“Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes." --Chinese Proverb

As long as you're not going to put your foot down, you may as well put it up on this vintage footstool that's covered in velvety faux fur and trimmed in a chenille print.

Speaking of feet, I'm convinced that the main purpose of having toes is so we can find furniture in the dark.

Can you ever go home again?

I went to my high school reunion over the weekend.

Yeah, I'm that brave.

Today I finished up a small project:  re-doing the cushions, pillows, and a footstool from my screen porch.  While attaching the stuffing to the footstool (which, btw, is really cute) I thought that what I do with upholstering vintage furniture is somewhat akin to the reunion I attended.

Yup, stuffing furniture is boring enough that it can lead to deep thought.

All of those present were older, many had held up to the test of time, and some had the creeks and scars that an old piece of furniture will show.  While still mostly upright, a few were in need of a bit of wax and polish.  Some came with a couple of loose screws as well as one or two whose springs had completely popped through the upholstery. 

 And then there's the padding---flattened in some areas, sagging in others---comfortable looking and cherished...

 or maybe just held in the attic for sentimental reasons.

And like a re-worked piece of furniture, when you step back and look at it all with a fresh eye, you can remember the small details that made you choose each other

--or not--

so you sigh and just

feel relieved that you managed to finish without stapling your hand to your head.

But always remember this:

"A good friend will bail you out of jail. 

A BEST friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun!'"

My childhood home, which actually looks better than what I remember.

"Neutral"? NOT! Even black and brown aren't always neutral...

Hey, they said to choose something that goes with everything.

So what's the problem?

I've never been one for florals, but I couldn't pass up this fabric.

I picked these chairs up at Goodwill and the blue vinyl became short-lived once I got them home.. 

There was a day that Ethan Allen was my go-to place.

Raising 3 daughters is no cheap date.

Painted and re-worked, these were actually my first full-blown upholstery jobs.

I sold them in one day. 

This baby is all down-stuffed.  I was sneezing for hours.  There must be a better way of filling down cushions than taking fist-fulls and trying to get them into a bag.  My dog thought that she'd died and gone to heaven and that heaven was a goose pond.

ICONIC 1950s

No, not me.  I'm talking about this stool.  It's a Kroehler vanity stool, and the only thing it's missing is it's vanity.  (I'm lucky I manage to put on some lip gloss let alone sitting in front of a vanity giving my really, really, short hair 100 strokes each day.)

We're talking the Dick Van Dyke show and Rob and Laura Pettrie's Danish Modern decor.  Only now it's called mid-century modern, or MCM.

Kroehler is one of the big names from the 50s and I was really happy to find this little gem in such great shape.