new cat behavior

Sometimes I think, would it really be that bad if I donated him to the zoo...at least for a little while?

I had this cane-back chair I was planning on painting and reupholstering (I found for $5 at a yard sale). It was great. I loved the curve and the cane was in perfect condition (which is rare!).



Well, today my son did this:



With one swoop of a tape measure. Sometimes I am dumbfounded by the level of destruction that this child can inflict on innocent belongings. He just runs and jumps around the apartment hitting, ripping, banging, stabbing, etc, etc.

We need to move to a house with a yard. Stat.

I'm still going to keep it and refinish it... It is just going to take a whole lot more work than previously planned!

This morning I finally completed my kid's Christmas present!  Okay, it's two weeks late, but still...  it's done, the kids and I are all happy!

Remember the vintage children's hutch I found on my local online classifieds for $5?





 With lots of time and effort (and frustrations!) I was able to turn it into this...

After!

Dollar store cooling racks cut down to size, duct taped and hot glued in place. Center cut out of one door with plexiglass glued in it.

Paper lined drawers

Home improvement store spigot for faucet (spray painted) and vinyl tile backsplash.

Tea stained paper lined shelves.  Tip - use glue intended for paper, I didn't and got wrinkles.

I had the kids wait in Seymour's room and gather the pots and pans that their aunt had given them for Christmas (since I told her I was going to give them the kitchen).  Seymour waited very patiently while I brought it in and took a few quick pictures.  Daisy waited a little while then came out and started playing with it.

It wasn't a total surprise for them, but what can you do when you're with them all the time and they're not in school yet?  Oh well.  At least Seymour hadn't seen it since it was primed.  But they both love it and the aprons I made for them to go with it.  I think the only thing I'm going to add are a couple small hooks on the side for the aprons.

Wooden knobs and 4" wooden disks for burners.  Those Ikea dishes are the perfect size!

Doesn't Daisy look like a little grandma with her hands like that?

Here's the cost breakdown: 

hutch - $5
primer, glue, wood filler, small nails, caulk, hot glue, duct tape - had on hand
scrap wood - $.50
mistint paint - $2.50
hinges and handles - $2 (from local Habitat for Humanity ReStore)
spigot - $4
wooden knobs - $3.90
wooden disks - $1.80
plexiglass - $2
2 - 12x12" vinyl tiles - $1.40
cooling racks - $1
cake pan - $1
5 sheets 12x12" scrapbooking paper -$2.50

Grand Total -- $27.60


Not too bad in my opinion, especially for a completely custom, unique play kitchen!

Man, I'm so glad that's over with... :)

Tomorrow I hope to post about my daughter's Halloween costume (and have it done!) but for now I'm bringing you part 1 of the saga of reupholstering this most beautiful and comfortable chair to date.  I am going to try to do it as much "by the book" as I can, using real upholstering techniques and upholstery fabric (NO lightweight cotton fabrics, even though they are cute and trendy). 

Before

Step 1 -- If you have an older piece of furniture upholstered with tacks, buy a tack remover!  It's all of about $3 (at Joann), but it is such a wonderful tool and saves so much time, effort and headache!  I've even used it to help pry up staples that were in too deep to use pliers. 



Step 2 --  Start removing tacks from the last piece to be put on the chair (usually the underside of the seat).  Actually on a chair like this it doesn't really matter where you start since the sections are not overlapping each other.  If I started on the seat or the back I would take off the gimp (or trim) first, then remove the tacks holding the fabric.



Note:  Be sure to take LOTS of pictures to help you remember how to put things back together again, and how to layer the pieces of fabric to get a nice, clean finish... 





...and the subtle folds that shape the fabric smoothly around corners and curves.

Horse hair stuffing -- a sign of quality

Step 3 -- Carefully remove the fabric (you may want to keep the pieces to use as patterns to cut your new fabric, although if you do, make sure add a little extra around the edges so the piece isn't too small and difficult to staple).  You can also keep the original stuffing (if it's not smelly or rotten) and use it again, with a fresh layer of Dacron (upholsterer's batting) on top.

Again, take lots of pictures of how things are put together

Step 4 -- If your chair has springs, make sure and take many detailed pictures of how the springs are tied.  This is very important for stability and strength in the seat.




Then remove the springs (and store them carefully so they don't get bent), and your chair should be...  Just a wooden frame!



Step 5 -- Repair any structural issues.  My chair was a little wobbly at the arms, both where they attached to the back and at the seat.  I used wood glue (I've heard Gorilla Wood Glue is great for this, I personally have not had good results Elmer's Wood Glue) and squirted it in the joints (being sure to wipe up any drips!), tied the arms together as a "clamp" to hold the arms where they should be while the glue dried.  I had to keep checking back as the glue dried because there always seemed to be a new drip somewhere.  Wipe them all up before they dry or else they will be a major pain to try and remove...  Not that I would know that from experience or anything... !

P.S. Wood glue soaks through newspaper... put down some plastic!

Keep checking back for part 2!

I've been browsing the local online classifieds (as well as thrift stores) trying to find some beautiful furniture for my home.

We have furniture that works, and is in decent condition (except for light colored fabric with kids... crayons, pens, spills just never seem to come out!), but it's very modern, stiff, straight line kind of stuff.  That may all be well and good for some people.  I know many people pull off beautiful, very modern homes.  But that's not my style.  I like curves.  Not entirely, of course.  I love the straight lines of molding, pillars and multi-paned windows.  But with furniture curves just seem much more inviting, warm and comfortable. 

So one day in my browsing I came across a photo of four antique chairs and instantly was drawn to the one in the back (I should have saved the photo).  The others were plain wood, but the one in the back was upholstered, carved and gorgeous.  Now, keep in mind I had also recently been to several antique stores and saw some very beautiful chairs similar to this one for $200-$300 (no thanks!).  This one became mine for $35! 

Here she is!

She will be my chair in the room I call my studio.  I have plans to paint the frame white and use a lavender/purple upholstery fabric (if I can find one... so far not much luck).  I have to strip it all the way down to the frame since the webbing is stretched out and falling down, so it will be a lot of work, but I'll post some step-by-steps along the way to help out anyone else who may be tackling a similar project.

It is not only beautiful but very comfortable as well.  You really can have it all!

(With my daughter jumping on it)