J. Paris Designs....it's officially almost official!

If you followed on my blog, then you know I want to do this thing, like for real.  I would love nothing more than to sell my stuff to people who can appreciate (and even if they can't, those who can pay) the quality, love, and labor that I put into each and every project I come up with.  I'm passionate about making my four years of college actually worth something (and proving to my dad that his money wasn't entirely wasted) by actually having a career in the field I studied in.  So, enough rambling, I started a semi-business.

Kudos and thanks to my excellent graphic designer Jon for creating such an incredibly stellar logo!!

It's a side-gig, something I do in the evenings and on the weekends.  I have sold some stuff and had some other stuff ordered.  It's coming in slowly, but it's actually kinda working!  I got business cards printed up and plan on giving them out like candy.  I can't quit my day job yet (sad face), but it keeps me sane since I sit behind a computer all day at work.

Anyways, check out my facebook page at www.facebook.com/jparisdesigns and keep your fingers crossed for me, ok??

Until next time...... :)

Studio Space!!

So let's talk about how great my boyfriend Dan is??  Not only does he fully support my eccentric style and my tendency to fill up his garage, back porch, breezeway, and basement with my latest treasures, he has now allowed me to move into his basement!!  I know, I know, you're thinking "the basement??!" but hear me out.....it's for studio space!!

J. Paris Designs has become my new business venture.

I get full reign of a section of the basement the realtor had affectionatly listed as the "finished" basement.

Homey, right??

Dan had been using it as storage space, but when I started using a stapler in his driveway to work on my projects, I think he got a little worried about his tires and suggested I move things downstairs.  He cleared things out and built me....

....a really awesome custom 4x4' rolling work table!

and...

...a 7' long counter perfect for sewing, crafting, working, sleeping, etc.

It's still a work in progress, but I plan to have it finished up in the next week or two.

The funny part?? Dan actually thinks that this is going to eliminate my need for his garage, porch, patio, etc.....silly boy ;)

Love you & THANKS!!!!



Grandma Goes Modern

A friend of mine (we'll call her Maggie...because that's her name) had a cute little chair and matching ottoman that was her grandmother's.  When she showed it to me in all its flowery splendor, I fell in love with it instantly!  It was like a tiny version of a grown-up chair (seriously, it only came up to my waist).  It was old and the fabric was threadbare, faded, and ripped just by looking at it.  But it was solid and the cushions were decent....in other words, it needed my help.

So I stripped it!

Who even knew it had legs under that ruffle??

Ideally, I had hoped the fabric would come off in sections so that I could measure and label and determine how it all went back together.  Unfortunately, the old fabric was so threadbare that it literally ripped off...so much for measuring!!

I added some extra cush to the cushion just to fill it out more.  I think I used approx. a box and a half of staples just on this one project! (definitely caused me to seriously consider purchasing an air compressed stapler in the very near future).

So here she sits, matching ottoman and all.  I was lucky that I told Maggie to add a couple extra yards to her fabric order when she picked it out.  I used every last bit of 10 yards!! I swear I didn't waste any or mess up either...it just really takes that much!

Sexy backside

*Note my pretty little pleating on the arms :)

Overall, it was a successful venture for me and the chair.  And Maggie was an excellent client who was very generous.  I look forward to many future furniture adventures with you!! :)

Thanks!!



Velvety Goodnessx2

Fabulous NEWS!!!  Turns out, people really like my stuff and want to buy it and give me money and stuff!! The gentleman who bought the chair from the post directly below this (see velvety goodness part 1) liked the chair so much he ordered another one!! Lucky for him, I had a match!!

I only had enough of the previous fabric for one chair, but I promised him something that was complimentary with similar style, color, and pattern.  I think the two are a fair match.

In fact, he liked the new fabric so much, he ordered four throw pillows for the sofa in the same room.  Excellent!!

Velvety Goodness...or not

One day Dan (my wonderful boyfriend) called me and said "A man at work is clearing out his father's house and has some furniture he wants to get rid of.  Any chance you want any of it?"  My reply?? "Um, YEA! I'll take it all!!" 

Most of the pieces were extremely large and heavy and bulky and would take a century to fix up, but these chairs were among the pile of loot.

Not quite sure why there was only 2, but I figured I would make each one as cute as I could.  The crushed velvet really wasn't working for me!

One down, one to go.

At first, my thought was bright teal paint and super cute floral fabric!!
My second thought was, how the heck are ya gonna sell a bright teal chair??

My third thought sided with my first thought and I debated for quite awhile.

I compromised and decided one would be wild and one would be classic.

I bought really pretty (really expensive) ruffle trim at Joann's and glued that along the edges to finish it off.  Very elegant ;)

 

I know it's only one chair instead of a set, but I look at it as a one-of-a-kind chair.  You won't find another one like it anywhere, and it can hold it's own in any room without looking out of place or lonely.

Stay tuned for the sequel on numero dos....

Pretty In Pink

If you've been following along this whole time, you might remember a post a couple months back about my "chair-ity" work I bombarded myself with.  Well, most of the 8 chairs I had stockpiled have been finished.  Except for one....

You probably laughed at me when I said not to worry, it would look pretty someday, I promise.

Well, it went from this...

...to this...

...to THIS!!

See, I told you it would look pretty!!

So, how'd I do it??

After having ripped the entire thing apart, I let it sit in the basement for 3 months while I let ideas marinate in my head (read: I had no idea what to do).

I left myself with a barebones chair and no clue where to even begin.

Finally, I started to clear out old projects that were taking up space, and I had an epiphany about this one.  After painting it raspberry pink :) I built 3 individual padded panels for the back of the chair where the holes were.  I nailed them into place and added trim all around the edges.  I covered the springs with backing material and bought a new cushion that I cut to size.  Then i wrapped the material over the cushion and stapled along the edge and then added more trim to hide all the staples. 

Of course, pink isn't for everyone, but black just seemed too obvious a choice for this fabric that I really loved.  So pink it is!  I envision it in a little girl's room or as a cozy corner chair in a cute little eclectic apartment (like mine!).

Nighty Nightstand

I blogged about this a few posts back.  Perfect as a night stand, just needed some love....

(pre-love)

(post-love)

I had stripped it and it just wasn't coming clean.  So painting it was my only option.  I had intended to go with a green color similar to the one it started out as.  But I realized there was plenty of brown paint leftover from the accent wall in the bedroom it would be going in.  BINGO! It meant I didn't have to buy more paint and it was sure to match in the room.  The plain paint didn't seem to do it by itself.  So I added some stain overtop (dabbed it on with a rag) and it turned out looking a lot like leather.

And to top it off.........

I found it a brother!!!

While visiting in New York last week, it was sitting out by the road and I scooped it up.  It didn't have drawers, but I plan to just put shelves in the slots instead.  It's weird how, 2 states away, I found an almost perfect match for it!  Super excited to get started on this one!!