself to the fact that I have been replaced by a dog in their affections. They have spent our inheritance on his medical bills because they just couldn't bear to be without him. He's a great brother, cute, slightly neurotic, happy to see me and he never asks to borrow money! Good luck to you!

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  11. Fantastic! You are one brave woman to pose as Jacqueline the second. I love it. Your daughter's apartment sounds nice. Most people over forty and working can't claim such nice interiors.

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  12. You are not brave, you are sooooo funny!! I loved this ending to the daughter goes to college and her first apartment post. I am taking my son to his first apartment...now let me tell you, it is much cheaper having a son! he does want me to paint the room~and I am giving him my old leopard rug, but other than that, he is good to go!!

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  13. Hi Joni: Your daughter is very lucky - when I was in college and had my second apartment, I remember my roommate and her parents went to Goodwill and bought some hideous chair and our end tables were...wait for it...BOXES!! I remember thinking how cheap they must have been not to pick up a couple of inexpensive tables. I thought surely my mother would have done that!! How times have changed...perhaps your daughter is an interior designer in the making??? My friend in England recently got the same little dog and named her Lucy too! Good luck!

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  14. It's going to be wonderful. These choices are so great for young adults, and I can hardly wait to see it completed. Her new "roommate" is absolutely adorable - the perfect jewelry for any spot in the apartment!!

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  15. You and Lizzy have picked out great pieces that she will have for a long time and transition beautifully as she grows....
    Smart move!
    -linda
    p.s Miss Lucy is just too adorable!!!!

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  16. Your daughter is a lucky girl! It will look great. I always say I like Ikea.. I know, many people disagree with that because many things are made of low quality materials, but if you know what you're buying you'll choose things that are well constructed and with a great price. You just need to be patient to assemble it! ;-)

    xo


    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  17. If I had known you were going to be in Boca I would have flown down and followed you around for design pointers. The apartment sounds beautiful and I think she is matching her decor to her new puppy. xo, MB

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  18. Reading this made my day! So much fun to enjoy this new experience vicariously. And the bonus....getting some pointers I can use to help my daughter, who is far past college but needs to do something that is budget friendly to pull together some things for the house they just bought. She also needs indestructible. Not sure that exists.
    Thanks for teaching and entertaining me so much.

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  19. Elizabeth is so lucky to have you for a Mother Joni!! Her space will be beautiful!

    I love Julia's new family room! Oh and I had no idea that Ikea delivered!

    xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

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  20. Oh and I adore the lavender linen slipcover!

    xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

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  21. That is going to be one stylish apartment! As for Jacqueline II - separated at birth (though you are younger)

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  22. How exciting! This post just made my Monday. Take pictures of the apartment, I can't wait to see!

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  23. 1. Lucy is adorable! What a face.

    2. My sunroom is honored to be on Cote de Texas!

    3. Huge "Million Dollar Decorators" fan here. I'm so sad the season is over and can't wait to listen in on your "Skirted" discussion about it. :)

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  24. Put my name on the call list to go get Lucy if things don't work out in Florida. Love Lizzys ideas. Got my daughter the ikea sofa recently due to your previous praises. Thanks for the care tips. You make me laugh. Great way to start a Monday morning. Thanks Joni

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  25. Can't wait to see the new apartment. Recently we went to IKEA (in Atlanta) for the very first time. That sofa really does look good for the money.

    Cute dog! And you are too funny as J2!

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  26. Yea!I've been hoping you would write this post.I love decorate on a budget thinking. I too have been helping my, just out of college, daughter with her first apartment.Are you using Ikea curtains and what are you putting on the walls beside the star burst mirror? You are so much fun to read, thank you.
    MD
    a faithful and devouted reader

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  27. Loved hearing about your daughter with her first apt + Jacqueline II does not do you justice. Such a grand post. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  28. All I can think about is how much stuff you will have to move back! I have been decorating my daughter's (one year out of college) NY apt. with the thought that she can donate most of it when/if she moves back to Calif. But now she is moving to a nice apartment in Brooklyn--after your cute post, I might be doing a little more for her now. :) Great ideas!

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  29. Beautiful. We just looked at the IKEA couch for our daughter's new home...the lavender slipcover is divine! I love Jacqueline the second...and love you for having such a sense of humor. xoxo Lidy

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  30. Joni,

    FYI, the Bemz slipcover people are coming out with a Karlstad sofa cover that will be to the floor. They said that it will be on their site in about a week I thought it might be of interest to you as that sofa has a lower profile and less bulky arms perhaps making it better for an apartment.

    Suzanne

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  31. I just moved my daughter in her first apartment in college this weekend. Almost done. I'm going to post about that too in a few weeks, when I recover! What a job! Thank goodness for Ikea! And air conditioning!

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  32. I wish you would have been my mom when I had my first apartment. Wow. What is considered budget furnishings has really changed. Your daughter is so lucky. I wish I had half of that stuff in my house now even. Isn't she going to pick up at least one piece off someone's curb on trash day? Ha! (I would still do that)

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  33. Elizabeth is a lucky lady. My daughter and her roommates furnished their apartment with furniture bought off the street from graduating seniors and goodwill. Come to think of it, I furnished my first married home with thrift shop finds and the family's basement/attic stuff. Sadly, few people can furnish from scratch as Elizabeth was able to. Can't wait to see the pictures of the finished product.
    Sue

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  34. do you need another daughter? I volunteer!!

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  35. Lucky Elizabeth to have a mother like you, Joni! You both have great style and sweet Lucy is adorable~

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  36. Thank goodness for Ikea, my daughter and her family live in Italy and Ikea is one of the few places she can go and shop for furniture. I think you two have done a beautiful job of decorating your daughter's apartment. And that puppy is too cute! Have fun in Florida.

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  37. I'm sure the apartment will turn out super cute. FYI, ordering on the IKEA website is not all it is cracked up to be (long processing times at least for the store in Houston/lots of back and forth on the phone/I still don't have what I've ordered in hand), but then again going to the store and pulling everything you need isn't all that fun either!

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  38. Joni- loved the post! Is it just me or do you look exactly like Susan Sarandon in that last photo!
    Dana

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  39. If we had ordered sofas and chairs from pottery barn or rest hardware, we couldn't have afforded to buy much else. Thank god for ikea that's all I can say. Even the dresser is dirt cheap at ikea compared to pb or r hardware. I would love to go to thrift shops looking for her and I would if I lived here, but I don't have the luxury of time. She needs to be settled in this week for school starting without worrying about dishes and lamps, etc. She is SUCH a student!!! Cough hehe.

    If u need plates, etc. Be sure to look at cost plus. Soooooooo much cheaper than pb !! We got so much for our money there. Plus we could have gone to target for that, but I wanted something a little different. Got her those really big, white restaurant style plates.

    Thanks for all the sweet comments.

    Jaqueline II

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  40. Thanks for using the time and effort to write something so interesting.

    My blog:
    dsl tarifvergleich und dsl anbieter vergleich

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  41. Joni, your story is just too funny! I'm laughing out loud about you being passed out on the floor of Ikea! And as one commenter suggested, you do favor Susan Sarandon in that second photo. Because you have a girl, it's probably more fun decorating the college apartment. I thought my son probably could not care less about his college apartment. This year, however, I sensed that he's taking a little more pride in the decor. When we arrived, he promptly (and without me even noticing) decorated the top shelf over his desk with his baseball caps and sweatbands. Then, he proceeded to get his T.V./cable and gaming system all set up. After this, he was finished and left me to do all the work! Oh well. He's in an on campus furnished apartment (that looks waaay better than my house, no kidding), but to me I still spent quite a bit of money (all at Target) on bedding and towels and bath rugs (oh, he did at my request choose the colors), black-out curtains to go over the blinds in the bedroom, cleaning supplies (ha! hope he'll use them), and LOTS of groceries (no doubt he'll use these!). At any rate, I had fun decorating his apartment and didn't even think about taking pictures until I had returned home. Too bad as it may not look photo-ready ever again. Hope you'll share photos of Elisabeth's apartment.

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  42. Now......let me preface this by saying I have seen excerpts......from the "Million dollar decorators" (! have not seen the whole episodes. I couldn't take it.)

    I have seen really scary things. I have been a decorator for 40 years (lots of people make fun of me for saying that.....but I think it is important to say)!

    In these excerpts; I have seen these decorators insult their clients; get drunk and pass out; insult their clients behind their backs, make fun of their clients to their faces and behind their backs! Astonishing!!

    I do not find any of this funny; nor entertaining. I find it really awful for our business. Our business is a service business. There have been prospective clients I knew were not a match; many times in 40 years, however, I respectfully told them so, and recommended other decorators. I have never made fun of a prospective client; nor have I ever insulted one.

    This series I consider a black mark on our profession. And another hideous example of a "reality show gone mad"! I think these people should be ashamed of themselves. How dare they? It is a disgrace. I hope people do not think that interior decorators behave the way this crew does.

    It is disgraceful. And so not funny. It besmirches a lovely profession that I am proud to be a part of.
    Shame on them. All of them.

    Just my opinion.....and I always have one!!
    I love my profession more than I can tell you! And it turned my stomach to watch these people....

    It made me sick!


    Penelope Bianchi
    McCormick Interiors
    Montecito, California.

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  43. Always excellent information and inspiring ideas. What about trying to dye the Ikea slipcovers (professionally)??? ..I have just finished scalloping the bottom hems of my IKEA loveseat slipcovers...(Idea from you) and they look TERRIFIC..really softens the look...
    Thanks Joni.

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  44. Elisabeth's apartment is going to be beautiful ... although her visitors may be way too preoccupied with adorable little Lucy Webb to notice! Sooo cute! My parents just went through the moving to college apartment thing with my youngest sister ... Wish I could have helped like you did!

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  45. Lucy is adorable! I hope Elisabeth knows how lucky she is!! I think we decorated my college apt. with $50! Can't wait to see the finished rooms. Have a wonderful time! And don't forget Ikea has great orchids... oh, but she's probably too busy studying to take care of plants;)!

    joan

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  46. She's going to have the cutest college apartment! I can't wait to see the pictures after both of you are finished with it.

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  47. Your daughter will surely be pleased with her sofa, it is really comfy and the slipcovers are so easy to wash.

    Good Luck !
    Regards from Ikealady,Sweden

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  48. Love Lucy the puppy! I have a Cavalier and they are the sweetest dogs! Best of luck moving your daughter (love all of your selections!)and thanks again for checking out Meg and I's blog Petit Chateau! I'll be sure to tell Meg you said Congrats to her having her first baby! Brooke

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  49. How nice to have such great taste at such a young age! My first apartment was filled with mismatched hand-me-downs. Hope you survived Ikea!

    xo,
    Linsey

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  50. Joni,

    I'm in stitches, if BR weren't so far away — 3 hours — I would swing down to say hello. I'm in the Orlando area with my parents for the next week. Let's hope Irene keeps heading east and AWAY from FL. Best of luck with the shopping and move in, I have many fond memories of setting up my first apartment with my mother (many many moons ago).

    Best-

    Elizabeth de M Walker

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  51. Thankfully my son graduated college last year and is now gainfully employed...Thank you God! BUT...the college years were crazy to say the least...4 moves in 4 years. Each year a different location. The stories are endless and I won't bore anyone here with them.

    At each move out, I couldn't believe how torn up the place was from the move-in...and some of the move-ins were just as bad! One place we nicknamed "the Deliverance House"...it was horrible on move-in day! I will say however, that most of his furnishings were from second hand stores, junkyards, and roommate's parents' hand-me-downs!

    Perhaps had he been a girl, I would've been going the route you are, but boys can destroy ANYTHING! Definitely need to repress these memories :) Happy move in Joni...hope it all goes well.

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  52. The puppy is the cutest thing I've ever seen and Jacqueline Deux is the funniest thing!

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  53. Such a cute pup. My goodness lots of fully grown married people with jobs would love all that furniture for their home!. It's wonderful for a college apartment!!NOt bargain stuff at all! What a lucky girl!

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  54. I love your new little Cavalier King Charles pup Lucy. My 'little' Cavalier is now 11 1/2... Bailey. Good idea on the throws for the couch, easy to pop in the washer or dryer. I too have several of the slipcovered Ikea couches,two chairs and the ottoman. They work so well with animals, people and food. Mine have been washed so many times. and the fabric gets better as time goes along. The one thing I do when I wash my slips for the couch, chair and ottoman, is that I put the slips on when slightly dry... not wet... but almost dry. It makes such a difference and the fabric never looks wrinkled. Enjoy your apartment and your second yr. of college. what fun.

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  55. Your daughter is so lucky to have such a well furnished first apartment while still in college! I'm sure it will be beautiful and hope there are pics soon to come.

    Lucy is adorable by the way!!

    Alicia

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  56. Jaqueline the second...Now that's funny! Your daughter's first apartment is going to be adorable. Just thinking back to mine. Yikes!! My TV sat on an old coke crate...that was one of the best things about it. Ha! I'm in love with the new pup! She's beautiful. Probably wouldn't be such a bad thing if she did have to come back and live with you, although she would be hard to give up.

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  57. Hi Joni,
    First, I love your blog. I have learned so much about design from you.

    Next, I wanted to mention to you that Bryn Alexandra had a gorgeous Ikea hack on her website recently. It showed an Ikea sofa that someone had taken to an upholsterer and had it tufted. The sofa looked so beautiful and apparently the upholsterer only charged her $40 to do the job! It is just a thought.

    Again, thank you for so much truly enjoyable learning.

    Mary Beth

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  58. An English lady never is passed out, she was resting. Darling.

    And it was always going to end badly with that Factor woman. She was exactly like my philistine. Exactly. The even looked alike. Some people are never going to be happy. No matter what.

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  59. So, would it really be that wierd to have a photo of someone else's dog as my screensaver??? Oh my goodness, that Lucy is absolutely, beyond words adorable! Wanna trade for an utterly naughty (but very cute) German Shepherd? I can't imagine sending my kids off to college, but I know my day will come (way too soon for me, I'm sure.) Wish I had a girl to decorate with/for--sounds like she's got your gift : )

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  60. Funny post - but honestly .. I love your blog .. but can't stand Ikea. Bought my daughters stuff from there when they were starting out and without one exception - it all fell apart. I hate to buy things that don't last.

    That puppy was adorable!!!

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  61. You have one of the most beautiful and classiest blogs out there yet I just had a Depends moment with that "Jacqueline II" picture!

    This is why your blog is the best!

    And when is MDD scheduled to return? I'm going through withdrawl's!!!! Love that show!

    Thank you Joni!

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  62. lucky girl@ probably the nicest college apartment/dorm i've seen! you look great!

    ashley

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  63. Relieved that Megan isn't on, and we'll be spared all her

    "I run into them all the time"

    and

    "We all know each other, of course"

    and

    "I've been in their stores dozens of times, you know..."

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  64. Hope Elisabeth is settling nicely into her new apartment. Lucy Webb is just so cute.
    Hope you all are well and have a great weekend.
    xo E + J

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  65. I am so impressed with Elisabeth's classic, sophisticated taste for such a young lady. She has great style and taste!

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  66. Beautiful! Can't wait to see the new apartment!Brilliant Elisabeth's Style and her taste when it comes to design.

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  67. hahahah OMG i love you.

    all i can say.

    (ok, and elisabeth's apt will be amaaazing!!)

    xoxo,
    lauren

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  68. I just love the purple sofa. Nice post, check out also 3D Rendering

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  69. First of all, let me say that this is a great post, as usual. Love all the ideas. Last I heard, there might be trouble in paradise concerning Lucy. Ben had to let go of Lizzie but can't let go of Lucy? Hope it all works out.

    Second of all, I'd like to address Penelope Bianchi's post. I can see her point; yes, Million Dollar Decorators is a raunchy, over-the-top reality show. No doubt about it.

    But come on, Penelope, I think you need to lighten up! How boring would the show be if all of the decorators were prim, proper and demure? The most heated argument would concern whether to use chintz or crewel to reupholster Great Aunt Millicent's wing chair? Boring, I tell you! It's a REALITY SHOW, for goodness sake! Get a life or keep watching Antiques Road Show…...

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  70. I love this site and have gotten fabulous ideas to decorate my home. I have gotten many compliments following Joni's rules!
    We have moved and I need to "de-brassify" my "new" home. Do the door, drawer and faucets all of to be nickel or oil rubbed bronzed? What is the classy and wont go out of style?
    Please help!
    Kim

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  71. Lucky daughter and fun project for both of you! Really helps us mothers to help get our children settled because it's no easy process letting go. Building a new nest is great act of love, no matter what.

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  72. Hi Joni - I adore your blog and have been visiting for quite a while. This post kind of bothered me a bit. The vast majority of kids start out with hand-me-downs(my kids did) and I kind of think this is the way it should be, really - maybe that helps to build some character. My sister has worked at a big university for years helping kids with financial aid issues and other real life concerns. Over 84% of the students at this university are getting some sort of financial aid or student loans...this is the reality. Anyway, it is something to think about, maybe.

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  73. Oh, on a lighter note -I got the Ballard catalog today. Opened it up and I thought..is this Joni's dining area??? Seriously, someone at Ballard must be reading your blog and getting ideas..the wicker chairs, the shelving, even some accessories - you should take a look at it - it is really a copy of your room!

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  74. wow, what a fab apt for a college student, or for anyone, for that matter!! And you crack me up, with your fat, middle aged woman comment!! You are not, and I hope you won't be passed out on the floor of Ikea, though I always want to go and always wonder why once I'm there!!

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  75. Hi!
    Here's an Ikea story! My daughter and her family moved to Madrid for a year. They leased their house in Montecito fully furnished; and I went to Spain to furnish about a 6,000 square ft apartment; all with furniture they could leave in Spain! (some they sold, some they gave to the children's friends families.
    I spent 9 hours (I couldn't make that up!) in Ikea. It looked pretty darn good (if I do say so myself)!
    But all the case goods (dressers, desks, etc.)all of it fell apart.

    If stuff falls apart after a year......the cost of it goes up substantially!!! It becomes very expensive!

    As for my "getting a life" I have one; and I don't watch tv; so I guess I don't "get" reality shows!! (And, I did say I only watched the excerpts; I was shocked)

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  76. Penelope, Did you ever support yourself during your "40 years" of decorating? Or did your husbands support you? You sound like a lady who "decorates" for a hobby, not for a living. Good for you to snag wealthy husbands; I respect that gift.

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  77. To Katherine and Anon9:42, it seems to me that Penelope has a life which is the reason she can see through the crass and offensive reality tv. The rest of you sit with your chips and diet Coke and suck up the program to rub salve on your boring lives. Actually, reality tv might be closer than we think after reading a blog in which the mother claims to be exchanging the F bomb with her daughter in Ikea.

    Market Decor, I agree with you. One should not use "in vitro" (comment which was taken down by Joni but posted earlier),as an excuse to spoil, Ikea is certainly not "high end" by any standards, but the craziness exhibited here in getting the princess her every wish is the issue. Some things, whether we can afford it or not, are best learned through work and experience. The really funny thing is that the apartment looks like Joni's living room, family room and basically all of her designs. We don't need to worry about homesickness at least. It really is not much of a story except for the angst of getting it installed which could have been handled more efficiently. If you remember the designer handbags and shoes from several Christmases ago, you will not be surprised at any thing on this blog.

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  78. Wow! Some kind of snarky comments on this blog!

    Anon.9:42; You probably wouldn't be interested, but you can look at my website and see evidence of a real and successful career. For the past 22 years, I have been lucky enough to have my husband as my business partner; he handles all of the business aspects. He sold his family business and runs mine. That has enabled me to work on much larger projects than I could have before.

    I can focus on the creative, and know an excellent and smart businessman is handling the billing, ordering and delivery. Decorating is certainly not a hobby for me.

    I have been very fortunate to have had many terrific clients; and have had a wonderful career, and I continue to love decorating. I am astonished that you would assume what you did about me!

    I see nothing wrong with people who do decorate as a hobby; and I do not consider it a "gift to snag wealthy husbands".
    I have been lucky enough to have had some very wealthy men as clients; And many who were not!

    It must be easy to be "Anonymous" and just snark away.

    FYI:

    http://www.mccormickinteriors.com.

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  79. Anon. 9:42, if anyone decorates as a hobby, it's the author of this blog. You don't need to level your insipid insults at Penelope because she has developed a legitimate client base rather than free consults and decors for neighbors.

    Put up or shut up!

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  80. Penelope:

    You didn't answer the question, but that's what we expected. Evade, evade, evade.

    "I am astonished that you would assume what you did about me!"

    "Assume"? I don't need to assume anything about you: You blab about EVERYTHING, as you spend all day and all night posting blog comments. You comment so much, you suck the oxygen out of some of them. How good is your design "career" when most of your days seem occupied with commenting--multiple times--on blogs?

    If you're such a hard worker, shouldn't you be out decorating? Does Michael S. Smith sit around posting 5 or 6 times on a single blog post?

    Penelope, if you're going ot play the "old lady" card, you need to rediscover the concept of "dignity."

    And speaking of genuinely SUCCESSFUL decorators: Don't criticize Kathryn Ireland for being drunk on TV. She has ten times the career you do, and after doing the show, she will continue to be just as successful--probably more so.

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  81. I like the hip white dining table from Ikea. It's young and would serve other possibilities later if you wanted to use it as a skirted table to fill a large space. It is obviously is more contemporary in style than the larger dark table, but easier to move and gives a traditional space an element of the unexpected.

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  82. Penelope, is that you?

    Where are all the ".........."? And the "Yikes!!!"

    Who wrote this for you?

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  83. Yikes! It was me all right!

    That other anonymous must have knocked the breath out of me!

    And he came right back at me again at 8:16 am!

    Joni, this is one mean person!

    It is just my opinion that that show wasn't helpful to those decorators. And I said nothing about Kathryn Ireland's talents or career that was not positive! She is a HUGE talent.
    I see no point in answering the Anon. 8:16 am.

    "the old lady card?" Yikes!

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  84. Anon. 8:16 I have a question you might want to pose to several other designers who post here including the blog author. How good is their careers? Maybe one should have to file a financial statement to be a valid responder by your standards. You sound like you know enough to get around in your neighborhood but not quite ready for prime time. YIKES!!! That zinger must have hit a nerve.

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  85. Penelope, thanks for posting the link to your website McCormick Interiors. I enjoyed looking at your work which is beautiful, reading about publications in which you have been featured and getting a feel for your design point of view.

    It speaks loudly about your experience and ability and hopefully Anon from Jersey Housewives will move on.

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  86. "How good is their careers?"

    ARE their careers.

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  87. Anon.3:02 thank you for editing my post. I rarely proof for misspellings, verb tense or tangling participles. I am so glad you do. Now go back to Ding Dong School.

    Thanks

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  88. tangling participles.

    Dangling.

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  89. Anon. 4:14, you are truly a one room schoolhouse wonder. Thanks again. You know tangling participles are a problem for sure, but I was actually referring to dangling ones and made a typo - bad, bad, boy. I will pick up my dunce hat at your hallowed desk and sit in my appointed place until you, the hawkbill schoolmarm, gives me permission to go home. You are truly laughable and pathetic. Now crawl back into your mole hole and let it rest for a while, a-hole.

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  90. "you, the hawkbill schoolmarm, gives me permission"

    GIVE me permission

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  91. Oh my, now you are doing graduate work. Oh so funny, hawkbill schoolmarm. I only hope my children will have a perfectionista standing at the ready with the nearest flyswat to whack them over the knuckles lest they get their verb tenses incorrect. It's truly moving to know that you put so much effort into correcting the writing skills of someone who is not writing for publication in a national magazine or newspaper and for purposes of this blog comment could care less about being properly edited. You are just too good at what you do - being a complete unadulterated a-hole. I commend you for at least achieving something in life. Now go back to your dog dish and eat up that left over take out food. You deserve a little indigestion, Fido. Maybe when you finish your editing job, you can get a real paying job for a change. Wouldn't that be fun. You could just swat those verb tenses and tangling, dangling, bangling participles all day long. I can tell you are ready now for a "desk job".Good Luck

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  92. could care less about being properly edited

    COULDN'T care less.

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  93. Thank you Anonymous2:36. I think it is so nice when people make respectful comments.

    I find It it very interesting when people have differing opinions; but said in a respectful manner.

    It doesn't bother me to be teased about my .......'s and my !!!! and Yikes! I laughed when you asked who wrote my comment for me.
    However, insulting, ridiculing, derisive comments are not interesting; and are just really ugly. I actually think they reflect negatively on the person who makes them. It is just unnecessary to insult those of us to enjoy these blogs and comment on them.
    I absolutely love getting comments; I am a brand-new blogger; and they help me!
    I appreciate very much your taking the time to look at my work! Thank you very much!!

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  94. You're quite welcome, Penelope. As I said, your work is stunning. I hope you will review Joni's Christmas 2009 post, and will agree with me that it is tacky, tacky, tacky, and the very definition of vulgarity. I am so grateful I have found someone to bond with here, among all the Joni "homing pigeons" who do nothing but agree with her.

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  95. Sorry, Anonymous 6:18. I have always helped to support myself and my family with my decorating. My husband I both worked and successfully raised three daughters. And there has never been a time since I graduated from college when I have not worked. As in, "making a living". I thought I answered you.

    I guess that was the question you said I "evade, evade, evade."

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  96. Anon. 5:44, The community college which you have attended because Jersey shore girls don't go to Princeton or Brown has just awarded you a Semi PhD degree in grammatical proficiency. You have shown that despite living in Jersey, trying out for a role in Jersey housewives and losing, you still can speak and write the Queen's English. Let us take a moment of silence here to honor your great achievement. SILENCE

    Now, having paid homage to your grammatical proficiency, may I reiterate once again, that I write comments on blog posts quickly without proofing every word, sentence, paragraph, page, etc.
    These comments are not important writings as a prospectus, resume, letter, magazine article, etc. would be. You seem to think I care about these mistakes - sorry to disappoint, I don't.

    It's obvious that this is your only achievement in life and while it is certainly a valuable one, it matters little in the context in which we are writing on this blog. I am sorry that you have such a need to be recognized for your achievements. I know being a Jersey housewife and wearing all those tatoos to prove your worth must be hard, but at least along with the biker tatoos, you speak and write good English. This should take you far in life provided you lose those extra pounds from throwing back those after school drinks at the local pub. Good luck to you. I have always pulled for the underdog and I love seeing the guy/gal who is obviously out classed come to the forefront and reach his/her goals. You are only middle age, keep working, you will make it. I promise.

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  97. all those tatoos

    all those TATTOOS

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  98. By the way Anonymous 8:16am exactly who are the "we" of the "Evade, evade, evade, just what we expected"?

    Is it a group? Or is it the "Royal We"? Just wondering.

    ps you certainly make an awful lot of posts to be telling me I have "not much of career" if I make so many posts on blogs!

    I think the other "Anonymous" must be on "Saturday Night Live"! Or should be..........

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  99. Penelope
    Did you hate my Christmas post? What? You don't remember it? Shame. My mother in law wore flannel pjs on Christmas morning and my nephew got a gun for hunting. My daughter got some faux designer bags and my sister in law got two real designer bags ( the horror.)

    Also her slipcovers were wrinkled and loose looking. Tacky thing that she is.

    Can't remember what else the anon hated about my Christmas from two years ago, but it really made an impression on her! She posted over 40 times on that blog alone.

    Very strange,

    P.s. I love your work, especially your house, which I think is gorgeous!!! I would love to be able to buy it and move in there! Maybe in another lifetime. :). It's stunning. I especially love the grounds and the outbuildings. It looks like a small French village. You are very lucky to have lived there amongst such beauty,

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  100. Penelope,

    You let yourself be sucked in by someone who is only here to torment Joni.

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  101. Joni, thanks for the grammar lessons we didn't have to pay for. You don't seem to know the difference between the Anon who insulted Penny and the one who defended her and yet you pontificate (as usual) on knowing the anon is the person who laughed at your tacky Christmas post. You should be teaching, my dear. I somehow believe you either can't keep your anons straight, or you do a lot of role playing on your blog.

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  102. Love everything about the appt. Would like to know where you found the white lotus candleholders.

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  103. Wow! I haven't encountered this much insult-hurling and name-calling since junior high. What fun!

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  104. Well said, anonymous posted at 6.

    I am not "sucked in" to anything!
    I enjoy Joni's blog; and I look ahead, not back!
    One of my favorite blogger says she is "slowing down, because it is getting like the "Jerry Springer Show!" in the blogosphere!

    Why be unkind??? It is just ugly.

    Habitually Chic wrote a post about this called Kindness. Everyone should read it!

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  105. you are sooo right! i rarely uses capitals and no punctuation on comments and emails - just like this. because, it just takes too much time and i try to answer eamils as fast as possible!

    I also use !!!!!!! way to much, and ????? too much and hehehe. Gawd, sooo obnoxious!!!!!!

    ok, let's close this comment section now. working on a new post about Ikea! imagine!

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  106. Well, I'm new to the blogging thing and was trying to figure out how to write a comment when I came across this crazy diatribe... wow. Lighten up people! Maybe it's naive but shouldn't this be fun!?

    Anyway, Joni, my comment was regarding the lovely nest you, your husband and Elizabeth created for her home away from home. I can totally relate. Just sent ours off for her 3rd year at Ole Miss ... 3 trips to Oxford from Atlanta. One to nail down the house (don't ask me why the girls hadn't figured that one out prior to mid July), one to paint the interiors and bring the first truck load of furnishings and final trip, to bring the remainder and the actual student. That trip involved a flat tire and waiting out rain storms under various overpasses throughout Alabama.

    Her place is beautiful, and a definite mix of left overs, hand me downs (scored two almost new sofas from friends moving to Belgium!), with a sprinkling of new mixed in. She worked her tail off most of the summer for some of her goodies (and her spending $$) and asked for a beautiful wrought iron big girl bed for her 21st birthday. Helping her to get set up was a labor of love and it gives me peace of mind to know she's not in some filthy dump. If your a naturally born nester, it trickles down to all of those around you ... lucky them! Our oldest went to USNA and underwear was just about the only thing we were allowed to send from home... not even socks. Oh, and if I recall correctly, he was allowed to bring a small flag for his desk, a few drawer organizers and a stain stick.

    Anyway, love your blog. You seem for real and much fun to read!

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  107. A very cute puppy I saw too. Eventually, as expected everything will turn out beautifully.

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  108. Impressive blog and I really enjoyed reading and mostly peoples are like your blog. Most of the furniture are very colorful and artistically designed, so they will make very attractive and cool your house. Thanks for your wonderful sharing.

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  109. Hello, where did your daughter get the Chanel lamp?

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  110. Could you please let me know where you bought that adorable puppy? I have been in love with this breed since I saw them in a story about Charles Faudree many, many years ago. I live in the Dallas area, and was hoping you knew of a breeder in Texas.
    Thank you--
    Barbara Snyder
    barbara.snyder@gmail.com

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  111. I LOVE YOU! you crack me up! Thanks for all you do!

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