Candied Cane Chairs

It took me a long time to finally decide the fate of my inherited cane back chairs.  They were in perfect condition, and I felt sentimental since they belonged to my late grandparents.  The charm of the 1970s is not lost on me.  Owl and mushroom motifs hold a certain kitschy charm , but as much as I hoped the orange crushed velvet would mesh with the newly painted grey living room, it just wasn't working for me.  These were the chairs in all their original glory:

"Mama, these chairs match like my outfit....did daddy dress me in the dark?"

I started by pulling off this layer of fabric.  I removed the two screws holding the cushion in place, so that I could work on the wood frame .

There was about one hundred upholstery staples and glued on fabric fibers on the frame.  If you don't already own a heavy duty staple remover, I suggest getting one.  We used a flat head and pliers and it was a pain in the arse!  The best way to get fabric glue off is acetone (think nail polish remover).  When we were finally done, we gave the underside a light sanding, then two coat of gray spray primer, and two coats of glossy black.

I pulled off the orange fabric and was pleasantly surprised to find the foam and batting in PERFECT condition! It was clean and fluffy, yay!  I used my seam ripper to dissemble the orange velvet cushion covers to get a template for the new ones.

Everything was going fine until I got to this stage.  I somehow mis-measured the end piece on the box cushion, and had to pull it apart, cut a new piece and re-sew.  My sewing machine behaved until the last seam, at which time it started tangling in the most maddening fashion, and sewing the fabric TO the sewing machine plate.  I spent an hour re threading, checking program settings, and consulting the troubleshooting guide.  I finally got so upset, I gave it a good smack and inadvertently cracked the LED screen! I'm a true believer in the "shake it/ kick it" method of fixing appliances, but this time it did not work. ;) My friend brought over her tried and true, mint green, 1960s sewing machine so that I could finish the last seam. Her machine is heavy and loud, but reliable.  She calls her machine Bertha, which I thought was fitting.  I should name my machine I thought!  From this day forward I will call her "little bitch", because she's whiny and breaks down.  "Not right now darling, I'm fiddling with my little bitch!"

After the cover was finally finished, I stapled it to the seat, and then re-screwed the cushion to the frame.  Here is the before shot:

And now:

The black and white chevron pillows were made from Target clearance hand towels.  $1.25 each, baby!

What do you think?

Gallery Wall

  As promised, here is a picture of the living room that we just painted.  It went from a lovely spring green called, "asparagus" to a nice neutral gray.  I was in love with that green, but I had a really hard time bringing in artwork and different fabrics, because of the intensity of the color.  Matching green with green is surprisingly tricky! I'm going to show one wall at a time as I complete projects.  I have been admiring "gallery walls" on different design sights and on pinterest for a couple of years now, so I decided to try my hand at one of my own.  It took awhile to gather different artwork to fill the frames, but I'm really pleased with what I came up with.  Plus, as always, I did it on the cheap. 

Like my "new" tufted sofa? Now, my martini olive green chevron pillows look lovely (instead of clashy) in the room!

 Here is a closeup of some of the eclectic things that fill the frames.  The bird/Harmony print was a free download.  I was able to get it printed 11x16 at Office Depot for .35!  Above that, is the lyrics to a song ("Across the Universe" by the Beatles) but you could do any song, poem, quote, etc that suit your fancy.  The "Alice in Wonderland"  and "Girl with Birds" (see second pic) papercut prints are something I bought from an etsy seller I've admired for some time.  The scientific sketch of the seahorse came from vintageprintable.com and the bunny/magic hat pic was something I cut out of a calendar.  My favorite object on the wal,l is the butterfly specimen collection.  Last summer, my children and I got a lot of mileage out of our summer pass to the bug museum.  I'd still like to get a Monarch specimen to hang. We released Monarchs at our wedding, so they hold a special place in my heart, and maybe soon my wall.  I hung the ampersand because I thought it made my little oddities seem cohesive, plus it's lighthearted and fun.

                                 
On the other side, hangs the second papercut print, and below two wooden postcards that came from etsy. The good thing about those 4x6 frames is that I can change out the art anytime I find a new greeting card (as this is a common size for alot of the interesting handmade ones.)  Above that is one of my favorite purchases.  It's a screen printed poster that says, "It's a damn fine day."  I love the optimism, the vintage feel, and the tongue in cheek humor.  It makes me smile every time I see it.  Finally, the skeletal hand, which came from a vintage anatomy book (from vintageprintables.com)

That giant blue Morpho Didius is going to inspire my next project...stay tuned for pictures!