Thursday, May 3, 2012

Two doors down, another victim

I'm a little late in writing today 'cuz Gracie and Joanie came to visit.....
Gracie is the grey one.....

I told her she had to leave, 'cuz I had to write my blog, but she just laughed at me....

She and Joanie live two doors down, and sometimes they come over to see what's up wid me.
Joanie has a really good act down.....
She acts pathetic, and clueless, and needy.....
like she doesn't know what to do to her house.....
(she has the same floorplan I do)
Then looks at me with big puppy dog eyes, whining for help.....
Meanwhile...Gracie....(the grey one), doesn't do no whining.
She be tough!
She be all about-----I don't need no stinkin' decoratin!!!!
However, Joanie has me completely sucked into helping her.
Sometimes I wonder if my "friends" on my street would still love me if I didn't know how to pick colors and reupholster stuff!!??!!

They invite me to parties to throw me off the track, that they don't really like me.
They're just lucky that I like their parties.
THEY JUST WANT ME FOR MY PAINT CHIPS!!!
Since I'm going back to Massachusetts on Tuesday, yesterday I hit the street with my Benjamin Moore large paint chips, and chose colors for the rest of Helene's downstairs, and Sergio's office.
This way they will be painted before I come back in the fall, and I won't have to lift a brush!!!!

While I'm bitching telling you about Joanie.....
Let me share some of her bedroom exploits!!!!!

This is a chair in Joanie's master bedroom.
I GAVE IT TO HER.....
This is how the story went.....
I have this great painter/wallpaper guy....

(if you live in the Palm Beach County area, he's the best!!!
OK, that was a plug for Timmy, 
now back to the story.

His wife had this chair in their garage for a gazillion years.
She kept on meaning to get to it.
It sat there
and sat there
and sat there
etc.
etc.
etc.

One day.....
Tim was doing some work for me, and I told him 
(all excited and bouncing around, like I sometimes do)
that I was taking an adult education class in upholstering!!!
He told me about this chair, asked if I would be interested in getting my mits on it?????
I said, said I
"YOU BETCHA!!!!!"
(I was using that expression way before Sarah Palin ever did....I'm older than she is, I said it first.)
(Though I can't see Russia from my window)
(I also read two newspapers, not that this is a political blog)
Oy, now where was I?????
Oh, yeah...."You betcha!!!!!"
So Tim brought the chair over, and it was dark beat up wood, and covered in plywood panels with a thin layer of foam and crappy old dirty fabric.
I can't believe I didn't take any before pictures!!!!
But I didn't know I would someday write a blog.
OY!!!!
So Joanie and I made a deal.....
She would paint it and pay for the fabric and supplies, and I would recover it in my upholstery class.

(When I told Joanie today,that I was writing about the chair, she asked if I was going to tell everyone what a bad paint job she did....and I replied...
"you betcha!"

I reworked how the piece would be done, as the previous upholstery on the arms went all the way up and over in one piece.
But I wanted to give the look of a little rolled arm, so I worked out a different detail, and I think
I rock!!!

Here's a shot of the back...

I took Joanie to a local fabric store and guided her to this fabric choice through sheer bullying and intimidation.
She claims she loves it, I think she's scared of me 'cuz I'm taller than she is.
She's a shrimp.
Probably why she has such a little dog.
Then I got her to change the color of her walls to this pretty blue....
Now don't go asking me what color this is....
it would look different in your house.

Not being happy to disrupt change her bedroom....
I pushed my way into her bathroom and invested my two cents.

Actually, that's not right.....
Now that I think about it.....
SHE ASKED ME TO REDO HER VANITY STOOL.
Again, no before shot!!!!
It was a cube of plywood covered in a dark brocade like fabric.
Wellllll.......
I wanted to put a skirt on it......
She had gotten it from Home Goods or someplace that sells cheapy stuff, and it had obviously been made in a foreign country, because 
NO ONE IN AMERICA WOULD USE STAPLES THAT LARGE TO TACK FABRIC TO PLYWOOD.
I mean......OY VEY!!!!!
It was excruciating trying to get all those staples out of the @#$ plywood.
The staples were 
ginormous!!!!!
Anyway.....
I did a less than stellar job, as all four corners are different.
kind of a corner sampler, if you will.

But Joanie is a trooper, and she claims she loves it.
So she plunked it in front of her dressing table, where upon I immediately criticized her furniture placement.

I wanted something that was taller at the vanity.
JUST LIKE I DID IN MY BATHROOM!!!
We were shopping at Home Goods, and I spotted a chair that I felt would be great for her vanity.
So of course she ignored me, and didn't buy it.
WELLLLLL.......
She thought about it and went back to buy it,
BUT OF COURSE IT WAS GONE!!!!!!
Thank goodness Home Goods and TJ Max are owned by the same company, as she found another chair like that one at TJ Max.

She's had the damn thing for a month, and hasn't taken the tag off it.
She wanted me to look at if first, to make sure I liked it.

Just one more thing that I can make fun of.
Take the @#$ tag off Joanie!!!!

So now the bench has been moved over by the tub.....

And when I come back next fall, I'll reupholster the back of the chair, and make a flirty skirted slip cover for the seat.
'Course, I haven't let Joanie know yet, but she reads my blog, so she's bound to find out.

I still have two more posts before I leave, so thankfully I haven't shown you guys all of my Flerida home yet.
Then it will be up to Massachusetts, and we'll cover New England cottage decorating!!!!!
Yeah, man!!!!!

Later Gator
 Photobucket
Partying at:
Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog

21 comments:

Brenda Pruitt said...

That chair is gorgeous! And that dog does look like it is laughing.
Brenda

Anonymous said...

Love the chair and that fabric! Can I be your neighbor?! :)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Alison @ The Polohouse said...

The chair turned out great.
I am so afraid to try to recover something! I know I would mess it up, Betsey!
Thanks for sharing. I love how it turned out.
(Cannot believe your friend found that French chair at TJM! It is awesome!

xox
Alison

Debra@CommonGround said...

oh my gosh, I'm in love with that fabric!!

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

I would LOOOVE to be able to sew and upholster! I think what you did looks beautiful and I love that fabric. XO, Pinky

Connie@Connie Nikiforoff Designs said...

I love that bench! And this blog post kept me giggling as usual :-) Can't wait to see your New England cottage decorating!

SheilaG @ Plum Doodles said...

Wow, you did that chair in an upholstery class- as in, "I've never upholstered before" ?!! I love the junior rolled arms and the fabric. Will you be using the same fabric to redo the new vanity chair?

Anonymous said...

I've never before associated the word "bully" with the word "fabric." You're a fabric bully. Fortunately you use your powers for good as that chair really is awesome.

Sandie said...

Great job on the upholstery!!! I am jealous!

Melanie said...

Love how the chair turned out. I have a chair that is waiting for me to do something with it too. Your post nakes me want to get it out and try my hand at reupholstery.

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

The chair is beautiful with that fabric...I love the "chair" at the vanity rather than the ottoman...Can't wait to see the new look of the chair!

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a difference in the house. And I LOVE that blue. I'll have to pop over there to see all that she's done (oops - you've done!) to her house this year. See ya lata!
Amy

Anonymous said...

Joanies fabric is beautiful and I love the color of the room.....no I'm not going to ask!! I am for sure waiting with baited breath for the New England cottage. (I am a Connecticut yankee who is landlocked in Texas :^)
Have a safe and enjoyable trip!
J

Anonymous said...

Joanies fabric is beautiful and I love the color of the room.....no I'm not going to ask!! I am for sure waiting with baited breath for the New England cottage. (I am a Connecticut yankee who is landlocked in Texas :^)
Have a safe and enjoyable trip!
J

Mir said...

Come home!! We've been saving up!

Janet said...

Can't wait for your return to Massachusetts so I can get an up to date look at your NE home. Want to move to Plainville? We could be neighbors and complain about the stadium and Wrentham Outlets traffic.

Curtains in My Tree said...

what a story, love how your recovered the chair and ottoman

also like the chair she got at home goods , those chairs looks great anyplace

also like your little fuzzy visitor

AndeM1 said...

Great chairs......you are a fantabulous neighbor...can I move into the neighborhood?

Bonnie Schulte said...

You're good, really good. Will you be my BFF?

Anonymous said...

THOROUGHLY enjoy your blog! Wish we were neighbors...:-)

Linda Leyble said...

Hi - very funny!!! I loved this post! I sometimes feel that some people invite me over to ask me what to do with their houses too! I laughed when you said they "love me for my paint chips!" I've felt that before!

I would love to take an upholstery class. I have to find out if there's one here on Long Island - maybe at a community college.

You've inspired me!

Linda

PS - please check out my blog if you have a moment

http://wwww.studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com

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