Tag Archive | "Do It Yourself!"
RE:Style Success Story
It's not like I was expecting a crappy result but honestly, I never imagined my first reupholstery project would turn out so incredibly well! The happy ending is entirely thanks to my coach, Andrea Ford of Toronto's RE:Style Studio: I spent Saturday and Sunday at Andrea's west end workshop where she walked me and a fellow named Jay through our first projects. Jay was ambitious taking on no less a behemoth than a La-Z-Boy recliner. I was much more modest in my attempt to rehab a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings side chair with removable seat and back; I also redid the seat of another chair, which looks easy but like the back of the Gibbings has a significant curve to it, which presents a challenge to a rank beginner like me.
Full post and comments...RE:Style Studio Sale and Workshops
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
If I was younger and prettier — and female — I’d want to be Andrea Ford, above, the stylist, blogger and DIY champ who runs RE:Style Studio where she tackles her own projects and teaches people like me how to take on their own. I’ll be joining Andrea June 11 & 12 for her BYOP (bring your own piece) workshop, where she’ll help me turn a $20 flea market chair into what I hope will be a stunner. . . This weekend Andrea is holding her first ever RE:Style Studio Sale where she’s parting with some of her one-of-a-kind showstoppers; prices range from $200 for an ottoman to $2,000 for the spectacular black and white settee. If your space needs a wake-up call put the RE:Style sale on your calendar. And if you’ve got a chair of your own you’re dying to makeover join us in two weeks as we roll up our sleeves and try to turn our trash into treasure.
Full post and comments...Lousy Styling, Great Tip
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Apologies for the sorry styling of this pic but it was taken on the fly at yesterday's wildly successful styleNorth Garage Sale just before a sweet young couple carried the table off to their new loft/condo. I bought it on Craigslist after several price drops because the brass plate and the original dimensions of the piece were conspiring to keep buyers at bay. The mint-condition marble top was beyond luxe but the table was 28" square and 21" high, which meant it was too large for a side table but too high for a coffee table. Enter my cheap, easy fix; I took the legs to my local Home Hardware where they cut them down to 15" for just $3 per leg. My $12 outlay doubled the value of an item that was previously unsellable.
Full post and comments...Spray Paint Like A Pro
Monday, April 11, 2011
You don't have to be a DIY champ to know that a quick coat of paint can completely transform a piece of furniture. But spray painting can be frustrating if you don't do it right and this past weekend I learned a few tricks that I'm happy to pass along. My biggest discovery is the existence of custom spray nozzles, which utterly transform the process of do it yourself spray painting. See the wickedly smooth, slightly reflective top on the IKEA side table, below? There's no way I could have gotten such a professional looking result without the help of custom spray nozzles available for just 50¢ each at Curry's Art Store.
Full post and comments...Reader Success Story
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
StyleNorth reader Robin wrote to me this week to share a makeover inspired by my post about stripping brass plate using oven cleaner. "I picked up the table at Goodwill shortly after I read your posting and got to work right away," she writes. "It took about two hours, but I think the result speaks for itself . . . thanks so much for a great tip." Robin is flipping the table on Craigslist and will make a tidy profit off her sweat equity. "I love projects like this," she writes, "because you get almost immediate gratification. I do a fair amount of furniture painting, but have never attempted anything like this before. Now, we'll see if someone else appreciates my labour!"
Full post and comments...
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