Crafts & Hobbies in Home Decorating

Does Your Home Need Some Upholstery?

Two things will happen when you watch decorating shows. First, you’ll start to notice how shabby some of your old furniture really is and second, you’ll get sticker shock when you shop for new furniture.

So do you block HGTV or feel compelled to cancel your subscription to House Beautiful? No, you borrow a trick from decorators to make your dollar stretch farther with upholstery. Why toss out a sturdy ottoman or favorite wing chair just to buy something that may have lower quality construction?

Whether your furniture has a financial or sentimental value, give it a new lease on life. The same is true when you are ready to paint and get a new look. Time to dump that 80s mauve and slate blue theme? Then all you need is paint and new upholstery to give your room a like-new status.

Revitalizing older pieces with upholstery is a way to recycle. So if you want to “go green,” then change the upholstery to natural fibers or sustainable fabrics such as bamboo. While you’re changing the upholstery, plump up sagging cushions with more stuffing and reinforce the springs area on seating.

You don’t have to send the furniture out - you can do many upholstery projects yourself. You’ll find upholstery patterns in the fabric stores and more online that fit any style and size. The money you save on labor costs can be spent on more expensive fabrics, art and accessories.

You might even have so much fun with upholstery projects that your hobby becomes a home business!

Upholstery: How to Foam an Inside Arm

Ever Taken on a Decoupage Project?

Decoupage? Isn’t that over? Not hardly. Decoupage has been around since 12th Century China, then resurfaced as the “next big thing” in 17th century France. You might say if it was chic enough for Marie Antoinette’s palace, then it’s good for your home, too.

And it’s a great technique for making ordinary items look expensive and customized! Decoupage is a French word for “cutting out,” the technique of trimming papers and placing on a surface to form an intricate or random design.

To protect the design, several layers of clear varnish are applied over it. In France, the technique was embellished with gold leaf for a formal appearance. You can keep it elegantly simple by creating a decoupage of special event photos or other memorabilia.

If you’re new to decoupage, start with a flat surface project like a tray, tabletop or jewelry box. It’s easier to arrange the pieces and apply varnish flat than it is to do this on a curved surface like a vase or column.

Decoupage makes wonderful gifts. You could take a graduation program and cut out the graduate’s name then add paper cutouts of her favorite activities (i.e., basketball, swimming), hobbies (i.e. art, sewing, photography) and a mixture of photos.

Add cut out words that describe her personality and arrange on a memory box for a gift that’s doubly special because it was made just for her. Decoupage projects can be quick and simple or ornate and complex. As the designer, you get to choose. And there’s no “mistakes” as the design is anything you choose to make.

Wing Chair Recovery

Flea Market Finds for Home Decorating

Regardless of your budget, your flea market finds tend to be those items in your home that draw the most attention. Among these “oldies but goodies” are furnishings and woodcraft with quality that is almost impossible to find in the trendiest decorator shops.

If you want to create a particular style, such as the increasingly popular Mid-Century Modern (50s and 60s) then the flea market is the prime spot for genuine articles. The flea market brings out the bargain shopper in everyone.

You can negotiate prices, which is impossible in furniture and accessories stores where the markup is already high. The biggest tip for flea market shopping is to be an informed shopper. Know what you want before you go, at least the basic parameters.

If not, you’ll come home with a truck full of “bargains” and no place to put them. If you are looking for furniture pieces or art, carry a list with you of the sizes and styles that you need. You can bring a fabric piece but since flea market finds are so inexpensive, just buy for style and re-upholster later.

You also need to research comparable pieces online or in local stores so you know whether the price at the flea market really is a bargain. The flea market is buy now or lose it deal, so you have to be prepared to jump on a great deal and know when to walk away from an item that will cost too much to refurbish.

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