Do you remember those $4.00 chairs I bought at The Salvation Army months ago. Of course you don't. You have a life to live other than remembering Yaya's latest crazy revamping project.
So I will remind you..... Oh this is your lucky day!
I drug he-man to The Salvation Army Thrift Store in search of two accent chairs for our space that once held our large dining table... or so I thought.
Each time I saw a chair I would ask him if he thought this could be shortened or that could be widened or something could be done which would, no doubt, require his wood working abilities.
Finally we decided upon two very simple oak-framed waiting-room type chairs, thinking they could be easily disassembled, repaired and recovered.
We thought it a deal we couldn't pass up at the price of 4.99. Plus with the Wednesday Days Discount they were only 8.00 for the pair. If they didn't work for us we could give them back to the Salvation Army looking like new.
I spent more time than I intended finding fabric for the chairs. I could not decide whether to go for the gusto with a bright, printed fabric, or to play it safe with a versatile neutral.
I tried wild flowers which ended up hanging in the grand daughter's art room (if you remember that project?).
I tried geometric design.
I swagged them with a beautiful neutral linen embroidered with brown poppies.
I adorned them in a trendy french phrase motif.
I tried tan tweed which is now setting in my daughters pile of someday-to-be-used-fabrics.
I tried an old shower curtain, a new shower curtain, large blue flowers against a white background, a neutral zebra print and a girly pink number. None of which made me happy. The great Salvation Army find had remained untouched - draped in a different fabrics, occupying different rooms of our house for so long that we were becoming comfortable with their dirty, shabby shape.
In one desperate attempt to make a decision I visited a fabric store and vowed to bring something home for the ever-revolving chairs. After walking the same aisles over and over again, I decided upon an outdoor fabric that was on sale for half off and some sheer drapes to go over our bedroom curtains. Yes, I said' "over," not "under". I like to do things a bit quirky. But the real point is I not only made a decision. I made two. It was a good day for the compulsive, project-obsessive decorator.
He-man and I had already disassembled one chair so I could measure the amount of fabric I might need and to assess if any other parts needed to be replaced. I had to purchase new webbing, a new foam seat cushion, leather to go between the webbing and the cushion and batting to seamlessly hold it all together.
He man went to stapling and I hit it at the sewing machine.
Our kitchen counter quickly turned into the upholstery shop and our dining room floor became my cutting table. We worked most of the day, determined to complete the project and give the forgotten chairs an identity.
Soon we were trying to remember where to place all the parts and how to attach them for greatest support. That was harder than I expected. But taking out all the blasted staples was the hardest by far. I swear we pulled 1000 staples or more from those two chairs. And he-man said he probably pushed our staple gun trigger at least that many times.
We tugged and pulled fabric that had not been sewn to accommodate the cushion. Even though the seamstress had used the fabric torn from the chair as a pattern, I guess she didn't take into account the plumpness of the new cushion and the tighter weave of the new fabric.
After some restitching, some material pieces applied with spray adhesive (only on a very small piece of the wooden frame, mind you), and a few turns of the drill the lonely bedraggled chairs inhaled deeply the breath of new life.
I positioned them in the space they were purchased for and they did not feel at home. I placed them in the bowed-window area of our dining room and still they resembled the look of doctor's waiting room chairs.
I moved them to our bedroom, one by the window dawning the new sheer curtain panels and one in our dressing area. Ahhhh! They fit like a glove. I guess they will not be going back to The Salvation Army. At least not this year.
I hope your day offers you many possibilities. I hope someone stands by you to help you achieve your goals. I hope you breathe deeply the new life of this day and find yourself comfortably at home where ever you land.
So I will remind you..... Oh this is your lucky day!
I drug he-man to The Salvation Army Thrift Store in search of two accent chairs for our space that once held our large dining table... or so I thought.
Each time I saw a chair I would ask him if he thought this could be shortened or that could be widened or something could be done which would, no doubt, require his wood working abilities.
Finally we decided upon two very simple oak-framed waiting-room type chairs, thinking they could be easily disassembled, repaired and recovered.
We thought it a deal we couldn't pass up at the price of 4.99. Plus with the Wednesday Days Discount they were only 8.00 for the pair. If they didn't work for us we could give them back to the Salvation Army looking like new.
I spent more time than I intended finding fabric for the chairs. I could not decide whether to go for the gusto with a bright, printed fabric, or to play it safe with a versatile neutral.
I tried wild flowers which ended up hanging in the grand daughter's art room (if you remember that project?).
I tried a paisley curtain panel.
I tried geometric design.
I swagged them with a beautiful neutral linen embroidered with brown poppies.
I adorned them in a trendy french phrase motif.
I tried tan tweed which is now setting in my daughters pile of someday-to-be-used-fabrics.
I tried an old shower curtain, a new shower curtain, large blue flowers against a white background, a neutral zebra print and a girly pink number. None of which made me happy. The great Salvation Army find had remained untouched - draped in a different fabrics, occupying different rooms of our house for so long that we were becoming comfortable with their dirty, shabby shape.
In one desperate attempt to make a decision I visited a fabric store and vowed to bring something home for the ever-revolving chairs. After walking the same aisles over and over again, I decided upon an outdoor fabric that was on sale for half off and some sheer drapes to go over our bedroom curtains. Yes, I said' "over," not "under". I like to do things a bit quirky. But the real point is I not only made a decision. I made two. It was a good day for the compulsive, project-obsessive decorator.
He-man and I had already disassembled one chair so I could measure the amount of fabric I might need and to assess if any other parts needed to be replaced. I had to purchase new webbing, a new foam seat cushion, leather to go between the webbing and the cushion and batting to seamlessly hold it all together.
He man went to stapling and I hit it at the sewing machine.
Our kitchen counter quickly turned into the upholstery shop and our dining room floor became my cutting table. We worked most of the day, determined to complete the project and give the forgotten chairs an identity.
Soon we were trying to remember where to place all the parts and how to attach them for greatest support. That was harder than I expected. But taking out all the blasted staples was the hardest by far. I swear we pulled 1000 staples or more from those two chairs. And he-man said he probably pushed our staple gun trigger at least that many times.
We tugged and pulled fabric that had not been sewn to accommodate the cushion. Even though the seamstress had used the fabric torn from the chair as a pattern, I guess she didn't take into account the plumpness of the new cushion and the tighter weave of the new fabric.
After some restitching, some material pieces applied with spray adhesive (only on a very small piece of the wooden frame, mind you), and a few turns of the drill the lonely bedraggled chairs inhaled deeply the breath of new life.
I positioned them in the space they were purchased for and they did not feel at home. I placed them in the bowed-window area of our dining room and still they resembled the look of doctor's waiting room chairs.
I moved them to our bedroom, one by the window dawning the new sheer curtain panels and one in our dressing area. Ahhhh! They fit like a glove. I guess they will not be going back to The Salvation Army. At least not this year.
I hope your day offers you many possibilities. I hope someone stands by you to help you achieve your goals. I hope you breathe deeply the new life of this day and find yourself comfortably at home where ever you land.
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