You may have noticed a trend in the past 10 years.  It seems that anything your granny did is now becoming cool.  It started with the knitting craze and then crocheting and now we are seeing needlepoint all over the place.  I am not one to be above trends.  In fact, at the beginning of the year I made a very motivated trip to Hobby Lobby and got all the supplies that one would need to pose as a true needlepoint-er.  Sadly, that bag is currently under my bed as we speak.  I had good intentions…plus I figured, “why should I do all of this extra work when there is an abundance of  perfectly good (better) needlework to be found at estate sales, vintage shops, Goodwill, or on the internet”.  With the rediscovery of this art, we have noticed a bit of an increase in re-upholstery projects involving needlepoint.  I really like this idea.

When I used to think of needle point and upholstery, the image of a formal chair with mauve roses came to mind.  Similar to this…

Not that there is anything wrong with this but, I have since realized that there is a way to have a little more fun with needlework.  Picture back chairs are the perfect vehicle to frame a funky retro wall hanging or even to use to make unique pillows.  I am sure that there are endless ways to re-use vintage needlework but for now, check out some of these fun finds.

I hope that you are inspired to search for fun needlework.  Beware…it can be quite addicting!

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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!

Current Issue of Austin Monthly.

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…

Spruce girls at Red Method.

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

Have you ever heard of a Canadian tuxedo?…No?  Well neither had I until Meredith enlightened me.  For those of you who are uninformed, a Canadian tuxedo is when one wears denim on denim or a “denim sandwich”.  Typically these are known as a fashion faux paus but Clar has been known to rock this ensemble from time to time.  She too was unaware of its clever name.  Luckily, Clar is just so adorable that she can make denim on denim cool.  Take a look at our photoshoot from this past Wednesday.

I don’t know about you guys, but I am about to start breaking out my denim!

It’s time for another installment of BYOC recap!  After a brief hiatus from classes, Clar and I were happy to welcome a new group of eager upholstery enthusiasts into our class room.  We had a variety of styles of chairs to work with and they all turned out beautifully.  Take a look at the before and after….and everything in between.

If you would like to participate in the fun you see, check out the different classes we offer.  I promise you’ll have fun!

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.

My, how dry!

Wax on, wax off!

Parched.

Refreshed!

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!