Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Ode to a yellow couch (or in other words the overly long post about how I got my yellow couch.)

Skip to end if you just want to see the picture.
It won't hurt my feelings....much.

As I mentioned in my Thankful Thursday post we got a "new to us" yellow couch.

And I love it.

I've loved it ever since I found it on Craigslist for my sister when she moved into her new apartment. When I showed it to her she fell in love with it too. So my good friend and I drove all the way up to South Weber (over an hour away) loaded it up onto my dad's truck and delivered it to my sister.

I was actually very sad to not bring it to my home. It was right after I had painted my living room yellow and I KNEW that it would look right at home in my front room.

We had a perfectly functional and nice blue plaid couch so I didn't feel comfortable asking my husband about getting one like the one we had found for my sister.

But every once in a while I would go onto Craigslist or KSL want ads and type in the search engine "yellow couch". A couple of times ones that were very similar to the one that sat at my sisters house would come up for sale. The same material just a little different style.

I silently coveted those up for sale on those sites. And was envious of those people who bought them. And coveted my sister's couch and was envious whenever I would go to visit.

(Yes I know that covetousness and envy are neither one good things. I never said I was perfect.)

It kind of felt like I was cheating on my perfectly good plaid couch but I couldn't help it.

I was smitten.

Then came the call from my sister. Asking me if I wanted the couch. She was thinking about purchasing a new one with some money that had come her way. I tried to contain my excitement as I told her yes. She told me I would have to wait a bit until the money came through. I was okay with that.

Then a few months later came the crushing news that my sister wouldn't be getting a new couch after all and my dreams of a yellow couch seemed beyond my reach.

I silently cried myself to sleep when I got the news. (not really but doesn't it make the story seem more touching and me more pathetic?) I got up the next day and went on with my life. Trying to make amends with my plaid couch.

I think it somehow knew that my heart was elsewhere. It had started coming apart at the seams and had let itself go. The cushions were dirty and getting more so by the day. I knew that if I put a little bit of time and love into our relationship my plaid couch could be back to looking like new but my heart wasn't in it.

The thing is that I was never planning on getting rid of my plaid couch. I had dreams of moving my comfortable, wonderful plaid couch downstairs to sit along side my other, not so comfy plaid hide-a-bed couch. Sister couches, as it were.

Yes. I practice poly-couch-omy. Deal with it.

AND I was looking to add a third sister couch into the mix. The yellow couch.

Then came the second call from my sister about the couch. This time it was for certain. She had the opportunity to by a microfiber couch and love seat at an awesome price and she wanted to know if I would like to take the yellow couch off of her hands.

YES!!!

It was a bit dirty and needed some washing, I was informed, but it was mine. A week later it was sitting in my living room along with my plaid couch. And there was not room for the both of them. I stuck to my plan of moving the plaid couch downstairs.

I took the time to clean both couches up. I didn't want the plaid one to feel like it was being relegated to a lesser status because really it wasn't. I was THRILLED to have that one downstairs because of the comfy factor and now we had enough seating for all the family when we watched movies.

I lovingly took the covers off the seats of both couches and put them in the washer. I scrubbed them down with Resolve cleaner and Spray and wash. I sewed up where the plaid couch was coming apart at the seams. I scrubbed the cushions on the yellow couch that didn't have slip covers and hung them out to dry on my redneck clothes line. It took me three days to do it but I did it. It was worth every minute.

The yellow couch is mine.Look how it fits so perfectly. The yellows, the blue leaves and piping on the edges match my carpeting and there are little spots of red in there as well that match my curtains. (Ty says that it looks like someone had a nose bleed on it. I disagree.)

Ty was gone for two weeks so I decided to redo our coffee table while he was away. I debated between red and green and I went with Lime curl green as you can see. I LOVE how it turned out.

My house is a riot of color and I love it.

That reminds me. I still need to post pictures of my kitchen...

27 comments:

Barbaloot said...

I'm amazed at your interior decorating abilities. I am so unimaginative that I have to have things that are all just one color. I can't mix and match.

I'm glad you finally got your couch...and it LOOKS like new to me:)

Jules AF said...

That's a cute couch!

Funky Kim said...

I have lusted after that same couch for years! But since my living room decor added Dwaine and a distinctive western theme, it no longer fits in my home. I, however, long for a place for a yellow couch!

Kristina P. said...

Oh my goodness! About 10 years ago, a lady I worked with had the same couch. She had been saving her pennies for it, and she LOVED it. It was beautiful. Congrats!

springrose said...

So cute! I love red and yellow!! I bought a sofa off of craigs list last year and it has flowers on it. I love it my hubby thinks I am weird. He's a man after all, why would he like flowers? Besides he convinced me when we bought our first sofa to go with the man couch and that is what we got. I have a love hate relationship with it!!

Erin said...

What a happy looking couch. Heck, it's a happy living room!

Christa said...

I love riotous colors. They're just so pretty and uplifting.

My dream is to have a red couch. We bought new furniture for our living room about 3 years ago and I don't know why I didn't get one then. I've been kicking myself over it ever since. When the couch in my basement family room kicks the bucket, I'm moving the living room set downstairs and getting the red one of my dreams.

Vanessa said...

You should be the next Design Star!

bingham 5 said...

I am in love with your table!

muggins mahooney said...

Well done my dear!

mCat said...

To be truthful, I didn't know what to expect with "yellow couch".
Oh.My.Gosh! It's beautiful and I love the table with it.
Well done indeed!

Lara Neves said...

First of all...you are so fun! This was so fun to read, and I totally would have cried myself to sleep over a couch. :)

Second of all, I like the couch and all, but your green table is AMAZING! Absolutely adore it!

Emmy said...

Love that coffee table, I think I would be afraid to do that much color but it totally works.

Me (aka Danielle) said...

Amazing! I love the yellow Couch! It seriously looks like it was made for that spot!

P.S. I don't know where I've been, or why you got lost in my reader! Sorry! I didn't mean to ignore your bloggy!

Teachinfourth said...

"Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow."

- Coldplay

And yellow is such a cheerful color, too...

Anonymous said...

awesome couch shan! looks great in your livivng room!!!

Rachel Sue said...

Not to downplay the lovely yellow couch, but I LOVE the green table!

That Girl said...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO actually slipped out of my mouth.

And I'm in love with the green table too.

Wonder Woman said...

That couch is fantastic! And PERRRRFECT with the table!

Shawn said...

Oh, how I love a riot of color! Glad you got your couch.....

Madalyn said...

That looks so awesome in your house... you're right... that relationship was meant to be! :)

elesa said...

My couch gets pretty jealous if I spend too much time on the love seat. I try to tell it not to be so possessive, but I dont' feel like I am getting through!

Cynthia said...

Con-couch-ulations! It looks like the yellow couch fits in perfectly. I'm glad it all worked out.

tiburon said...

I love it! Love all the color. I am a color girl too :)

Melinda said...

I love, love, LOVE your coffee table!!! I've been dying to paint mine green (my favorite color), but I'm way too lazy!

Gerry said...

The couch looks great! Does it still look like this, or have you since re-upholstered it? I like how the beige base color matches the yellow of the walls and contrasts against the dark of the carpet. There’s enough green in the leaves to match the table, and the blue brings out the yellow in the beige of the couch.

Gerry Bossier

Donna Barberio (Lizzi's Mom) said...

I have this same sofa with two love seats... I'm would like to put them up for sale. Do you by any chance know the manufacturer?

Thank you