Happy lamps to you...

I know I say in every blog that I LOVE this or that, but seriously, this project just makes me straight up happy!!! :)  I've had this lamp literally for 10 years... I got it when Doug and I were first married from a whole in the wall junk store and I "stain glass" painted it red and recovered a shade for it... it was cute, but my style has definetly changed since then.  In fact I don't own a single piece of furniture from those days except a desk and it's been repaint (imagine that right! :).

I found a couple of old pictures with the lamp in them... the one with Luke cracks me up!  He's so his dad's child... :)

 

 

...and I have no clue how to get the pictures that I scan to be just the picture instead of all that white space.. whatever, you get the picture. Also, I'm clearly super good at using the paint program and circling things too :)

Anywho.. enough about my mad computer skills... :)  The lamp has great features, but I just never got around to being inspired about it... until the other day.  I had this divine inspiration to tear it apart and  rethink it.  I love color, but wanted something modern-y like my house and funky.. couldn't be happier.. check this out peeps!

SERIOUSLY!!  Ah-mazing!  I heart this lamp!  Does it just make you happy?!

Dear spraypaint inventor, I love you with all my heart.  Sincerely, Melody.

Remember this chair...

It went out the door at $200!  I couldn't be happier about spending $15 total for the chair and fabric.  Let me tell you, I was pretty excited about a $185 profit! :)

Ciao.

...and... more robins egg blue! :)

I feel like maybe my life's calling is to reupholster chairs... seems to be what I spend most my time on!  This beast had to sit for awhile while I tried to find fabric for it- it needed 5 yards!!  I wasn't about to dump a fortune into upholstering it and even at $5/yard that would be $30 into it already!  AND I'm stingy (read thrifty).  Imagine my excitement to find fabric for $1.97/yard at the fabric store!  Needless to say I bought the entire bolt and they threw in the cardboard bolt too, which always makes me happy! :) The chair was $5 (haggled her down :) at a garage sale, so total fabric and chair cost $15 total!

Before...

This chair has good bones and turned out great!  So annoying... I had to tear the sides off after I finished them because I forgot to staple the fabric on the sides down into the chair... ugh.  Nothing more annoying that digging out staples that you've hammered down!  But I persevered and didn't loose my Christianity on this chair :)  I've gotten close on other chairs, but thank God for praying people... that and my husband telling me to just walk away for a minute and cool down :)

After...

I just realized as  I am posting this I missed some tacks on the chair... the work never ends!  It turned out super cute though.  Now the decision is keep or sell.. this is what I agonize over!  I can make some great dough selling, but then I can't decide...  I ONLY have 7 more yards of this fabric- the decision shouldn't be this hard! :)


I <3 craigslist...especially the free section.  People put some amazing things on there!  This wicker set was free from a lady here in town- actually my old library teacher from elementary school.  It needed some TLC...

TLC as in major amounts of spray paint :)  Clipped the loose wicker and painted it up and sold it off!  Turned out lovely- greens and blues make my day!

I absolutely love free!

I also love selling junk... makes me happy to make some money doing something I created.  Makes me feel like I'm contributing something to the human race, like I'm improving the environment, like I'm saving starving children- all from my living room with tacks, staples, fabric and a hammer.  

I'm off to save the world... hope you all have a great weekend- live it up before the winter comes!!!

Chairs x100

Today was clean out the garage day... a good thing too, I could barely open the door to get in it!  Hubs and I took a whack at it and whipped it!  I think it may have whipped us too- we both are hurting...  but it looks WAY better and I can actually open the door now :)  You would not believe the absolute pile of chairs I have!  I was surprised when we got going.. they were coming out of the woodwork.

Today may be a first.. I took a piece of furniture to the curb.  I told Doug I felt like I'd failed and he told me it was more like cutting my loses :)  This chair is a beast and would have taken a ton of fabric/time/staples/tacks/brain power to manage.  Also, I'm sick of moving it around the garage to make room for other projects.   That being said it's on the curb if anyone wants it.. :)

Last year (or maybe year before) I found this fantastic desk at Salvation Army and it was half off WITH A CHAIR!!   You better know I crammed this pink baby in my car and drove off.

The chair may or may not have been peed on.. I'm still not quite sure.  Apparently I have low standards though and it was all mine.  Jazz this thing up and and the end result was fantastic!

The top (like everything else I paint :) is robins egg blue and houndstooth print chair.  Turned out super cute.  It's headed out the door this week for sale at $100!  Can't beat a profit of $93- I paid $7 for it!

People have asked to hire upholstery done, but that makes me so nervous- if it's MY fabric and MY piece of furniture that is one thing, but having to do it on someone elses time schedule and to their liking is something else.  I did do a chair for a friend- not sure what possessed me to do so, but it turned out good and hopefully didn't fall apart as soon as she got it home!   Found the chair for $5 and fabric was a shower curtain that was the design I was looking for.  Maybe she hates the chair... at least she hasn't told me so :)

Before....

And after...

So cute!  I used almost every square inch of the fabric to get this chair covered!  I had only a couple of small strips left over.  I love the white and brown together!

Doug teases me all time about the things I decide to try as my "firsts".  I decided to try to make a pillow a few years back and it was in the shape of a bird and really hard to make!  He just thought it was hilarious that I decided to make a bird pillow instead of just trying to make a square pillow.   This couch was my first "real" upholstery I did.  Honestly, for it being my first time and me never having seen any tutorials on upholstery it's not too shabby if I say so myself!  NOW I look at it and think "what was I doing?!" but it's passable.

The amazing thing about this couch is that a king size bed fits perfectly between the arms!  How exciting!  I sawed the front part off and made the arms and back a "headboard" and the front legs part a "footboard".  It's still not finished, but when it is, oh what a glorious day that will be :)

Here it is with the legs sawed off.  I really need to get this thing done.  I think I might reupholster it also.  It's gotten sort of dingy due to time and having kids (and myself) around... Probably will paint the arms/legs white... I'm into white right now so that will probably be the color I go with...

I'm too tired to think any more... had a great long weekend.  Our friends came from Ames to visit and Doug got to drive their convertible when we went for ice cream.  We had an absolute blast with them.  Got to see Doug's parent too and spend time with them and our family, which we always enjoy!  Doug had Thursday-today off and it was fantastic!  I don't want him to go back to work tomorrow, but someone has to make money so I can buy spray paint and fabric and eat bacon! :)