Yours Truly Entered the "Zipvan Loves Design" Video Contest--No, I Didn't Win But...

...did I ever have fun trying--and I learned some new skills to boot!  IKEA and Zipvan created this video contest to win a room full of IKEA products, as much as would fit into a Zipvan. The challenge was to:

• Create a 15-second video answering this question:  How would you redesign a room with a Zipvan full of products from the IKEA® store?

               * Creativity / Passion: How creatively did you share your ideas and 

                     show why you deserve to win?

               * Uniqueness: What makes your design different from others?

               * Realistic: Is the design something that actually can be done 

                     with a Zipvan full of IKEA products?

               * Inspiration: Does the video inspire others to design their own space?

Let's just say I have a new-found appreciation for film-making and I'll be forever grateful for the support and encouragement of my friends.  (See my LinkedIn profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/evelynmoorejones to meet my team.)  From writing the script, to staging, to learning the movie-making software, and finally editing and producing the video itself--whew!  A great deal of work goes into the process, even if the result is only a 15 second video.

So here's my video:



  
Okay, so who won?  Take a look.


Congratulations to Kelli Shives!

Amateur Reupholstery: Couch

By: Adorn Jan 06, 2007

Photo: Subbotina Anna

Earlier this year, I moved across the country, taking with me only what I could fit in my car. I lived a week without an apartment and another week without any furniture.  Then, I bought a bed.  Well, a mattress and box spring.  I wasn't in any rush to buy furniture, especially not furniture that I couldn't fit into my car.  This made me the office charity case.  A coworker gave me a kitchen table and chairs. Then, another coworker found a couch on the side of the road in a nice neighbourhood.  He smelled it and checked for stains, then picked it up and put it in his pickup truck.  That night, he and I carried the couch up the stairs to my apartment.   

Photo: Adorn

 It was a solidly constructed couch.  There were a few cat scratch marks on the sides of the upholstery, but otherwise, it was in decent condition.  I just couldn't shake the idea that bugs or animals had crawled all over the couch while it sat out on the road.  So, I undertook a plan to reupholster it.

I had no experience with reupholstery and very few tools.  I read a few articles online, but they weren't very helpful.  All of the upholstery books at the library were out.  However, I have a bit of a "just do it" attitude when it comes to crafty things, so I jumped right in.