Dining Chair Makeover.

My dining chairs are finished and they are keepers for sure! I love these chairs. I bought them, (plus a table which I promptly sold) on ebay for around $80 the lot. My kind friend Sandy from the blog Sandy's Place painted them for me in Dulux White Antique USA. Then I set about upholstering them in a mid-grey vinyl. This will be very practical when it comes to beetroot and spaghetti sauce! Next I attached the nailhead. It was my first time using this continuous strip of studs and I am loving it! Lastly I painted the brass feature on the bottom of the front legs a nice bright silver.





I have not seen many of these chairs around and despite numerous google image searches the following 2 images were all I could come up with. I nearly died when I was watching The Blindside and saw these chairs which are very similar. (Did anyone else cry for approximately half of that movie or was it just me?)


image via here



Source unknown sorry. (please let me know if it's yours)



Didn't Sandy do a great paint job! That's the old upholstery fabric.

Humble Thanks.

I would like to humbly accept these 3 awards. I have procrastinated over accepting 3 of these as I find all the "guidelines" for accepting them a little overwhelming, (I'm not too good with the linking etc, just hope these ones work).
I don't have a list of things about myself but I will share that I turned 45 last Saturday and today I got my hair coloured for the first time in a few years (I'm now wondering why I waited so long as I love the result!).
I don't have a list of lovely blogs to mention as there are just soooo many. What I will do though, is make mention of different blogs on future posts. I personally find that if I see a list of blogs I am less likely to visit them all than if there is just one that I can pop over and see.
Today I will make mention of Katie and her blog Revival
Katie and I share a love of upholstery and I am amazed at the results she gets on her beautiful furniture. She has a great eye for picking just the right peices. She prevented me from pulling my hair out on one of my projects by giving me some advice and providing a helpful link. Thanks Katie!





Thanks so much to Jeanne ~ Collage of Life and to Julie ~ It's the Little Things

Thanks to Teresa ~ Dreaming

Thanks to Kristine ~ The Painted Hive

This Week's Treasure Hunt

First up I would like to make mention of a new blog which I came across today. I am so excited to be following this blog and am looking forward to all the inspirational projects that will be revealed over time. The blog belongs to Kristine and is called The Painted Hive Please make sure you pay a visit and welcome Kristine to blog land:o)


When I feel in need of a little pick-me-up, I take myself off to my favourite used goods store where I hunt for treasures. It is only a small shop but I always seem to manage to come home with a few goodies and, the best part, I never spend much at all.






I have been on the look-out for a white throw/cover for our bed and found this one by Hilton in mint condition for $8




This lamp is going to come up a treat with a coat of white paint and a new shade.








You may remember a pear I bought which I painted white. Well, I found 3 more, YAY!


These 3 starfish were cheap as chips.



I was a bit hesitant about this picture as it's not really what I'm into, but I liked the framed and for $3 thought what the heck. Then I turned it over and saw the original price....


YIKES! Who would pay that???


This treasure box caught my eye as soon as I walked up to the store window. My daughter is going to love it but it will have to stay hidden at the back of my wardrobe until her birthday in May. (I'm just busting to show her!)

...and breath out.

Phew, this project was a bit of a marathon.

When I posted about it earlier, I mentioned that I was using some fabric that was foam-backed, thinking this would add to the comfort level. However.... I didn't realise what a pig it would be to sew!!!!(no offense to pig-lovers out there!) It just point-blank refused to feed through the machine. I ended up having to line all the edges that needed to be sewn, with cotton fabric. As sewing is my least favourite step in the upholstery process, I was not a happy chappy (just ask my hubby).
All that aside, I am delighted with the result.

Thanks to those of you whose comments kept me motivated and to Janice from Canadian Cottage whose comment today prompted me to get on with this post. Be sure to check out her beautiful blog!!!













I added black-painted ball feet.

Coffee Table Makeover

I have become quite philosophical whenever something around the house gets broken. I now see it as an opportunity to hunt for a replacement or get creative in repairing the item, which is what I decided to do when a friend recently sat on our glass-topped coffee table and it didn't take the strain, resulting in broken glass.
I contemplated buying a new glass top but after giving the decision some more thought I decided to do something a bit more original.
With the help of my hubbys skill on the end of a saw I came up with this wooden top which I personally think looks fabulous. I feel that if I saw this table in a shop I would just have to have it. So for the costly sum of around $30 we have this new coffe table top.







This is the only shot I have of the table with it's glass top. Excuse my lounge. Due to a lack of storage it has become a dumping ground for all the sofas I plan to recover and sell, apart from the striped couch which I recovered a year ago. (Don't ask me why that one is facing the wrong way!?!?!?!)






Hmmm, I've just noticed the stripes on my sofa don't line up. As soon as I finish this post I will go and flip the cushions over.

Ebay, I Love You!

For a while now I have been lusting over all the beautiful white slip-covered sofas that many of you lucky blog ladies have, so can you imagine my delight when I spotted these 2 beauties on ebay this week! I don't often check ebay mid-week, usually I save that for the weekend, but this was just meant to be (Thanks God). The seller had a "Buy Now" for $150 the pair and considering they were originally from Harvey-our ads are really loud-Norman (furniture store) I thought that sounded like a pretty good deal. I knew I didn't have any funds left for this purchase so I rang my hubby at work and told him about them. I could tell he wasn't going to give in so I caved and asked if he would like to buy them for my birthday which is later this month. I know he doesn't find me easy to buy for so his relief was almost palpable (if that's possible over the phone). The seller was a delightful lady who couldn't have been more helpful. She said there were a few marks on them, but honestly, unless you're the type that goes around looking at furniture with a magnifying glass, you wouldn't even know they were there.
I am just about beside myself with glee and can't stop glancing at them at every opportunity,lol.





Do you like the stripes going horizontal or vertical?






I can't decide which set of cushions I prefer, the plain or the stripes. What do you think?



Beautiful embossed fabric.






Just to keep you "posted" as to my progress on the grey sofa... I haven't quite finished, just have to sew the covers for the squabs/seat cushions, but in my defense, I do have my SIL staying for a few days.

I would love for you all to pay a visit to a lovely new blog. Janice from
Canadian Cottage . I have a feeling this blog will be well worth keeping a close eye on!