Project Design: More Chair Craziness

Were Baaaaack!!!!

More Project Design 

featuring chairs

In case you missed it read 

part one here

First off....this upholstery thing that some people do for a living is much harder 

than it looks

And it requires an odd assortment of tools, like webbing stretchers and tack pullers which 

on face value seem silly but are invaluable when you get into the nitty-gritty

of chair re-working.

I have the blisters to prove it!

This project took much longer than I thought it would and much of the extra time was spent getting the chair into a condition where someone could actually sit in it.

Something to consider if your buying a chair that will be deconstructed.

I think the only thing holding this chair together was the upholstery fabric.

 I spent hours, pulling out staples and tacks. 

What a job.

 Here you get a bit of an idea as to how much junk was nailed onto the chair frame

 There were also areas that were compromised because of the age of this chair which I suspect is 

mid 1850's based on the square nails, the hand turned legs and the hardware.

 Every thing needed extra bracing and re-gluing, which is pretty easy to do 

but is really time consuming

 Interestingly the springs were in really good shape.

I sanded all of the exposed wood and scrubbed the entire chair with 

mild soap and water.  

A favorite detail on this chair is the old steel bracing which goes around the entire base of the chair.

The little feet are pretty cute too.

 Finally the wood was reconditioned using Watco Danish oil which is a combination 

of penetrating oil and varnish. 

 It really doesn't look like vanish and dries with just a slight sheen.

The areas that had old existing varnish brightened up 

and the newly sanded wood took on a sightly darker rustic finish.  

 The only actually upholstery left when I was done prepping 

was the webbing along the interior back and this 

interesting padding along the front filled with horse hair. 

Initially I wanted to use burlap and unbleached muslin for this project.

I also purchased some simple pale mattress ticking fabric

Here are some chairs for inspiration:

I think it was important to  keep the chair back open so you could actually see the "bones" and structure of the old wood and webbing 

 The seat was redone with a new burlap covering over the springs

 I wanted a tall cushy seat so I started with good quality natural cotton filler, topped with smooth 

Dacron.  All of the materials I special ordered not really knowing exactly how much I needed or if I was getting the right stuff.  

But it all worked out pretty well actually

After messing around with all of the fabric options,

 I finally chose..... 

This bright blue Indian Kantha quilt for the covering.

 Here are a few of the details:

 The front edge was quilted using upholstery thread

 I left the top cushion more "pillow" like and added extra batting to the edges.

Little details like quilting stitches and threads are exposed.

 So here is what happened after the seat was done....I couldn't get the back fabric the way I wanted it.

I tried burlap and muslin and nothing looked right.

So for now I just left it.

The back will require some sewing to get it right and I will share the finished chair in a few weeks when I have it completed

Some final thoughts:

 I know enough about upholstery work to maybe take on something similar...then again: )

I also  have a great appreciation all those projects I had my upholstery team work on and seriously doubt I could ever have gotten them to remove all of those staples and tacks!

Don't forget to check out the other awesome chair projects

Classic Casual Home

Life On Virginia Street

Rough Luxe Lifestyle

Segretto Secrets

Stephanie Kraus Designs

And have a great weekend 

Can you believe summer is almost over?

SaveSave

Segretto's Organization Challenge

What do you do when you have too much stuff?

Well...most of us usually cleverly hide away things in a drawer or closet 

until it reaches the point of bursting 

We have cute names for these areas like:

the junk drawer 

the drunk drawer

the knick knack...brick a brack... stuff and jumble closet

and the ever popular 

clutter bug room...

known as the the place where everyone seems to 

drop their stuff 

leave it there 

and then run off to another location in the house (usually the kitchen) 

at the speed of sound 

I for one 

cannot live with out a junk drawer or even two

but I'm an organizer at heart 

Most of my favorite houses have been quite small 

so organizing the stuff of life has taken on epic proportions at times,

sort of like fitting the Titanic into a dinghy

I love a challenge 

...especially when it involves baskets, boxes, files and labels

So I agreed to share a little project I'm helping with 

and link to the amazing creativity of some other talented organizers too

thanks to Leslie and her team at Segretto

My project is helping a young twenty something couple create an office organization space 

using a basic Ikea wardrobe

We start with this

 the Ikea Pax wardrobe system 

which retails for around $275

They already owned this and when they moved into a lager apartment with more closet space this became the perfect item to use for a new office/creative organization area

It will contain:

files....

his...hers...and joint files

a printer

all of their office supplies...pens, paper, tape etc

a spot for daily mail

a spot for keys, wallets and cell phones

software and miscellaneous data equipment

crafting supplies

gift wrap and stationary

table linens, candles and a few vases for flowers... 

and since they live in a big city with great shopping

food and fun...

lots of shopping bags

the goal is to have all of the usually untidy and crazy odds and ends 

organized in a single location that works for a busy couple

above is the old wardrobe with

a few new modifications....

2 new drawers

a pull out shelf for the printer 

and multiple additional shelves for storage

 this Ikea wardrobe can be completely customized 

 the wardrobe is fitted with two mirrored exterior doors which also will add a nice visual too their dining area when the doors are closed

as you can see we are just getting started...but just wait

all of the filing system is clear with bight colored folders

in colors of kiwi, orange and blue

the interior of the doors are fitted with magnetic memo boards for snapshots, 

business cards and a quick note to each other

and we purchased these dog magnets because 

they have a new puppy named Bruno..and he's very cute

we are almost done  

but we have a few more items to take care of 

please stop by for my next post 

too see the finished project completed

its awesome..well not quite as awesome as Bruno, but we will try!

In the mean time check out these talented 

and very organized bloggers:

Mary Ann @ Classic Casual Home

Kristy @ Design Chic

Tina @ The Enchanted Home

Sandy and Sarah @ L/E journal

Mona @ Providence Design

Leslie @ Segretto Secrets

Julie & Danni @ TG Interiors

and 

me and my very organized crew

xo

kelley

Guest Blogger Post

I recently wrote a post about my friend and blogger Kat Warren

read it again here

She is an amazing photographer, stylist and avid blogger

She asked me if I would like to write a guest post for her blog!

Heck yea!

She was thinking I could share some ideas to help readers 

use vintage and antiques in their homes...

with out the house ending up looking like Grandmas attic

So here is a link to the post 

on Kat's wonderful blog:

Low Tide High Style

Thanks Kat!

Creative Bloggers: Photography

 There are many things that make having a blog enjoyable,

but clearly one of the most rewarding is creating new friendships with people all over the world 

who share a common love  for beauty, design, creativity 

and use blogging to further that passion

 Such is the case with blogger: 

Low Tide High Style

Kat Warren

She was so kind to let me ask her a few questions about her work, how she sees what she photographs and how she creates her beautiful photographs:

1:  How long have you been interested in photography?

I had never done much with photography until I started my blog in January of 2010.  I realized that in order to have the kind of blog I wanted I would need to learn to take pictures so that I could use them in my posts.  As time went on and I had the chance to visit other blogs, especially Kate's blog "Chronicles of a Country Girl," I realized that taking pictures was a way for me to express myself in a way I had never really done before.  

 2:  Do you have a favorite subject or do you shoot what you see and think it may become a wonderful photo?

It's funny, once you start taking photos you kind of see the world through different eyes.  Everything really becomes a photo op if you love taking pictures.  Sometimes when I'm driving down the road the light will hit the trees and I will think, "geez, I wish I had my camera right now!"  So I wouldn't say that I have a favorite subject, I feel like I'm constantly finding new subject matter all the time! 

 3:  How has technology influenced your work?

Technology has definitely influenced my work.  My husband has had nice film cameras since before we met, and I never had any interest in trying to use them.  The truth is that I'm not a very patient person, I'm one of those people who isn't good about reading instruction manuals, so if I couldn't shoot digitally I don't think I would have pursued photography.  Being able to take lots of photos, especially when you are learning, without having to pay for processing has been a godsend for me.  I've shot 150 photos where only 10% of them turned out, and if I had been doing that on film I would be broke by now and very frustrated.  I also hated that with film you had to go somewhere to get your film processed and you had to wait to have it done...did I mention that I'm not very patient?! ;-)

The other aspect of technology that I love about today's digital photography is the ability to manipulate images using programs such as Photoshop.  These programs allow people like me to take an ordinary photo and hopefully turn it into something extraordinary, even if the only thing you do is crop it.  Some people get all wound up about using textures or actions on photos, but I just think that's silly.  Since the evolution of photography there have been people manipulating photographs to get the best possible image, even Ansel Adams is believed to have merged multiple images to create his masterpieces, it just took him much longer since he had to do it all in a dark room.  I think that if technology helps you realize your artistic vision then I say go for it!  

 4:  Do you have  other "artistic passions" besides photography

My friends and family would love this question, because they know that I have been all over the map with various "artistic passions," over the years.  I have gone through painting phases, knitting phases, arts and crafts phases, but they were all short lived and not very well executed.  Writing, which some consider an art form, and photography are the only ones that seem to have lasted for more than a few months with me.  But I believe we are all artistic in some way, and I think that society is what makes people believe they aren't artistic.  My children had a not so nice art teacher in elementary school who only encouraged the best kids, I think that is such a shame.  We like to pigeonhole people at a very early age, so I think sometimes our artistic tendencies and passions get buried along the way.  I think that artistic passions are just dreams, and if you can dream it you can do it, even if your friends, a teacher, or family think otherwise, you should always try and follow your dreams anyway.

 5.   What are the things that you think make a photo really outstanding?

This is such a great question, and so hard to answer.  I think what makes a really good photograph is the way it makes someone else feel.  I have posted photos on my blog that I thought were just so so, and then someone will leave a comment telling me how much it touched them or reminded them of something .  I think that is what photography is all about, it's a way for us to save a moment in time, or to remind the viewer of something and conjure up a memory.  Just look at how we treasure family photos, carefully displaying them in our homes, and handing them down from generation to generation.  It's clear that they help connect us to our past and give us a sense of history to pass along to future generations.

I also think that people hold back on taking photos if they don't have the right equipment or if they don't think they have what it takes to get what they "think" is a good photo.  I won't lie, having good tools is part of the equation, and I've been fortunate to purchase better equipment as I've gotten more into photography, but there are still photos I took with my old Rebel that look better than those taken with my 5D Mark II.  And there are some people out there taking amazing photos with their cell phones, so just go out and shoot and don't get caught up in the techno mumbo jumbo of it all.

   6.  Has blogging helped in any way with your photography

Blogging is the main thing that has helped me with my photography.  It forces me to take pictures, and the more you shoot the better you get.  Hardly a day has gone by in the last year that I haven't taken at least one picture.  Blogging has also forced me to slow down and try new things with my camera and in Photoshop.  When you take new pictures almost every day you get bored with doing things the same way over and over, and that's a good thing.  It makes you want to try different settings, different techniques for processing your photos, and that's how you learn, by the simple act of doing.

The other way blogging has helped me is that it has opened me up to other people's blogs where I find inspiration all the time!  Through blogging, I have found so many other wonderful blogs...cooking, design, lifestyle, photography, gardening, all sorts of blogs with beautiful photos on them.  The same way that people stare at a room in a magazine and take in every detail in hopes of recreating that beautiful room, I do that but with photographs I see on other people's blogs.  And just like in the home and design world of blogging, photography blogs are full of useful info and really wonderful people.  There is a wealth of information out there, and for someone who is self taught like me, it's been an amazing resource.

 Kat had so many different stores that accompanied these amazing photos, all of which were so interesting:

Here is what she said about the photo below:

 I took this photo in Heidelberg, Germany.  To me it is so quintessentially European, and I loved that the bike was pink while the shutters were yellow.  I desaturated the image to give it a vintage feel, like it could be from the 1940s or 50s

I would love for you to check out her blog and her amazing portfolio!

You might  just find that perfect Holiday gift for someone

But in any case you will be inspired 

and will probably think of using your camera in a new and creative way!

Thanks again for stopping by.....

smile for the birdie

; 0 )

kelley