Still working for Miriam

So, yesterday, I dragged my tired tokhus to an antique mall to shop for Miriam's dining room accessories. I have been struggling with getting seats back on some chairs I have been redoing, so my poor middle aged bones wanted to watch TV. But I am leaving for Florida next Saturday (yay, yay, yay), and I want to get some stuff in her dining room china cabinet before I leave. I will be posting pictures of the INCREDIBLE job I did on the chairs, once I have exhausted, I mean completed, the story of this dining room redo.
Miriam met me at the store, which is four floors of crap. The trick is to try and find something in all this stuff that is actually going to look nice. ALSO! It has to be reasonably priced!!!!!!! To decorate in my style, one needs a lot of STUFF, and the cost can add up, if you're not careful. In a nod to Amy at Maison Decore's post about urns, we (Miriam) bought a cheepy made out of some fake material that's very light, but looks like cement. I convinced Miriam to buy if for $20, reassuring her that I could make a wonderful table centerpiece out of it with silk flowers from Michael's.

This is a blurry picture because I am learning how to use my new iPhone, and I obviously have a ways to go.
So, we went to Michael's, and the silk flowers were all picked over, not a lot from which to choose. VERY disappointing. I'm sort of worried, 'cuz the urn isn't very deep, so it's not going to be that easy to create an arrangement. Don't tell Miriam, because she has blind faith in me. I figure, if I can't make this #$%& thing work, I'll buy it from her, and use it somewhere in my house, like in a closet, or the basement, or under my bed.
We (Miriam) bought a whole lot of pretty china pieces to decorate her newly painted china cabinet. I had to keep reminding her (and Me), that we couldn't fill the whole thing up with decorative useless pieces!!!!! We had to leave some room for actual storage.
Here's a picture of some of the china!!!!

Yeah, I know, it's blurry too. I have to figure this new technology out. I think I'm supposed to hold my hand still while I'm shooting the picture, but that would require me to stop talking. When I talk, everything seems to move.

She bought a pretty little chocolate set, and some multi colored teacups with saucers, as well a some turquoisey blue plates.





Here's another shot of the stuff!!!!!

I know, I know, it's blurry. I thought I could use my phone and not lug around my camera. My camera is an old digital one, and not small, like the new models.











While I was figuring out how to get the pictures from my phone to my computer, I found some pictures I had taken, when I was at Drape It, my friends, Joe and Sally's work room, making the double welting for the upholstered walls. So I will share these pictures with you now!!!!! They are blurry also!!!!!

This is a shot of the machine with the pressure foot attachment that creates the double welting............

This is a shot of Carmel showing me how to use the machine. (not sure how to spell her name, it took me two days to remember what her name was. I am loosing my mind, I am loosing my mind, I am loosing my mind.) Note the two cords of welting being feed into the pressure foot!!

She's smiling because I am a very funny lady.

And look!!!! Just like every other sewing project, we had to stop and fiddle about with the screwed up tension that was jamming up the machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn't it nice to know that even professional seamstresses have bobbin tension issues?








Joe posed for this picture, so I think he's O.K. with me posting it.

We've been working together for so long, that I don't even remember when his mustache changed color. I could swear it wasn't that long ago that it was black.











This is a picture of Sally, as you can tell, she's the one who works in this place!!!!!!

These guys are two of my best friends, as we have weathered many a storm together, created by some not so understanding clients. They have helped me with decorator show houses that have made us all proud. I will share some pictures with you in the coming months.
They are also the ones I call on a daily basis to report on my progress as I learn how to make new things, the same things that they have been creating for eons. They answer my questions, encourage my efforts, and are always generous with laughing at (I mean with) me.
So have a good Sunday, and go out and get some exercise.