What?! You have never heard of a couch-tastrophe?
Oh- well it is when you completely and utterly ruin a beautiful couch that you found for really cheap from a rich lady that was moving. The worst part is that you have gone atleast a month without anything to sit on in your living room and this was the perfect and the best used couch you had EVER seen or smelled- for that matter. OH- and you were having people over- the first semblance of friends you were able to find- THAT VERY DAY that the couchtastrophe began.
So you decided to wash the cushions of said couch- and you ended up with this.
(I wish I had a before picture for you- but I don't. Probably because I didn't expect to ever feel the need to post about my couch...)
A true and utter couch-tastrophe.
So what else is there to do but- CRY.
A lot.
Until you finally decide that your children are scarred and scared enough by said crying so you pick yourself up, wipe yourself off and clean the rest of your house. You make dinner for guests previously mentioned and you cover your couch with a blanket.
Yes- you now have a weird couch that no one would ever want to sit on- because really there is only one reason you cover a couch completely with a blanket- and that reason would be that you are HIDING something.
Which we were.
Couches that are completely covered with blankets just creep me out. And here I was with one of my very own.
When we were able I went and bought that grey fabric that is in the above picture and went to work recovering the couch.
It was a long time coming and many measurements and buttonholes later that I came up with this.
I like the buttons on the side- and I like that it isn't ripped or shrunk anymore. I do feel like pictures just don't do it justice.
I am happy with the results, though I hate that it gets 'out of shape' and a little saggy and wrinkled. But hey- it works and it is cute enough- and I DID IT! And we are only here for a year- so we can love it for that long.
Now the question you may be asking yourself is why didn't we just get a new couch?
Because I didn't want to.
This really was the perfect couch for us and I am really picky about used couches now. (Those of you who knew me and my couches in waterloo may be wondering what I am talking about- but I have learned from that and hoped to rectify my used couch situation) We had been searching for a cheap used couch that was not stinky and not ripped and not stained- and we had finally found one- and I washed the cushions and wrecked it. We did not want to wait another month or forever before we found another couch like it.
Plus it has really cool leg detail like this-
You would want to keep it too- right?
Anyway- it is now recovered and we love it even more. It is definitely a step up from the blanket. Plus the cover is 100% wash and dryable. No more shrinking and ripping for us!! And here's to no more couchtastrophes in the snelldog future!!
Justin told me the day that I wrecked the couch that I would laugh about this some day. I didn't believe him. It didn't take too long before he was right. I was laughing about it that night. I mean it is just a couch, right? I recently read this- and I love the message. We all need to learn to laugh and be happy despite hardships. Read it.
I love the new cover! looks great! This story reminded me of the time Jordan had surgery and I wanted to make him a nice homemade tomato soup. I was in a bit of a rush and tried to puree the (HOT!) tomatoes in the blender all in one batch, when really I should've done two....needless to say, hot tomato puree exploded all over my kitchen including my fridge, container of utensils, microwave, and ME! It was a disaster! But you know what? I was able to save most of the soup (It tasted awesome) and I had a great laugh. No need to stress over these things. Thanks for that reminder!
ReplyDeleteIt was the night before Annon was born, Aug 2 hot and humid and no a/c. We had spent all day in the kitchen preparing freezer food so the house was even more hot. My feet were killing me. I was huge, hot and tired. The very last thing I had to do was carry an ice cream container full of very yummy home-made hamburger soup downstairs into the laundry room to put in the big freezer and then I was all done. Guess who dropped the container at the entrance to a room full of various odds and ends. It was splattered everywhere. And yes, I cried. Kurt was kind enough to grab the pail and mop and cleaned up for me. I was done! I think that's how I slept through a bunch of my contractions and awoke cheery and in labour on Sunday morning. So much for teaching nursery. :) He was here by lunchtime. And now he's baptized, how time flies. Great post... sometimes desperate times bring forth pure inspiration. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved this post!!! I was laughing the whole way through-- only because all I know of your couch is the beautiful masterpiece you ended up with. Your couch was my favorite thing about your new place-- when you explained the story to me I didn't fully grasp it. These pictures of the ripped pillows are classic :) I envy your sewing talent.
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