Reupholstering a Chair in 10 Steps

My absence goes to show how crazy life has been - balancing work and school and living my life is a a work in progress and I'm figuring it out day-by-day.  I have a feeling I'll get the hang of it next summer, when classes are over... but then there will be a new obstacle to tackle, I'm sure!  Craziness aside, my big list of projects is still staring me down, so the time has come to get going with it.

Today I helped reupholster my very first piece of furniture!  Helping my mom reupholster her dining room chairs was on the large to-do list… so that is just what we did. 

The cream color on these chairs was not cutting it anymore.  Cream chairs in a dining room = big mess waiting to happen.  So my mom wanted to bring in more of the blue and gold that is in the connected living room to help merge the rooms together a bit.  She had this fabric on hand so it was $FREE.99  Gotta love leftovers!

This is her process for recovering chairs and it seemed to work like a charm!

1. Iron the fabric

2. Remove the cushion from the chair frame (these chairs were screwed in, so we flipped the chair on it’s side and unscrewed the cushion from the bottom.

3. Lay the fabric out on a flat surface – check to make sure the pattern is where you want it to be on the chair (be extra careful with stripes and lines)

4. Pull the fabric over the cushion very tightly on one side, and begin to staple.  My mom puts one staple in the center, then two on each side to begin. 

5. On the opposite side of the chair, pull the fabric so it is as taut as possible, then staple in three times. 

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other sides of the chair

 ** If you want a cleaner look under the chair, you can fold the fabric over itself.  This isn’t necessary, because no one ever sees this – but it’s good for those perfectionists out there!

7. Fill in the staples throughout the sides of the chair so that the fabric is tight and secured.  We had about 15 per side on these chairs.

8. The cushion should look almost complete if you flip it over, with the exception of the corners.  

Keeping the cushion upside-down, pull the fabric from both sides of the corner and fold over the ends.  Then, neatly fold them on top of each other, so that there is a nice line in the center of the corner.  If you prefer, you can do two lines on either side of the corner – it is just a matter of changing the way you pull the fabric.  Staple it in tightly! 

9. Flip your cushion right-side-up and place it on the chair frame, still tilted on it’s side – screw it back in from the underside.

10. Admire your work and take a seat!

I think I’m ready to do a headboard now – so stay tuned, this will probably be my next project!

xxx

Drafting Central

There’s a new addition to Suite D and this lady is very excited about it! 

Ta-da… my very own, new2me drafting table!

I found this bad boy on Craigslist for $70.00 – which really is a steal – these can sell for hundreds, and mine is in great condition.  It came with a Vyco board and parallel bar already installed, which saved me lots of hassle and extra pennies. 

Another great thing is that it folds up into practically nothing.  It just collapses down and can flush right up against a wall if I ever want to hide or store it.  But let’s face it… at this point, I’m going to have a hard time pulling myself away from it, so hiding it is just unspeakable. 

I got it from a former interior design student, which I like – I feel like there is a Karate Kid bond happening… maybe some day I’ll pass this lovely thing on to a new interior design student, and with it, my wealth of knowledge.  And when that happens, let’s hope that I am replacing it with one of these …

A girl can dream. 

xxx

To Do

I’ve got big plans for the home that I’m going to build from the ground up, and have been pinning decorating ideas for my custom designed interior for quite some time… Oh, that’s not happening you say?  Well, some day it will.  In the mean time, I’ve been slacking on projects that I actually CAN do that will improve the home room that we live in NOW. 

So this is what’s on the docket:

1. Paint Ikea dresser (high gloss navy blue) & replace hardware

2. Paint bedside table minty/pistachio color & replace hardware

3. Build and upholster headboard

4. Update artwork and complete gallery wall (south wall of bedroom)

5. Re-finish and paint bench at foot of the bed (white)

4. Re-finish and paint kitchen table and chairs (of course, this one isn’t exactly a priority, since it is, and will be for a while, sitting in storage)

5. Help mom re-upholster her dining room chairs… oh yeah, in there is learn how to re-upholster furniture (!)

6. Get jute rug out of storage unit for bedroom (save for winter)

7. Make throw pillows for the bed

8. Re-organize closet/storage space – aka get rid of a bunch of crap

9. Find larger artwork/mirror/something for above the bed

8. Make large panel curtains

My To-Do board on Pinterest just keeps growing, so expect this list to grow right along with it.  These are all going to be fun projects and I think they will make our room feel much more put-together… so bear with me while I try to tackle each of these – hopefully sooner rather than later - please send your anti-procrastinating thoughts my way!

xxx

First Day of School

I had some serious déjà vu last week when I left for my first day of Interior Design classes.  As I walked out the front door of my parents home, dew still on the car windows, book bag slung over my shoulders, Mom asked me if I wanted her to take my first day of school picture.  I eagerly replied with a Hell Yes.  This girl has always been excited to start school!

Yes, I did bring my teacher flowers on the first day of pre-school, thankyouverymuch.

There is no denying that I’m living at my parents house with my husband, starting school again, fully willing to accept my mom’s offer to pack my lunch.  Life is weird.  But, here we are. 

One of my assignments this week is to find five things that inspire me.  Inspire literally means to breathe in.  So I’ve been thinking about where my style and taste derives from.  What nudges me in the direction to like something enough to put it in my home?  What aspects of my life breathe their way into my design? 

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Travel: One of the most inspiring things is to discover new places and cultures.  I have a very clear picture in my head of riding on a train in the south of France when I was 12 years old, speeding through what felt like endless fields of sunflowers.  Miles and miles of racing through bright yellow and green flashes with a bright blue sky background.  The colors alone have stuck with me all those years.  Unfortunately, I don't have an actual picture of this... but the one in my head does just fine for me! 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Killarney, Ireland

 Fresh flowers: Whenever I see fresh flowers in a home, it instantly feels more put together.  Flowers inspire me to go the distance and complete a home, not just leave it in progress forever.  They inspire me with their colors and natural beauty – I could plan out an entire room based around one big vase of hydrangeas.  They just make me smile… and shouldn’t the space you spend all your time in be a place that makes you smile?

Seasons: Seasons show us the vast range of colors and styles mother nature has to offer.  They literally explode our color palette with changes and surprise and delight me every time we transition from one to the next.

Imagine a cold, grey winter in Ohio… the trees are stripped to their branches and their natural brown’s and ivory’s sparkle in those few days of sunshine… our color palette is full of neutrals that set a perfect background.

Quickly comes Spring and bright green grass peeps through the white snow.  Crazy blue skies and almost too-perfectly pink and yellow tulips are everywhere.

With Summer comes the many blues of water… deep blue at lake homes and sea blue at beaches… aqua and celadon blue during vacations to tropical islands.  All the while, the bright yellow sun sets the stage and the Kelley green grass is stronger than ever.

Then comes the oranges and reds of fall… and purples too!  There are the quintessential images of children playing in piles of crunchy brown leaves, running around the orange pumpkin patches and settling into a more rustic color tone before we arrive back to the neutrals of winter. 

Homes: This might sound obvious… but the structure of a home can make me go crazy with inspiration!  Have you ever taken a walk down the street and looked around at the homes?  Probably.  If you’re like me, then you’re simultaneously dreaming up what is inside.  How does the floor plan flow?  What are their colors?  Have they re-modeled the kitchen?  Are the wood floors original?  And then, I can get going on imagining how I would fill the space.   This can keep me busy for hours.  In our old neighborhood in Columbus, we were surrounded by very old, historic homes.  John and I would go on these walks and literally oogle over them, sometimes catching ourselves standing still in front of one for a tad too long… forgetting that someone actually *lucky for them* lives inside.  For me, looking at the structure and history of a home is incredibly exciting – it is a blank slate with the potential to be whatever you want it to be.  It’s a rush!

My challenge to you is to take a walk through the streets of historic Georgetown and imagine yourself in one of the 18^th century brownstones – what would you do with it?  Ohh, I’m excited just thinking about it!

     

I’m stuck deciding on my final source of inspiration, mainly because I can’t narrow it down.  There is so much around me that is inspiring – the ocean, the trees (ok, nature in general), my family and friends, Pinterest (no denying I find TONS of inspiration there), blogs and magazines, books and movies, art – old and new, pieces of furniture or shapes and structures.  Too much inspiration really isn’t a bad problem to have. 

xxx

Incorporating Sentimental Pieces

I love to decorate with things that have sentimental value.  Printing out an old family picture adds a lot more cozy to a home than a print that’s been manufactured millions of times at World Market.  No offense to those prints – there can be very nice ones that absolutely add charm to a room… but if I have the choice, I will use something that has meaning to me. 

We don’t have much space of our own, so I like to make what we do have feel like us.  In lieu of programs at our wedding, we framed a big chalkboard with white molding and wrote in the names of the people in our bridal party.  We displayed it with our guest book so that everyone saw it and knew who was who when they were walking down the aisle. 

The chalkboard frame itself was way too cute to get rid of, so we had plans to wipe off the bridal party names and use it for something else… but still in our newlywed glow, we decided to keep it as is.  So, we hung it in our room as a reminder of our special day, and all the special people who were involved. 

Here she is! 

I love that this piece is entirely unique to us.  Every time I look at it I think about our wedding day and of all our amazing friends.  It’s a nice reminder of how lucky we are! 

xxx

Hi-ho, Hi-ho...

It’s off to school I go!  Due to a recent engagement in the family, my mom has been playing Disney music in celebration… please excuse the Snow White reference.  And, more on the engagement later.  We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this post!  It’s life change central in this casa.

Interior design called my name, so I answered.  I’ve been accepted into the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM)’s Associate of Arts program in Interior Design.  I am in their Professional Designation program, which basically means that since I already have a college degree, I can skip the first year and complete the program in half the time. 

Last time I went through this process, I was accepted to college in December, decided on my school in April, and began classes that next August.  A nice, drawn out process designed to ensure I was making a good, solid choice.  This time, things are fast-tracked… I completed my application last Monday, got my acceptance Friday, and begin classes in a week.  No time for thinking, it’s GO TIME!

The truth is, though, I’ve thought about this, a lot, for a long time.  As early as freshman year of college, when I first found out that an Interior Design major even existed, I experienced my first thoughts of buyers remorse… or rather, major remorse.  But, I stuck with Strategic Communication, and even added on French for the fun of it, never considering changing my path.  I was not the student who went into college undecided and changed her major 12 times before she really decided.  And maybe I should have been – in which case I wouldn’t be going back to school now.  But, even if I had considered switching majors that early on, would I have chosen the right one?  Interior design crossed my mind, but I really never even thought myself capable or artistic enough.  If I’d changed majors in undergrad, it might not have been to Interior Design at all, and I’d still be in this situation now.

Enough with the What-Ifs… I’m an “everything happens for a reason” kind of girl.  There will always be a part of me that wants to scream at my 18-year-old self, “What are you doing, you don’t LOVE your major… switch now, while it’s easy!!!”… but who doesn’t want to take a jab at their teenage self… and if you say you don’t, I know you’re lying.  Let’s be real here. 

This time around, I didn’t need 9 months to know this decision was the right one… I needed about thirty seconds.  It makes me sound a little flaky when I put it that way… but all potential to sound flaky aside, I know this is the right decision.  Not a hint of buyers remorse.  I’m a realistic lady – I know that this can change… I mean, I haven’t even started classes yet… but so far, I’m a calm cucumber about it… with the exception of my bursts of excitement.

Speaking of bursts of excitement… my dear cousin Catie and her (now!!) fiancé got engaged this week!  I am SO thrilled for them… they are a truly special couple who complement each other so beautifully… they are two peas in a pod and I have zero doubt that they will have an absolutely loving, joyful, fantastic marriage.  When Suite D got the news it took us all of 2 minutes to bust out the champagne toast and turn Pandora to our Disney station.  CHEERS to the happy couple!! 

PS – why the Disney music, you may ask?  I ask myself that all the time.  I think it’s a sickness my mom has, really – when big, exciting things happen in her children’s lives, on comes Beauty and the Beast.  It’s not uncommon to find her leaping through the backyard singing along.  It’s also not uncommon for any family members present to join in… yep – this is my life. 

It all began when John and I got engaged and my moms reaction was to turn on, “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, followed by all of my favorite childhood songs, champagne, and joyful sobs.  Now I’d say it’s somewhat of a tradition… or maybe just an automated reaction to severe joy.  I’d say exciting family news + joyful time to celebrate = Disney Music, wouldn’t you? 

So with the engagement and my acceptance to FIDM, we really have had a lot of Disney in this house.  Did I say Disney, I meant celebrating.  Oh well, same thing. 

xxx

Helpful Hints

When it comes to decorating, I am all about using whatever resources are out there… in fact I’m all about using resources for everything… if help is out there, use it!  No shame here. 

I saw these little tricks on Restored Style and saved them – they are keepers and will come in handy time and time again!  

Hope these help at some point in your decorating adventures!  Check out my Tips & Tricks board on Pinterest for more helpful hints!

xxx

Career Change Update

Interior design is my passion – so I’ve decided to take the next steps to make it my career.  Today I met with admissions at FIDM – Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising – to discuss their Associate of Arts in Interior Design.  I know that I want to be an interior designer, and I am at a point where I am fully willing to do what it takes to become one – be it school, internships or being someone’s assistant.  It will certainly be a change of pace and is what some might call a bit of a speedbump… but I know that this is what I want, and I’d rather take a minute to slow down now, rather than later when life gets more complicated.  I’m excited! 

This excerpt from my admissions essay sums up this whole career change... 

"Childhood evolved into adulthood and I took a different path.  I chose what I thought to be a practical degree in college and began a career in sales and marketing that lead to disappointment.  The creativity that I thought I would enjoy in marketing lacked the opportunity for artistic ingenuity.  While I appreciate the business savvy that I have developed through my sales experience, I’ve come to the understanding that it is not how I want to spend my professional life.  

What I now understand is that there is no such thing as a practical path or a practical career - it has become clear to me that a successful career is driven by a sincere desire to work in a particular industry, in a certain position.  I now see that passions and hobbies need not remain pastimes; they can be livelihood as well.  There is no better way to drive a career into success than by truly enjoying it.  At a turning point in my life, having just moved states and married, I have decided that I will not waste any more time working in a field that I do not love.  My passion is pure, simple, beautiful design, and I want to make it my career".

So – stay tuned for what happens… who knows what this meeting will lead to!

xxx

So Long, Summer

I’m lying when I say goodbye to summer, because it’s 100 degrees in San Diego today… seriously?  It’s got to be a record…. but in true Southern California fashion, we pretended to transition from one season to the next with a final summer girls night. 

My mom and I pretended to include my sister on the planning – because it actually doubled as a surprise birthday party for her!  All the ladies brought a bottle of wine for my sister, Elis, and wrote a little note to her.  At the end of the evening we surprised Elis with a birthday cake and a giant bucket full of wine bottles with bright, sweet notes.  Of course, that is the one thing that I don’t have a picture of… but worry not, I managed to catch most of the food  on camera– you can see where my mind was at. 

We decorated with summer brights – full lemons in glass vases and lemon leaves as our tablescape… Pink Hydrangeas and colorful yellow and pink polka-dot napkins all around… all very girly, summery and spunky.

A fun addition to this party was our specialty cocktail – it was a light and breezy blend of basil, lime, vodka and soda… it was simple and delish.  We also managed to sneak some champagne in there too… it was a birthday celebration, after all!

The best part of the evening was the company – women who have been friends with my mom for 20 + years, who have been “other mothers” to me, and friends of my sister and mine, all in similar stages of life as us.  It was a wonderful mix of generations, and it was really lovely to see everyone interact and genuinely have a good time together, disregarding age or place in life.

So rather than say goodbye to summer, we all just hung out and enjoyed being together… but isn’t that what it’s all about anyways? 

xxx

Home is Where the Heart Is

I never thought that when I got married I would be back living with mom & dad. But, here we are!

YIKES! AHH! WHAAAAAT?!? WOO HOO! … are some thoughts that go through my head when I think about it. So, how did we end up here? I’m from California; John is from Ohio. We were living in Ohio together – where we both went to college, then lived and worked - but the itch to get back home to sunny San Diego was nagging at me. John liked the idea of San Diego too, so we got to thinking… We sold our condo in Columbus, quit our stable, cozy jobs and headed west. We didn’t have jobs waiting for us… or a place of our own to live… but we had a dream (and a fall back plan) and decided to carpé diem. Here’s a brief recap of the past year:

June 2011 – woo hoo – engaged!

July 2011 – visited San Diego where thoughts of home pulled at my heart strings. Set a wedding date – July 6, 2012 

March 2012 – Put our Columbus condo on the market

April 2012 – Condo = SOLD

May 2012 – Final days at both of our jobs/packed up all of our belongings/hit the road jack

June 2012 – 3 week westward road trip - visited friends & family, knocked out a few national parks, camped (and survived), and landed in San Diego.

July 2012 – got married! Lots of wedding parties and festivities & general joy all around. Honeymooned in Big Sur. Honeymoon cut short due to job interviews (story for another time). Got jobs (miracle)? Unpacked and moved in with Mom and Dad!

Now – this brings me to Suite D. Living with the ‘rents may not be ideal for newlyweds… but we couldn’t be happier. We loved our home in Ohio and we look forward to having our own home in San Diego. In the mean time, my dear parents are willing to help us get on our feet in a new place. We call our little room Suite D to remind us of all of the places we’ve lived – because no matter where we are, home is where the heart is. xxx