THE GIVEAWAYS CONTINUE...

I am giving away 4 different sea star charm necklaces.  For a chance to win, just leave a comment on this blog post or on my Facebook.  I will again use random generator to determine which 4 lucky people will receive one of my necklaces.  This drawing will take place 3 December 2010.  

Good luck!

Aqua glitter with beads and a heart charm.

 Light green glitter with a giant 'pearl' and small seashell.

 Silver glitter with a small glass bottle and beads.

 Purple glitter with beads, a key charm and a 'faith' charm.

All necklaces slip over your head.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

I actually got caught up in my day and forgot that I was to draw and announce my winners today.  In total, there were 19 entries.  I used random generator and it gave me #5, who is Val from Val's Art Studio and #19 who is Julie Marie from Idyll Hours!!!  Congratulations to you both!!!  

Tomorrow or Sunday I will announce my next giveaway and here is a sneak peak at what it will be:

My sea star necklaces!  There are all different and unique.  I will choose 3-5 winners, depending on how many entries I get.  

DON'T FORGET -- DRAWING TOMORROW

Tomorrow's the day!  

I'll be using the random number generator to choose 2 winners of my Vintage Quilt Christmas Stockings.

To be included in my giveaway, you can leave a comment here or on the original 10 November post.  I'll notify the winners by e-mail so be sure I have that information .  You do not have to have a blog to participate.  All are welcome.

MORE VELVET

 As if the velvet, or make that, the challenging velvet slipcover I posted about last time wasn't enough, I am currently doing another.  This velvet is just the same - a big, fat pain to work with.  I had not done a velvet slipcover in forever, but that seems to be the way it goes.  Sometimes all I do is white denim or white linen.  Now, apparently, it's velvet.  Anyone else want to drive me a little crazy?  Just choose a velvet and ask me to do a slipcover!

 It looks relatively harmless cut on the loveseat, doesn't it?  Well, let me tell you, in case you did not already know, looks CAN be deceiving!  Because it is such a pain, the actual construction is taking me far longer than it should.  I'll post a picture of the finished slipcover just as soon as I get it done and delivered. 

Just a reminder:  There is still time to enter my Vintage Christmas Stocking Giveaway.  I'll be drawing 2 names on Friday at some point.  That gives you plenty of time to leave a comment to be included. If you don't want or need the stockings yourself, they would make a great gift.

VELVET SLIPCOVER

Some velvets, like cotton velveteen, are pretty easy to work with.  This velvet was not.  It washes really nicely and that's about the best I can say about it.  I was unable to line the skirt (which I really dislike) because, no matter what I do, I cannot get the two fabrics to go together.  Even if I sewed it by hand, which is never gonna happen, I don't think it would work.  Luckily it doesn't look bad, it just isn't what I usually am able to do.

 Side view

 This velvet was even harder to work with than I first realized.  When I took the slipcover to install it, I got it on and the back wouldn't button.  Now, I knew I had cut it correctly and I could see that the skirt was pulling in a way that made it not fit.  Rats!  I ended up cutting the skirt off the slipcover while it was still on the sofa.  I did this mainly to make sure that it actually fit.  It did.  The way to 'fix' it was to more or less stretch it while sewing it back on.  It was more annoying than anything.  I hate messing up, but like I've said before, it is so much easier to fix my own mistakes than someone else's.

This is the before shot.  And behind the sofa, you can see the window seat with it's old cushions.  In the first picture of this post you can see the new cushions.  I haven't done the back pillows yet, so I'm saving it for a future post.

Don't forget to look at my previous post and enter my giveaway for the vintage Christmas stockings.  I am in a 'giving mood' and have decided to have several more giveaways when this one is done.  Next up, my sea star necklaces.  So please enter and tell your friends to enter, too!

LAKE TAHOE

I just returned from Lake Tahoe and my (Great) Uncle Darrell's 80th birthday party.  I had never been before and though it was quite lovely up there, it's not the beach.  And it was cold!  Not horribly so, but cold enough that I had to wear real shoes, not flip flops.  Still, it was fun.  I think the final count was 75 family and friends, most of that family.

 And yes, it did snow while we were there.  Luckily though, only on the mountain tops.  It did not make it to the ground.

It was a very stormy, windy day Saturday.

 Mostly we had blue skies.

 The real reason I went, other than to honor Darrell, was my Mother.  She came from Atlanta and I had not seen her since right before her stroke.  She is doing better each day, though still in a wheelchair for the most part.  

My nephew was also there.

I will announce my giveaway in the next couple of days (have to decide exactly what it is first,) so stay tuned for more information.

IVORY/CREAM LINEN SLIPCOVERS

 Linen is such a perfect fabric for slipcovers.  It washes wonderfully well and gets softer with each washing.  These chairs are in my client's master bedroom.

 As they were so close to the wall, I had a difficult time taking a picture of the backs.  Still, you can see the buttons.  In this case, they weren't needed to get the covers on and off, just to add detail and interest.  You wouldn't want your walls looking at the plain back of a slipcover, would you?

 The side view

 Another view of the front

And, last but not least, the original chair.  My client has had these chairs for 20 years and they just needed a little updating.  Even if you have the world's ugliest upholstery, it is nothing a slipcover can't improve.  The one thing slipcovers cannot change is the comfort of a piece of furniture.  If you hate it because it is uncomfortable, get rid of it.  If it's only ugly or tired looking, a slipcover is the perfect solution.

INTERNET ISSUES AND A GIVEAWAY

Almost a month ago my electricity went off and ever since then I've had internet connection issues.  I've spent approximately 4 hours on the phone with AT&T, got a new router cord for my DSL and I'm still having a problem.  I can get where I need to be through some extra steps, so I thought I'd finally get back to my blog.  A couple more updates before I get to Kim Kelly's pillow giveaway.  My mother is progressing in her stroke recovery.  It is slow-going, but each time I talk to her, she sounds better.  As for my back, the pain comes and goes.  Today it is painful.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when or why it hurts, so it's hard to avoid doing whatever it is that may be causing it to hurt.  Anyway, mostly I am working and resting when necessary.  I do have new jobs to show you and as I get back into the swing of posting on my blog again, you'll be seeing what I've been up to lately.

ANNOUNCING A GIVEAWAY

Bella Rustica is giving away a burlap pillow.  For all the details, go to Kim Kelly's fabulous blog.  There, you will find out about her giveaway and learn about another giveaway, as well.

And stay tuned for my own giveaway.  

Details the beginning of November.

SLIPCOVERS AND A CREATIVE SOLUTION TO NOT ENOUGH FABRIC

This sofa and loveseat presented a challenge.  My client ordered all that was available, but there was not enough of the green fabric to make everything.  It helped doing a contrasting welting, but, still, there wasn't enough.  The solution we (my client and I) came up with was to use the same fabric in white on the back sides of the cushions.

My client can kind of mix and match.  In this picture, the back cushions are turned to the white side.

In this shot, the white sides are showing in both the seat and back cushions.

Sofa back, which doesn't show as it is against the wall.  My client's 18 year old son was very sweet when he said, "But all your good work doesn't show back there."  Yes, but the loveseat's back side does show, so all is not wasted!

The loveseat with all green showing.  (To the left you can see a pink chaise.  That is the next project.)

And from the back, the white shows a little, but it doesn't look bad.  

Sometimes there simply isn't enough fabric to do what you really want to do.  If you can be open to creative solutions, you just might get something even better than your original idea.  In this case, my client has kids and 3 active dogs, including a 10 month old St. Bernard puppy, so she chose a polyester fabric that can be washed and will stand up to the abuse it is sure to receive.  

I'M ALSO IN KITCHEN+BATH MAKEOVERS (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication)

I'm kind of liking this being magazines so much lately.  3 times in about 6 weeks!  Not bad, if I do say so myself.

This kitchen belongs to Kim Kelly and just to give you an idea of how long it can take for something to come out in the magazine, this was shot a year ago last June.  More than 15 months ago!  This time, though, the pictures are really good (for me.)  This was the first (and I think only) time I've done a roman shade with an attached valance.  It is a little more interesting than just the plain shade.

Another view of her kitchen.

This time they got all my information correct.  Gotta love that.

So, as far as I know, I don't have anything else coming out in any magazines.  I always look, though, because you just never know when something might show up and if I don't come across it by accident, I'd never see it.

THE FABULOUS TERRI BRUSH IS COMING BACK TO SAN DIEGO

Terri Brush will be in Solana Beach Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 19-23 November.  For more information, go to her web site:  http://www.terribrushdesigns.com.

I'M IN THE SEPTEMBER BETTER HOMES and GARDENS!

I received a call this morning from a woman in Michigan.  She informed me that she had seen the white denim slipcovers I made and that she wanted to order some.  She also told me that what she had seen was in the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  So I went to the store to check it out.

Okay, the pictures aren't great for actually seeing the slipcovers.  I was a little baffled as to what made her call from these shots.  I looked in the Resource section and, sure enough, my name and phone number, which they got right, and the name of my business, which they messed up, were there.  I guess getting my name and number are more important than the name of my company, right?

The ottoman shows pretty well in this shot, though not as good as if I took the picture!  When magazines come to photograph your home, they have an idea in mind and unless the article is specifically about me, my work is secondary to the story.  Still, it is nice to see something I've done published.

I took these shots (above and below) after I delivered the finished slipcovers.  I was hoping that the magazine would have a better pictures.  And they do, just not of what I wanted.

I have also been informed that another job I did is also out now.  I haven't been able to find the magazine yet, but as soon as I do, I'll be posting those pictures, too.

WING CHAIR AND OTTOMAN COMPLETED

As promised--the finished wing chair and matching ottoman.  The flash has kind of bleached out the welting and made it appear white.  It is actually a wine/white checked.

It kind of shows up better in this photo.  This is a bad angle, as it looks like the skirt doesn't match up properly.  It does, I assure you.

I also made a throw pillow, using both fabrics.  

This is the before shot.  The biggest difference the slipcovers made, besides hiding the damage done by the cat, is the skirts go to the floor, which really changes the whole look of the room.  It is always amazing to me that such a seemingly insignificant thing can so alter the look of something.

A WING CHAIR IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SLIPCOVERED

I actually have finished and delivered this slipcover, but I thought I'd show you the process of cutting and fitting that takes place.

This technique is the reason why I MUST go to your home to be able to make a slipcover that fits your particular piece of furniture.  A wing chair is a perfect example.  There are about as many different styles of wings chairs as there are people who have them.  

This fabric is a really heavy duck cloth that has been pre-washed and shrunk.  I cannot emphasize enough that it is not possible to cut a slipcover to allow for shrinkage.  All fabric shrinks at different rates and it would never fit properly if I tried to figure out how much it would actually shrink.

As with all furniture, except a one-arm chaise, I cut only half of it because the other half is a mirror image.  If I was not putting buttons down the back, which in this case are just decorative, the back piece would be all the way across.  After I cut, I carefully label each piece.  Once I have it home and begin work on it, it's just flat pieces of fabric that would be a lot more challenging to put back together without knowing specifically which piece goes where.

Tomorrow I'll post the finished chair and ottoman.