Oh My! What Have I Started!!

I mentioned in my DIY project post that I had two small projects, the frames, and one bigger project, the can of worms. Well, I decided I could freshen up an antique rocker in my living room. Eventually, if I ever get to do my living room I would like four matching chairs with a large table in the middle. This room was called the quiet room when my boys were growing up. It was used for reading and playing the piano. My lady friends and I sit in there and have had great conversations. Back to the rocking chair. I sat in this chair and rocked each one of my Grandbabies and we have read books in that chair. I checked on having it re-done, but it would cost more than the chair was actually worth. It looked like a simple job, NOT!! Here is the chair………..

You can see it is mahogany and it is a simple upholstery job. There are  springs in the bottom and one had broken through the bottom, time to do something about this.

Hubby and I flipped the chair over and took a peek inside to find old springs and webbing that was coming loose. We proceeded to replace the webbing and sew each spring to the new webbing. I will not even bore you with these details but let me say three trips to the store and two days later, the chair has new insides.

We proceeded to strip the fabric and stuffing. Inside we found old cotton batting and even horse hair, so we know this chair is really an old rocker. We proceeded to paint the chair in a gloss white to freshen it up ala Brocade style………….

How do you like my work bench? It actually worked quite well. You can see the old burlap backing and the cotton wadding. They had taken an old piece of fabric to cover the springs. It still had a covered button attached to it, which I thought was kind of funny. There were three different fabrics on this chair. The gold damask that you saw and a soft pink embossed fabric that looked like it was from the forties, and than a tiny floral print on black, I bet it looked really pretty in that fabric. Here are a few more pictures of what was inside……………..

There were a bazillon tacks and staples to be taken out of the rocker, borrrrrring!

You can see just a bit of the pink fabric and below is a bit of the small floral print.

You must understand, Hubby and I do not know what we are doing at all on this chair. At this point we are both wondering what the heck have we done!! Now on to the fun part, choosing the fabric!!! To be continued……..

“ Enjoy the Process” Of: Taking apart an older piece to try and make it new and fresh!

Kathysue

DIY is NOT! My Middle Name

I have learned a lot of things through the process of blogging. One of the most recent lessons was…… Do not post on a project until it is at least near completion. Case in point-my porch. I am use to taking my time on projects.  You know me, I am the girl that is constantly saying, “ Enjoy the Process.” What I realized through my “ Enjoying the Process,”is that I made my readers wait to long for the final outcome.

With that being said, I did a post a week or so ago on Spring Fever. Well, during my feverish two weeks.(yes it only lasted 2 weeks and the illness has left me, depleted) I did do a few little projects. No, that is not true, I did two little projects and one that turned out to be waaaaay bigger than I originally thought.

The two little projects consisted of an original oil painting done by Dorothy Spangler and a rather ornate gold frame. This painting is full of bright Springy colors and was given to me as a gift from a very dear friend.
During my Spring Fever time I got a bee in my bonnet that this frame would look much better in white. I thought a soft white would look nice.  I read a lot of DIY blog post out in blog land and they do all kinds of wonderful projects. Surely I can spray paint a picture frame white.  If you read my Brocade post here, you know that their wonderful pieces done in white have always inspired me.
Well, I purchased the paint taped off the oil painting verrrrry carefully and began my project. I primed and began spraying. Everything was going along smoothly(including the finish) until all of the sudden I started seeing little tiny, tiny specks of paint that appeared to be dust caught in the spray paint. I stopped what I was doing and had to get Hubby to rescue me. After sanding between coats and putting a coat of gloss on top, thanks to him I now have a fresh looking ornate picture frame and a nice white frame for an antique mirror. I can show you the mirror and the picture frame but the other, bigger project is not quite done. Here is the before………….

BEFOREI love this original oil painting with its bright Spring colors but the frame looked a bit tired so after the spraying and painting it now looks like this………….

AFTER

I love how it now stands out in the room as a fresh bouquet of Spring flowers. The wall color is actually the color of vanilla ice-cream so the new color on the frame looks really nice.

Now for the little antique mirror that I bought at a garage sale. A couple was selling their grandmothers belongings. She had some beautiful pieces that I will share on another post. This is a small oval mirror. I like the way it turned out, but I needed to adjust some of the objects around it to make it work in the space better. More on that later! Notice how I do one thing and then it leads to another, Oh my!!

BEFORE

Here it is sitting in my wicker chair. I just noticed this is a great picture to show my ceiling treatment. It is a soft celadon green with white moldings. The chandelier is a 1930’s crystal piece . I love to add a little architecture to my suburban California ranch. Okay back to the mirror. Here is a close-up of the top detailing……….

This is all carved wood so it is pretty ornate.

AFTER

You can see that I need to put some white candles on the low boy underneath this piece. I am not sure what I will do exactly, but trust me when I make the change you all will be the first to know. For those of you who love antique clocks, this is a beauty. She is red marble with a bronze statue and has a wonderful porcelain face with numbers in the same color as the marble and in the center a lovely iris. This is one of my favorite pieces in my home.

A closer look at the now painted detail.

I realize that spray painting a couple of frames is no great shakes for most people but unfortunately it is kind of a big deal to this not so DIYer.

I am very pleased with the results and I think they add a fresher look to my living room. Now on to the “Other” bigger project. Boy, have I opened a can of worms,Yikes!!

“Enjoy the Process” Of: Giving something old a fresh new look.

Kathysue

Brocade!!

Not the fabric but the catalog. Are you familiar with the Brocade Home catalog? I have been a long time fan. I remember when I got my very first catalog I was in awe at its style statement. It was different than anything that I was seeing at the time. I felt they were on the cusp, but also realized that it would only be appealing to certain people. What I love about Brocade is it’s fresh take on the lines and styles of the past. They are ornate yet fresh and sleek at the same time. I just find this so appealing. Here are just a few pieces out of their catalog………

 

I think this would be a killer desk chair! It comes in other colors also like this black …..

 

I love this console/book shelf. Notice the classic lines yet it is sleek and modern, I really like this look!!

Brocade has a wonderful color palette. They use black and white which you know are favorites of mine, but they use softer hues in amethyst and celadon, silver, and cocoas. They also are offering wall coverings.

Here is one of their gorgeous combinations in a silk damask throw pillow in amethyst and celadon. I love this combination. This would make a gorgeous master boudoir. Did you notice I did not call it a master bedroom? When you have colors this luscious it has to be called a Boudoir!

Lastly, I am showing you a mirror that has inspired me for a long time and I finally have taken the bull by the horns as they say and attempted to do a DYI project on a very ornate gold picture frame in my living room. More on that later. I love the look of high gloss on very ornate pieces and this is the frame that has inspired me.

Be sure and take a trip over to Brocade home here. You will not be disappointed!!

“ Enjoy the Process” Of : Discovering a new take on an old look!!

Kathysue

Btw: I Just got an email from Brocade home and they are offering: For those of you in NYC. 2 tickets to opening night for Sex in the city for the first 50 customers that spend $199 in the store 5-18 thru 5-26 while supplies last.