It’s 2017 and a new year has begun! Looking back, I’m amazed at how much my business has grown and how much I accomplished in 2016. It’s good to remind ourselves how far we’ve come. And in doing that, here’s some of my favorites from this past year. 
I absolutely loved how these two Victorians turned out, but let me say that it was a journey. I started with two dark wood gentlemen’s chairs and after many hours of stripping and bleaching, I had the farmhouse frame that we wanted. While the linen material is to die for, it was a challenge. I had to sew stripes to get this look. Pulling the fabric so that it was tight against the frame posed many problems. When I pulled it one direction, the stripe got out of whack. Hours of finessing got the final product, and it was worth it. You can read the total story by clicking here. 

I can’t go without mentioning this eclectic bohemian set of dining chairs that was done for a women’s treatment facility in Florida. What an honor, first of all, to create the center piece that went into their dining hall. The fun challenge of figuring out what fabrics to mix and match on each chair was the best part for me. And, I had fun staging this outdoor event in my own backyard! You can read more about this post by clicking here. 

Another eclectic set needed to match a white farmhouse table for a client in Long Island. So, I went with white rustic frames on the chairs. The fabrics were lighter in comparison with those above, but I loved them just as much. Click here to read about this fun project!

I’m still learning new techniques.  We should always be growing and learning, right? For this set, I did my first stencil on the seats to give it a unique grainsack look. The furry end chairs add a bit of whimsy to the set. Read more about this one here. 

I’ve found some new favorite fabrics and this is high on the list. I can’t get over the watercolor. It has a velvet on the back and a rustic frame that was the result of stripping the wood and bleaching it.

Sometimes my clients only want end chairs for a dining table. It’s a great option when you have a small budget. Here’s the result of a set of dining chairs using some amazing crewel fabric.

I’ve used this favorite fabric below on many chairs, but it never gets old. It’s truly feminine and fresh. Love the backside!

Here’s another favorite using Designer’s Guild fabric. Some sweet neighbors allowed me to photograph these on their property in front of an amazing rustic garage. It was the perfect backdrop for this bold fabric. 

One intention I had this past year was to take time to notice things around me. One result of that was finding unusual things to use as fabric on chairs. This following set was the result of an Indian kantha quilt that I found at the Dallas Market this past summer. It had so many different patterns and colors and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I knew I could do something with it and here’s the result! These chairs sold within 3 weeks! Lucky lady!

The year finished off with a super fun set of antiques meant for a breakfast room in a new house.  I used the same printed fabric in different colors to create this set. So cute…I wanted to keep them for myself!

This amazing set went to a fundraiser for Hospice Austin. You can read all about how I achieved this feminine and yet rustic look by clicking here.

 Taking risks is a big part of stretching my creativity and nothing sums that up more than this cute chair. I designed it to go in a space that was modern, and yet this chair is truly antique. I achieved that look by using navy gloss paint and a bold geometric print. It turned out great!

My oldest daughter went off to college and I did a dorm room makeover for her. Move in day was so fun because all the college girls kept saying, “What a cute chair!” as we moved her in.  You can read more about this makeover by clicking here.

These are only a few of the makeovers from 2016. I did numerous cowhides—I’ll do another post on those in the coming weeks. You can follow my makeovers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
This year I’ve also gained a tremendous amount of clarity regarding my business and where I want it to go. Much of that is due to friends who have taken the time to share their thoughts with me. I’m so appreciative of you! Looking forward to 2017, I’ve got some exciting things in the works as well as many new makeovers to come. I can’t wait to tell you about all these new adventures. So, here’s to a new year. Cheers!