I’ve always considered myself to be a do it yourself-er.  I find little to be more gratifying than being able to say, “Yep. I did that myself.”   I was super eager when Amanda asked me to be the proverbial guinea pig and test out the new DVD.  I was perfectly qualified for this task in the sense that I have zero experience in upholstery, besides stripping furniture.  The rules were simple; upholster a wrap around chair without asking Amanda, Clar, or Frank for any help.  I had to pretend that I didn’t have expert upholsterers within arm’s reach of me and rely solely on the DVD.  Simple enough, right?

I brought an old run down desk chair from home (Louisiana) that my sister acquired for free when purchasing an antique desk.  The chair was in rough shape.  White paint splattered on the wood, ripped upholstery, and just overall a little run down.  Despite its flaws, I’ve always thought it had such potential.  I love the dark stain, the beautiful grain of the wood, the unique curved back, and its charming brass tips.

Some of you may think that my critique of this DVD might be a little biased, seeing as I work for the person who created the video.  Rest assured that the DVD is so incredibly good, I don’t even have to lie about it.  Really, it’s true!

Let’s Begin.

The DVD begins, and I am instantly inspired and enthused from the montage of Amanda reupholstering various pieces.  One of my favorite aspects about this DVD is the “Getting Started” option on the title menu.  I love how clear it is about what tools you need and the little definitions it gives you.  Seriously, it’s such a simple concept, but I feel like it is so useful to people who have never seen most of these tools before.  So far, this DVD is a HUGE upgrade to the other outdated and dull options out there.

My chair didn’t fit entirely into one category of “wrap around and picture back” or “tight seat and tight back”.  The seat of my chair was a wrap around seat and the back was more of a tight back.  I was happy that my chair wasn’t exactly like either of the examples because it forced me to really apply what I learned.  To make this experiment more authentic, I brought all the tools home to my little apartment.  I watched the “Redesign 1” section once all the way through and then began on my seat.  I’ll admit that I was a little cocky and thought to myself, “Do I really need a DVD to tell me how to do a simple seat?”  Well, I did.  Even though the difficulty level was low for this wrap around seat, I was quite impressed with how many really clever tips I learned that I never knew about before, such as sub stapling, pleating corners and curves, and sewing welt cord.

The back of my chair was a little tricky because only the inside back needed to be upholstered.  I used some of the information from the “Redesign 2” section to help me tackle the inside back.  This DVD is so efficient with very clearly explaining and demonstrating how to correctly perform each instruction that I dare to find someone who couldn’t complete one of these chairs.  The journal that comes with the DVD has a section devoted to showing the other types of furniture that one should be able to complete applying the skills that they learned from this specific DVD…brilliant.

So, I say to you, if you have ever had the desire to reupholster something but feared that you would not be able to execute it properly….well, fear no more.  Get this DVD and let your inner Sprucette (or Sprucer) shine!

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As many of you know, I teamed up with Chris Hatcher (who produced our TV Pilot) at the beginning of the year to begin work on Spruce’s first upholstery DVD. For years, we’ve been fielding calls from people all over the world looking for ways and places to learn how to upholster. Well, we listened, and the solution we came up with was for Spruce to come to you! Take a look:

Every video comes with a downloadable journal I put together to help guide you through the steps, and I’ve even set up a new section on the website, “DVD and DIY“, for upholstery enthusiasts to find tool kits and a forum where one can log in and discuss upholstery techniques and ask questions.

There are some people, I’d like to credit for their hard work:

Chris Hatcher, my talented partner in crime. Thank you for hundreds of hours spent producing, editing and perfecting this video! I’m amazed!

Dean Schanbaum, First Take Media Director. Thank you for all of your hard work, including managing the transportation and operation of truckloads of camera equipment, turning our shop into a filming studio, and having the patience to watch me do upholstery for dozens of hours.

Gerren Lamson, cover designer. What a wonderful case you created. It’s exactly what we hoped it would be!

Mel Ferro Cole, photographer. I am delighted with the photography, and thank you for creating such a flattering image of me and Spruce!

“Thank you!” to all of you who ordered your copies early. They’re on their way!

Stay tuned for a review of the video later this week by our very own, Katherine Baronet!

Click HERE to order your copy!

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We are pleased to share some more before and afters with you! One in particular (last in post) is a humdinger. If any of you remember that crazy television show “The Swan”, it was much the same for this sofa and chair. Just you wait…

Pictured above is a classic chair that was made swingin’ again with some S. Harris “Hoopla” cut velvet fabric. Ooooh…Ahhhhh!

A  group of two chairs and a cute ottoman was revamped with a sweet Thomas Paul for Duralee bird print in cream and yellow. These family heirlooms are ready for the next generation!

This antique settee was transported into the present with the great “Mikonos” print in grey and white from The Design Connection. Clean and classy.

Next is a sweet little chair that was so retro; it really could still live in that land in such a cool way! Certainly now it relates to more updated and transitional interiors. Sometimes a fabric comes alive when it is wrapped around the furniture frame; such was the case here. Cool, cool piece! Great job! Fabric is “Dumbell” from Robert Allen.

And here it comes…wait for it…

The last makeover we’ve been saving in our hip pocket for awhile. Our lovely mail carrier Ms. Dixon had a doozy of a project for us; her mother’s furniture had been stored and was beyond weather-worn and water damaged. When the chair was stripped, it went to the finisher in a box! Together we took on the challenge and alas, Humpty Dumpty was put back together again. Upholstered in a loop velvet, the chair and sofa did a complete 180! Fabric is Duralee‘s # 36089 in pear. Wow. Unbelievable.

Feast your eyes on these transformations! We’ll help you with your projects big and small – give us a call!

 

 

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Our first musical number from the balcony in our…. NEW SPACE!!

Surprise! Spruce is moving, but don’t worry, we’re going right next door. A few months ago when Rick’s Auto Repair moved out, we were drooling over the possibilities of 6611. For a while, we’ve been feeling the growing pains at our current space, especially in the workshop area. The new space has 2 offices (which means Amanda won’t have to take phone calls in the bathroom anymore!) and a MUCH bigger production space, as well as parking and an entrance in the back that fronts Brentwood. We’re still a few months away from officially moving, but in the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated with our ideas and progress.

One of the many exciting things about moving into our new space is that we get to design it! We have all been talking for months about the possibilities. One of the spaces that we have started to brainstorm is our new break room! If you have come into Spruce before, you know that there really is no place to sit and relax or even grab a quick bite for the Sprucettes. Also, Amanda and I have been hoping to some day have a space where we can have private meetings with our clients off the floor for design consultations. Well, Christmas came early and we got all those things! Now the task is to take this blank canvas and design a cohesive space that represents who we are at Spruce. Check out the break room as it is now.

Here are a few things that we will need to use in our design:
1. Furniture – This table we got for free (booyah!) and the chairs were a steal. All they need is a little elbow grease and TLC.
2. Rug – This was bought originally for Amanda’s office, and will now be moved into the break room. A great jumping off point for our design choices!
3. Wall Color – The first thing we did when moving into our new space was paint! We really love this gray tone and think it can work for many different designs.
4. Function – Much like the rest of the world, we are on a budget. So we  have to be creative with the choices we make to optimize the things that are costly and create the rest with as little as possible.

Beyond these things, the sky is the limit! After spending some time exploring our favorite fabrics, we have taken a stab at how we envision this space to look.

Here are a few of the things that were important in designing this room:
1. Color – Spruce would not be Spruce without vibrant COLORS! Each of the fabrics we chose incorporates multiple colors into the space, which we love, love, love.
2. Layering – Layering different textures and finishes is the key to a well-designed room. We put together a variety textures in our fabrics as well as the finishes of our wooden pieces.
3. Surprise – You have to push it! Just far enough to where your choices still make sense but are certainly not ordinary. By mixing a striking floral with ethnic elements (curtain fabric, rug, tan woven fabric) we can create something that is a bit more unexpected.

As I am sure you have found in your own home, things change! Your mood, aesthetic, or purpose for your space may take a different direction by the time you get to completing it. So for us, this is round one. I don’t foresee it changing much, but once it is all complete we will be sure to keep you posted.

And for those who are like me and say, “What is that FABRIC!?!” I have listed below all the patterns that were included in our design.

Clockwise from the top left – Brandon Mably “Fish Lips”, Schumacher “Zanzibar”, Robert Allen “Bennet”, Duralee 15090/23

What do you think!?! I am beyond excited and can’t wait to see this room all shiny and new.

Stay tuned for more posts about our new space!

 

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With all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is usually pretty rare that we get to hang out with each other, but alas, we made it happen.  We had a Spruce BBQ, and what a lovely evening it was.  After calling it a day a teeny bit early, we very excitedly started pulling out the food that we had been lusting over all day.  In addition to the Spruce crew, Frank brought his wife Waldina and his daughter Brigitte, and Amanda brought her hubby Keith.  Oh yeah, and Keith brought his very creepy friend Rescue Randy.  Randy is a rescue dummy that Keith uses at work.  Clar had the unfortunate role of unexpectedly discovering him in the back of Keith’s truck.  It was very entertaining for the rest of us…not so much for Clar.

Meredith pulled out the big guns with her grandmother’s yummy baked beans recipe. Keith and Amanda handled the perfectly grilled burgers. Clar provided buttery ears of corn, and I, well…I just made sure that everyone’s blood sugar was high offering the option of chocolate meringue pie or homemade apple pie a la mode.  After successfully stuffing our faces, we hung out telling tales of Swamp People and Rescue Randy until the sun went down and the mosquitoes chased us away.  A good time was had by all.  This cookout was especially delightful for me because I finally got to meet Amanda’s husband Keith and Frank’s wife and daughter, Waldina and Brigitte.  I’m ready to do it again!

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