Slipper Chair Reupholstery Project

 I purchased two of these beauties :) from an online auction we buy things from sometimes....

I got them SO cheap --mostly because they were in really rough shape.  

But that's what I wanted.  

Something that I could rip apart down to the springs to teach myself how to reupholster...

 So there was a surprise under the slipcover--  I thought the springs were loose because the surface felt uneven but someone had covered up a chair where the tufting had come loose...

 So this is what I REALLY had to reupholster.

 This is under the seat with the original tufting ties and wadding....

I took all kinds of photos during the tear down but really having the second chair to look back at has been incredibly helpful...

 I have always been fascinated by this process and I've wanted to try reupholstering a piece for a long time.  I'm not sure why...it 's very labor intensive.

I'm learning alot and I've actually already begun the process of reupholstering it...some diamond tufting on the back, a smooth seat and I decided to use drop cloth just because it was so economical.  I figured if I totally messed something up I could easily redo it.  Can't wait to share more photos of this project!

Handpainted Houndstooth Pattern

 I do love a great before and after set of photos!
We found this great little piece on a recent trip to an outdoor fair...

It had lots of wear and tear ---unfortunately one piece of the corner trim was completely missing.  So I had to take all the trim off...

I bought some milk paint at the Country Living fair in September and this was the perfect piece to try it out on...

 I mixed half French Gray and half Cream for the body of the piece and used straight Cream for the details....

 The gold color is acrylic paint....

 Originally I planned to only do the cream thinking that the pale gray would be enough of a contrast...

But once I got it done I just wasn't happy with the way it looked

...something just wasn't quite right.

 The gold was just the thing it needed to really make it all come together.

I love doing this kind of stuff....

It just feeds my need to create 

--and when I see it all finished up like this it is so satisfying.

Hopefully this lovely little piece will have a whole new life for many more years to come

Necklace Restyled

I just finished up this jewelry set for someone....

 A sweet lady I know (who now lives far away) had a necklace that she liked....

But it broke and she was going to get rid of it.

While packing to move, she said she was going to throw it out &
Another friend of ours suggested letting me do something with it...

I reconnected the necklace a little differently and attached the beads another way as well...

 Green is one of my favorite colors too and I like the little enamel flower....

I was even able to make a pair of earrings for her...

Hope you like them friend!  

I enjoyed creating with all the colors and beads...

Table and Feed Sack Chairs

 Waaaaay back in the summer I started working on this dining set.  I did a whole post on creating a pattern on the table top with stain.  I think it's kind of a unique look.  
A twist on the painted harlequin style I did on another dining room set and an old victrola....

 And here is the post I did recently about the chairs.....

I originally wanted to use some blue-green leather on the seats but that didn't work out so well...

 This is the complete set before heading off to the shop....

 I'm happy with the way it all looks together even though it's not what I originally had in mind...

 I like the combination of wood and paint together and the feed sacks go well with the whole look...

 It would make a very unique set for a breakfast nook, a small eat-in kitchen area, or a screened porch....

Or even a nice desk in a study or craft room....

Reupholstering Seats missing caning

These two beauties came from my sister-in-law who picked them up for a song at a local flea market this summer....

I decided to stain these and upholster them

--it kind of looked like they had a caned inset of some sort at one time.

I love painting furniture---the way it looks all distressed but I have an appreciation for stained wood furniture too....

I tacked in some webbing for support and added some thin, 1 inch thick foam on top.

I really had my heart set on using this pale blue green leather with nail heads but the piece I had was just too narrow, and I had trouble getting the nails to go in straight.  

Probably because the oak is a harder wood...

I finally gave up and decided to use a feed sack I had on hand with some nice blue stripes and stenciled numbers...

 I think some lightweight,flexible stabilizer would have helped give the seats a smoother finish and I may try that if I ever did this type of seat again....

 It's very hard to keep it all straight with the feed sacks being a looser woven canvas 

 And you're trying to keep the two sides similar and straight but the feed sacks aren't perfectly symmetrical....

Some trim to hide the staples and finish them off  

--I'm pairing these up with a table I did in a harlequin pattern with some dark stain.

And they're ready to go off to the shop...

Necktie Wristlets

 Here are my first ten necktie wristlets...

I try to "document" all the things I make so I have photos to look back on later.  I posted the other day about the first one (the brown with the large cream dots near the middle)...but thought it was fun to see them together like this!

 This weekend is a huge Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, Ohio.  

 I was hoping to get a nice little group of these done to take up to the shop that sells our things.

 I have been using mine like crazy and I've already been thinking about how I could improve them....

 Just another thing to mess around with making!  And of course I love the variety of colors and styles of fabric.

I'll never look at neckties the same way again!!!!

Neckties Recycled

 Sometimes I see things and just have to try making them myself.  I actually have MANY of these kind of ideas floating around in my head and whichever one is driving me the most crazy is what I end up trying!

 So you use a man's necktie to make this little wristlet that will hold a cell phone, credits cards, cash, etc.

The nice thing about this is I already had all the notions on hand from making purses in the past....

 I would use this when we flea market for sure and various other times when I'd rather not have to carry everything...

 It ended up being about 4"x5" but that kind of depends on the tie.  Wider ones make bigger wristlets.  A nice little gift idea especially with the Holidays coming....

Hand Stamped Mother's necklace

The latest Mother's necklace I made for a Momma of 3 boys...

She had asked me about making something awhile back while she was still pregnant with the third and told me she was strongly "hinting" to her husband that she wanted it :)

So for her birthday he surprised her!  I was honored to be part of the surprise and to help him out.....

I really love the turquoise bead on this...which wasn't the first thing I had planned but I really love it...

Happy Birthday sweet friend!!!