garlands make me happy

coming up for air after a week of being sick, i wanted to make something. i was inspired by jessica's ten days of garlands and a big stack of newspapers that were accumulating in the big round basket. we've always got paint around and plenty of thread, so sabin and i painted up some newspaper and punched out circles and i sewed and sewed. my garland is a little long (like about 20 meters) and a bit tangled, as molly "helped" me hang it up above my desk. but it's cheery and makes me happy.  with the blues and greens i used, some of the circles have a decidedly globe-like quality, which also makes me happy. this photo of sabin painting her newspaper in fiery orange and red, you guessed it...makes me happy.

what made you happy this weekend?

transformation

a long time ago, we bought this mid-century modern chair by an unknown designer in a flea market for 50 kroner (approx $10). i was always going to recover it and never really got around to it. in pondering simplicity and making do with what we have and recycling and all those attendant thoughts, i finally felt motivated to recover it. it was so easy, i didn't even remove the old fabric, i just put the new one on right over it. that was possible because the old one was so neutral. it was also heavy quality upholstery fabric, so i thought it would be a good layer underneath the lighter-weight cotton i was covering it in.

i unscrewed the seat and untied the pillow.

then i cleaned and waxed the wooden parts with a neutral furniture wax.

it really should probably be stripped and refinished, but i'll wait 'til next summer to do that.

then i covered it with a patchwork that i made.

the fabrics were some michael miller and lizzy house designs that i bought here a few months ago.

i was inspired after seeing this on flickr.

i just covered the seat and fastened the fabric securely in place with a staple gun.

it took me a total of about three hours of work.

i think i'll be faster the next time.

and although my time is worth something, it feels a bit like getting something for nearly nothing.

a brand new, transformed chair for under 100 kroner (approx. $20).

and it's #93.