Celebrating Fall

October 3, 2013 Sherri Rice

I have always loved fall! I love sweaters, hot drinks (I picked up a stash of pumpkin spice coffee this week :) ), colored leaves, and the crisp air. I don't think it will quite feel like fall here until the weekend, but it's October now (and Canadian Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away!), so I got out a few fallish things to decorate with. Enjoy!

(She was posing :) )

(Pumpkins courtesy of my youngest who needed an art project a few days ago :) )

What do you like best about fall?

Sherri

Friday Five

September 27, 2013 Sherri Rice

Well, hello again! It looks like it has been a couple of weeks (!) since I have posted, so it's time for a Friday Five, or something... I've been keeping busy, so here are a few peeks ;)

1. My new sewing space went from this...

... to this!

Well, that's an "in process" picture, but you can get the idea. And I am loving it - it's bright and clean and easy to work in (and the new color is Benjamin Moore Ivory White). The best part? It was a family affair...

Complete room tour to come (and, yes, the boys will still have a place to play) ...

2. I have been doing a little of this...

...and this...

(comes with rearranging several rooms in the house at the same time)

3. This made it's way into my new office space...

4. I got this project finished and delivered...

(and I'm a little excited because I haven't had my coffee yet, but I was able to figure out how to make this collage!)

5. And last but not least, I got this beauty! If you follow me on Facebook, you will have already seen her (yes, I decided in this house of boys, I need as much girl power as I can get!), but I am still working on finding a name for her - ideas?

My next slipcover project is underway (white with pleats and piping) - I am thankful to be busy :)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

Testing Screen Door

September 13, 2013 Sherri Rice

I visited this new shop last week. It's just off the Denton Square...

So much farmhouse goodness! I did come home with this...

It's a chalk-based paint, so I was excited to try it out. Lots of delicious colors to choose from, but in anticipation of using this color on a piece for my reworked office space, I chose Screen Door.

I couldn't wait to try it out, so I grabbed this table from behind our couch. As with other chalk-based paint, this requires no prep (well, except a much needed dusting!).

I did two coats, distressed it lightly, and finished with clear wax from Miss Mustard Seed (I would definitely recommend a top coat of some kind - the wax worked well).

The verdict? This paint is easy to use, especially because you don't have to worry about prepping your piece. The color turned out a little bolder than I anticipated (it was very difficult to capture here), but it is a pretty color and I think it will work well on the piece for my office.

So, if you need a relatively quick update for a piece of furniture, give a chalk-based paint a try!

What needs an update at your house?

Sherri

Upscale Shabby Chic

September 6, 2013 Sherri Rice

Happy Friday! I am settled comfortably on the couch with a wonderful cup of fresh-ground coffee. The sun is shining in and the work can wait, because I finally have a new slipcover project to share with you!

This felt like a large project, mostly because it took a lot of space in my sewing space :) It was hard to get good pictures! In any case, here we go...

My client loved this chair, well, chair-and-a-half - it's large! But it was time to refresh it with a new look. It took some time to settle on the right fabric - she went with a poly/cotton tapestry-style rose-printed fabric (it was almost the weight and texture of a matelasse). "Upscale shabby chic" was the desired effect. So this is how it came out...

When she picked it up, she declared that her English grandmother would have loved it. Mission accomplished? I think so :)

Love the roll arms!

And a back corner zipper closure.

The ottoman has a secret...

I wanted to make sure that the ottoman cover stayed in place through daily use. So, I added these pieces on each of the long sides. They velcro to the underside of the ottoman and secretly hold the cover in place ;)

And, then we had to make sure the fabric would stand up to daily snuggles with the dogs, so we added "toppers" out of cotton duck..

It was difficult to capture the color correctly - it's hard to see, but it actually exactly matches one of the colors in the rose fabric and blends with other colors in the client's room. The ottoman topper just slips over the slipcover. The cushion cover is banded all the way around and has an additional piece that runs underneath the "wings" of the t-cushion. Ribbons hold the cover on (they are tied under the cushion).

And, there you have it... upscale shabby chic!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sherri

A Celebration

September 2, 2013 Sherri Rice

I hope you have had a chance to enjoy this Labor Day weekend! I spent some time "laboring" today, but I am also celebrating - August Blues Slipcover Studio has been in business for 2 years!

One never knows for sure when going into business for yourself how exactly things will go. But I can say, God has been good and I am so happy to be doing what I am doing! In my first blog post (ever!) 8 months ago I wrote about Growth. I can can certainly see that growth has been happening - projects have been coming in more steadily, I am getting referrals, I can upgrade my equipment, I am re-thinking my workspace to make it "work" better, and my waitlist is telling me I am booked through to Christmas!

August Blues - Parson's chair in dropcloth

So, on this day I send out my deep thanks to my amazing customers (especially to Tonya Adam of When Pigs Fly, who took a chance and was my first customer - see her Parson's chairs above), to the Professor for letting me fly with this dream, my boys for putting up with the chaos and "Mom needs some work time," to friends in real life who have provided encouragement, and to friends and followers of this blog and on Facebook who have spread the word. And mostly, I thank God who blessed me with these skills and the opportunity to put them to use - it's truly a gift!

Happy Labor Day!

Sherri

Friday!

August 30, 2013 Sherri Rice

Just popping in to say that I'm still here :) It's been a busy week, getting back into our school routine...

...and sewing as much as possible. Oh, and dreaming of a little rearranging to carve out a bigger sewing area and desk/computer space (I found a desk on Craigslist this week - I can't wait to get the space set up!) ;)

Have a great long weekend!

Sherri

Friday Five

August 16, 2013 Sherri Rice

Hi! I can't believe it's the middle of August already! 10 days until the boys go back to school and regular routine can resume - can I get an "Amen" to that?? Thankfully, this morning the boys are happily playing (and hopefully they are sufficiently motivated by the possibility of Beth Marie's ice cream this afternoon to continue!), so it's time for another Friday Five...

1. Heavy on my mind is my cousin who is having brain surgery in Montreal this morning - praying for her and her family and the surgeons!

Update: her surgery went well; now praying for a speedy recovery.

2. I have been working on this project this week. It's definitely more difficult to get things done with both boys at home (especially since D does not really like the sounds of the sewing machine!), but it's coming along...

3. Speaking of sewing machines, I am seriously thinking of upgrading my machine to an industrial walking foot machine - any advice??

4. Yesterday, the Professor took D for a car ride and D brought these in when they got home - he picked them out and I would say he has pretty good taste in flowers :) Aren't they pretty?

August Blues - Rose Bouquet

5. This arrived for D the other day - so excited!!!

You can read more about the Snug Vest here. I was excited when I found out about it; then we entered a contest to win one. We didn't win, but were offered a vest at half price. Friends had offered to help us to get one for him, so we did a Go Fund Me campaign and, MANY thanks to generous friends and family, were able to get one! Now to get him to try it long enough to feel the benefits :P

So, how are you spending these last few days of summer (here in Texas we will have summer for awhile yet...)? Are you starting to think of fall?

Happy weekend!

Sherri

Vacation 2013

August 6, 2013 Sherri Rice

Hello, friends! Well, I'm back after...

23 days, 2 adults, 2 boys, 2 dogs, 1 vehicle, 4000 miles, 11 states, 2 provinces...

... almost 4GBs of pictures, 3 birthday parties, 1 funeral, 2 random TV interviews, 1 6-hour catch-up conversation over coffee and the most amazing double chocolate cake you will ever have...

... 1 loose tooth, 1 doctor visit (not related to the tooth), 1 vet visit, an unknown number of Timbits (not related to the vet visit), 2 1/2 thought-provoking books, 7 hotel rooms...

... 1 epic summer vacation!

And, now I am getting ready to get back to work - my next project arrives tomorrow!

How has your summer been?

Sherri

Welcome to August Blues - I'm so glad
you're here! August Blues Slipcover Studio strives to enable your home to better serve its purpose, by providing you with quality custom slipcovers that enhance the appearance and functionality of your furniture pieces. Established in 2011 and located in Denton, TX...Read More

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