Bamboo Chairs: The Reveal

Remember those bamboo chairs I talked about awhile ago? 

They were in pretty rough shape. The foam in the seats had all decomposed and would fall out and make an orange mess (you can actually see some foam dust on the floor if you look closely), there were stickers on them, they were marked up, and the ultra glossy finish on the bamboo was a little dated. Not anymore though...

I'm not one for process pictures (I tend to just scroll through them to see the finished project and just assume everyone is like that) but here's basically what I did:

-removed the seats which were attached with two finish nails and pulled the old vinyl and foam off of them (after removing the two hundred tiny upholstery nails in each seat)

-gave each chair a quick sanding to rough up the clear coat

-two coats of primer and two coats of semi-gloss white paint

-reupholstered the existing wooden seats with springs with 2 inch foam, heavy batting and upholstery fabric (The fella came to the fabric store with me and helped me pick out a fabric that we could both live with. He was very patient and very cute with the selection process)

-reattached seats

I found out that my sister didn't get them from a yard sale as I'd originally thought; she got them from my parent's best friends and they'd been passed on from there. I'm looking forward to sending her an after picture to see what she thinks. She probably has no idea that the chairs are even still kicking.  I'm sure she'll be happy to know that they will find a new home in our sunroom and will be a comfy (and pretty) place to rest. 

This and That: The Random Edition

I'm starting to fall into old habits of not posting. Okay, so on second thought my last post was only Thursday and right now is Sunday night and for some reason I was thinking that that is four days. But I'm not going to make some joke about how math isn't my strong suit because it actually always was. Anyhow, the good new is that I only missed two days which isn't bad at all now is it? I've noticed in the blogging world that it is often commonplace for bloggers to write posts in advance and either save them for future use or have them post at a scheduled time. I was such a good little blogger the other weekend when I went away and  did just that; wrote a post for every day that I was going to be away and scheduled them to post automatically. Thinking about this made me consider writing posts and setting the date/time labels to the days that I missed. But that seems somehow wrong and like it would be cheating. Why is it okay for the future but not for the past? Kind of like setting a clock or watch by turning back the time? The way the days, weeks and months have been flying by, wouldn't that be nice.

Speaking of the blogging world I've recently started making use of the lovely website bloglovin.com and I have to say I enjoy it quite a bit. I've tried Google Reader but I've never been a fan so I'm really pleased with the ultra simple layout of Blog Lovin'. I actually don't have very many blogs that I check regularly but this will help me check the ones that I do faster, and not bother checking one that hasn't updated. Oh, simple pleasures.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about photography and investing time in learning more and taking better photographs. I've been interested in photography since pretty much elementary school and I don't know why I haven't taken more time and effort into really developing my skills. I'm making it a point to do so, so with any luck (and a little effort) I'll have some nice photographs to post before too long. I have a roll of 220 in my Holga that I need to remember to get processed. That has little to do with photographic skill but I'm really excited to see what little treasures await there. Here is one photograph that I took that I'm not quite sure why, but I really like it.

I've been working away as usual on house stuff and various little projects. I just need to find fabric to upholster the bamboo chairs and they are done, my office chair just needs a cushion and it's done, the mudroom just needs the trim to be finished, shelving installed and a couple of finishing touches and it will be complete. I just bought a fun new toy to help with some of the projects I've been doing. Dave is convinced I'm going to cut my finger off. Doesn't he know that I was once the poster child for a national safety campaign?

In other important news, the quest for a squeeze bottle to fill with caramel is turning out to be a challenging one. Walmart and the Dollarstore both disappointed. If I had had one I could have drizzled the top of the banana bread I baked for Dave tonight with it. I would take a picture and post it but it will be gone before I get a chance. It's pretty much his favourite thing ever.

I had a pretty amazing experience on Saturday that I'd like to write about but I think it deserves its own post. and besides, it's sleepy time.

Goodnight. :)

A Work Horse Not A Show Pony

I'm in the process of giving a couple of bamboo chairs a face lift. Want to see a before photo? I thought you might...

The chairs came from my Aunt who moved out West who got them from my sister who got them from a yard sale maybe? When I pulled off the seat from one of the chairs I saw something that I would like to think is a good omen:

If you knew me as a child you'd know that I used to write my name on everything. And yes, furniture is included in everything. So strange. It even looks like my six-year-old scrawling. There was also a sticker on one of the chairs. It said, "Do Not Move To New Building". Poor chairs. They got left at the old building.

I usually have a project or two on the go, and at least 100 plans and dreams and schemes in my head, waiting in the wings. And lately David has been complaining a lot about it and I don't understand why. I can see complaining about someone who is really lazy. Even lazy people think poorly of lazy people. But I'm working. Working really hard. And when is that a bad thing ever? Anyway. Speaking of working hard, the mudroom makeover is coming slowly but surely. Last night I got a coat of paint on the floor and tonight I did the finish coat. Looks much better than it did. After all that sweaty hard work, what better way to relax than with a blended iced coffee drink with caramel and whipped cream?

Why yes, I have been using my Copco Eco-First Sierra Tumbler. Thanks for asking.