ReUpholstery Faze {One} Extended

I finished the back cushion today and it went pretty good!

I think I'll add some fluff to the inside to really fill it out but all in all I'd say it was a success :)

Stay tuned for more reupholstery updates...

ReUpholstery Faze {One}

As promised I'm keep you in the know about my reupholstery project!

My husband and I officially got started on it last night merely out of boredom and really nothing more. We intended to do much of the work out in the garage since we'd heard that it's quite a messy job...we disregarded such recommendations. We also didn't use any fancy tools to remove anything just some good ol' fashion pliers. The following statement I'm not proud of but I'm just stating the facts...we didn't wear protective eye gear. I truly didn't think this was smart AT ALL. But we did it. 

We learned a lot about this particular chair as we stripped it of its outer parts.

One of our discoveries was the use of tacking strips under the arms on the sides of the chair as well as on all sides of the back (minus the bottom). These cleaver things give the chair a finished/professional look. So we'll be picking up some of those. I also was able to take off the fabric in a way that I can use it as a template to cut the new pieces, that will save a lot of time and fabric...I like saving!

Speaking of saving time, one way we plan to do just that is by not completely stripping the chair down to it's "bones". We are only removing the excess fabric and adding our fabric over the top. I will,however, be recovering the seat and back cushion completely.

Now for the pictures!

Fabric Bin {tutorial}

My kids got toys coming out the EARS!

We started out with a few little baskets and then the pile of toys just kept growing...and growing...and growing. SO...I got sewing! Hey that rhymes!

Operation: Re-upholstery

  Let me start out by asking: Am I crazy? 

Who in their right mind just picks up a book claiming "simplicity" in reference to 

upholstering an old chair and does it??? 

I think I might be over my head on this one but you'll never know unless you try!

Plus I don't know which seems more crazy, trying to do this myself OR paying someone $300 to do it for me (and that's just the chair, ottoman not include oh and that doesn't include the fabric either!)

So in an effort to save some money and maybe impress a few people (including myself) I will gallantly try my hand at re-upholstery.

Here's the breakdown:

I bought this chair at a yard sale for $10! Can you believe it?!?

I bought 7 yards of mid to heavy weight fabric on Fabric.com for $12 a yard. The chair alone requires 7 yards, I guess I'll be doing the ottoman in something else ;)

The book I picked up at JoAnn's with a 50% off coupon for $9

So, so far I've spent $103.

My husband has a air compressor nail gun and any of the tools I'll need along the way...so that save me some money...few!

All in all I'd say that if I can do this myself $100 on an armchair is a screamin' deal.

I'll do my best to keep you all in the loop as I embrace this new endeavor.

Wish me luck!

Oh and as we speak my husband is working on our new dinning table so stay tuned for the reveal!

The Big ONE!

I had been planning my daughter's 1st birthday since she was about 7 months old. My sister brought it to my attention that my daughter would be celebrating her golden birthday this year since she was born on the first of the month. I was very excited about this because it meant I had a theme and it wasn't one that was cheesy or over done! So I got crafting...unfortunately for you we got caught up in the day and failed to take any good photos of the decor :( So you're just going to have to use your imagination...you remember how to do that right?

Here's what you can't see...

I made gold pom poms out of fabric and tulle and hung them above the cake table.

I made a string of gold fabric garland using scraps of fabric knotted onto a gold string and pinned it above the table as well.

I lined the table with a gold table cloth that gathered around the front.

I made my daughters hat(with some help from a girlfriend), skirt, and bow (they are pictured below).

My husband & I collaborated on the cakes. Our daughters is pictured but the adult one is not. It was our take on a traditional Swedish Princess Torta to honor my husbands heritage.

Most of the rest is pictured. I am soooo very sorry I didn't take better photos. Please enjoy the ones we have and know that we were just having too much fun I guess!