Hello all!

I must start out by saying a very big appology for not posting in a VERY long time.  All of my intentions were set on continueing this blog.

Life gets very busy and I found that I have been pulled in so many directions that it has been very hard to find my center.

A little over a year ago I found myself becoming a new mommy all over again.  Shut Up! Yep, it's true but the circumstances that led to it weren't "natural."  That is unless you are talking about adoption.  After 20+ years of being mommy to boys a little girl has captured my heart in ways I never knew could be done.  I love my boys and didn't realize how you could love a child that wasn't born to you as much.  I must tell you the love is there and maybe even more.  Age has had a way of mellowing me out and allowing me to enjoy this little angel more than I did my boys.  With them I was always focused and worried about their development and if I was a good mama.  With her I'm just enjoying every moment.

Here is my sweet angel.



I plan to continue to post here off and on to update you on my projects going forward, from sewing to furniture refinishing.

Otherwise you can find me here http://stephaniedeese.stampinup.net/  where I admittedly am a papercrafter with a problem.  So much so that I had to sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator to support my addiction to paper, stamps, and ribbons.  Oh my!

Thank you so much for keeping in touch with me and stopping by.

Steph

Bar Stool Re-Design Part 2

I've completed the bar stool re-design for the second time.  I'm finally pleased enough with my work to publish it here.  Time and material play a huge part in doing these redesigns.  The first redesign was done quickly but the material I used was not pleasing to the eye.  The seat seemed lumpy and no matter what I did I couldn't seem to get it smooth.  Sorry, no pictures of the first re-do.  I changed the foam to a better upholstery foam and added appropriate bonded Dacron.  I must apologize for not showing step by step pictures and instructions, I will next time. 

I like the rounded smooth seat the professional materials give.  And the rounded smooth look was what I was after as in the photo from my previous post.

You can see that the task of stripping the paint from the wood was not an undertaking I was willing to do.  I like the black paint and the look that it gives the bar stool so I settled for the black.


The first attempt also included decorative furniture nails.  I wasn't pleased with this look, again I regret I don't have a photo for you.  I was going for a more rustic appearance with this stool so I switched to Blued Tacks.  I like the look, its rustic and adds to the "cottage/barn" look I like.

You can see that the tacks are not uniform and if you are the type of person that needs everything measured perfectly and in perfect rows I would not recommend using them.  It is difficult to get these placed in exact uniformity.  But I like it.

The fabric is a duck canvas that is light tan.  I would have liked to use linen or even burlap but with my family using this stool a great deal there is no way either of these fabrics would have held up.  The tougher duck canvas seems to hold up well.  I would recommend a protectant spray on anything you recover to help with clean up.

I hope you enjoyed this post now its on to my next project of a pair of chairs, for a customer.  I will post the steps on this next one and now that school is starting (whew, thought it never would) I can get to my posts on a regular basis.

Thanks, Steph

Bar Stool Re-Do

Here's my first project posting. The background on this stool is simple, I needed a bar stool for sitting at my kitchen computer. As I'm writing this I'm standing. Not very comfortable.

I was perusing one of the local Antique Stores for furniture that I can refurbish, redesign or just play with. This bar stool is not antique. In my area some antique malls double as indoor flea markets. But this I found "locally" for just a little more than I wanted to give for it but I knew the seller was local and it would contribute to the local economy. You got to do your share to help. Faux leather cover and festive paint design set aside, this stool fits my purpose. It's simple, low profile and light so it can be set aside in a small place when not in use.

My inspiration for this project is from Restoration Hardware, www.restorationhardware.com. I love this furniture/design website but the prices are beyond my budget. I would link to the one in particular I liked but it doesn't take long for this company to shuffle through to the next line of furniture or designs. Sold out, which means it was popular. I had printed the photo for my purpose, so I scanned it for you. I hope you can see it clearly enough that the style I'm moving toward shows through.

I will keep you updated on the progress with photos. You let me know your thoughts on this project.

Thanks,

Steph

New Beginings

Here's an update..............I'm starting new. Since the economy tanked and I had to close my small little business in 2009 so that I could work full time for someone else much has happened.

Last year, the first of March Mom was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. Those of you who don't know much about this type of cancer it's a death sentence, it's just a matter of time. Since that time I have been focused on her, her treatment, her reality and mine. She passed on November 19th of 2011. It was a hard Thanksgiving and even harder Christmas. I'm still dealing with this huge loss in my life. It's a daily, hourly and sometimes every second thing.

The one thing she wanted for me was to be happy and do what makes me happy. Now my reality has changed, I lost my full time job when I left to take care of Mom in her final days. It's fine financially, we can make it with a few budgeting cut backs but I want to do what I love and more money wouldn't hurt.

Southern Charm Stitches is getting revised and revived. The direction I'm wanting to take is redesigning old furniture. I love to recycle and redesign old furniture or other items. As I create my projects I will post them here. I will also post how sales go and what I do to market myself and my goods locally. I don't have a plan to sell online, that could change but not now. I plan to use Facebook, this blog and maybe even Twitter to promote and market.

The photo is of me and mom this past summer.

Thank you!!

Steph