Bench REMIX

March 20th, 2009

Last night I got home and was itching for a change. I was just in one of those moods where I wanted to either rip out the bathroom tiles or go buy expensive danish furniture. No money means no new tile or a brand new hutch….so it was time for a REMIX!

We’ve had this Ikea Flokati rug for a number of years and it is gross. It has been stored away and SHEDDING in the pit of a guest bedroom so that little Iggy would stop marking it.

BAD DOG.

Something about the rug smelling like a sheep made Iggy crazy and he kept putting little pee drops all over the thing. Yuck.

I also had this kind of ugly bench that was also wasting away in the guest bedroom as well. I bought it on the cheap at a thrift store and thought I would one day reupholster the cracking yellow vinyl in something fun…

I love everything sheep skin and thought that the rug would look really nice upholstered on the bench.

I cut a clean section out of the rug that was big enough to cover the bench

Removed all the legs – they just unscrewed.

Flipped over the rug so the good side was down and pulled out the trusty electric staple gun.

I just pulled the edges over and stapled them down onto the wood frame of the bench. I didn’t bother removing the old vinyl upholstery since it was pretty tight and solid. I was worried that the foam would be a mess underneath.

I stapled the rug section all the way around and folded the corners in. The rug was very furry and VERY forgiving so it didn’t matter if it wasn’t a totally clean and sharp upholstery job.

I then cut off the excess fur…

all the way around the edges so they didn’t hang down.

Screwed the legs back on and its DONE!

It took me about an hour and a half to get it all done and finished…with a few breaks playing with Iggy. He loves those Flokati fur balls.

Then like a serial killer I brushed, spot cleaned and vacuumed all the fur. It rubs the Flokati on its skin…or else it gets the hose again…

Ta-da!!! All brushed up like a show dog.

A lovely furry white ottoman. This way no ones walking on it and getting it all dirty.

I’m not sure where it will end up in the house, but the project scratched that itch for something new without spending any money!

Staying Classy

March 19th, 2009

The house next door has been for sale for awhile after being foreclosed on in November. While buyers have come and gone (three escrows and counting) the property has switched Realtors a few times.

Imagine my delight when pulling into the driveway to be greeted by the newest realtor sign.

Delicious.

Here’s a close-up for your viewing delight.

Flea Market

March 18th, 2009

This past Sunday I headed out to the Long Beach Flea Market to check out the vintage wares. It was a beautiful day, and I think everyone else had the same idea – the place was pretty packed.

I always make sure to stop by Henry Jara’s booth to ogle the wonderful danish modern and mid century pieces he brings to the market. Henry has a great eye, is a friendly bargainer, and has good pricing – definitely make sure you stop by if you see him!

I also saw this rad pair of Bose tulip speakers. They were in rough shape and for $125 at the end of the day I couldn’t bring myself to pick them up. I have been craving a set though and I know the Boy likes anything speaker related.

I did pick up a coffee table for the den to replace the huge one that was cast out of the living room. I love the surfboard shape and inset tile – its like mid century Space Invaders!
The great thing about the inset tile is that you can put your drinks on it without destroying the wood. We tend to get a little tipsy and careless with drinks…causing many panicked moments trying to buff out water rings.

Pretty! We do still need to condition the wood.

I love the pop of color in the brown town den…but now I want to change the whole room to accommodate the new table. Out with the brown carpet, lounger, and side table…yikes.

I also picked up a headboard from the groovy Henry. I was so excited to get it home and set it up…but it turned out to be way to big. We all agreed at the market that it was a queen size (I’ve learned this lesson a few times) ALWAYS actually measure things. It is way cute and while I keep wanting to remix it a bit to fit the bed, I just can’t bring myself to cut it up. Good thing I emailed Henry, he’s going to look through his things and try to find a queen headboard to exchange it for! Its the never ending headboard quest…

Now that I have the smaller coffee table – I need to sell this beautiful behemoth.
I loved you well for many years table, its going to hurt to say goodbye.