Breathing new life

In the summer I mentioned that I picked up this chair on the side of the road in this post.

And I was thrilled in this post where I wrote about House and Home showcasing the same fabric I planned to use to reupholster it, but in red.

Here’s how the chair makeover went…  I started by removing the blue fabric to see what was underneath.

This was the first layer above…weird no foam just this faux sheepskin inside (no wonder it wasn’t very comfortable).
Next…

This was about when I decided to use new wood for the seat frame….a little too scary for me.
And I apologize for the lack of photos of the process, I got carried away with doing it and forgot to take pictures.  But here’s the steps.

1.  I had my big box store cut a new piece of sturdy 1/2″ plywood the same size as the original piece.
2. Then I cut a 3″ thick piece of foam the same size as the board.
3. I used spray adhesive to place the foam on the board.  I then covered it with quilt batting to soften the edges.  The batting is cut about approximately 4″-5″ larger to be able to wrap it around the board and foam and staple it in place.

4. Cut your fabric piece about 6″-8″larger on all sides.  If your pattern has a specific center make sure that you decide how you want it to show on the seat front before you cut.
“Measure twice, cut once”.

5. Staple once on each of the four sides and ensure the pattern is straight then continue with a few staples on each side, stretching the fabric taut as you go.  Continue stapling until all sides are done.
7. Screw newly covered board in place on the chair.
8. I also made a matching throw pillow with a feather insert I had hanging around.  It makes the chair a little more comfortable.

Below is the seat and pillow, before I actually had my hubby put the seat in place.

I had originally planned to sand and stain the frame of the seat.  But being my usual impatient self, I just went ahead and did the upholstering, figuring that I could always remove the seat easily and stain or paint the frame later.  Not to mention, that I was having lots of trouble finding a gray stain that I liked.

TA DAA…..

Now that it’s in place I actually don’t mind the original finish as it matches the pine baseboards and logs throughout the cottage.  So I think it’ll stay as it is for the foreseeable future.  It really is lovely in my son’s room with the blue walls and carpet and they not going to be changed anytime soon.  There are far too many other things to do.

I’ve linked this post up to Free for All Fridays over at 5 days 5 ways.  Click on the link below to be inspired.

And to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.  Click below to check it out!

 

 

Woodhaven – An update

My hubby and I have been very busy working away at our new cottage (named “Woodhaven” by the previous owners).

However, now I actually have some progress to report.  I mentioned a few posts back about putting up my Grandfather’s ice saw from the days when most people used iceboxes and not refrigerators.

My Dad brought it over to us during the holidays.  He had it tucked away in his workroom but he thought it would look great at our log cottage. And he was so right.  Thanks Dad!

Here it is in place in our sunroom.  (Sorry for the bad exposure, it is very hard to take a picture in this room, the light is very intense during the day and then at night, the lamps do not light up the high ceiling).  Santa, I need a better camera…..

My Dad is very happy that his Father’s ice saw has found the perfect home.

The sunroom is where I had originally envisioned putting some vintage oars that I had but this is much better.  Also, one of the vintage oars mysteriously disappeared during the move ;-(    But, I still have some old water skiis that I need to find a home for.

My Father also brought over a sicle that my Grandfather used on his farm and my Grandmother’s iron, the kind that you would put on the wood stove to heat up.  It makes me very happy to have these items, with my family’s history in them.

Do you have items that you display that showcase your family’s history?

Country Treasures

I’ve been enjoying some treasure hunting through antique stores and our cottage area.  At a quaint little antique shop near Syracuse, NY., I picked up this lovely sleigh and these cute wooden boxes.  Luckily for me my brother had his SUV and I promptly filled it up.  This sleigh will be adorable in a wintry entry way.

Then, shortly after, my hubby volunteered to help an elderly neighbour clean up her yard and shed and I got to select a few choice pieces.   Yeah me!

Anyways, here’s one of the items I scooped up…a cute wooden step ladder, which could become a magazine or towel rack or porch flower pot holder….

It will eventually be transformed and I’ll be sure to post the details.
I also scored some more cute little wooden crates and
some chicken wire which will be used in an amoire makeover….stay tuned…..

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Latest cottage treasure revealed

Okay, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.  This is the latest in my posts about the little treasures my cottage revealed.
As I mentioned before, when we purchased our cottage six years ago it came with some furnishings and a completely packed bunkie!
After many trailer loads to the dump there were a few things that I’ve kept because I thought they were interesting and that they may have some value.
Well this is one of the treasures we found –
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A wallpaper sample book from Empire Wallpapers Limited (a Sunworthy company) called Studio Masterpieces.  As you can see the cover has some mildew damage as it has been stored in that unheated bunkie for who knows how long.  And I have to admit it is a little smelly.  There have been a few protests about it’s odour since I brought it home….
The previous owner’s used the book as a place to press leaves and flowers and there were tons of them still in the book when I found it.  Luckily that didn’t seem to do much damage to the pages inside.
As there was no date anywhere on the book I did some digging and found out that this book is from the 1940’s (twenty years older than what I originally thought).
Here’s some of the beautiful designs:

This one is called Dinner Date here’s the description of it that they included below.
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Some more floral patterns.
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And some leaves in different colourwaves…..
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IMG_1168    IMG_1166 This one is called the Canadian Sportsman – the description follows below.

IMG_1119 IMG_1114This one is called Pillement Chinese.
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This one is called Williamsburg.
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There’s even some ones called Moderne.
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This whimsical one is called Old MacDonald.
IMG_1202    IMG_1200 And this one – Scarlet Pimpernel – of course!
These wallpaper samples are all painted and I was thinking of framing some of the images or perhaps framing them inside wall mouldings as a feature.  Though, I have to admit I feel a little apprehensive about actually cutting them out of the book.
What do you think I should do with them?
I hope you are all enjoying your summer I certainly have been and I’ll be taking some time off so this will be my last post for a little while.  Have a great weekend!  Cheers!

A couple of treasures found

My hubby and I purchased an old cottage about six years ago.  It was in very rough shape and needed to be gutted and rebuilt.  But that’s for a bunch more posts.  Anyways, the previous owner left many items that she didn’t want to move and so we became the recipients of many interesting items.

I insisted we keep some of them much to my hubby’s despair and a few of them have turned out to be precious little treasures.

The first piece was this desk that had belonged to the owner’s grandfather.

I couldn’t bear to get rid of it, I think I was more sentimental about it than she was.  Anyways, an antique dealer has told me that it was a library desk made in the early 1900’s of oak – in the mission style except for the scalloped edges at the front – a decorative touch the carpenter decided upon.

It has these cute little shelves on each side to place books on from the side.

It has it’s original finish with marks, scratches and drops of paint but I’ve been told not to refinish it as that will negatively affect it’s value.

So now it has a special little spot in front of the window at the cottage with it’s finish intact.

Then there was also an old 1920’s chair that I refinished and blogged about here.

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If this wasn’t enough there was also a tiny Gibbard drop leaf side table which was in sad shape.  There were cigarette burns on the top and a piece of the leg was broken.  While I refinished it my Dad (the handy guy) fixed the leg and now it resides in my living room.  Gibbard was too good for the cottage!!!

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Isn’t it a cute little table.

(P.S. Don’t look at the wing chair upholstery that is on the list to be redone.)

Now see if you can see what is in the frame in the above photo – it’s another little treasure from the cottage. Stay tuned for a post about it soon.

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