things to keep

i don't know if you can tell in previous pics, but we've really procrastinated in pulling together a nice living room (& any dining area whatsoever).  the excuse is that "we should start from the bottom up" - meaning we need to get the wood floors down before we can really think about doing anything else.  well... since we've made quite a bit of progress with the wood floors, i guess the time to pull it together is fast approaching - eek!

it's not that we err i haven't been thinking about it... in fact, i have all kinds of ideas jotted down, pictures saved & websites bookmarked - hello designsponge.  it's just... making a final decision on what approach to take it so difficult!   i definitely have commitment issues ;D

so yesterday i made a list of 'things to keep' - which are things we already have (that will go in either the living or dining room) & 'thing's i'd love to own' - which are things that i'd like to incorporate or use as inspiration.  

on the list of 'things to keep':

yellow chair.  i reupholstered this chair last year & - as dj constantly reminds me - it still needs a cushion

fancy chair.  another reupholstery project from last year that is a couple hours shy of being finished...

the credenza we built (project courtesy of the fantastic ReadyMade magazine)

ah... sophia - so beautiful.  she will always be my favorite.  the breakfast sign i found in the scary basement of a diner i worked at in college.  

this beauty may be introduced to a can of spray paint in the near future.  we bought it at Grandview Mercantile for a steal.  it surprisingly gives off a lot of light & is just lovely to look at overall.  

next up... 'things i'd love to own' ;)

upholstery class #3

i can't believe i'm already on upholstery class #3.  i'm very excited to finally work on leggy chair!  this one will be all about learning how to make buttons, diamond backs & cleanly folding fabric around arms & legs.  the fabric i'm using is a japanese print by kokka that i got at sew to speak (my favorite fabric shop ever).   it's so pretty!  this is a tiny sneak peak of just how adorable this chair will look... i will update later when it's complete.  (i'm confident that there will be no tears this time - haha)

upholstery class #2 (part 2)

here are pics from my first week of class (which was only 2 nights).  believe it or not, i'm a lot further along than i was at this point in upholstery class #1.  hahaha

i did think i would remember more from the first class.  oh well... as a friend of mine says, repetition is the mother of all learning  :)

for more pictures click here

fancy chair is now black!

woo hoo!  the fancy chair is now black and glossy (after 2 days & about 7 or 8 coats).   i must say, he's looking mighty fine  :) 

 i imagine there will be a couple of spots to touch up (after transporting to & from class + my skills with a staple remover have yet to be honed) but i can do that with a tiny brush (& left over spray paint maybe?)  yay!  

updating wood frame with glossy black paint

so... for a plan with only 3 steps there is much work to be done.   on the agenda for this weekend:  

• sand.  the wood on fancy chair is covered by a really thick coat of polyurethane or lacquer.  ugh.  it will need to be roughed up a bit so the new finish will really stick.  this is my least favorite part.  it is also the most time consuming as i'm only able to focus on sanding for about 10 minutes at a time (before getting bored, whiny or distracted).  

• spray.  because i've only given myself one weekend to do this (haha), i've decided to use all spray materials.  the positive - spray paint will help ensure thin coats.  the negative - if it rains all weekend i will cry  :(
  

1.  primer = 2 coats

2.  black gloss paint = 2 coats

3.  poly-acrylic top coat = 3 coats

upholstery class #2 (part 1)

i start my 2nd upholstery class at fabric farms on monday (before & after photos from my 1st upholstery class can be found here).  i'm super excited to revamp what i've dubbed the "fancy chair", which was given to us by dj's great aunt helen.  when i removed the fabric i found a card stapled to the arm that said the frame was made in 1959.  i find that kind of stuff really cool.  

so here is the plan: 

• update the wood frame with glossy black paint
• update the fabric with super cute & whimsical "leo" fabric (by Alexander Henry - below)
• scotch guard the hell out of the chair when complete

this is where i really wish i was a photoshop pro... then i could "recreate" the chair with it's new look.  fyi... if anyone knows how to do this, please share :)

     
 

seriously...  how great is this fabric?!?  i think it's going to look quite lovely. :)