Project "sofa"

During the summer I took a weekend upholstery course and have now finally decided to take a stab at my first solo challenge...a sofa!  Here are the photos of my endeavour...

BEFORE (without the 3 seat cushions - duh!)

Original sofa with great bones but really ugly fabric - it was sold by students graduating and moving out of their rental

Biggest job was removing all the staples and original fabric - it took about 21/2 days on and off the job 

Adding new batting.  At this point, we decide to simplify the job and keep the lines simple.  No tufting on this project.

So far, the bottom is done and I'm working on the seat back.  I pull back the foam and batting on arms to work on it.

Almost done!  I decide to do 1 large seat cushion rather than the 3 in the original version.
The only thing left to do, is work on the trim to camouflage the staples and  clean up the wood.
We love the final contemporary look.

You will notice that during this process the wall colour has changed.  This house is a rental house for 4 university students, one of which is my daughter, Rachel.  While I was working on the sofa, the house was being repaired and painted.  Rachel and her 3 housemates will be enjoying the sofa in their new home.  Lucky gals!

Tools for this project included:  air compressor, pneumatic stapler, staple remover tool, gloves, goggles, needle nose pliers, fabric scissors, sewing machine, upholstering thread, batting, needle, batting, desired fabric (in our case, velvet)

Chicago!

Vacation in Chicago was fantastic.  It's a city full of life, history & architecture.  We had a wonderful time in this gem of a city which was full of many things to do. This is a city which nicknames it's famous shopping area as the "Magnificent Mile" which is no exaggeration at all.  The architecture, alone, was rich and full of history.  From Art Deco to modern design, Chicago is a city that has it all.  If you're a fan of museums, aquariums and planetariums, you'll love the "Museum Campus" on the waterfront, The Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum & the Adler Planetarium.  All three of these venues were easy to get to and walkable...my favourite part!  Walking through the Millennium Park left me awestruck at the beauty and functionality of it.  Not only were there tourists but many Chicagoans using the park during lunch, breaks and days off.  As a tourist, I felt perfectly safe and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Here's a short list of things you really should see if you plan to visit!

Must Sees (in no particular order):

• Millennium Park
• Shedd Aquarium
• Field Museum
• Navy Pier - the ferris wheel!
• Take a ride on a tall ship or a fast ride on a Seadog!
• Bicycle or Segway Tours - a great way to learn/ see the city
• If you want to shop - take a nice walk along the Magnificent Mile

Where we stayed....

My favourite new store - All Saints Spitafields

All images above by LuceBlogs.  Images below by All Saints Spitafields

Boston

During the planning phase of our trip to Brimfield we decided to take a side trip to Boston, Massachusetts since it was only an hour and a half away.  The city was beautiful and in addition to that, we were bowled over by the friendliness of the many Bostonians we encountered during our short visit!  It has become one of our favourite cities of all time.  The drive from Brimfield was really only an hour.  I think we must of hit good traffic.  It was a pleasant and easy drive in.  

Our only challenge was finding a hotel!  With our luck, there was a cardiology convention causing all the rates to skyrocket and rooms to be booked!  Fortunately, we did find accommodations at the Intercontinental Boston.  From the doorman, Joe, to the porters, the service was outstanding.  We felt very welcome and at home.  The hotel was right off the Boston Harbour.  Our room was on the 10th floor facing the city and the view was beautiful and the room was luxurious and spacious.  We couldn't have asked for more...except for one thing.  Our wi-fi connection was terrible.  Can you imagine trying to blog with no wi-fi?!  The hotel graciously apologised and removed the charges; however, I would have liked to have speedy wi-fi to work on my laptop in the evening.

InterContinental Boston
Images by LuceBlogs

There were plenty of sights to catch in Boston.  The first place we wanted to check out was the New England Aquarium!  After that, we took a fantastic walk to Quincy Market and ate dinner at Legal Seafoods.  Breakfast the next morning was at a quaint little bakery called Flour, followed by a walk and stroll down to Newbury Street for some shopping.  There was a lot of walking and it was great fun.  I know there will be another visit in the near future!

Boston, Massachusetts
images by LuceBlogs

My Favourite Chocolate!

Yummy!  We did buy more than 2...
image by Luceblogs  

For those who have never tasted "Max Brenner" chocolates, you really have to try it!  It is amazing.  I first happened upon this heavenly confection while visiting Tel Aviv.  A whole restaurant dedicated to chocolate.  Thinking I would have another opportunity to pick up some goodies before going home, I forgot, but fortunately found these goodies sold at duty free.

This time while travelling to Brimfield and making a stop in Boston, Rach and I happened upon a Max Brenner restaurant!  I had to pick up some goodies this time for sure.  I picked up my Syd & Mattie's favourites...oversize plastic syringes filled with chocolate!

Max Brenner - on Boylston Street in Boston, Masachussetts
Online Store | Max Brenner Chocolate Shop
image by LuceBlogs

My Letter "L" Brimfield Find

One of my small purchases at Brimfield was a plastic letter L.  It was an end of the day find and really just a fluke.  How could I walk away from it...it was only $10.  I decided that once I got it home, I would give it a wash and spray it with a nice coat of shiny gold paint.    It would be a cute wall detail or table decor.  Here's how it went...

For those who are interested...this is what I used.  Although, the picture on the bottle shows a high gloss, reflective finish, my letter ended up not being as reflective, but rather more matte in finish.  I'm guessing it's due to the material of the letter...its a plastic material with a matte texture.

Step 1:  wash letter clean of debris

Step 2:  make a spray booth with cardboard box & plastic

Step 3:  spray in sections with light coats and repeat

Step 4:  dry between sprays

Step 5:  if areas need to be smoothed out, sand, clean, spray

Step 6:  dry

Voila...finished product!

Mother's Day Love!

I am such a lucky mom!  

First thing on Mother's Day morning, my three kids and two bunnies marched into my room.  In the lead was my bunny,Olie carrying a card tied around his waist with a ribbon, followed by my kids and Poppy.  The artwork was provided by my son, Matthew.  My special gift was Alexander McQueen's book, "Savage Beauty"!  I have been coveting this book forever... 

Can't wait to enjoy every page!

Images by LuceBlogs

My Brimfield Finds

Not knowing what to expect, I ended up purchasing a few pieces of fun vintage costume jewelry pieces.  Brimfield was filled with vendors offering a huge assortment of beautiful costume pieces from a bygone era.  This was totally unexpected to me and I had to reign myself in from purchasing everything in sight.  I have always wanted to add a little sparkle and detail to my simple shift dresses...can't wait to try them out!

a - d:  Assorted vintage costume jewelry (vendor:  Cherished Treasures by Marcia Chaloux

203-426-3856/ cherishedtreasures@charter.net) e & h:  Letters R & L (vendor:  sorry, don't 

have vendor info) f:  Skull bracelets in ivory & turquoise (sorry, don't have vendor info)  

g: Vintage tablecloth (vendor:  Dusty's Vintage 413-237-4467/ dustysvintage@aol.com)

We ended up purchasing things that we didn't expect.  Rachel is going to frame her vintage tablecloth for her new place.  I plan to use all the initials we've collected and put together a collage.  Originally, I had planned on furniture pieces, but I found the prices a little too high.  I may try again in July.  Brimfield seem to have an abundance of vintage patio furniture.  I will show you our projects when they're completed!