Monday, March 1, 2010

My you've changed!

I picked up this lovely chair from Craigslist a couple of years back , I happened to be looking for just this style chair to makeover , lucky me I found it only after a couple of days looking , and since Kijiji has become my preferred website for classified deals , if you are in the US you too should check out Kijiji it is much nicer , in my opinion, than craiglist , there are great images accompanying the listing unlike craigslist text listings , much less time consuming I find .
Back to my lovely chair , this is how I transformed it the first time , I loved it , but it being used as our kitchen desk chair had caused some irreversible damage , it was in need of attention.

As the sun shines through my windows today it awoke me into gear and inspired me to get this project underway . Isn't it lovely?


I like to use the coffee table as my workspace for chair work ,its easier on the back. I decided to skip repainting the frame , I am working with the wear of the paint , those kids picked picked it away , why fight it , I just softened the edges and tried to balance out the wear.



Corners are always fun , cutting into the corners can be a frightening task.


It doesn't have to be pretty , that's what trim is for .
I prefer my manual stapler since I have gone through two different electric staplers , they tend to jam and break after only a few months in my experience.

Laying down the chair can help ,I keep the pliers handy for miss fires.


Fabric foam and then fabric .
For this style of open back you first staple in one layer of fabric desire fabric out then a layer of foam then another layer of fabric.


This is the first layer of the back , I kept the bright side facing under or in for a softer worn look.
All I need now is to make trim out of the same fabric cut on the bias to cover the staples , I just need to go out and pick up some hot glue sticks first.

I hope you like it too.
Can I just address my excitement that Canada took the gold in such a fantastic game last night , my two girls and I were on the edge of our seats last night , it was such a close and well played game and it was truly exciting , I am so proud today that we have been able to take home so many gold medals , this was long awaited for sure .
I am not a sport watcher typically but Sophie was very excited from opening ceremony to the closing , I am in awe of ALL of the athletes, how far they come and how hard they work to get to this level of sports in adversity and after many injuries and years of family and country dedications it is very inspiring.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Desk Skirt

The mess beneath the computer desk , the 15 wires , the big black hard drive , it is all ugly, I thought I would try adding a skirt just to see if it would look alright .

I picked up 2.5 meters of linen fabric from the bargain table at the fabric store , and simply stapled it underneath and voila , it is just what the doctor ordered. Perfect with the new old little bench { this was a dumpster dive item from 10 years ago } this has been a great solution for this desk area because of the tightness of the space , two kids can even sit together here now and use the computer, it's been perfect.
Oh what is that I see here ? , two copies of Flea Market Style , while I have been waiting for my mailed issues I have been trying to track others down , it took 2 weeks , but finally yesterday after talking to the girl who restocks the mag's and books for The News Group here in our area , she was happy to help me track it down , I called The News Group and they were able to tell me exactly what stores it had been invoiced to , I live in a city of 150,000 and it is only in three stores , for those locally or in Ontario I did find it at a Shoppers Drugmart , and I do know Chapters was getting 7 , that's right only 7 copies, but it is out there now , as of just yesterday in Ontario .
I gasped when I saw it sitting there front and center yesterday , what a pretty magazine , such beautiful photos it is one you NEED to get, I still can not believe I am included , it is very thrilling , page 28 .
Thanks again Linda MacDonald and Matthew and Jenny Mead for letting me play a part , it is a real thrill for me. Flea Market Style
Forever grateful,
Chris


Friday, February 26, 2010

Looking back for inspiration









I wish I had some new fresh DIY projects or a great makeover to show , I don't , so let revisit some former makeovers I would surely do again like making a door into a chalkboard



Perhaps you are ready to tackle recessed paneling you can start here

How about a chair makeover , see how I took a curbside chair and made it new