Upholstery Class

When I finished upholstering my chair, there was still several weeks left in the semester. I needed to come up with an additional project so I decided to redo this ottoman:

The ottoman took three weeks to complete. And when it was done, there were still two weeks left in the term. I probably could have knocked off early, but I didn't want to risk losing out on an A.

So I redid this bench. I decided to cover the cushion in an indoor-outdoor Sunbrella fabric so it can be used inside or out. The frame, which was silver was repainted in a semi-flat black.

How Rude!

Yesterday, the boys' school had their end-of-the-year awards assemblies. There were two ceremonies: one for the elementary grades, and one for junior high. And since both boys were receiving awards, we attended both.

At the start of the 3rd-6th grade ceremony, it was standing room only. By the time it ended, only a few dozen people remained. The 7th-8th grade ceremony ended with less than that. Apparently, parents saw no problem with exhibiting poor etiquette and leaving immediately after their kids received their awards.

I realize some families may have had prestanding commitments. The principal even deviated from the written program and gave awards to a group of kids who needed to get to soccer practice. And then there was the family with a cranky toddler. But I truly find it hard to believe that so many people had other legitimate plans. Most likely, they just wanted to get home in time to watch TMZ.

I feel bad for the kids who got their awards last. In this case, it was the band students. They got far less applause than the honor roll students, who were announced at the beginning.

I know that it's difficult to sit on hard laminate cafeteria benches for long periods. My butt was numb after an hour. And I realize that these ceremonies can get drawn out and boring at times...especially if your kid isn't the one getting his name called. But if the adults can't show good manners, how can we expect an entire generation of children to do the same?

BTW, both Kyle and Lucas got awards for Honor Roll, and Lucas got the fourth grade citizenship award for Band. He let me hang his medal from my rear view mirror.

Semester Roundup

Here are a few highlights, lowlights, hints, tips, gripes, and other useless information I learned this semester:

--You will not save money by reupholstering a piece of furniture. By the time you have bought fabric, foam, Dacron padding, cording, springs, and other materials, you're already down a few hundred dollars. And that doesn't even count the basic tools. If money's an issue, you're better off buying a new couch at IKEA.

--The only time reupholstering is worthwhile is when the item is an antique or family heirloom. Or if you need the class for elective credit towards a degree.

--A good quality upholstery staple remover is worth its weight in gold.

--For the Interior Materials class, I had to compile a resource file of different product vendors and tradesmen. Categories included flooring, lighting, window treatments, and green products. This assignment was completed in one afternoon by gathering business cards at a home and garden show.

--Home shows are teeming with some very agressive salesmen. If you make eye contact, they will proceed to talk your ear off. Give them your phone number and you're screwed. I just told these guys that I'm an interior design student and they usually backed off. Translation: college girl has no money.

--I have become enamoured with Mid-Century and Post-War architecture and design. After a lecture in Modern Architecture, I went home and took my Butterfly Chair out of the bedroom. It now sits proudly on display in the living room.

--Paul Klee was an art instructor at Bauhaus. I have one of his prints hanging in the front hall.

--$14.99 per yard for middle-of-the-road upholstery fabric is considered a very good price.

--After 6:30 PM, the faculty parking spaces become fair game. This came in handy for Monday night's upholstery class when I had to lug my furniture and supplies to and from the classroom.

--My commute from home to SCC is 33.5 miles, and takes me through 4 cities--Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, and Scottsdale.

--Both of our cars get roughly 25 mpg. It was costing me about $10 PER DAY for gas to drive to and from school. OUCH!

--During a lecture on Art Deco, my Modern Architecture teacher mentioned Fiesta ware. I didn't even try to contain my glee.

--Thanks to upholstery class, I mostly overcame my fear of nail guns.

--Two words: Green Design.

--My old preschool--First Christian Church--was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

--Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring darkens over time. I guess I won't be putting an area rug in the living room.

--I memorized the locations of all six speed cameras on the Scottsdale leg of the 101 freeway.

--Never try to hand draft a custom entry door when you can use AutoCAD.

--I got A's in all three classes.

He's Back!

The Adam Carolla Show is back on Phoenix radio! Now I can listen without being chained to the computer. The show can be heard locally on KEDJ 103.9 FM from 6 to 10 am MST. This will come in really handy in the fall when I'll be commuting to SCC at 7:00 in the morning.

And speaking of school, I have finals in two classes this week, and both should be quite easy. One is open-note and the other is Modern Architecture. For me, the MA class is more of a leisure activity than scholastic drudgery. In fact, I'll be bummed out when it's over. I want to more of this stuff! Maybe I'll skim Amazon for books about Bauhaus, Frank Lloyd Wright, Scandinavian design, and Post-War architecture.

Oh, and by the end of this week, I will have earned a CCL in Home Furnishings and Materials. YAY!!!!!

I'm On A Break

We're getting down to the wire at school. I have just a few more weeks of classes, and several large projects to get done before finals. As a result, I will be putting my blogging duties (such as they are) on the back burner. I'll continue to read everyone else's blogs, but mine will be dormant for awhile...unless something post-worthy happens around here.

Service With An Attitude?

I'm in the middle of recovering an ottoman for upholstery class. Yesterday, I had to stop at a fabric store to pick up some supplies. This isn't a big, shiny chain store like Jo-Ann Fabrics. No scrapbooking aisle here. It's a no-frills, warehouse-type place with bolts of decorator fabric piled high to the ceiling. They also sell stuff like replacement mechanisms for Grandpa's recliner or new bun feet for the family sofa.

When I was there, one of the employees was a woman in her 50s, and she was walking around with a scowl on her face. This broad was pissed and wanted the whole world to know it. In fact, she was none too pleased when I requested to have some piping cut.

And then I noticed her t-shirt. It was sporting the same phrase as the one pictured below:

I dont find the shirt offensive, per se. It would be funny when worn by an emo kid, a smarmy college student, or even a spunky old guy. But on a retail store employee--an employee whose job involves public interaction--it is inappropriate.

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I have shopped at this store before, and it appears to be a very casual work environment. There's no dress code that I know of. And that's is fine. I'm definitely a champion for discount fabric and low overhead. But why would a business owner allow an employee to give his customers a passive-aggressive "F#&% YOU" through her manner of dress?

Before and After: Chair

One of the courses I'm taking this semester is an upholstery class. For this class, I had to come up with a piece that fit the following criteria:

--It had to be easy to recover.
--It had to be easy to transport.
--It had to fit in my car.
--It had to look cool in the house
--It had to be VERY affordable.

For that, I chose this chair:



There was only one thing wrong with it. It was beige. Boring, boring beige. This wouldn't work with my decor.

This is the finished product. Big improvement...HUGE!

This was my inspiration piece. The above photo was "borrowed" from Overstock.com.

Now, I have to find another project for the rest of the semester. Hmmm...back to the consignment shop!