No more staples! I've got nicks and scrapes all over my hands (I got smart and put on my gardening gloves only after I was 75% finished) and my trusty, little flat head screw driver used to pry up those babies up isn't so flat anymore but staple pulling is over! To give you an idea of how many staples were in this thing, I took a picture of a three-inch section.
Yeah, there were loads. I'd say somewhere around 500, maybe more. Some of them came out with the fabric as I ripped it away, but most of them felt the mighty tug and grip of my mini flat head and needle-nose pliers.
So now that that's done, next up is fixing and filling. While I was pulling staples the other night, Anthony went to work with Liquid Nails, filling in cracks and reinforcing not-so-sturdy dowels (apparently 'unsturdy' isn't a word). However, now that all of the staples are out of the way, we can go back over and glue anything we missed or couldn't get due to staples being in our way. Then we'll get to work filling in small cracks and holes with wood filler. Pictures of the whole gluing and filling process to come later.
We also are going to reinforce the back of the loveseat with burlap straps, just to make sure she's extra sturdy. I was a little worried about finding burlap straps but as I was traipsing around fabric stores this week on a hunt for it, I found it at JoAnn Fabrics...who knew? Not me! I thought it was going to be the kind of thing I wouldn't be able to find anywhere, therefore having to end up buying it from some specialty place online.
To add to my joy of finding it so easily, I got to JoAnn's cutting station and found out it was only 79 cents a yard...AND I had a 50% off coupon. So, I walked out of that place with 10 yards for about $4. I was happy considering my thought had been, "It's a specialty item and it'll probably run me back a good $20".
So anyway, that brings me to the best part of this whole post. I get to start looking for fabric! I've had a few ideas swirling around in my head the past few weeks...or since we pulled the loveseat off the curb. I want something simple; something I can dress up with decor pillows. Also, since she's going to be in our living room where we've got an aqua-colored sectional, I want something that will complement but not be overpowering. The sectional is the main piece of furniture. Plus, my intention is to one day (in a future house) move the loveseat to either a home office or our future little girl's room. I think it'd be the sweetest sight with some pretty pink pillows and a curly haired little girl perched on it. :)
But, back to reality, here are some pictures I ransacked the internet for pictures that show what's going on in my head as far as fabric goes:
This is the color I'm thinking of going for, in a simple upholstery fabric. It would probably be the cheapest and easiest to find option.
This is just a snazzier version of the same fabric in the color palette I'm looking for. I'd love a good geometric pattern.
Speaking of good geometric patterns, this one is my fave. However, this particular fabric is pricey (ballarddesigns.com) and I don't know if I could find a similar, much less expensive version.
I couldn't find a good picture of a swatch of thick-striped fabric and the best picture I could find is this one. So, picture this fabric, only with white and taupe stripes on our loveseat. Stripes get me every time!
And last but not least:
My ultimate favorite but very possibly hard-to-find-for-cheap fabric! I love the big medallions and would love to see this fabric on the loveseat and matching pillows on the sectional (and on a future homemade ottoman for the sectional?) just to tie everything together.
So there you have it. You've been inside my head. You should also know that we're (I'll paint, Anthony will watch and cheer me on) planning on painting the wood of the loveseat white. We thought about other colors but decided she'd fit into any room we put her in if we just went with (my favorite color) white. What do you think? Which fabric would you choose? One of the ones I've come up with or a completely different one altogether? :)
Assuming I find the perfect fabric that fits the budget ($50), our goal is to have this curb-side "Over-Achiever" sittin' pretty by the first week in September (we have a busy summer otherwise it'd be sooner). But, we'll get the straps on next week and get her ready to be painted so stay tuned! Have a great weekend and upcoming week everyone!
. . .
P.S. So I just found out I've been spelling 'loveseat' l-o-v-e-space-s-e-a-t. The perfectionist in me really, really, really wants to go through every post I've written about this project and change each 'love seat' but I'm not going to because I don't have the time and it'll do me some good to just let it go. But, I just wanted to get that out in case you think I'm crazy for spelling it two different ways (even though you probably didn't even notice). There, now I feel better. :)
Decorating chairs is always fun- at least, it's fun as long as I don't have to handle staples. That is my least favorite part of a creative job of that nature.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I do my best to avoid it totally. I haven't found a solution yet to permanently keeping the covers in place without them, but I don't really care.
I think nails are even worse, so my hat goes off to every person who does that bit.
:) They are a pain, I'll give you that. But the joy of seeing the finish product makes all of those memories of staples and such fly right now the window for me.
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