Dear Boys and Girls,

Thank you for the dream

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG - blue bedroom chair

There will eventually be a second part to this post

as this cute antique chair has a partner.

They were both painted using blue and white chalk paint.

The first thing I did was to remove the trim around the upholstery.

George actually did it while I was painting something else.

Every now and then he likes to help when he can.

I painted the frames in old white first,

then adding a coat of Provence (blue)

I sanded the blue Provence back to expose the old white and the original wood.

I also did a bit of washing with water to lighten and blend the colors,

before removing the velvet upholstery,

 A lot of the nails were removed but some were hammered in.

It all depended whether they would be in the way of the new staples and upholstery.

When I purchased these pieces I knew I was going to use a

white quilted coverlet I'd been keep for the right project.

I also had a handful of cording that I purchased recently

at a yard sale that would go perfectly with it.

Normally this cording I pulled out of the pile would be sewn into a seem

but when I held it up to the project I liked the way it looked.

I love how every aspect turned out especially the quilting against the layer of colors.

Old things do get creaky over time.

So some stiffening did have to be done to the frame with screws and glue.

I added new foam to make them soft and comfy.

The entire frame was waxed before the upholstering was started.

I used the edge of the coverlet to make the skirt around the chair.

I prefer the look of the skirt on the outside of the legs,

It's like she is showing us a little sexy leg from underneath her dress.

Here is her partner,

did you think it was another chair?

Watch for when this majestic guy gets turned into a princess,

as opposed to a frog into a prince!!

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Bianca Beneduci

"prehistoric children were taught to draw by their parents"

Children's Cave Art Dates Back 13000 Years

BROKEN CHAIRS - six sheild back chairs

I happen to find a set of six vintage sheild back dining chairs ...

yahoo they are gorgeous however,

two of the chairs had serious breaks.

Do you think that was going to stop me!

 I love repairing wood.

I had to scrape out all the old glue from an early repair attempt.

 

All the repairs I made were secured with 3" screws conceiled in the frame.

 

Reglued, filled, sanded, and details recarved as you can see below.

When this chair had been repaired before somehow most of the details had been lost.

Here are the two chairs after being repaired.

I primed and painted the chairs in my signature white.

It's a semi gloss custom color.

Reupholstered the seats top and bottom.

I'm very happy with the results.

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Fall in love with Autumn: Recipes, Crafts and more!

We love fall. It's the time when we start scheming about the holidays, (okay, okay...we start scheming long before fall but we are event planners, so you can't blame us!)  buying gifts, picking out Halloween costumes, decorating our homes and getting ready for the chilly, brisk, fresh fall weather. We're so excited about Fall...stay tuned for blogs about how to spice up your Halloween and Thanksgiving! For now, we've turned to some of our great inspirations...from Martha Stewart to Bethanny Frankel, to give us the low down on how to make this season festive and beautiful.

Our Favorite Fall Crafts:  This gorgeous vintage leaf wreath (on left) come from Martha Stewart.com and is an easy and beautiful door wreath. For directions on how to make it, go here. 

On the right is another stunning craft...the pumpkin chandelier. For the step by step instructions, go here.

Both of these are great twists on traditional decorations, and both have charm and a more grown-up attitude rather than a fun, kid friendly vibe. Enjoy making them!

Fave Fall Recipes: Mmmmmm is it just us, or does Autumn remind you of fresh, baked goods? It's the time of the year when we get all cozy and warm and allow ourselves to munch on comfort food. For this reason, we love Bethanny Frankel's banana bread recipe, so yummy and satisfying!

Check out the recipe here. 

Mmmm...shepard's pie. There's something so wholesome about eating what's in season, and potatoes are definitely on the radar for fall. Check out this totally yummy savory shepard's pie recipe from Martha Stewart... 

Native American Pumpkin Stew...or, Three Sister's Stew:
Wow, this stew looks AMAZING.  It includes some seriously scrumptious fall flavors. Check out the recipe here, which also includes lots of other pumpkin inspired treats, like muffins, bread and more...

Well, Rachel Ray has some pretty incredible dessert recipes, but this one (on left) looks super-sweet. She calls it her Mom's Baked Apples and it sure does look super delish. Go here for the recipe

Oooohhh..check out that pumpkin cheesecake with the praline topping from delish.com. Nuts are one of those healthy snacks that can turn decadent when  you pair them with a dessert. Get the recipe here.

Our fave Autumnal-Decor: The gourd garland. So, this is a little more earthy that the style over here at DJS Events, but a lot of our clients have barns where they keep their horses or plentiful outdoor space where over the top decorating would just look out of place. These are simple to make. Find the directions here at Martha Stewart.com, oh do we EVER love Martha!

Turn that Jack-O-Lantern into something a little sophisticated. Martha has come up with pumpkin sconces, so bright, beautiful and elegant. Step by step instructions here. 

Our Fave Fall Cocktails: A Beverly Hills Hotel original, the The "Fig Sidecar" (on the left) will give you that warm, sweet, cozy feeling. Delish.com knows what's up. Get the recipe here. 

Not really into that "warm" feeling? Wanna get your margarita on even if it's not summer anymore? Check out this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Margarita at Planet Green.com. So scrumptious, and perfect for a get together with friends around a fire! Go here for the recipe. 

Mmmm...well, we do hope this inspired you! Check us out for event planning and consultation here. Like us on Facebook, believe us, we know how to party!