Last month we finished up our beautiful boudoir. Now we take on the office! Spruce’s May Upholstery Basics post is live on Design Sponge, go check out here  how to build from scratch your very own room divider!

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Another set of benches come to life! We have a rash of classes this month and had a fantastic time with the ladies in our “Build Your Own” Bench Class! We had some fun variations this time around as well. One of our students provided her own hairpin legs, giving the bench a new and different look, LOVE IT! This is a great reminder that you are more than welcome to customize your bench if you like. Just let us know and we can adjust the structure if possible. Take a look at how everything came together and drool over Katherine’s buttermilk pie. To die for!

Can’t wait for another round of redesigned chairs this coming week!

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We are so pleased to toot our horn about being included in the current issue of Austin Monthly Magazine! We are listed as number 5 in the article, “112 Fun Things to Do in the Summer.” HOT DOG! Awesome sauce! We hope you’ll include us in your to-do list for summer and take a class, by golly!

 

In other news,  we were recently asked to participate in a grassroots campaign featuring local craftspeople, artisans, and business owners by our neighbors – tech/media software development gurus Red Method. Sprucettes and our class-goers were featured in a video to promote hand-made, American-made efforts. You can check out the video below:

Isn’t that special?!! You can see more footage of Austin locals by visiting the Red Method site here. Great mission from those folks: they are using current technology via apps to urge and enable us to buy local, create domestically, and pay it forward to ourselves and our neighbors. Great job Red Method! Thanks for thinking of us here at Spruce! We’re pleased to be included. Here’s a pic from the event…

That’s that for now. Come on by the shop and reupholster local! We appreciate your support always.

 

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I don’t know why we haven’t mentioned it before, but we hold a couple products near and dear to our hearts here at Spruce. We use them daily to give new life to the most beat-up and dehydrated wood frames and tables that we encounter. Here they are folks:

Howard Products: Restor-A-Finish:

If you have a bunged-up stained wood frame with paint marks, dry patches, nicks, scratches, heat marks, water marks, etc., this is the product for you truly. We start with a super fine sandpaper and rub away all the paint marks left over the years on the wood frame. Sand away the paint as lightly as you can; no need to further mar the surface with a heavy hand. Douse a rag with any color of Restor-A-Finish that applies to your furniture (they offer Neutral, to Golden Oak, on to darkest Ebony) and saturate into the wood. Doesn’t hurt to use a good amount of product. Be liberal with your application. There should be a good juicy shine to the wood. Then wipe off with dry cloth or paper towel. The darker the finish you use, the more color it will leave, so be sure to remove excess Restor-A-Finish where it may come into contact with clothing or upholstery. This stuff works miracles! Check out this wood-framed wing chair that is getting the treatment.

The Natchez Solution:

Here is a wonderful, natural, very green furniture re-hydrator. This product is geared for untreated and unsealed wood furnishings and objects. Made from beeswax, mineral oil, and lemon oil, Natchez smells great and does wonders to refresh the driest of wood bones.

A tip I’ve seen on both our supplier’s sites is the use of fine steel wool to apply the product. For both, apply the compound directly to fine steel wool and lightly sand and wet the surface of the furniture simultaneously.  Always rub dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.

We are an official dealer of both products. They are at a super-affordable price of $10 to $15 dollars a pop. Both run circles around “Pledge”.  Come and get it all at Spruce – you won’t be disappointed!

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Recently many of our showroom pieces have found new homes.  With so many spaces to fill in our shop we have been busy cranking out some new retail.  I personally really enjoy working on retail pieces.  I think it may have something to do with the stretch of time we spend with it.  Typically we acquire a piece of furniture in some manor.  Its condition is usually unfortunate.  It usually hops in the queue (which is in one of our two sheds) with all the other pieces waiting to be picked for a makeover.  When its number is finally called we get to use our creativity by picking fun and unexpected fabric choices.  Eventually our creation makes its way to the showroom.  When the day finally comes its rightful owner takes it home it’s like sending your kid off to college (okay…probably not but you get where I’m going with this, right?)  Take a look at some of our new creations.

Before…

After!

I love this fabric…and so does everyone else at the shop.  As a matter of fact, Clar just had a chair of hers upholstered with this stripe and Meredith and I have plans for using it in our homes too.  The frame of the settee is great also.  It has a slight mid century feel yet is still current.  It is  a flexible piece that  can be incorporated easily into many interiors.

You may have noticed the electric pillows that are perched on this settee.  A photo cannot do this fabric justice.  This nontraditional floral is by Isaac Mizrahi (super chintz- citrus).  These pillows can add a punch to any sofa.  I have plans to use this fabric on a lampshade!

Before…

After!

We picked up these Parsons-style slipper chairs from our dear neighbors at Corner Collectors Market.  These chairs went from frumpy to vibrant.  We chose a cotton blend velvet in Cobalt by Fabricut.  To say that these chairs are comfy would be an understatement.  If you would like to meet this pair in person you can find them at Mercury in downtown Austin.

Before…

After!

You may have seen this ottoman before.  It made its debut on Amanda’s monthly Design Sponge post.  It once was a boring coffee table but now is a standout piece.  The fabric is by Lulu DK (chant reverse- royal).

Lastly, we have a new pair of lamps with custom shades.  The classic shape and neutral color affords endless scenarios for these lamps.

Amongst all of these wonderful additions, we also have some new wood pieces by a local craftsman as well as some lampshades made with custom fabric on the way.

Help find our babies a new home and come by the shop. OR check us out on Etsy!

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