Chair Re upholster Tutorial

I have wanted to re upholster this chair for a while now. I bought 2 of these along with a formica table for £5 at auction.

The seat pad came off easily as it has wooden pieces that slotted into grooves on the chair.

I bought some fabric from Ikea (£4) and a piece of foam from Dunelm (£3.25). I would advise using a slightly thicker more hard wearing fabric.
I took out all the staples holding the old laminate fabric in place. I just used a kitchen knife and some small pliers.

I got rid of the old fabric and foam and used the wooden base to draw onto the new foam. I then cut this out with some sharp fabric scissors.

I then cut out a square of fabric big enough to cover the foam and reach the base where it will be stapled into place and a little extra.

Then pulling the fabric tight I stapled in place. I have never used a staple gun before and it did take a bit of getting used to. I found you had to really push down to make the staples go completely into the wood base.

I cut off any excess fabric and re positioned the base back onto the chair.

Ta dah! It was actually very easy and cheap to do and I think it's a massive improvement.

Love Lemon x

Dressing Table - Craft Desk

In my house which is now full of boys I slowly found myself with no space of my own.

My craft space became a nursery and the garage belongs to my husbands bike addiction. So I decided to create a small corner at least in the bedroom just for me. I wanted a desk to blog and do my crafts, with enough space for my sewing machine but I also wanted it to be a dressing table and not look out of place in the bedroom. So I set about my search for the perfect desk/dressing table. I had a board of ideas of Pinterest for inspiration:

I found the perfect piece of furniture for the job. Not only was it a good size for my sewing machine but it was my ideal dressing table. I suspect it to be from around the 1950's which is one of my favourite eras.
So here it is:

I love the big mirror and it's curved edges and I was going to change the handles on the drawers but I actually really like the smooth rounded wood. The side drawers are actually cupboards and my sewing machine fits in one perfectly.

I was lucky enough to find this on ebay for just £45. Even luckier it was just a few minutes drive from my house!

I may one day sand it down and re varnish. I am currently in the middle of re upholstering the chair I will use with it. A tutorial on how to re upholster a chair to come soon!

Love Lemon x

2013 Project

Happy New Year! Ok I know I am seriously late but it seems life with a 2 year old and a baby is quite busy! Who knew.

Anyway I have been keeping busy finishing of the nursery too. I moved the rocker in there, bought some curtains and at Christmas baby Joe received lots of cuddly toys and an amazing Lion print for his wall which I have had my eye on for a while from family and friends. So his room is looking a lot less bare.

I bought these cardboard letters and painted them.

I think they look a lot more than the £2 each I paid for them! (Available from The Range or Hobbycraft)

I still need to find a chest of drawers, I'm hoping to find some to paint a bright colour. I am also going to make some bunting and a cloud shaped cushion for the nursing chair. Anything else I'm missing?

Love Lemon x