Friends for Supper

Recently, we had the Coleman boys and their wives over for dinner. And they made me laugh so hard I couldn't hold my camera still.

Carrie said that my efforts for this meal should count as a Design Fix NYR. But since it is not a permanent addition to our home, I'm not going to. However, I did want to show you all the cute boxes I put together for them to take home. They were filled with homemade caramels (my new obsession!).

NYR #5, Throw Pillows

So, the pillows on our dining/family room futon have been looking a little tired.

We've had them for about 6 years now and although I love them I was ready for a change.

So I picked up some fabric at Joann's (I should buy stock in that company!) and made some new throw pillow covers.

Here's a close-up of the new black and white fabric. I am quite fond of it.

I put three buttons on the backs of the pillows to keep the pillow form from falling out (a problem with the old set).

The only problem is that now this side of the room looks a little devoid of color. Perhaps I need to make a slipcover for the futon to solve this problem?! Sigh. That's a project for another day. In the meantime, could someone come and pick up these books for me?

NYR #4, Creating a Crafting Closet

So, for awhile now, my sewing machine has been in our bedroom.

Without a home, my crafting tools/books/etc. have found their way into every nook and cranny of our house.

Although I tried to hide the clutter, it was clear that I needed a better space to store my crafting supplies.

Meanwhile, we have a closet upstairs that was not living up to it's full potential. Although I had stored some crafting supplies here, the space wasn't living up to it's full potential and neither was I (crafting-wise that is).

Hooray for the Container Store, a sale on Elfa storage systems, and a gift card from my parents!!!

It was so easy I could install it myself (except for a stubborn screw that needed my hubby's manpower).

And I am VERY pleased with the results!

The red accessories are from IKEA. My labeler got a workout as I made a place for everything and put everything in it's place.
Even my sewing kit got a revamp.

I love that there is space next to the shelves so I can store rolls of fabric and my cutting mats. There is also room for a folding chair (from IKEA) that I can easily hang up off to the side when I need to close the closet door.

I also purchased this handy thread storage rack. I am planning on screwing it into the wall to get it off the countertop as soon as I can spray paint it (too cold outside right now).

Well, by no means is this where my ultimate happiness comes from, but for now, I agree with Elfa! This organized closet has brought me a great deal of delight.

Not only did I organize my crafting and sewing supplies, but I finally have a place to create! Look for many more completed projects now that I have a place to complete them.
***A quick note on this stone. I used to work in a store that sold these clay 'stones' that had inspirational words on them. One day, I was unpacking a new shipment to put out on the retail floor when I noticed there were a few typos on the stones.... CREAIE, FOGUS, INSFIRE, GTVE. They were made in China and were even given a sticker to show that they passed inspection. We called the company and ordered a new set and I got to take these treasures home! I love them!

NYR #3, Slipcover Success!!!

Remember when I posted this picture and told you not to lose hope because the slipcover was on it's way? That was back in August.

Then right before Rock's birthday in September, we made some major progress. I finished sewing most of the 'body' of the slipcover and my dear hubby Fix completed 4 of 6 cushions.

At that point, all we needed to finish the slipcover was to sew velcro on some key areas to keep the cover from moving around and finish the last two back cushions (cleverly covered by a blanket in the shot above).

Oh and the bottom edge needed to be hemmed. But seriously, all those little steps left us with approximately 9 hours of work left.
Yet for months, the slipcover stayed in the same state as pictured above. Even though it has been on each and every to do list I've made, somehow it never got crossed off.

This one shows that I did sew the piping for the cushions back in October, but did I get around to actually completing the slipcover? NO!

Slipcover, oh slipcover, you have plagued us so!

NOT ANYMORE!!!!

THIS PUPPY IS DONE!!!! THANK YOU FIX FOR ALL YOUR HELP! YOU ARE THE BEST HUSBAND EVER!

HALLELUJAH!!!! After a little work on Saturday night and Monday afternoon, I will no longer need to make excuses when people sit down in my living room!

**Okay, so there is one teeny, tiny issue -- the fabric is a little thicker than we thought and we are having problems making covered buttons. As soon as we can get this problem fixed (any suggestions anyone?), we'll slap some buttons on the back pillows to give it a nice tufted look and be officially finished. But please don't rain on my parade -- for all intents and purposes, I am declaring this slipcover "DONE." Wahoo!

NYR #2, Dining Room Chairs Part One

For far too many months, we have been dining on some ugly dining chairs. I bought them at a thrift store with plans to paint and reupholster them.
But that was many moons ago and yesterday my husband admitted that he really wanted me to get on with this project ASAP. Because of the fumes, I won't paint them inside and because of the temperature, I can't paint outside this season, but I figured I could at least tackle the upholstery work. So I ran to fabric store and picked out material.

One final look at the gross rust color. And if that wasn't enough to demand a recover, most of them were stained. Anyway, here's how I did it:

1. Unscrew the seat from the chair base.

2. Remove the staples holding on the old upholstery.

If you are as lucky as us, you may be shocked to discover that the ugly rust colored fabric is actually an IMPROVEMENT on what was originally on the chair.

Really people? Was this ever cute?! Although it's heinous, I decided to leave it on so that the foam would stay in place and the chairs would have a little extra support. Moving on...

3. Lay out your fabric underneath your chair seat. Make sure there is enough to cover the sides. This is actually a picture of the third chair I did so I had already cut out a piece of fabric that was the same size as a discarded rust-colored piece.

4. Wrap the fabric around and staple your first staple on the center front of the chair.

5. Alternating left to right, work your way out from the center. However, do not staple all the way to the corner.

Be sure and pull the fabric TIGHT before you do each staple.

Otherwise, you could end up with a lump like this. If that happens, take out the staple and do it over again.

See how flat this side is? That's what it should look like.

6. After you've stapled the front and back, move to the sides and repeat. Again, it's best to start in the middle and move out.

7. Once all the sides are stapled you can work on the corners. I think it's best to fold the side fabric down first.

Then fold the front/back fabric over the side fabric and staple it all in place. It will take some maneuvering to get it flat, but it's worth the effort to work with it. You want to make sure no extra folds or puckers are visible on the sides. If necessary use multiple staples to hold it in place.

8. Clip the fabric away from the screw holes.

Once everything is stapled down tightly and the screw holes are free of fabric, the seat is ready to go back on your chair.

9. Screw the seats back on.

And you're done! See? All that pulling tight paid off. It looks super smooth on the outside!

Voila! There are two more steps (painting and a surprise that I'm not going to reveal until I post 'after' pictures) to do before I will consider these chairs "done," but for now, I'm happy that they are looking MUCH better.