Project Chair, the end

This has been dragged on way to long, and for that I apologize.
I took pics of the final product almost a week ago but one silly thing has been holding me back.
I wanted to name the chair for a proper introduction. 
I've been toying with "Don" because of its mid-century appeal but I don't think it is sleek enough for the Don Draper I imagine.
Yes, these are the silly things that keep my mind occupied when I am not thinking about training a new person for my job and starting a new job and....you know what I mean.

So, without further ado, my unnamed chair

BEFORE

AFTER

Isn't he handsome? I'm sure he is blushing with that last photo (an afghan, really??), but seriously this project turned out beautifully - thanks once again to mama and papa bejos who not only spurred it on but did the work. The only problem is that I can't actually sit in the chair. Bejos boy has become a little possessive with his couch. "My couch mama, out!"

Project Chair, part 3

As you can tell by the pictures it was the figurative "we" who completed this project. It was mama bejos who measured, cut, and sewed. It was papa bejos, who single-handedly stretch and pulled the material to re-dress the naked chair - and I mean that  literally as he is still recovering from hand surgery and doesn't have full range of motion with his left hand. I was there to help with him with this, as I wasn't about to sit back and let them do all the work, but mostly my job was to wield this pneumatic staple gun and remove misplaced staples when we didn't figure things out on the first try. I tried to be all Buddhist about it "thank you for the opportunity to practice using this tool" but that part was just plain old annoying.

And with just one night left we had to take the chair inside to finish up the work. I worked them hard - there is no doubt about that from anyone. I mean check out the bad lighting. They could report me to OSHA.

Project Chair, part 2

And then the deconstruction began, which sounds easier than it really is. There are an incredible amount of staples and tacks underneath all that cushioning of a chair. Each and every one must be removed. 

This tool was a well used instrument that we got lots of practice with.

 

Quite unlike construction demolition projects I have participating in before (hello Courtney!) this project requires careful prying, peeling, ripping, labeling and documentation for the rebuilding process. This work was much, much slower than I imagined it would be. Just to be clear, when I say "we" I really mean mama and papa bejos because they are in fact responsible for about 90% of this project.

Project Chair, part 1

I bought this chair a good 4 years ago to solve a chair shortage we were experiencing in our then new house. Chair shortage!? LOL - that couldn't be further from the truth these days. But I digress...

This lovely was a steal for a mere $15.

I love the shape but, as you may be able to tell, it was far from clean and sported a few scars from a life well lived. I then learned that the art of reupholstering involves BIG bucks, getting estimates ranging from $400-$600. And so it has lived, as-is, in our living room for 4 long years.

I then stumbled upon a smoking deal on fabric at the very same thrift store, and was determined to  reupholster this bad guy myself. And that too sat in the garage for a good long time. Luckily my mama & papa bejos are more ambitious than me and took on a reupholster project this spring that built enough confidence in them to haul their equipment out here to tackle my chair.

Stay tuned!

Bracelets

another item checked off my Pinterest inspiration to-do list

original post here

play tent

A pinterest project for the little guy, and apparently Cooper too

http://mycakies.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-frame-tent.html

The black hole of time on the internet

 

Know the site?
Basically it's an on-line visual bookmarking site that allows you to browse ideas, recipes, photographs, products, etc. through pictures.

It's an ultimate time sucker but it has helped me create a long list of projects for all the imaginary free time I have in my life. Amazingly enough, I have even completed a few projects that I am going to subject you all to in the coming weeks.

Here's one that has hung, unceremoniously, in my office for weeks now. Getting it into the bedroom involved electricity that I wasn't brave enough to do alone. So, thanks to help from a friend who knows a lot more than me when it comes to electricity I finally got this up and hanging this weekend. Yippee!

Fix-It Update

We're up and running!

But the issue was not resolved, as mixing still involved a whole lot of bouncing. Apparently my diagnosis of gear issues was not the problem at all, having more to do with a forward tilt dilemma. 

That was until we brought out the big tools. If you look closely you'll see the fix-it that really solved the problem

 That's right. 

Thank you duct tape.

My new favorite "tool".

Fire it up! It's time for some Carlo Bolo pumpkin rollo.

Fix-it

Our beloved Kitchenaid mixer has been acting up.
And while I am by no means a repairwoman, I am always up for a challenge.
So, while baby bejos napped I dug out a few tools and got to work

 It started to get a little messy

So, with everything in pieces I used my phone-a-friend lifeline.
"Dad? I have a question for you"

While sage advice was dished out, the poor Kitchenaid has been in pieces ever since. Yesterday the food-safe grease arrived and I am out of excuses. Stay tuned. Baking season is upon us and we need this kitchen staple.