Friday, August 31, 2012

Celestial Glory

So this client of mine found the gem of all gems! can you guess where these chairs came from?
I'll give you a hint...I was nervous to strip them because I thought I would be struck by lightning...lol! They came from the Idaho Falls LDS Temple! I have to admit, there have been many a time I have found myself examining furniture when I am at the temple, but never did I think I would have a pair to "re-do". Hey the LDS Church does not mess around when it comes to furnishing their temples, so you can imagine that these chairs are in pretty much perfect condition! All my client wanted to do was give the fabric an update, and that she did! She had an awesome cream matelesse fabric with a small geometric pattern to it. Beautiful!! The chairs turned out great and I am still standing in one piece...
Also I just got me some new business cards thanks to the very sweet and talented Alexi Bullock! Did i mention that she designed my oh so great blog?? well she did and she just got back from doing a summer internship in NYC with the only person who could make "Jail time" fabulous...The one and only Martha Stewart! She is amazing, so you should check out her website and see if she can help you out! I just love my new cards!!!
Now I am frantically packing so we can head off to lake powell for a solid week of bliss... i still have a few spot open in october, so feel free to send me an email to get on my schedule and Ill get back with you when i return!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Retro rad!

If you know me at all you know i love a good deal! So of course I am a little excited when my clients bring me awesome finds to recover. Check this ditty out! She scored 2 of these super orange, yet retro rad chairs off of ksl for basically free.
I mean... seriously? How fantastic!! Love them to bits! Now to make matters even better, she wanted them slipcovered in white denim. She found it on fabric.com, and pre washed it. (her detergent smells quite lovely too) I loved this fabric! I am tempted to get some for myself and possibly dye it...hmmm. Anyways, it was a gem to work with and is super soft! we did a 3" knife pleat skirt. I got to use my new tools, the perfect pleater!! I have been doing pleats by hand for the past few years and i feel that i have done my time. These things cut my time prep time down to nothing!! Oh how I love them! I may just start pleating things around the house because i can...
I am sad to let these go! I want them for me!!! Next up, a semi redo on these leather chairs.
She just moved into a new house and needed a change in fabric..., so thats what we did, changed put he fabric to bring the chairs into this century. Its amazing how a little thing like changing out the fabric can give the chairs a whole new look!
Don't they look so much brighter?! or maybe that because the garage doors were open for the after picture... either way, you have to agree that this fabric is so much better! and comfy too! I just had my last client for the week drop off 2 chairs with super amazing fabric! I can't wait to show you these! and then its off to Powell for a whole week of fun!!! The countdown has begun...

Monday, August 20, 2012

It's alive!!

Its great to have LU back in action! I have to give some major props to A1- Vacuum and Sewing in Orem! Not only are they the sweetest people on earth, but they got poor LU all fixed and ready to work with out me spending and arm and a leg and another arm...THANK YOU!! SO, now that I am back on track I am slammed!! Which is great, I love me a good routine! So lets start off with these 2 wing back recliners.. Here is the "before", so bare with me. One is in the garage and one is in the basement, and I forgot to get a good before pic before I took them apart and slipcovered...plus they are heavy!!
So, after having to wait a good week to tackle them, I was finally able to work out the process in my head and put the slipcover together. It took me a bit to think on it, but I really like how they came together, and the slipcovers still allow the chair to do its duty...recline!
Sure there were times I wanted to pull my hair out trying to figure out the best way to make it, but in the end it all came together! On a side note, i love it when my clients send me picture of their projects when they get them home! Remember this awesome little number? Well she sent me pics of the chair before she had it reupholstered in muslin to then be slipcovered. this is how she was:
and here it is slipcovered in a awesome white linen at home!
I LOVE this transformation! So now that the "sweat shop" is back in full swing, I've got 6 chairs, a few ottomans, a couch and some pillows to get cracking on! All this has to be done by Sept 1st cause the hubby and I are headed to Powell with NO kids and great company for a whole week!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

My machine no workie...

So...my "sweat shop" is down at the moment and I have 4 chairs eagerly waitng to be slipped! i am without my machine and its killing me!! So while I am being "patient" and trying not to go crazy, I thought id give you some updates... #1 - remember these chairs? Here they are in all thier glory!! Dont they look amazing!!! #2 - I started a boot camp this week that my oh so gracious friend sold me on. I have NEVER been this sore in all my life!!! its a good hurt, but dang it! it hurts!!! then, to top it off I had to lug mysewing machine "head" UP from the basement to go get repaired. Um, I dont know if you know this, but those things weigh a good 115LBS!!! i am NOT looking forward to friday when i have to lug it back down... #3 - The sale of our house fell thru:( 2 weeks before closing!! We passed our inspection with flying colors but i guess they got cold feet about spending the mula...Totally Sucks! back to square one! I had to do some major re-arranging of my work schedule to accomodate the move in the first place, but it turned out to be ok, who knew my machine would "act out"... Geeze!! All in all things are great! I hate it when things dont go as planned, but hey... thats life! what can you do about it. dont worry,I had a good cry about it, but now its time to move on! I hope to have 2 of the 4 chairs done this weekend. they are pinned and ready for some sewing for heavens sake!! So untill then, I am gonna go play with my kids and make a mess in my house!!!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

I have a straggler....

So the yard sale was a huge success! We raked in a whopping $847!!! So thanks to those who came! I still have some fabric left and the reason for this post, my crib!!! I need it gone!!! It's a Brat Decor 4 poster crib that comes with interchangeable tops... You can have the traditional ball on top or super cute stars! I paid $1600 for it 6 yrs ago ( honey, I hope you are not reading this....um... I don't know what happened??). Lol!! I am selling it with the mattress for $200. Text or email me if you want to come see the bad boy in person!!! I'd love not to pack it back down to the dungeon!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Its all in black and white...

So I had 3 reupholstery jobs to tackle this week and wouldn't you know both clients picked black and white geometric prints! First up...This totally awesome office chair that has clearly seen better days...
Sure the blue is horrendously stained...but look at that frame!!! My clients' sister is super jealous, because this lovely thing once belonged to her... and she should be.. check it out now!
Next up.. Mimi!! Oh how I love me some Mimi! You see, Mimi and I go way back! We used to roam around the foothills of Draper on horseback back in the day! We tore that mountain up, until they developed it... Boo!! I still have awesome memories from those summers! Anyways, she scored some pretty awesome chairs from her grandmother. Sure they were old, but hey, thats the stuff I love! So here is the lovely cross stitch pattern they came with...
I love the fabric choice! and I love how one chair is slightly smaller than the other... its like a gentleman and lady chair. Lol! Anyways, these things were OLD!!! so I freshened up the "guts" and made them beautiful again! I guess you can always put the old cross stitch in a frame... right?
So great! Right?! She loved them! So what's next you ask? Well I have 2 wing back recliners to get to, but they must wait! Because we are having a SUPER FANTASTIC and AWESOME YARD SALE TOMORROW!!! I am getting rid of TONS of baby and kids clothes, toys, gear, fabric, home decor, furniture and treasures! So you better stop by! it a street thing, so my fantastic neighbors will have stuff to sell too! The street is 1920 W in orem and about 600 S, just north of the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course Club House. So I hope to see you there at 8 am!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Red Red Wine...

Remember that song?? Well its stuck in my head. While I was working on this project that song kept playing over and over in my mind!! One of my clients referred me to a friend and she brought me this fabulous chair, ottoman and a few pillows to cover. They hunted for the perfect fabric and on their journeys they found this really great red paisley velour jaquard type fabric. Its super soft and great to work with! I would of had it done a few days sooner but LU, my sewing machine had other plans in mind... SO I had to take a "forced" 2 day break... But no worries, I am up and running again! Here is the before:
I mimicked the lines of the chair. The front of the chair curves so we kept the skirt the same. I boxed up her back cushion because i just think it looks better.. I really love how this chair turned out! I am telling you, fabric selection is super important and it makes a world of difference!! After:
We finished it off by making 2 matching pillows for her couch. Love it!! This week I am working on a few chairs that are being reupholstered and 2 wing backs that are recliners... Plus we are having a big garage sale saturday morning with the neighbors! I have TONS of baby stuff and kids cloths that we be selling as well as furniture, home decor stuff, FABRIC and other odds and ends. It will start at 8am so come by and check it out!! It will be on our street...617 S 1920 W in orem just north of the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course Club House... Hope to see you there!!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Lighten Up!!

I love Love LOVE this client of mine! She was a dream to work with and super awesome too! Not to mention, she has the cutest little boy EVER!! He gave me hugs the second I walked in the door. She contacted me back in may to slipcover her sectional in her basement. She wanted a lighter look but did not want to spend major $ on the fabric.. Love Her! So we went with drop cloth. I can't tell you enough how great this option is! It is a great alternative to duck cloth or canvas, its super durable and looks great with just about anything. i think this particular sectional took about 7-8 drop cloths total and 100 yards of welting! I got it done from start to finish in a week. (id like to pat myself on the back for that..) Anyways, her sectional before had a light green denim slipcover on it already, but they just needed a fresher look. We got rid of the box skirt and tightened up the cushions. Before:
Her walls are green and her carpet is neutral so the couch just kind of blends in... But not anymore!! AFter:
Ahh...So refreshing! I don't think there is anything better than a nice new, clean and fresh slipcover to lighten a room right up! Never mind the feathers on the floor... thats what happens when you have to remove 11 down filled cushions... Thanks goodness it was her cleaning day. I swear every time I came to either pin or fit her couch, I've left her a mess of feathers! On another note, me and a few of my neighbors are gonna be having a super awesome garage sale next saturday. I will have baby clothes, baby crap galore, fabric, furniture, toys, home decode, christmas decor, furniture and pretty much other stuff that has been following us around for 10 years! Ill post details as it gets closer! Until then, peace out peeps!