Bits and Pieces

This week has been a little bit hectic, so I just haven't had a chance to do any new projects.

Today I thought I'd show you a couple of bits of my house that are kind of new additions. Just simple stuff that I really like.

This sweet little band of felt circles adorned the box that contained the thank-you gift that my brother and his wife gave me for reupholstering their couch. Isn't it cute? I'd also gotten one wrapped around my Christmas gift from them and just thought it was the most darling way to decorate a gift box.

So I tied it around this linen shade to add a little charm to this thrift store lamp. This would be super easy to make, too. Cut felt circles, make two slits about 1/4" apart in the middle, then thread some cotton ribbon through the slits.

Easy.

Another change I've made recently (okay, a couple of months ago) was to make some new curtains for my living room. They're airy, neutral, and let in as much light as possible, which is important since this is the only window in the room.

I pretty much keep the blinds up all the time so that the room doesn't feel cave-like.

The curtains are tied back with some pretty hardware that were black which I painted white and distressed.

But here's what I really love about them- they only cost me about $2 each!

The large white parts were actually beautifully clean linen tablecloths that I scored at a thrift store for $1 each. The two ends were already hemmed and the sides had a woven finished edge. All I had to do was add some length, which was really easy using some of that natural cotton fabric that I love.


With a little math and a little sewing, I came up with a pair of breezy curtains that are lovely for spring and summer.

Even though the bottom is hidden by my couch right now, I like that they're floor-length in case it ever shows. I just hate when curtains are a few inches too short. It feels to me like my living room is wearing high-water pants.
Hopefully next week I'll have more to share with you. But I guess that means I'd better get to work! :)

Super Special, Ultra Exciting Project (mostly) Complete!

Last week I showed you the project I was going to tackle during my trip to visit my family in Utah- my brother's couch.

He got it for $25 second hand while he was a bachelor in North Carolina, then hauled it across the country when he and his girlfriend (now wife) moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.

They both liked the couch fine, but it was clearly in need of an update. Enter- Big Sister Sarah and her bag of tools.

My baby and I travelled from my parents' house on Tuesday and when I arrived that evening I started stripping the couch almost immediately. My brother helped me tear off the trim and most of the fabric that was attached with about 16 trillion staples.

Here's how it looked on the morning of Work Day 1.

And here it is at the end of Day 1.
Do you love that fabric they chose? It's velvety soft and is a beautiful color- sooo nice to work with.

New buttons were covered (in advance) and applied, fabric was wrestled, many MANY knots were tied, folds were made, muscles were strained and my spine screamed by the end.

Like the action shots my brother took?

Day 2 was a little less of a struggle. The inside and outside arms and bottom front all got covered.

Day 3 started with me running around the Salt Lake Valley trying to find a walk-in clinic for my baby (who'd been sick almost our entire trip), then sewing the double cording which would trim out the rest of the couch. Day 3 was when I'd hoped to finish, but that flew right out the window.

Day 3 was also when my two other littles were delivered to me by my wonderful Mom who worked a 5 hour day then drove another 5 hours to bring them up from her house.

Day 4 was spent putting the last pieces on and trying not to cry when things went wrong, while my wonderful brother and his wonderful wife took my two oldest littles for a fun-filled day to keep them out from under my feet.

By the end of Day 4, I had accomplished all that I'd hoped to during my visit.










Obviously, the couch isn't quite done. I brought the seat cushion covers home with me to use as patterns for the new ones, which I'll sew up this week and mail back. Then they'll take the actual "after" shots for me and I'll post them the instant that I get them!

All in all, this project turned out to be exactly what I'd expected it to be- BIG, challenging, fun, scary and rewarding.
I encountered a lot of unexpected problems which I had to find solutions for.
I had to undo a LOT of my work on several occasions to get things just right.
I learned techniques that I'd never used before and now have the confidence to use again, and turned out a finished product that I am happy with.
Hallelujah.

Glaze, glaze, and more glaze

Today's post is all about the glaze- "antiquing", if you will- and what a difference it can make.

This table was purchased at an estate sale and even came with a mirror for the top.

It had such beautiful details, but they were kind of lost in the tired, dark wood finish that it had.

Getting primed and painted made it look better, but those details were still not popping. The table was just looking kind of flat.

But when you add some black glaze to those carvings and turnings, they just jump right out.



This table has found a home in the office of my friend's husband and will proudly display his television.



I found this foot stool at another estate sale. The cross stitched pad had become very worn and the wood finish had seen better days.

Once again, primer and paint helped...

... but a new fabric on the pad and a little brown glaze in the carved details makes it special again.



Like how it matches the cushion on my chair? I think it if were staying at my house they'd become good friends.





Finally, one more example of how paint and glaze come together to make something unique. I bought several of these birds at our local Dollar Tree a while back and loved them as-is. But after my husband admitted to me how often their life-like appearance had startled him, I considered giving them a little re-do.

It took a couple of coats of spray paint to cover the bright colors that they used to have, which of course just washed all of the detail right out of them. But with some brown glaze painted on them wiped off, all of the detail came right back.

Glazing gets easier with practice, and though I haven't used it much yet, I sure plan to! If you want to give it a try, take a look at this tutorial.

Desk chair revamp

I picked up this little office-style chair one day at a thrift store. It was stashed way up high in a pile of other chairs, but it immediately stood out among them. The lines are so clean and modern, yet it still has a vintage quality about it that I love. It's quite a departure from the curvy chairs with turned spindles that usually grab my attention.


I've been wanting a new desk chair, so I thought this could be a good candidate.

Since the finish was in pretty good condition, I decided to forgo painting this time and just focus on the seat.
Ohhhh, the seat.

The outside layer of fabric was pretty gross, but it was nothing compared to what was under that.

There was a layer of disintegrating foam, then another layer of yucky fabric wrapped around a warped plywood base. I used the old base as a template to make a new one.

Then I used my new wooden base as a template for some new foam.

A thick layer of spray adhesive applied to the wood keeps the foam from sliding around on it while it gets worked on.

Some Dacron (or in this case, quilt batting) smooths out the edges of the foam.

I couldn't find a big enough piece of fabric in my stash that I really loved, so I thought I'd try to make my own. It was inspired by a table runner I made a while back.

I positioned the fabric on the foam how I wanted it, then held it in place with some upholstery pins.

Staple, staple, pull, tug, staple, smooth, staple...

Some black dust cloth to make it a little nicer looking...

And that's it!

My stripe looks a little crooked, though. Just goes to show, sometimes even being careful doesn't produce perfection.





Ah, well. I like my new desk chair.
It's perty.