Ikea

Back in June, Hubby was visiting his family in the states and I was here at home with Little Miss...His parents were going to be driving him home and coming for a visit...SO....I half jokingly say to him that now would be a good time to get that Ikea couch and chair we had been talking about since we'll need more seating...especially if we watch a movie downstairs!!  So what was his response??? 'Go for it.'  No need to tell me twice!

So I instantly jumped online and got all the info of the ones I wanted and gave them a call to have it delivered!  I then found out that ordering over the phone takes 1-2 weeks and the print I wanted was out of stock and may not get anymore...grrrrrr (it seems that every time I finally go to get something there, it isn't in stock!!) So...about 40mins later, I packed up Little Miss and we were off to Ikea!!

We arrived and made our way through the showroom to finalize our order and then it was off to the ordering desk!! The shipment would arrive the next day around dinner time!  Woo, hoo!!

Little Miss and I organized to have the old couch taken downstairs and cleaned up the living room to have it ready for the new arrivals!

Now, some of you may not know this, but Ikea furniture (even the couches and chairs) are a 'put it together yourself' kinda thing...I was a little intimidated when I saw the huge boxes arrive...I looked at the instructions and wondered what I had gotten myself into!

Little Miss helped me open and empty the boxes and away I went at putting it together! The sofa all came neatly packed in this ginormous box, there really wasn't that many pieces either.

You can see the seat and back rest area...the 2 holes on either side are where the bolts for the armrests/sides go into and hold it in place...the instructions actually say that to stay happy, 2 people should put it together...well it was just me!
It really wasn't that hard, but the most challenging part for me was, to tip the sofa forward to attach the nuts afterwards to hold it in place...it was kinda top heavy...and the instructions also say to do it on a carpet or soft surface...yes, I would agree to that...I have a few scratches in my hardwood flooring now!  :(

The slipcover is on and I'm putting the covers on the cushions!

The finished result!! YEAH!! I liked these cushions (still do) but they don't go with my coastal theme, so I took them back :(

The next day, Little Miss and I put the matching chair together...

 This box was a little smaller, but still neatly packed like the sofa.

It was just as easy to put together as the sofa...just one small challenge...remember those 2 holes for the armrest bolts to go into? Welllllll...one of those holes was NOT drilled!!??  I got on the phone and called the store...there response to my emergency dilemma? I could drive back to the store and they could replace the one part that was damaged.  What??!!  I had company arriving in 3 hours! I didn't have time to drive 40mins up there...deal with it...and 40mins back!!??  Come on!!!

So...thank goodness for my favourite woodworking teacher from high school (Mr. Yeo) and the skills I gained from his classes!!  I went downstairs to hubby's workroom, grabbed the drill, bits and measuring tape.  I seriously measured about 5 times where the hole should be drilled, measured the other holes to see if it seemed right, grabbed the drill, said a prayer and started drilling!!  I drilled nice and slow and also prayed that I didn't drill through to my hardwood floor!  I grabbed the armrest, lined it up, held my breath and pushed it in...it went in!! Woo, hoo!!  Little Miss jumped for joy that it had gone well and we finished putting it together.

Little Miss even helped finish off the feet ( I later bought the huge felt circles for the bottoms at Dollarama that fit perfectly!)

Ta Da!

So when it all comes down to it, am I happy with my white slip covered Ikea purchases?? YES!  I know some may gasp when they read 'white'??!! But they have been easy to take care of, I haven't even washed them yet! They have been here for 2 months now...could they be washed? Sure, there are a few marks on them, but we have created some rules for the living room anyway...snacks at the table, drawing on the table, no wet clothes on the furniture etc., all reasonable rules for furniture anyway.

So what are you waiting for?? Go ahead, get that piece you have been wanting!! Enjoy it!!

Garage Sale Transformation!

A few years ago my Father in law offered me this old desk that he had gotten from the College he works at, because he knows I like to paint furniture white!  Now, he is a carpenter (an awesome one too) and I'm sure he cringes each time I light up when I talk about 'painting' something. Anyway,  last fall when he came for a visit, he brought up the old desk for me!!!

So...now I had this desk, but no chair to sit on! One Saturday last fall while garage sailing, I came across this chair for 50cents!! It was pretty plain looking, simple lines and tatty old material on it. For 50cents, it was perfect!!

I found some pretty material in the colours that I wanted my 'office' to look like (the pretty pinks and greens that Lilly Pulitzer are famous for) and got busy sanding! Taking the old material off the seat was easy, some of those staples were really in there, bought a new piece of foam at Walmart for under $10 and used some primer and white paint that was left over from the bedrooms.

I used the old foam to trace around on the new foam and then some sharp scissors to cut it out...I also used the old material to trace onto the new material and left some extra room, as my new foam was thicker than the old one.

After the chair sanded, primed and painted, I worked on cutting out the foam and material...I quickly searched the web for recovering a seat ( I think I might have looked at a Martha Stewart one) and then got out the trusty staple gun!

I will not lie, it did not happen perfectly the first time! I had to pull numerous staples out to make sure the material wasn't puckering in places or stretching more on one side than the other...I even enlisted Hubby to help me a few times to staple while I held the material in place. I am new to the whole reupholstering thing, but I guess you learn as you go!  It was actually fun working with him....he was a very good listener!  Ha, ha

I was so excited to put the seat on the painted chair and add it to the desk...but my Mom reminded me, if Little Miss was going to be 'crafting' there at all, I would be wise to Scotchgard the seat first!!  Mother's are always right. ;D

So I sprayed the seat and left it to dry in my laundry room over night. The next morning I screwed the seat back on and ..... VOILA!!  My 50cent chair had been transformed!!

I will show you the desk soon!

I found this little saying on another blog that I follow and I thought it was so...awesome, that I had to share it too!!