Friday, March 11, 2011

Favourite Things Friday

 

Welcome to FTF for another Friday. If you'd like to share one of your favourite things this week, (and I'd love it if you did ) you can write a post and then link up with the linky gadget at the bottom of this post. It's such a treat for me to wander round and have a sticky at the things you love.

Most of you would realise by now , I'm not a frou frou girl. I hardly ever wear makeup. My house isn't full of frilly things . Last time I wore a dress people asked me if I was going to a funeral. However there is one thing I am totally girly about.
I am a bed linen freak. I adore pretty bed linen.  I could be flat stony broke and I'd still have nice bed linen. Even when I was a broke single parent I always had a pretty bedroom, good sheets and the most gorgeous bed linen I could afford.

I've found is that bed linen can alter my mood and the look of my room. It can  make your room look cleaner even when you have shit piled everywhere. It can make you feel better about all sorts of things. I  think bed linen is probably even the answer to world peace. I have multiple sets of bed linen and in true Virgo style the sheets have to match and the pillowcases also have to be pretty ...it's a sickness. (Does it floor anyone else that European pillowcases costs about 40 bucks each ? Do they have gold sewn into the seams ? But I pay it because I am an idiot )

For when I'm feeling vaguely Moroccan....this is an autumn /winter quilt set


This kind of reminds me of a hotel room...and it's wonderful to sleep under.


In this shot my  room is possessed by Laura Ashley . (and a crazy cat ) This is for when I'm feeling all Spring and Summer.


And sometimes I just like minimalist black and white .

 I love my guest room linen...I should have bought this for our room!


It occurred to me the other day I haven't bought a new quilt cover in over a year so I'm going to have to start scouting round for some new stuff. There's nothing like sliding between the sheets when you have clean , fresh, gorgeous bed linen on your bed. You could be down to your last 100 bucks and it'll make you feel like a Princess - I promise.

I don't understand how anyone can sleep on cheapo sheets either....I guess that makes me a linen snob. Disgusting bally poly cotton sheets are yuk!  Give me 500 thread count any day. Life is too short for ugly sheets.

So come on ...fess up ..is anyone a linen freak like me and how many sets of bed linen do you own ? How often do you change your sheets ?

P.S. I'm also a dishtowel freak ...I have about a hundred of them ...




29 comments:

Three Birds Inspired said...

I have an addiction to china and flatware but not bed linens so I only have 2 sets for my bed. That being said, they are both Egyptian cotton, 600 count (I think). I do have a fetish about pillow cases. When I wash the sheets, pillow cases MUST be ironed. I wash sheets every Saturday Fall through Spring. When it is hot in the summer, I change the sheets twice a week.

Donnie said...

I have 2 sets of sheets here (Florida) and 2 up north but wash them when I strip the bed once a week. I have a quilt set that I love in NC and the set in Fl hubby picked out so I guess that isn't one of my things. Love how your room changes as you change the linens. Very pretty.

seabreezequilts said...

No I am not a linen freak use to be but DH has beaten me down with the whining about being too hot at night and whatever and bed quilts being to heavy so I don't bother anymore, the kids have lots of cute sheets though and a couple of quilts that go on every now and again.

Michelle said...

Actually, I'm a bit of bed linen snob myself. And it's getting worse. My new house mates have introduced me to 600 thread count sheets. Ah, a little peace of heaven.

We drink expensive coffee too--but try to make up for it with cheap wine. ;-)

Brenda said...

You are soooo funny! I love all the pics of your bedroom! I do love a nice sheet set, all cotton, lots of thread count! I now own two sets, but only use one - just wash and replace every week or so -more in the summer for sure. I do kind of have a summer quilt/set and am working on a fall/winter set for the bed.

brokerrob1 said...

Okay - I have to know - did you have pictures sitting around of all of the bed linens, or did you make and unmake the bed countless times just to take pics for us?

Love the sleigh bed!

I hate crappy sheets. Once we slept on crappy sheets at our cabin and I asked someone the next morning why the sheets felt like a burlap sack - unfortunately she had bought the sheets! I guess not everyone puts importance on nice sheets! :)

Love your favourite! I have a thing for clean sheets - talk about an instant mood-lifter!

Marg said...

Yep have to have really nice sheets and lovely bed linen and it all has to match. I have a sleigh bed too.
I once bought Vue 100% cotton sheets thinking they were good quality, they were crap and felt disgusting, I gave them away, never buying them again!
I love having lots of cushions piled on the bed too and they all have to match, it's a pain taking them off at night and putting them back in the morning.
I own 5 sets of sheets and about 6 different doona/duvet covers and matching pillowcases.
I may have a slight problem/obsession.

Sara said...

I am mid range - I'm happy at the 250-300 count range. But on the other hand, I'm a bit cheap with the look of the designs, since it's all covered in my quilts anyway. I usually get mine end of range from Target or Spotlight, and I have been known to buy them just to chop up for the fabrics.

On an unrelated note, my mother has threatened to disown any of us who buy white sheets. I think that's fair enough.

Baa-Me Kniits said...

Hello I am finally joining in again :-) I am middle of the range as well! They do have to be matching and fit properly and be clean.....it is bliss to slide into a freshly made bed! I have a couple of doona covers but tend to keep the same one going till I get sick of it as it has a nice quilt over it anyway. I did notice that my taste is much brighter than yours, lots of greens and earthy tones in my covers :-) Have you tried a large splash of colour for a change??

Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy Feet said...

I sleep best with freshly washed sheets and a just made bed, we change the sheets every weekend, and put on a new quilt every weekend too. I have about 6 sets of sheets, and at least 12 different quilts, and then 5 warmer blankets to go under the quilts but on top of the top sheet. Love the Egyptian cotton sheets too, and I love the song about them, makes me soooo happy!!

Kate said...

I'm a middle of the range as well. I love a freshly made bed. I have a couple of sets of really nice sheets and about 3 sets of OK sheets.

I have linen envy, your's are all wonderful!

Anonymous said...

I love your guest room linen and the black and white. Never was much of a Laura Ashley fan, but then that's a lot of flowers and flowers hate me, even fake ones.

I like pretty linen, too. Someday, when I'm not paying two private school tuitions, maybe I'll get some really pretty stuff, just because I can.

Kirsten said...

I own about fifteen sets of duvet covers, cause thats what we sleep in. And I love them all. In the winter time I love my brown and turquise one, in the summer I´m more a blue woman since it gives me a cool breeze feeling.

thea said...

I know I'm not supposed to comment before I come up with my FTF but I'm doing it anyway. I'm a real rebel. ha.

Anyway, I have one set of sheets that I use on my bed (the others I have don't actually fit because it's one of those deep mattresses) -- I change them once a week. I think they are Calvin Klein and maybe 500 count -- the nicest sheets I've ever owned. I'm planning on getting another set as soon as I have the money. I'm in love with my "other pinwheel sampler" so that's staying on my bed until I get sick of it or it wears out.

I love that you switch yours up. How often do you do that? Does it feel like you have a new room when you make the change? Might be a fun idea ..

Nana B said...

I don't know, Shay, between the shoes, linens and sheets you sound pretty girly to me:^)

Larri said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Shay,
Love it! I too am a linen lover. I have about 10 sets of white (don't gasp) linens. My mother crocheted lace edgings for me for years so many of the pillow cases and top sheets have beautiful lace details. EVERYONE compliments me on the fabulous bedding and swears that the quality of sleep is improved while here. The beauty of white is that I can mix and match and it compliments our quilts, duvet covers (5) and crocheted spreads (thanks to Mum). Our bed is an 1898 brass and iron one and our daughters/guests sleep in a beautiful sleigh bed minus the footboard. It is exactly like yours. I buy good cotton sheets because we all love the feel of it - "Himself" especially. He will even buy linens for me.
Cheers,
Helen (Nanci's PT)

Larri said...

Girly or not, luxurious bedding is a fabulous favourite! I cannot imagine climbing into a bed that is encased in scratchy sheets. I agree with you...it's well worth the splurge. Even my kids have high threadcount linens! :o)

PS...Your rooms look so inviting! Can I come stay with you? ;o)

Happy Friday night, friend!

...edited because I hate typos! They make me feel stupid. LOL

Angie said...

I am a HUGE sheet snob! When my husband and I got married I wanted to BURN his sheets! He had no idea you could even buy anything better than 180 thread count. I was repulsed! It was like I found out he had some nasty body growth. I refused to lay on his bed even lol. He thought I was crazy until the first time he slept on my 1000 count egyptian cotton sheets. Then he got it! ;) My favorite place to buy sheets is Overstock.com.

Shevvy said...

I like my linen but I've got an even bigger passion for the pillows and duvets. Why oh why do so many people have pillows like soggy lasagne? What use are they? I love big fluffy pillows and lots of them!

Paulette said...

I appreciate good linens, even more so when they're on a big sale. Hate polyester in sheets, ick. However, I've been known to pick up a random pillowcase (in very good condition, of course) at the thrift store for no good reason other than it just strikes my fancy at the time, like the one I just bought a few days ago. It matches absolutely nothing, there was just one of them, and yet I brought it home. *Sigh* I don't understand it myself.

Loved seeing your various bedroom looks (no, not that kind...)!

TheLab said...

Oh no... I've never thought about sheets before. Now I won't be able to STAND mine! I don't have the money to care, and now it will bother the heck out of me! After seeing those AMAZING photos of yours, I HATE my bed! Whhhhhaaaaaa!

But boy, is it nice to "hear" your writing again. I've missed reading your posts!!!

rubyslipperz1052 said...

one of my new favorite things = and eyeglass necklace that my granddaughter made. she is making these now to earn money to help with school activites and other things.

hugZ,
annie

Elizabeth said...

Oh, I think my favorite is the pink satin-y set. The Laura Ashley is nice too, though. And I love the set you've got in the guest bedroom. That is really awesome!

Thanks for sharing!

xo -El

Ruth said...

I'm also a bed linen and towel freak!!! But since my bedroom is also my fiance's home office, the bedspread always has to be solid and in a color he likes (either pine green, navy, or black), but I can do pretty much whatever I want with the sheets. And I've also got a guest bedroom to play with!!! I love solid, pastel (lavender, super pale blues, etc) sheets most, as long as they're super soft! I tend to stick with 600ish thread count, but I recently bought a VERY expensive 630 tc set that ended up feeling like BURLAP. Yikes. Taking them back immediately.

As for towels, I do love dish towels, but I like to keep the kitchen very simple-- only blues, greens, and whites in there. (I'm trying to faze out Bryan's red dish towels and pot holders... yuck.) My passion is in bath towels! Unlike my bedsheets, I prefer my bathroom towels to be more flat than soft and fluffy, so some organic towels work great for me. My bathroom colors are pale green and lavender, but I always end up getting any pretty pale color I see. :/

Wow, I think my comment was longer than your whole post... hahah! :P

Lisa said...

My style would be the Laura Ashley, it's beautiful! I love pretty sheets too, my husband thinks anything is fine. Good thing I do the linnen shopping. =)

Vesuviusmama said...

Reading through the comments, I realized I'm curious, too, did you remake the bed all those times just to show us photos? If so, I agree, you are a FREAK! But a freak with a pretty bedroom. I still have the cheapo sheets and comforter I bought straight out of college 20 years ago. And they are all solid which bores me to death. Thank goodness I have my husband to spice things up a bit in the bedroom or it would be a tomb in there! You've inspired me to try to make it nicer in there. If only I weren't so damned cheap!

thea said...

I forgot to link up .. I actually posted on Friday.

Leanne said...

I now know my husband will never leave me for you not that you are ever likely to meet but he hates new anything. So when I have to buy new bed linen because the old is thread bare he goes to bed cocooned in an old sheet because the new linen is too rough. He would have a nervous break down living with you.