Wednesday, October 24, 2012

DIY Upholstered Chair

After lusting over a few beautiful designer linen chairs {found HERE}, I actually found a hidden gem on Craigslist that had some big potential. Given the plaid was about 20 years behind the times, and there was NO cushion... AND I had to convince my hubby to drive with me about 45 minutes to go pick it up....I had to look past all of that because I was able to grab this sucker for only $40!! Such a steal!





Unfortunately, I later found out that getting a cushion professionally made would have been over $100, so I was stuck with a big desicion. Either rack out the dough, or make it myself. Well, I decided to go with the second option. I got so excited when I found this good deal, so I couldnt bare to let myself spend $100 on JUST the cushion! That would have defeated the entire point of buying the chair in the first place! After googling a few tutorials on how to make a cushion, I had convinced myself that I could do it. I was going to commit to the cushion and never look back!

A trip or 2 later to Joanns, I found a great deal on foam. I got a little under 1 yard of 5 inch foam at HALF OFF! The whole piece only cost me $30 when it would have normally been $70/yrd. I also got my fabric half off with my handy dandy Joanns App on my iphone:) And  guess what - The cording I used was actually CLOTHESLINE! Instead of paying $4/yrd {like you would normally pay for trim or cording}, I paid $4 for 100 feet! I used this for the cording on the cushion as well as doubling it up to act as trim around the entire chair. The entire project ended up costing less than $100 including materials and the cost of the chair. Perfect!





And here is the { After }


(Scroll down for more pictures)

Now after finishing this project one might ask themselves - would I do this again? Well... I'll just say this. I would not wish to EVER do this again!! Reupholstering a piece of furniture is one thing, but putting in the time and effort to make the cushion as well? It was just exhausting. I hope to never have to do a big project like this any time soon, but hey, the outcome was totally worth it:)

I'm also not going to claim that my cushion looks perfect. Because it doesn't. And I'm not going to try and give you my tutorial on the cushion because there are some great blogs that will teach you much more than I can:) But what I will do is share the tutorials that I read and hope it helps you in your cushion making experience:) I will also give you my step by step guide to upholstering - because THAT I know how to do! 

Below are a few links that guided me along my {Cushion Making} Journey:

Little Miss Penny Wenny
Little Green Notebook
Design Sponge


And here is my basic Step by Step tutorial on upholstering a chair:

1. Start by ripping off the cording with some needle nose pliers. If you wish, you might want to keep the cording to measure out how much new trim you will need.
2. Next, carefully take off the fabric (also using needle nose pliers). Make sure to keep the fabric pieces because you will use them as a pattern to cut out your new fabric.
3. Either re-stain the wood on your chair, or sand and paint it like I did. I used multiple colors to give the chair an antiqued look.
4. Lay out your new fabric and place the old fabric pieces on top of your fabric to act as a pattern. Give yourself 1-2 inches of extra fabric around your pattern so you have room for mistakes. (you will eventually cut off the excess fabric)
5. Begin stapling the new fabric pieces in place where they now belong. I used a cheapo hand stapler, so my hands were hurting pretty bad towards the end of this step. Just a warning! :)
6. Once you are done stapling in your new fabric pieces, it's now time to trim the excess fabric and start hot gluing your trim. Make sure to have wide enough trim to hide your staples. I had to double up my cording in order to cover all my staples, but If your using normal decorative trim, you shouldn't have to do this.
7. Step back and enjoy! If you have a piece that requires reupholstering a cushion as well, visit the tutorial links above:)











And of course my sweet little Bailey helped me the whole way through! And when I say "helped" I mean pounced, chewed, and napped on the fabric and cording:) She kept me entertained to say the least!







Thursday, October 18, 2012

A Dreamy Moodboard that Inspires!

Since there STILL has been NO fix to my blogger issues over the past 2 weeks {hint hint google blogger - fix the problem!!}, I'm going to attempt to write a post anyway. It's going to be short, and with minimal images, but I'm going to at least try!! Here we go...

As we all know, I have been working on transforming my formal living and dining room over the past few months, and I just bought my most recent addition to the room. Heres a sneak peak:

Safavieh Stacy Arm Chair in Walnut (Set of 2) $183 ... Perfection.

Arent they just FABULOUS?? I am just giddy about them and can't wait to get them in! Where am I using them you might ask?? Where did I find them you might wonder?? And since I'm always looking for a great deal, how much did I pay?? 

Believe it or not, I found them at... drumroll please.... WAL-MART! Ok well they aren't exactly from Wal-mart, but technically I did order them from their website. They are actually Wayfair, but are sold via Wal-mart's website. Crazy, I know. Now you might be wondering how much they cost. ONLY $183 for a PAIR. Seriously still getting over how cheep these guys are. If you'd like to check em out, click HERE.

Next on my list for you guys today is a little mood board that explains my vision for the entire room. Might help you all better understand the reason why I've ended up changing so much of the room. You can also see where my future chairs are going to be!

As you can see, change one thing and the snowball effect begins. Most of this will take time to develop, but this is my dream for the room - my vision:) Hopefully one day it will come true!





Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Google Blogger Issues!!!

Hey guys - Ok so there is a reason why I haven't posted in a while, and it's because of GOOGLE BLOGGER!!! Has anyone else been having issues with Blogger??

I am having trouble with my "edit" view or "compose" view. Every time I try to upload a picture, it eventually shows up as a broken image... but only in the edit view! And then when I try to edit anything else in my post, everything starts moving around without my control!! SO frustrating!! I have been searching for an answer in Google Forums and have found no answers yet. I have even sent a message up to Google, but no response. Has anyone else been having this issue?? It's been happening now for about two or more weeks. My last post was partially composed when this blogger issue began and it was a nightmare! Pretty much impossible actually.

I've tried multiple computers, multiple browsers and multiple ISP's. Nothing is working! I have so many fun posts coming up for you guys and I wish I could share them! Hopefully I will be up and running again soon!! Since I can't write a post with a ton of images, I will just give y'all a heads up on some of the upcoming posts I have planned for you guys:)


UPDATE:
On google forums someone has found a fix!! See below if you are having issues.

Click the following link:
 

On this screen, put a Tick mark next to "Use Blogger in Draft"

Then press Save.


1. The ever changing formal living room and dining room - more updates!
2. New curtains for the den & updated pictures!
3. Walton Interiors - progress on my most recent project - an animal print inspired living room
4. Why I LOVE Craigslist
5. DIY upholstery

Hope y'all are having a great week!!


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Designer Brands vs. The Blissful Bee Bargains! Who will win??

Over the past few months I have been putting my formal living room through an intense step-by-step makeover. It's been one of those things where I thought it was going to be an easy "move some furniture around" gig, but it evolved into much  much more than just that! I realized I would never truly be satisfied with the room if I was just re-arranging, because when it came down to it, I just wasn't happy with a lot of the furniture. And I'm pretty sure if you don't like the furniture, you're NOT going to like the room! That's when I knew there needed to be some big changes - I wanted the designer look, but on a "Blissful Bee" budget;) And here is how I did it...

This post will show you a few comparables I have found that are similar to the pieces that are in our living room. I have listed the designer for each comp, and their prices - their STEEP prices might I add. Then I have listed my version and where I found it. Enjoy!


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:: FYI ::
The settee of mine is an antique that I refinished and re-upholstered and you can
find that post {HERE},but the coffee table and chairs are newly bought:) 

Who do YOU think wins the
{designer} vs. {blissful bee bargains} battle??
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Natural Linen Settee - Wisteria, $1,399


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Sofia Settee - Ballard Designs, $1,249

Sofia Settee


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Talina Settee - Horchow, $3,899
 
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The Blissful Bee Version!

Antique Cane Back Settee - Antique Store, $100



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Edda Coffee Table - Horchow, $1,799



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Uttermost Stratford - Carolina Rustica, $932


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Currey & Co. - Layla Grace, $872
Currey & Company Ludlow Coffee Table 
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The Blissful Bee Version! 
Stein World Bridgeport Coffee Table - Hayneedle.com, $220
I found this table not only on sale for $234 (originally $281), but ALSO $2.99 shipping, NO TAX, and 10% off my entire purchase!!! You can't even find that good of a deal at Home Goods! My total came out to be only $220. Man, I'm am a happy girl:) And let's be honest, even if it wasn't on sale, even if I did have to pay tax, and even if I did have to pay for shipping - it would have been a GREAT deal.

A. MA. ZING.
Stein World Bridgeport Round Coffee Table

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Gramercy Chair - Ballard Designs, $319-$547 (ea.)
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Amanda Linen Chair - Horchow, $572 (ea.)
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The Blissful Bee Version! 
Beige Linen Swoop Chair - Home Goods, $199 (ea.)
 


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Linen European Chair - Wisteria, $800



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Marseilles Chair - Restoration Hardware, $790

Marseilles Chair


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The Blissful Bee Version! 
Antique Chair - Craigslist, $40


I found this on craigslist for only $40 and reupholstered it myself! With the cost of fabric and everything, it probably ended up costing about $80:)

Hope you all enjoyed my comparisons!! Who do you think wins???