Like wine? Me too.

My boyfriend does too!  (Who doesn't really?)

Anyway, over a period of time, he amassed a lovely collection of memories whilst sharing exquisite bottles of wine...and corks.  He handed them over to me knowing I would make something with them and so I did!  Ready for it...?  I made a CORKBOARD!  Super original, I know. ;)  We recently moved into a home which provides me with my very own work studio, and I was in need of a place to pin my inspirational finds right where I could see them and draw from them.

Using a basic white glue, I placed (what were once) single corks beside one another and fixed them into permanent relationships!  As the line of my corks grew longer, I realized I would need a way to support them on the backside.  Originally, I intended to use a strip of wood, and have been waiting to find the right piece.  Today my patience for waiting ran out, and I used some corset boning I had lying around.  Once I had affixed it to the back of the corks with tacks, I nailed it to the wall and took a picture...see?

Luckily, I have many friends who somehow manage to produce lots of single corks ;) and so I will continue to make more and more boards to hang images that inspire me to create, while I sip on some wine.

A rare beauty!

As soon as this chair was dropped off at the shop, I wished I would be the one to get to give it a make-over.  The fabric it was wearing was disproportionately ugly to how beautiful the chair actually is, and I knew that with a little love, it could be a stunner.

Anyway, I got my wish and here is the finished product:

Say what you will about the fabric- I know it's not for everyone- but I doubt I would ever hear you say you've seen a chair like this before!

A bedroom beauty!

This piece just goes to show how something so simple can have a very pleasing impact.  The woman who brought this chair in told us she was putting it in her bedroom, which had a very serene feel.  She chose an organic linen to contrast with the off-white frame of the chair.  Alas, I have no pics of the outside back to show that it is open to expose the linen.  I had great pleasure working on this chair and she expressed great joy in the result!

Two-tone challenge!

One random day at work, I was assigned to this chair.  It was a particularly interesting challenge because the client had chosen two very different fabrics for the inside and outside of the chair.  The inside was a lovely wool houndstooth which was a pleasure to work with. The outside was a much thinner fabric, AND a pattern- two elements that make a task more difficult for any upholsterer.

With the helping hand of my boss, I got the job done and here are the final pics:

My very second upholstery gig!

My dear friend Brittany has the most adorable patio set....well, NOW she does.  In order for it to go from "potentially awesome" to awesome, she had me do her chairs in a vibrant salmon fabric that she selected.

Before: (pretty cute, right?)

Once I stripped down the chair I discovered that the wood was rotten due to water seepage.  That's my supervisor in the background making sure I do a good job.

I had a friend make some wood circles for me, and got to stapling that fabric down!  Here is the finished pair:

My very first upholstery gig!

Friends of my boyfriend came over to our home one day for a party, and as soon as they learned I am into upholstery, they requested that I do two chairs!   They own a laundromat, and had purchased two chairs to provide more seating for the people using their services.  After going out to Home Depot and investing in my very own compressor and staple gun, I was ready to say YES and take on the job.  I thought it best to choose fabric that could withstand anything, and so we chose some fun vinyl in two different colours.

Here is the before picture:

Clearly, there was nowhere to go but up!  And for my first job, I was pleased that anything I did would only make an improvement...;)

And after:

The biggest challenge for me was to upholster a fairly stiff vinyl onto curved arms and a curved inside back.  But with some perserverance and a lot of cursing at the chair, it all came together beautifully!
I eventually went back to add some accent tacks to the chairs, and now they are extra spiffy!

Here they are in action at the laundromat:

What to do with old fabric sample books?!

Make a one-of-a kind bag!

My boss was about to throw a book of beautiful velvet samples into the garbage when I said. "Waaaaaaaaaait! I can DO something with that- I know I can!"

Here it is:

It's lovingly lined with lots of pockets and very very very soft!

The chair I fell in love with!

Let me just explain something to you.

While working at an upholstery shop, one is exposed to all kinds of furniture in various states of being.  Regardless of, how should I put this...physically challenged (read: ugly) the item is, the goal remains the same: to give each piece the best possible make-over so that the client is pleased with the results.  I sure have seen my share of unattractive furniture and worked with some poor fabric choices.  To each his own, after all.  But what an absolute treat it is to work on a chair that actually makes me happy to be alive.  Let me introduce you to the chair that stole my heart:

WARNING: she is naked in the first picture so get your IDs ready

She's almost dressed...

TaDAAAAAAA!!!!  Isn't she beautiful?!

It took everything I had to not hold this chair hostage from its rightful owner.  In fact, when she came to pick up the chair, she was so happy with the "chair-lift" that she told me more about it.  It originally belonged to her grandfather and was one of the last remaining pieces of his estate.  After hearing this story, I reluctantly handed the chair over, but not without asking if I could come visit it occasionally. ;)

Mark your words!

It was also this past winter that I began making my own unique brand of bookmarks, using recycled beads and baubles that I found...first I had three, then I had too many to count!

Uplifting embroidery!

It was around this time, back January of 2012, that I began experimenting with embroidery as a way to express uplifting messages such as...

Don't you just love how those apple seeds come together to make a heart?!
Inspired by the seeds, I decided to try my hand at a tree:

Red chair

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics of this chair when it was completely finished.  But I certainly did learn a lot of "firsts" doing it, like arm-facings and how to deal with such an interesting arm and seat deck.

My very first ottoman!

This ottoman was a very satisfying accomplishment for me!  Not only did it look good, but it felt good too.  Next up....the matching chair!