Filling the Shelves

Months ago, when working on the Grand Piano Room, I put up these shelves.  Three white floating shelves from Target.  I immediately filled the top two shelves with fun do-das.  But the small shelf was not so simple. 

For our wedding we received a lovely Crate & Barrel orange vase (my husband swears it is red... SWEARS!) and I knew it would be the perfect size for the smallest shelf and bring a fun pop of color.  But there was one problem...the vase had been lost in the abyss that is moving.  You know what I am talking about, every time you pack up and move things disappear.  And no matter how many times you swear you packed it in the box with the frames or the dishes or the books it is not there.  Well, that is where my vase was...missing!

So after weeks of an empty shelf I decided it was better to fill it with something then leave it naked for the whole world to see.  (Yes, the entire world is looking at the shelf in the corner of my Grand Piano Room.)  So I filled it with this...

...my daughter's Easter toy.  At the very least I thought it would get a few laughs.  And this is where problem number two arrives...NO ONE LAUGHED!  Now this is a mystery I am still trying to figure out.  Did they not laugh, or even comment, because 1. they didn't notice or 2. because they thought it was a real decorating choice and didn't want to hurt my feelings.  Either way it is ridiculous!  And let me point out it is the end of July and I put the chick up in April!

So now I am thinking that all my hard work goes unnoticed to my house guests when all of a sudden my husband points out that there is one more box in the basement that was never unpacked.  WHAT!?!? (Picture shinning lights and heavenly music.)  The box of our China was never unpacked and I bet that little vase is hiding in there!  And it was!  I dug through all the China and found my beautiful little orange friend.  (Not Red!)

So although two truths have been revealed, that either my friends and family actually walk around my house with their eyes closed or they secretly think I have a thing for wind up chickens, my little shelf has been filled and my heart is content.  (Yes, that is all it takes.)    

Reupholstered Seat

On the very first day my mom and I set out to hunt for furniture for her new Grandma Apartment we found this...

... the perfect spot for the granddaughters to play with jewelry and cover themselves in makeup.  But we both agreed the seat needed to be reupholstered, so that is what I did!

Reupholstering can be very simple and in this case it was.  I know many of you have done it before but for those of you who are upholstery newbies let me quickly break it down.  Pull it apart, wrap it with new fabric, staple.  What...you want more details...OK.

So this is what I started with.

I flipped it over and removed a few screws.

And had this...

I pulled off the striped fabric.  Now this is not entirely necessary.  I could have worked right over it, assuming my new fabric was thick enough so nothing could be seen thru.  But in this case it was easy to see that the striped fabric was also a reupholster job and there was something hiding underneath that I just had to see.  And this is what I found, a sweet purple checked pattern...

...but still not what we were looking for so I continued.  I ironed the new fabric.  (Please take the time to do this.  There is nothing sadder then putting in all this work to only have a big crease going right down the middle of the seat.)  And then cut a square large enough to cover the surface and wrap around the back on all sides.  Then just like we did for the upholstered headboard, wrap and staple.  It really is that easy!

I had to be sure to not pull the fabric to tight otherwise the sober lines in the pattern would have turned out more like drunk lines.  But other then that it was simple.  And now my mom has a beautiful seat to match her beautiful headboard to entertain her beautiful granddaughters.  (I don't know what we will do if any of us ever has a boy!)

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