Saturday, November 12, 2011

A decorator's workroom weekly activities

 On any given day there could be a number of things going on in my workroom. 
 This week I had four projects going at the same time, which is not unusual.
  Fair warning~these pictures show the workroom in its busy state of affairs,
 not a pretty portfoilio of it all being neat and orderly.
  In this  first picture you can see a trunk full of fabrics, curtains, 
and pillows and a french chair and some green high density foam slabs.
One of the projects I am doing is making
 a matching pair of window seat cushions for a kitchen. 
 Do you know how to cut foam so it is all 
nice and neat and not hacked up with shredded edges? 
 The answer is~use an electric knife, 
the kind that everyone in the 1970s used to carve the Thanksgiving turkey!
After using a straight edge and a sharpie pen to make my cutting lines,
 I use the electric knife and slice right through the marked line. 
It gives you a nice clean edge everytime! 
 Behind the foam you can see my antique Louis XVI chair
 with a piece of pink fabric over the original tapestry.
 With plans to redo this chair myself, I just couldn't look 
at that bright cranberry tapestry a minute longer,
 so I covered it up with pink to see how I liked the color.
  I liked it, but I don't think this chair will be pink~
however this is part of the process for me when I am undecided 
about how I want to make something over.
 So while the chair gets ready to be ripped apart it sits here in this limbo state.
Tobey is always trailing behind me and never gets a minutes rest. 
 If I am moving, Tobey is moving.  
He just has to be where ever I am, and never will sit down until I sit down. 
This beautiful big chest is an old one that I fixed up.
I use it now for holding tons of remnants and curtains and pillows.  
I have to show you what it used to look like~
 I found it at a roadside barn sale in New Hampshire last summer.
 It got a spray paint job and an interior makeover too~
 I painted all the wood strapping and buckles with Ben Moore pearlized paint. 
Want to know how to get rid of that musty smell that seemingly every old chest has?
You can read how I finished the chest by clicking here. 
Now, back to this weeks action in the workroom~
 I finished up the last of some custom alterations
 to some Pottery Barn panels for a client.
 Long ruffles and trim were added to lengthen
 and jazz up some standard blue silk panels. 
I hope to share pictures with you once
 they are installed in their new home in Pennsylvania.
This week also included this chandelier getting all 
of its crystals in order so it can be hung in the living room.
I hang chandeliers by using big S hooks 
that you can buy in the plant hanger section at Lowes.
You can hang anything off of these big hooks. 
 I can hang one end of the hook 
over any doorway or off of my desk like I did here.
The other really exciting project I had 
going on this week was digging into this chair. 
 The underside shows the jute webbing and 
this chair is complete with 100 year old spider nests in the corners.
This is the most exciting thing I have done in a long time~seriously!!
 I learned so much just taking apart the layers of this chair. 
 There is so much to share so I will do a dedicated post on this soon.  
A lot of people told me I should not touch the original upholstery. 
 I can tell you that it is in my Etsy shop now
 if you have any interest in this old tapestry~
it would make one heck of a Mary Poppins Bag!
Click here to see what I am charging for this ancient rosey red fabric
 depicting star crossed lovers in a wreath of yellow roses.
~~~~~
Don't forget to enter the Transferware Giveaway!
Click on the platter to enter!


30 comments:

  1. Wow Amy you are doing amazing projects!!!
    I love Tobey! I have 2 Shih Tzus and they are both just like that ~
    Have a great day!

    xoxo
    Lori

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  2. Well Amy let me just say thats the prettiest "work room" I have ever laid my eyes on! Beautiful...love how there is always some grear project cooking over there!
    Have a great Saturday......

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  3. WOW Amy you have had a busy week! Can't wait to see your chair when you're done. Seeing your little one really makes me miss mine. We lost him in May of this year. He would follow me everywhere. I would wear him out through a run of a day.

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  4. You have got a lot going on, Amy! I can't wait to see the end result of those drapes. You have inspired me to try something similar in our guest bedroom. I need to get a move on those as my son is coming to visit for Thanksgiving and I'd like that room as close to done as possible. You could probably go so many ways with that chair. It is really lovely and I can't wait to see what fabric you are going with.

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  5. Your one busy lady Amy! I can't wait to see that chair makeover!!

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  6. That chair will be gorgeous when done. Are you going to keep it gold? I usually don't like gold but I love the gold with the pink. Love the pink.

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  7. So fun getting a glimpse at your beautiful workshop! And you know I love the Louis chair. Fab!

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  8. Amy, Your workroom is fabulous! I would love a room like this instead of working at my kitchen counter. I love your little helper..Tobey is adorable. Please drop by and enter my giveaway for a GC.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  9. Even while working on 4 projects your workroom is gorgeous! I can wait to see what you do with that chair. I am working on a settee and I have a chair and footstool to recover after the settee.

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  10. I really admire your sewing and upholstery skills, Amy! The chair and drapes are going to be gorgeous! Tobey is precious!!

    Take some time to relax this weekend!! ;-D

    XO,
    Jane

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  11. I love pink and green so your room made me smile. I like the green walls with the pink curtains!

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  12. I'm going to hop over and read about your chest. I found one on the side of the road... my son was learning how to drive and I made him pull over so I could snag it. He was soooo embarrassed that he refused to get out of the car to help me lift it. I don't know how I found the strength but I did :)

    It's waiting for a makeover!! Okay off to read what you did!!

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  13. Oh, in case you are interested, I am happy to say a lovely buyer from Texas just snagged the original tapestry fabric from the chairs, so the price in the shop just shows SOLD (I charged $25).

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  14. Oh, I love the chest! I would like to find one like that on the cheap. Your work room looks so cozy and warm.
    Brenda

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  15. You have such a nice sewing room! I bet you use that room a lot. The trunk is gorgeous. I love how you redid it inside and out. Looking forward to seeing your chair redone too.

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  16. Beautiful workroom! I have that rose print hanging over my bed, and I love it.

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  17. Amy,
    I think you're on the complete opposite side of the decorating spectrum from me but I totally ppreciate what you do. That room is tres beautiful and your trunk makeover is amazing. I probably would have beat with some chains, lined it with some old book pages, waxed it up and called it a day. That chair is crazy beautiful but I would have stopped with the beautiful burlap and string and left it all deconstructed. But that's what makes the world go round! Can't wait to see how you pretty it up.

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  18. Amy, you're a busy lady, and just like me, you have at least 3 projects going on at once! I love your trunk full of treasures, it's such a pretty trunk too. It looks like it could be in a fairy tale painted that color. And, i can't wait to see what you come up with for the chair. I'd love to know how to recover a chair like that.

    Cindy

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  19. Such a pretty work room, and LOVE the trunk and the way you have refinished it! I am in awe of the ability to work in such a pretty workroom, I blush to think what would happen if you saw ours!!! Tobey looks like a great helper, he must be full of talent too! A creative mind at it's best!

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  20. WOW! You are a very busy lady! So talented.
    Every idea is wonderful! What a great vision!
    www.kmadisonmooreartistportfolio.com

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  21. Your trunk is beautiful- I love the mix of patterns and fabric and paper. Can't wait to see the chair's rebirth! Oh, but I have to disagree on one thing- your workroom is NOT messy! If only you could see my house.... :)

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  22. Omgosh---your atelier is incredible, and I'm completely in love with that chair! Can't wait to see the finished product!
    Catherine

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  23. Wow Amy, your energy is amazing!!! I LOVE that chair, too :)
    Stacy

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  24. How fantastic! I love the chest! My Mom has one very similar to yours that I ask her if I can have it every time I go to her house. Her answer has always been no...but, I keep asking! I'm hoping one day her answer will be yes. Thank you for sharing. Hope your Sunday is grand. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  25. What a great workroom and I can't wait to see that chair makeover. I am sure it will be fab.

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  26. WOWZA...you have so much going on...recovering chairs, hanging chandelier....talent! Can't wait to see the finished products....

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  27. First - Wow! Your workroom is so beautiful! (I am completely jealous!) Second, it sounds like you are super busy right now, but how exciting. And third, the reference to Mary Poppins' bag made me smile. Oh, how I loved that movie!

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  28. Amy..discovering your blog is like discovering gold. Thank's Mary! I have such smart friends!! :)
    I am so hooked!

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