Chinese Chippendales: Act I

***First - Thank You, THANK YOU for all of the sweet birthday wishes you sent my way! You know how it is...at some point after your 21st birthday (ahem, years ago for me), your special day sort of becomes just another day....but you gals, my friends here in Brazil, and of course, my sweet little family made it perfect. Muito Obrigada!***

On the project front: I started the Chippendale redo the other day. Lemme just say, removing nailhead and old, vinyl upholstery is no walk in the park. Upon closer inspection, I realized just how much TLC these chairs need. They spent several years as patio chairs (hence, the vinyl seats). Exposure to The Elements (in Houston, TX no less!) has made it necessary to replace the batting and seat support straps. It is evident, though, that in their day, they were properly and well-upholstered. I hope I can restore them to their former, glamorous selves!

I bought an "off the shelf" high gloss orange paint, and spot tested it on one chair...

Do you agree, it's a bit too citrus? If we're gonna stick with food references, I'm thinking less tangelo, more persimmon.

But, here's what it looked like in the can - not too bad, huh? Since it's not a custom mix, I'll either attempt to return it - a rather unappealing option, considering my limited Portuguese - or donate it to my friend's playroom redo project. Either way, a different shade is in store...

I do need to chop-chop, though, because here's the fabric - in all it's glory ...in TEXAS! I asked Shannon to ship it to my parents', so my Mom could handle the customs forms, etc in getting it to me...but I am soooo anxious to see it in person! I originally planned on making the seat recovering a DIY project, but considering the quality (read: cost) of the fabric, I'd be devastated if I blew it. Yep, I'll leave this recovering to the pros!