Fun Look Back at the Upholstered Couch

When going through thousands of old photos, one thing stood out...the couch always seemed to be the center of family and friend gatherings. So I thought it would be fun to look at it's many "looks".
This picture below is from the 50's or early 60's...not sure...Oma and a friend having a fun laugh on what I think was the original upholstery on the couch. Also notice that is the same coffee table we are using in front of it today!

 Next is the 60's...this is the couch in it's newly upholstered gold pattern. Oma, her mother, and her brother.

 Below is a few years later with my mother, her grandmother, her aunt and cousin. Something was really exciting just off camera apparently.

 Now we have moved to the 70's (why were all of the pictures orange then?). A Christmas where mom looks thrilled to receive a fishing rod...and Opa trying hard not to put in his two cents I assume. What is also funny about this pic: The lamp and side table...the same ones we are using with the couch today. Ha!

 We have now entered the 80's...that's me playing in front of the couch in it's new floral upholstery. Aren't those throw pillows fabulous? Ha.

 More of the 80's, but this time it's my brother...it's like you weren't part of the family until you had your picture taken in front of the couch or something.

 More 80's...but this is another picture of...yes...the same lamp and side table!

 And now we are into the 90's, in the current house. The previous pics were all from their house in Jackson, MS. This is once again a Christmas gathering...my brother, mom, her cousin, my aunt, my cousin (who's bridal shower you might have seen here), and me.

 So this is where she sits today...I can't wait to see the next round of pictures that come from her latest incarnation!

 We will just have to wait and see...

DIY Jewelry/Handbag/Scarf Hanger

Opa was a collector of anything that you could think of that would fit in a giant work shop. And so it has been fun to see what little treasures he held on to. When I found a collection of old knobs that I assume he had rescued from old pieces of furniture, I couldn't wait to use them. I had an idea, so I went back to the work shop (behind the house) to look for some scrap wood. I found this, which I think is part of an old cabinet door.

 I measured out equal distances and then drilled holes where I had marked. I made sure to use a drill-bit that matched the screws that were on the back of the knobs so that they would fit easily through the wood.

 Here is how my holes looked after drilling.

 This is the view from the back...testing out my screws.

 This is the collection of knobs that I decided to use. I thought a bunch of different ones together would be fun. If you didn't have any on-hand, Hobby Lobby and Anthropologie both have a good (but not free) selection.

 Then I used more of "old faithful", the same paint used on the rocker and the dresser. I did a really dry and rough coat to give it a more rustic feel.

 Then I just screwed my knobs back through and that was that! A hanger for whatever you may need to hang.

 I also attached some hanging teeth to the back (I am awful at this, they are crooked, but no one sees that part). You can also see how the screws look from the back.

 I love the unique knobs...I wish Opa was around to tell me their stories. I can guarantee he would remember.

Rocking chair re-do

The rocker in the den has been around for, well, no one is really sure. But it definitely needed some TLC...here it is to the right of my brother and my grandmother, apparently dressed as some version of a soldier from the War of Independence? Who knows...just a guess. She was always a good sport. Regardless, this was very early 90's.

 And here it was last week. Notice the changes? Right, because there aren't any. It looks exactly the same!

First I took off the cushions. I decided to ditch the droopy back cushion but kept the bottom one and re-covered it. Then I painted it with some left over paint from this dresser project.

 I then measured the ruffle and made a new one by using the old one as a pattern. I safety pinned it to the cushion in a few places to keep it in place.

Hopefully this picture makes more sense. This was fabric that I already had on-hand. Then I sanded the paint down around the edges when dry.

 I also used one of my grandmother's old pillow forms and sewed an accent pillow in place of the back cushion with some fabric that I had on-hand. It definitely got a nice update!

Hopefully Oma would approve.