Drilling through anything {especially drywall} creates a mess all over. Here is a trick that can save you clean up time. Take two strips of painters tape and create a shelf like surface and put it under the space you are drilling. The “shelf” will collect the dust and it will stick because .. well it is tape.

- ASH

Here’s a sneak peek of what my sofa is going to look like. Yes, It is almost done! And you all (especially my dear, dear husband) are probably like FINALLY!!!!!

Isn’t it pretty? I just love the feeling, so soft and velvety!

- ASH

Today is all about springs. There are two types of springs:

Coil seat springs

Serpentine/sinuous/zig zag springs.

It is best that you replace the springs with the same kind the furniture being upholstered originally came with. Mine sofa came with the serpentine springs. And I was actually relieved to find that out because the coil seat springs are much more complicated to install.

To install the serpentine springs, you remove the old and nail in the new. It is really that simple. It just takes a lot more man power than I could handle.. so I didn’t do this part alone.

Before getting started in replacing, you’ll need to buy new springs, spring clips, and twine. The spring clips are what holds the springs to the wood. The twine goes across the multiple springs to balance the weight out on to more than a few springs. If these are broken, it can cause your springs to deform.

Okay, so first was to remove the springs. That was easy enough. The spring clips were metal pieces pierced in to the wood frame. It’s a bit hard to see in the picture but it is the thing pointing at you.

Next was to add the new clips. The Hubster nailed these in, I apparently lack in the muscels needed hold down a spring and hammer in a nail. We learned the easies way to do this was to go from the bottom (near the seat) to the top of the sofa. Here is a picture of a clip without the spring.

The bottom spring was attached so that part of it was pushing back on the wood frame. We replicated the original way the springs were attached. Here’s the bottom spring.

And then the spring at the top is attached on the first zig zag, like so.

We got two of them installed and took a break! It is hard work!!  

The next part is adding the metal twine to the springs to make sure the weight on the spring is balanced among the springs. They have special tools to clip the clips to the twine and spring in one step, however they cost about $45! My cheap self just used regular pliers to push together the clips. {blisters were included in the not so expensive option} 

Before adding the clip to the spring and twine, gently squeeze the clip a little to prevent it from falling.

Bend the three sides in to each other to form a tube clip and continue down the row. I added 4 rows of twine each to the seat and back springs to give it more support. {previously, it had only 3 each}

The springs part of the process had frightened me because I was worried that the springs wouldn’t get installed the right way or they would just pop right off. .. Luckily none of that has happened. Thanks of course to the Hubster for his muscles.

Things still left to do:

• Finish removing the fabric/padding.
• Inspect the springs and check if they need replacing  (The seating springs need to be replaced.)
• Decide if webbing is needed to hold shape between the spaces in the frame. (The original piece used cardboard..) (Webbing will go over the armrests and some on the back.)
• Pick fabric and order
• Get foam for backing and seating; batting and foam for springs and sides
• Start fixing the frame
• Apply webbing
• Replace springs
• Attach all padding on to the sofa
• Attach the fabric

Check out the journey up until here:
Part 1 – Starting the upholstery process
Part 2 – Ripping the sofa to the bare bones
Part 3 – Shopping for supplies

Sorry for the lack up posts in the past couple of weeks. Life happens sometimes and you have to just deal with it.

- ASH

[Photos from here and here]

This post is all about spending the money. If you missed my previous posts about removing the junk from a sofa then check them out: Part 1 and Part 2.

I found this neat website DIYUpholsterySupply.com. I was able to buy some serpentine springs that I needed to replace. As I mentioned in Part 2, the backing springs were crooked and out of shape. Also the spring wires are all broken so I invested in some of those as well. And I needed clips to hold the springs and the spring wires down so I bought some of those. But the biggest thing I bought were the foam cushions. I am getting the seating cushion custom cut to 6x24x48 (Thickness X Width X Length). And I bought two precut foams for the backing cushions, 4x24x28.

Memorial day weekend came and went. It was not too good for me as I was planning on working on my sofa for three days. Instead, I spent most of it on a bed being sick. However, I wouldn’t say it was bad for me either.

Friday of the weekend, I headed to JoAnn Fabrics for the webbing I needed to fix the armrests on the sofa. I took a quick detour around the store {always a bad idea when you have nothing in particular you’re looking for}. I noticed signs everywhere saying “Memorial Day Sale 50% off”!! When I went to the cutting area to get my webbing cut, I asked if the special order upholstery fabric was also included in the 50% off Memorial Day Sale. To my delight, they said YES! It was like finding a four leaf clover or winning the lottery. {Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic; but still can you believe it!}

The weekend before, the Hubster and I had gone to a JoAnn store near our house to get webbing. It wasn’t there, but I took the opportunity to ask his opinion on the fabrics to reupholster with. To my surprise he looked around and found some he liked. When I went to see the price on these fabrics I was slapped on the face. It read $59.99. {I’m serious, I never expected the fabric to cost more than $20/yard} So finding these same fabrics on 50% off was a goldmine.

I told the Hubster about it and he was excited to {just not AS excited as me}. We went to the store the next day and found fabric we liked. In the process of looking for the perfect one, you get overwhelmed by the amount of options to choose from. Some were pretty but not practical. We reminded ourselves that the sofa was going to be used daily so the nice, pretty, shiny fabrics were out of question. They are usually for sofas or chairs that are hardly used.

And we also had to keep each other away from the silly ones we found. Like this one with puppies all over it. {The image is linked to the fabric page, just in case you find it cute and attractive. I’m not judging. }

It came down to two fabrics that we liked. One that was deep brown with textured florals on it and another that had somewhat of a burlap base with black fuzzy paisleys. The black/burlap one seemed a bit too much and we both agreed that we’d need a contrasting color to go around the back and side of the sofa. Also the paisleys seemed to be stuck on to the burlap fabric. I was a bit skeptical that it would stay in the same condition over the years of wear and tear. The brown fabric had a nice thickness and it was soft to touch. So in the end the brown won. I needed 10 yards of it, that’s being on the safe side. Of course, when we got to the cutting counter, there was only 8.3 yards on the bolt. *sigh* We had to special order it, which meant paying $11 in shipping {which we both thought was a rip off because it is being shipped to the store}. However, we saved a ton because the fabric was *drum roll, please* $13.99/yard! Oh and to top it off this store had just opened and I had a coupon for 20% off an entire purchase, including items on sale! {I was jumping all the way to the car!} Hmm, in my excitement I forgot to mention, I also got foam for the armrests and front facing wood and decking fabric to put where the cushions go. The decking fabric is used so you don’t spend more money on the upholstery fabric for a place of the sofa no one will see but you.

Things still left to do:

• Finish removing the fabric/padding.
• Inspect the springs and check if they need replacing  (The seating springs need to be replaced.)
• Decide if webbing is needed to hold shape between the spaces in the frame. (The original piece used cardboard..) (Webbing will go over the armrests and some on the back.)
• Pick fabric and order
• Get foam for backing and seating; batting and foam for springs and sides
• Start fixing the frame
• Apply webbing
• Replace springs
• Attach all padding on to the sofa
• Attach the fabric

Have you happened upon a great deal like we did? What are some of your guidelines of keeping on task when shopping for something particular? Stay tuned to see how it all comes together.

- ASH

It is the end of day 4. I have been delayed a bit with other things so even though it is day 4 I’ve only spent a few hours each day working on the sofa.

I’ve confirmed that I still have dust allergies. I’ve sneezed up a storm with all the dust. I finally gave in on the third day and went out and bought some Claritin. Boy was that a relief!

Day 2 I started removing the back fabric and the sides. It was an interesting and sometimes dangerous task; lots of staples and weird surprise.

Yeah, those spikes were used to keep the back fabric in along with the screw.

I also in the process discovered why the armrests were so uncomfortable. They were supported by CARDBOARD!!! And the cardboard broke over the years to make a very uncomfortable sofa. You couldn’t lie down or lean against the armrests for long periods of time. Don’t believe me .. see for yourself! Oh and over the cardboard was cotton stuffing .. not very supportive when going down a hole.

Wanna see the final nekid sofa? It looks so sad and cold. I put the cushions there to test out how I wanted the new cushions to be placed. I am getting one large cushion for the seating and two for the backing. They will be placed just like this.

I have some touch ups to do before going forth and putting everything back together. Notice the springs on the backing in the picture above. Yeah they are out of shape. Luckily the seating springs are in great shape so I won’t be replacing those. However, I will have to replace the twine that holds them all in place. I’ll also be filling in some holes with wood glue.

Things still left to do:

• Finish removing the fabric/padding.
• Inspect the springs and check if they need replacing  (The seating springs need to be replaced.)
• Decide if webbing is needed to hold shape between the spaces in the frame. (The original piece used cardboard..) (Webbing will go over the armrests and some on the back.)
• Pick fabric and order
• Get foam for backing and seating; batting and foam for springs and sides
• Start fixing the frame
• Apply webbing
• Replace springs
• Attach all padding on to the sofa
• Attach the fabric

I’m getting closer. Next step, shopping! Do you think you’d do a project like this? Stay tuned to see how it all comes together.

- ASH

I am working on an upholstery project. My first one!! I’ve gone to the library to get text on how to work this project. I’ve never done something like this and am oddly confident that I’ll be okay through it.

The sofa .. my parents gave it to me. Its about 20 years old and in need of some new padding. It also needs some new fabric coverings, as the ones on it is understandably old. Of course, slip covers sold look really pathetic and they bunch up and are just plain bleh.

  Sofa with slip cover on.

My mom a few years back had actually tried doing a reupholster too. I’m sure there was a good reason, but it never got quite done.

Sofa with half of a reupholster job.

The fabric she was using is beautiful and I’ll be able to use it for other things, but it’s just not something I want on a sofa. I like dark basic colors like brown. I haven’t picked out the fabric just yet. It is advised that you take apart the sofa or any other furniture that you would reupholster prior to buying the materials for it.

So as I went along plucking off staples, I came across dust. Lots of it. The sofa is 20 some years old so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Just that I am allergic to dust so the whole rest of the night, I sniffled and sneezed my way through the work.

Lets talk springs. Usually you see coil springs in sofas. When I looked (I’m sure I’ve seen them before but never really understood that there are different types of springs) I found tension springs instead. The books I have say that tensions springs are used in “modern” furniture. I guess my sofa is “modern”! So because I was all ready for the coil spring installs, there is a slight set back as I have to go through my books again and learn about the tension springs before I start taking them off to replace, if they need replacing.

At the end of the night, roughly 4.5 hours later my sofa has made some progress; and I’m happy about it!

Things still left to do:

• Finish removing the fabric/padding.
• Inspect the springs and check if they need replacing
• Decide if webbing is needed to hold shape between the spaces in the frame. (The original piece used cardboard..)
• Pick fabric and order
• Get foam for backing and seating; batting and foam for springs and sides
• Start fixing the frame
• Apply webbing
• Replace springs
• Attach all padding on to the sofa
• Attach the fabric

What kind of projects have you undertaken that are big risks? Have you done an upholstery project? What issues did you run in to if any? Share in the comments with links to pictures of your projects.

- ASH

Have you wanted to decorate your walls but had no idea what to decorate with? These vinals are a great idea to spruce up any room. The best part is, if you don’t like it in a particular location or you change the theme of your room, these are easily removable. Some of them even come in multiple colors. Most sellers ask you what color you want the vinals in as well as provide you the option to customize a decal. Here are some of my favorites from Etsy.

- ASH

I’m back with the reveal of our master bedroom. What can I say, things work a bit slowly around here. You can see part 1 and part 2.

You can see most of the room in this picture: the bed, rug, and the blue paint. What you can’t see is the lonely brown wall. Next to the bed on the left side of the picture is the night stand and a milk crate filled with books/magazines/journal for me. I also have a spot light hanging from the bed side for when I want to do some reading/knitting in bed. On the right side is an ottoman that stores extra candles.

Here’s the other side of the room, with both wall colors. The doors on the very left are to the bathroom. And the one in the center goes to the hallway. (Please excuse my vacuum peeking out from the hallway.) The double doors is the Hubster’s closet (he doesn’t get much space).

And to have more storage for our clothes and my jewelry (I have A LOT!) we got this humongous wardrobe from Ikea. I didn’t realize how big it was until we put it together. I just hope that in the future if we move, it fits where we go. Right now its about an inch from the ceiling. I also want to put curtains in front of it so you can’t see the clothes. But for now this shall do. Right next to it is our floor lamp that was a wedding gift. It provides just the right amount of light and is controlled by a switch near the door.

This is at the foot of the bed, it hold a lot of stuff fro us. It is actually a wall shelf that I decided not to put on the wall. The two bowls are used to keep his and her keys. Baskets for other items. (Please ignore the “Mudd” shoebox there, it’s our first aid kit.) There are two black (Ikea) boxes, one for the Hubster and one for me, that keeps our important papers that we need for the month such as bills. We compete for whose box will be on top, making them more important.

The duvet cover is from West Elm and the rest of the set is a “bed-in-a-bag” from Bed Bath and Beyond that I had bought with a huge discount a couple years back. I love the duvet cover; doesn’t it look inviting?! Oh, I also got a “summer comforter” from Ikea to switch out after winter is FINALLY over.

I leave you with a picture of our Vikings that sit at the foot of the bed. Aren’t they cute?

All in all, I’m pretty happy with the turn out. It is functional and pretty. So what do you think of it? Anything you suggest changing?

-ASH

It was New Years day and we were trying to figure out what to do that day. I realized that the Hubster’s classes would start in a couple weeks and suggested we paint our room this weekend. And with that our new years day plan was set. Of course we didn’t start immediately.

After some lounging around we decided to hit the store. Yes, Home Depot was open. As we go there (7:30 pm, I told you we lounged around) I looked at the store hours and realized we had 30 minutes to get all our necessities!! Yikes! Lucky for us, I had made a list of all the things wee needed to do our first paint job. However the unlucky part was we didn’t have a set color in mind. We knew what we didn’t want and kind of what we did but nothing in particular.

See those two color samples on our wall? We didn’t want them, rather something in between.

As we went up and down the paint aisles I figured that at least we can prep the room with tape and such that night and get the paint in the morning the next day. Yup, that was the logical thing to do. But the laws of the universe kicked in to gear and gave me the brilliant idea of hurriedly picking two colors, get them made, and be the last one out of the store. I’m sorry Home Depot workers, i was THAT person. I also had a feeling that this decision was going to bite me later, but hey, now we had our paint and paint supplies!

Back at home, we got busy taping the walls off. The plan was to paint the wall you see in the picture above blue and the rest a brown shade.

Room is ready to paint. 

We painted our blue accent wall that night as well. The next day was scheduled for the rest of the room. The blue color was looking great .. I did well!!

The next day I was all excited and got up early to start on the rest of the painting. I finished the first brown wall and it was time to go to a family birthday lunch. I looked and looked and tried to like the brown. I just didn’t. In fact I could not see it go up on the other two walls at all.

The quick color decision cost me an ugly wall. But it was on to plan B. It didn’t look AS bad by itself; just the fact of three walls looking like this was not going to happen. At least not on my watch. We went back and got more blue and painted the other two walls the same blue color.  I compromised 1. the brown was going to stay 2. the “accent” wall was no longer the accent wall 3. at least we don’t look like we’re in a fish tank (with all four walls blue).

In the end, I like how it turned out with plan B.

What do you think? Plan B look good or should we have stuck with plan A? Stay tuned for the final reveal.

- ASH

.. which mirror is the most beautiful of all.

Uuuh maybe it didn’t go that way exactly. but I didn’t like Snow White much anyways, Aladdin appealed better to my taste. What I do like are mirrors! We can make all sorts of illusions with them, which is why they are great.

Add depth to your kitchen by using it as backsplash.

(source)

Lighten a room by strategically placing it with a window.

(source)

Or just add a bit of interest to the walls.

(source)

But I’m here not to tell you how to use them. I’m here to tell you that you can get them on the cheap! I found some that could be done DIY style, take a look.

These mirrors hanging from a chain are simple but give the right amount of pop to a room. How about framing a mirror with wood, attaching a chain and coloring it with Rust-oleum. Then hanging it on the wall with a big nail.

This scroll fence like mirror has a feminine touch.  Maybe you don’t have such scroll metal lying around, but how paining in the fancy scrolls? Or if you are lucky to find an old iron scroll, give it a new life by repurposing it as a mirror frame.

This lattice mirror gives an illusion of an extra window. You could create one by gluing down some wood on to an existing framed mirror.

This tile framed mirror is a perfect addition to home. And with the use of a base board, some fancy tiles, and a mirror it can go a long way to enhancing your decor without biting much off the wallet. How about using tiles like this to add a bit of beauty on the cheap?

Nail head trimming on this mirror is simple but elegant. Creating this may be easier than it seems; use a mirror that is nicely framed and add nail head trim around.

This rope framed mirror is my personal favorite! I think this will be my project in the future. Creating this will be simple as tying a not all around a frame that will allow the mirror to sit on top. Then use old leather straps or just more rope to hang it up. You can even use jute instead of the rope if you have that handy.

Pretty sea shells make a great frame around these mirrors.You can use hot glue to make your own, or if you are more of the flower kind, user flowers to frame the mirrors.

This mirror tile framed mirror is another favorite. Use mirror titles to frame a larger one. Use wooden frames to add some pop.

I’ hope I’ve inspired you to create a mirror perfect for your home. I sure am adding this project to the list. Of course, once I get around to doing it, I’ll show you the results.

-ASH

I found this website the other day called Viva Terra over at Design*Sponge and automatically fell in love with the stuff they offer. One of the reasons these items made my heart skip a beat is because one of my favorite colors is green and I love plants. They make a home seem fresh. 

Just take a look for yourself!

Pear Terrarium

Glass Bird Vases

Zen Airplant Garden

Succulent Wreath

Living Ecosphere

Succulent Cube Set

I should mention that I was not paid to write this, although it would have been nice.

Which one is your favorite? Mine is the pear terrarium.

- ASH

Back in October was when I stopped writing. In the past four months many things have changed. Here’s a run down of what happened and what to look forward to in posts coming up.

1. A new name! I didn’t think that LPI was working for what I wanted to express and where I wanted this blog to go in the future. So I have given it a new name and new look. ASH Designs, will be what the blog will be called from now on and found here. And incase you are wondering, “ASH” is my initials.

2. I started knitting. Yaay! You read about my first knitting project and how I started the process.

3. I created a budget, space, and slightly eco friendly Christmas tree. Also, my friend and I discovered the joys of pin/sequins decors and wreath making.

4. The Hubster and I finally painted our bedroom. Most of the furniture is back in. It still needs some reorganizing prior to revealing it so hold on for this one.

5. I got my first bridesmaid dress! I need to make crinoline slip, which meant I needed a sewing machine. So I now am a proud owner of a sewing machine!

I can dream about it being one of those antiques right?

6. Before and after our wedding, we had one room dedicated to gifts that were being shipped and those we got on the wedding day. That room became a monster closet for boxes and was more commonly know as the “box room”. Being stuck at home for the weekend, due to the blizzard we had, I cleaned out the room and created a craft room for myself. It now houses all my craft supplies and my new sewing machine.

7. I’ve taken an old salwar suit that was ripped and created it in to a top. This was my first sewing project. I’m very pleased with the results.

And because seven is a lucky number and I would just keep rambling, that’s it for now, but be sure to come back and visit to see full posts on most things listed.

- ASH

I recently got married (3 months ago). Yaay! I also have a house that I can decorate. Yaay again! I haven’t had the chance to actually do anything with the house, but the time has come. Over a few posts I am going to record my design and implementation process on the master bedroom we share as a couple.

As we settle in together, I’m rearranging and redecorating. My first challenge will be our room. The room is 15′x13′ with a tray ceiling and 8′ walls. So what’s the problem right? Well, the way the room is laid out, I only have two walls that I can work with. The other two are full of doors to either the bathroom, hallway, or closets. Yup, that’s right, we are lucky to have two closets. (Naturally, I get the bigger one. )

I’ve had the house for a year and 6 months now and have had an Ikea Malm bed (black-brown color). I also had a dresser which was over flowing and just wasn’t cutting it anymore. It has been replaced with a Ikea Pax wardrobe, as of a few weeks ago!

                                                        (source & source)

I also wanted a storage bench so that I could sit next to a window and relax. I got the Ikea Effektiv Wall Unit that works out great for us.

(source)

So there you have it. That’s what we’ve accumulated so far. Next is painting. The color choices are hard to decide on. Stay tuned for the updates on our room!

- ASH