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The past few days have been very busy days of kitchen work so I didn't get a chance to blog. So here is the Upholstery update a day late. Due to the wonky weather all over the country, my supplies did not arrive from Colorado (ordered Friday, shipped Tuesday, and still in Illinois as of today!) So I had to improvise a bit, again.I didn't get any further with my tufting, but I did get the second chair almost all sanded. I also got the webbing done, the burlap on, and the foam cut and ready to attach. So, as soon as my supplies arrive, hopefully on Tuesday I can tuft away and maybe have both seats done by this time next week! Then I can start to attack the backs.   Chris got a lot of work done on his chaise. He finished attaching the muslin to the seat, his corners came out beautifully (with a little help of course). He also got the foam and cotton on the arms. Next he needs to attack the back, but I did take a seat and it is very comfortable. 
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I don't know when it started but M loves zebras. Two years ago she was a zebra for Halloween and lately she has been wearing her zebra costume on a daily basis. We also own a plethora of stuffed zebras, and if you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she may reply "a zebra doctor in Australia." So when I walked into Anthropology with her last weekend and saw this paper-mache zebra head I knew that it would have to come home with us! It came home and is now on her bedroom wall, although I really think it needs something.  I think I am starting to run out of space in my little project room (aka the guest room) and now that the living room is actually getting furnished I have lost that project space as well. The garage is the only place that I can make a mess (aka sand, spray paint, and use anything stinky). So I am starting to think about where I could carve out more space for my projects, preferably one that doesn't have to get cleaned up all the time. I would really love a huge barn or a basement workroom, but unfortunately that is not going to happen in this house.  I have been kicking around the idea of finishing part of the attic, but can't really wrap my mind around that project yet. Then I came across this really cute idea today at design milk. David van Alphen tore down his old shed and replaced it with a beautiful studio for his wife. I would design mine a little more traditional (to match the house), but it is a great idea to have a place separate from the house. Maybe even with a door that locked!!!  I have wanted to silver leaf something ever since I read Jenny's blog about silver leafing at Little Green Notebook, she has a great tutorial. So When I found a piece that I loved the shape of I decided to try it out.  Painted and ready for leaf.  Now I just need to find a home for it in my house. The process was actually really fun and was not as hard as I thought it would be, although I did get little bits of leaf all over the house!
I have finally recovered from last weekends kitchen festivities, and we really did get a lot done. We are now just waiting on the plumber to finish moving the washer and dryer and then we will be in the home stretch!  First we removed the second wall cabinet, it is amazing how much more light and how much bigger the kitchen feels now.  Then I started tiling! I found this great product at Home Depot called SimpleMat it makes tiling a backsplash so easy and so clean. You just cut it to the size of you wall, peel off the backing and stick it to the wall, and then peel off the front film when you are ready to set the tile.  We got all of the tiling done, put in the new vent fan, got some wall and ceiling repair done, and even got some painting done. It is not finished but it is a huge improvement already!
I cannot believe that it is Saturday again! I also cannot believe that I haven't written anything since Sunday, I needed some major recuperation after last weekends kitchen work. Upholstery class was great last night, I am finally putting together something that resembles a chair. It really is amazing how quickly something can go from a wooden frame to looking like a piece of furniture. Last night I made lots and lots of buttons, with a really cool button machine. I cuts the fabric and then makes the buttons.
Next, I cut out and marked my foam cushion.    I attached the foam to the chair and covered it with cotton, then cut my fabric and started tufting!   and voila, it is starting to look like a chair!  I was so busy working on my chair that I didn't take a ton of pictures of Chris's project, but he got a ton done as well. He started by finishing up the webbing and then covering it all with burlap. The he created a big cotton cord around the edge with burlap and cotton.  He then filled the seat with a huge layer of cotton, then foam, then cotton, and finally muslin.  It is still Saturday even if it is currently 10:30pm. I am exhausted and ready for bed, however I think it will be a few more hours till I get there. Last night was once again upholstery class, so we packed up the chairs, fabric, burlap, foam, tools, webbing, and all the other paraphernalia and headed to JP. Unfortunately the head teacher got stuck in Florida due to the snow, so once again i was buttonless! So I set off to deconstruct my other chair. It was just as gross as the first!  but I managed to get it all apart much faster this time and fortunately this chair didn't need to be glued. Now I have two chairs with no seats or backs!  I am definitely ordering the buttons for next week. Chris continued working on his chaise, and got all the springs tied in about an hour and fifteen minutes, which is apparently pretty quick.  After he was done with that step he started webbing the back and putting on the burlap. When he was all done he actually sat in his chair!  Doesn't it look comfortable?
As for this weekend, my parents have taken the children down to the cape for three days. You would think that we would be relaxing and maybe having a romantic valentine's weekend. Nope, we are working on the kitchen! So stay tuned for a kitchen update. For Christmas I made my mother the Roster and Rose tablecloth out of the Alabama Stitch book. For Christmas she also got a Macbook Air from my father, and after many tutorials I am proud to say that she e-mailed me pictures all by herself. These are pictures at the cape of the table set for New Years Eve.  I just got a copy of the new Alabama Chanin book Alabama Studio Style and am working on a summer dress for myself!
 Family room a la the previous owner When my father, Chris and I looked at this house we all fell in love with the family room. My father said that he would be here every Sunday to read the paper in front of the fire (that has yet to happen), and my Husband, said he was going to make that room his office (that will never happen). We fell in love with the five panel bow window, the angled fireplace, the knotty pine woodwork, and the knotty pine built in bookshelves. It is a small room but it is one of those rooms that always feels cozy. Needless to say it did need a bit of work, but this is also one of the first rooms we had furnished as all our living room furniture from or NYC apartment moved into this room. The first thing we did was tear up the green wall to wall carpet and voila beautiful hardwood floors! Then I repainted the walls in herbal wash (SW 7739) from Sherwin Williams, it softened the room up a bit. I also hung a roman shade on the side window and drapes at the front bow window, but choose a dark green velvet. Chris relocated the television and cable hookup so that we could mount the TV in the bookshelf, so now it is not such a focal point of the room. and we replaced the original 6 panel door with a 15-lite french door. Now three years later i have finally hung the pictures and have declared the room done (well almost). I still want to refinish all the woodwork, but that is obviously a warm weather job!
  I bought Chis this line drawing of Boston for Christmas. it is done by Karen at Studio K  This is a drawing I did for a freehand drawing class last year. It is a reproduction of a Monet sketch.  The smaller photo is by Emily L. Ferguson, Chris bought it for me last summer at the Cataumet Arts Center. The larger photo is a Michael Kahn that I fell in love with!  This oil painting belonged to my grandparents. It is the view from their house in hilton head island, the lagoon, the 17th green of harbour town and the ocean beyond, I grew up visiting this view evey year and still miss it to this day.  This, along with the two other photos above the couch were done by my grandfather while he was a trainee at Kodak in 1937, which coincidentally is the same year in which this house was built.
Way back in september i found these sunny pillows on the purl bee. They were so happy to look at that I ordered the supplies right away, and then I was overjoyed to start them a couple of weeks ago. The embroidery was easy to do and was a great project to do in front of the TV at night. I just finished stitching up both pillows last night and they are my ray of sunshine in this winter weather! Eventually they will go to their permanent home on the white sofa at the cape house, but for now they are adding a bit of summer cheer to the family room.  |
About Vallery...I live outside of Boston with my husband, two children, and dog. For the past 8 years I have been working with clients to help them make their home dreams a reality. From helping to build homes from the ground up to helping round out already finished spaces, I listen to my clinets and let their vision guide our process. I have always been a creative person planning spaces and working to make them function better. After completing the Residential Interiors program at Boston Architectural College I learned how to combine my love for funcion and flow with my eye for color, scale, and balance. As a graduate of New York University's Stern School of Business, I understand project planning and budget management. My experience working with clients, contractors, and architects helps to coordinate and streamline the home building and renovation process, helping my clients to have the home they dream of with less of the stress that comes with building and decision making. Archives
June 2013
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