I've been loving this wonderful sunny weather we've had recently - it seems like summer's finally arrived.  To be honest I've probably been spending more time outside in the garden than inside my house.  However, when I was cleaning the living room yesterday I decided it was time for a change! 

You see, I like to use different sets of slipcovers according to the time of year.  And now the weather's warming up and we're getting lots of sunshine, my winter sofa covers looked all out of place.  So, I quickly ripped them off and dug out a nice clean set of slipcovers that I keep in my linen closet.  They're made from a pretty pale blue floral fabric and really lighten the room up and give it an airy, cool feel.  I love my furniture's new look and the room's now a welcome retreat from the heat outside.

Anyway, now's a good time to buy some summer slipcovers for your couch and chairs because there's currently another free shipping offer from Sure Fit.  It runs all over this weekend until Monday (19th May).  The deal is you can get free standard shipping on all slipcover orders of $125 or more.  The promo code is MOFS. 

Back in April I wrote a post about my friend Chrissie and how she found a way to use stretchy slipcovers on her furniture with loose back cushions.  She couldn't find any that were designed to fit this style, so following my advice she replaced the back cushions with new pillows and is very happy with the result.

I thought of Chrissie today though, when I saw that Sure Fit have just introduced a new slipcover especially designed for sofas and loveseats with loose back cushions.  This is great news for people who don't like the idea of replacing their cushions with pillows and it works in much the same way as a separate seat slipcover.  It has a three-piece design, which means it has separate covers for the body of the furniture, the seat cushions and the back cushions.  Like the seat cushions, the loose back cushions are placed all together in one cover and zipped in.

I love the simplicity of this design and think it's excellent that Sure Fit have started selling this type of cover, as until now I'd never seen any furniture covers like this.  Currently it's only available in chocolate or taupe stretch pique fabric, but I imagine it'll be a big success and might become available in other fabrics in the future.  It costs $139.99 for a loveseat size, $149.99 for a sofa size.  Click here for more details.

I've just found this Mothers Day coupon code for Sure Fit.  For a limited time only - the promo ends Monday 5th May - you can get FREE standard shipping on all slipcover orders of $99 and over.  The code is MDFS - you'll need to enter this at checkout when you place your order online. 

Sure Fit have recently launched several new slipcovers, including the pretty floral Briarwood range, which is available in sofa, loveseat and chair sizes, and wing chair and recliner slipcovers in their new Stretch Grid fabric.  Their range of organic slipcovers, made from 100% organic cotton is also well worth checking out.

Click here to start shopping!  Happy Mothers Day!

I was chatting to my neighbour at the other weekend and she was telling me about how she'd recently been to visit her son, who's in his second year at university.  It's his first experience of living in a shared house - he's sharing with 4 other boys - and his mother was quite shocked at the mess that greeted her on her arrival.  Apparently there were dirty dishes lying on every available surface, the beds weren't made and the bathroom was disgusting.  This didn't really surprise me, having been a student myself.  I can't imagine there are many student houses that are anywhere near being clean and tidy!

When I was at college I remember having a mad panic at the end of the year when we were due to move out of the house and attempting to clean it, so we could get our bonds back from the landlord.  I recall two of us spent a whole afternoon trying to scrub beer and other unidentifiable stains off the couches.  I wish I'd known about sofa slipcovers back then!

I think slipcovers are great if you're a student in a rental apartment.  Not only can you add your personal touch to the landlord's old furniture and hide that dodgy 1970s upholstery, you can also protect the furniture from any accidents that are bound to happen to it in the next year!  Washable slipcovers make it so much easier to remove beer and pizza stains, and make cleaning up after a party so much quicker.

I also remember what it was like to live on a student budget and how my priorities back then weren't really focused on interior design!  As a result of all this, we've spoken with Sure Fit and they've generously agreed to give us an exclusive discount code just for students who visit www.GetSlipcovers.com.  Students can get 15% off all slipcover orders by using the student discount coupon code AGS3.  For more details click below:
Student Discounts on Slipcovers

It's surprising how many people don't realize that you can get ready made slipcovers for wingback chairs.  It seems a lot of people think they only make slipcovers for the more common types of furniture, such as regular armchairs.  A prime example of this was last weekend, when I was having dinner at my cousin's house.  I noticed that she'd got lovely new slipcovers on her sofa and loveseat, but she'd clearly neglected to do anything with her old wing chair.

It was sitting there in the corner of her living room looking very sorry for itself, with it's faded (not to mention very 1980s!) upholstery on full view.  Somehow, now the other furniture looked as good as new, it seemed to make the wing chair look even worse.  Turns out my cousin simply didn't know about wing chair covers, otherwise she'd have bought one at the same time to complete her room's new look.

Anyway, the good news is that this type of slipcover certainly exists and the even better news is that Sure Fit are currently having a 15% off sale on all of theirs!  That's right - you can save 15% on everything in their wing chair cover range up to Monday 28th April when this promotion ends.  Click here to see the full collection of wing chair slipcovers.
 

As a way of promoting their Tuck Once Grips, Sure Fit are offering 15% off all orders of $100 and over.  To claim your discount, you'll need to use the promotional code TO15 and order before April 21 2008.

Tuck Once Grips are an excellent solution for making sure your furniture covers stay in place.  Each time I put a fresh slipcover on my furniture I make sure I fit it as tight as I can, by tucking any loose fabric out of sight into the cracks between the seat cushion and the arms and back.

However, sometimes after a lot of use, I find my slipcovers can work loose and need re-tucking.  I expect if you've got kids or pets who jump or climb all over your couch you'll be familiar with this problem!

That's where these special grips come in handy.  They're basically V-shaped pieces of clear plastic that you just stick into each crack around your seat to hold your slipcover securely in place.  They're a very simple and effective idea and are very easy to insert and remove.  Once installed you won't be able to see them at all.  To find out more and to see the entire range of Sure Fit slipcovers, click here.
 

A few weeks ago I went to stay with my old friend Chrissie for a long weekend.  I love visiting there because she's got a lovely house and is a wonderful hostess.  I always feel very welcome and at home.  Her living room is huge and rather grand, but very tastefully decorated and furnished.  She's got some gorgeous furniture, including a pair of sumptuous sofas, a smaller loveseat and a couple of arm chairs. 

Anyway, Chrissie was saying that she fancies the idea of giving her seats a facelift, as she's had them quite a while and feels like a change of look.  They're good quality pieces of furniture so she doesn't want to replace them, just give them a makeover.  However, she'd got a quote for having them reupholstered and was shocked by the cost, and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to find any slipcovers to fit.

You see, all her furniture is the sort that has loose back cushions and Chrissie was concerned that she hadn't seen any slipcovers designed for covering separate back cushions.  I agreed that it seems no one makes this type of slipcover…but I did have a solution.  First of all, I suggested she try a regular stretch slipcover, just to see if it would stretch over the cushions as well as the seat back.  I know people who've done this successfully, but Chrissie looked doubtful as she likes having separate cushions.

My second suggestion, which Chrissie liked the sound of, was to get rid of the back cushions completely and fit ready -made slipcovers on each sofa, loveseat and chair in the usual way.  Then, in place of the old cushions, she could add some pretty new pillows over the top of the slipcovers.  These would be just as comfortable and could look great if she selected a fabric that coordinated or contrasted with her slipcover material.

Anyway, I'm really pleased as yesterday I got a phone call from Chrissie to tell me she'd just received her order of new slipcovers and matching pillows.  The good news is that the slipcovers fit perfectly, and her new pillows look fantastic.  She couldn't be happier with the results.  So, if you've got the same problem with loose back cushions, replacing them with pillows could work for you too!

To coincide with their new Spring collection, Sure Fit are currently offering a discount of 15% off all the slipcovers in their Chantal Floral range.  This is a great opportunity to take advantage of this promotion and save money on giving your furniture a Spring makeover.

The Chantal Floral fabric is made from 100% cotton, which is a comfortable and durable natural fiber fabric that is perfect for the upcoming warmer months of summer, as it "breathes".  This means it lets air circulate and helps moisture evaporate, so it doesn't feel sticky to sit on in hot weather.

This slipcover design has a pretty shabby chic look.  There are two versions.  The ruffled skirt is available in sofa, loveseat and wing chair sizes, in an attractive sage color.  The straight skirt comes in black, in both sofa and loveseat slipcover sizes.

If you want to check out this fab new slipcover, click here.  And remember, this special offer only runs to 7th April, so you'd better act quick to make sure you get your 15% discount!

My friend Sally called me up the other day as she was thinking about buying some new sofa slipcovers and wanted my advice.  Specifically, she wanted to know what kinds of fabrics are best for slipcovers.  That's a common question that I often get asked, so here's my brief guide to slipcover fabrics:

The cheapest slipcovers tend to be made from synthetic fabrics, particularly polyester.  As well as saving you money, a slipcover made from polyester should be low-maintenance, as this material is wrinkle-resistant.  It should keep its shape and fit, and is durable too - its color shouldn't fade in sunlight.

Polyester is often found combined with cotton in furniture slipcovers, which is a good combination of the wrinkle-resistant qualities of polyester and the comfort of cotton.  Because cotton is a natural fiber fabric, it's able to breathe, which means it helps air circulate and moisture evaporate.  This can make 100% cotton slipcovers more comfortable to sit on in hot or humid weather.  Unlike man-made fabrics, cotton is more likely to get creased and may need to be ironed after washing.  It's very durable though and can stand up to regular washes.

One fabric that is especially popular is Performance Twill, which is made from 100% polyester.  This type of slipcover is very hardwearing and is a good fabric to have if you've got children or pets.  It's also treated with a fabric protector to help prevent dirty marks and stains.

Stretch slipcovers are usually made from polyester mixed with a small percentage of Spandex.  Look out for slipcovers made from stretch fabrics if you have good quality furniture and want a snug fit.  The Spandex in this type of fabric helps the slipcover cling to the curves and contours of a seat and fit like a glove.

I've found a good promotion from EverySlipcover.com - they are offering free shipping on all orders through March 21st, as well as no sales tax (except in MA where sales tax applies). 

EverySlipcover.com carries a great selection of furniture slipcovers available to order online.  In addition to regular sized chair, loveseat and sofa slipcovers, they carry several oversized chair covers.  Also known as "chair and a half slipcovers", these are for seats that are bigger than a chair but not quite as big as a loveseat, and can be quite tricky to find in a lot of stores.

There is also a good range of slipcovers for other types of furniture, such as recliners, wing chairs, ottomans and dining chairs.  I think it's well worth checking out this site - and with free shipping and no sales tax, now's the time to do it!  Click here to go direct to the site.