Chic chair covers
When her family needed help paying the bills, Sabrina Hicks started sewing. After receiving a sewing machine as a birthday gift, Sabrina Hicks taught herself to sew. The stay-at-home mom with a finance background first made dresses for her daughters. Then Hicks began selling dresses to a local boutique under the clothing label Grace and London, after her two daughters.
One day, as she was about to serve a bowl of macaroni and cheese to her young daughter, Hicks did what many moms do. She covered the chair with a towel to catch spills and prevent stains. She thought that there must be a more stylish and functional way to protect kitchen and dining room chairs.
Until 2011, Hicks made Chair Aprons by hand at her home in Davidson, NC. But when she could not keep up with the demand, Hicks turned for help to the once thriving textile community in nearby Lincolnton.
The company offers seven cotton prints, four solid linen colors and a King Street collection, which offers neutral and solid chair covers with a two-inch border in 20 colors. The popular solid linen covers have a built-in stain repellant. And with adjustable ties and a removable back skirt, the Chair Aprons adjust to fit a variety for chairs. Dry cleaning is recommended, but the covers can be machine-washed. Hang dry only.
Not just for messy eaters at holidays or any day, Chair Aprons also can be used enhance the appearance of dining room or side chairs. Prices range from $28 to $42 each. To order, visit chairapron.com. At the site, you can also find stores in the Atlanta metro area that carry Chair Aprons.
Just my type
Julia Brown Farill is tech savvy, but she is devoted to an old-fashioned printing method.
At Red Bird Ink, Farill produces stationery, art prints, wedding invitations and coasters by hand on printing presses that sit in her print shop in Olde Town Conyers. Farill started her business in 2004 with one, 100-year-old printing press. Since then, she has bought three more.
For her designs, Farill draws on her art background and a degree in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech. Popular designs include landscapes and plants, such as ferns, ginkgo leaves, birch trees and berries.
Farill, who lives in Decatur, also produces coasters in 17 different designs and in eight colors, such as silver gray, coral, blue and several shades of green. Perfect for a holiday hostess gift, the “Cheers!” coasters are fun, and the cozy-looking knit coasters will warm up a crowd.
But the bold “numbers” coasters have been a year-round hit. With numbers from 0 through 9, the white coasters feature black ink. The super-thick coasters won’t run if they get wet. Popular for table numbers at weddings, the coasters are $20 for a set of 10. Other coasters are $10 for a set of four. The newest set of number coasters features double digits (01 to 20). A set of 20 is $40.
Find Farill’s art prints ($20 to $140), clever and sweet cards ($4.50 each), stationery ($18 for six) and coasters at www.redbirdink.com. Also check The Beehive,1250 Caroline St., in Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood, and HomeGrown Decatur, 412 Church St., Decatur.
Suitcase boom boxes
As founders of Atlanta-based Curious Provisions, David Preiss and Javier Santana like to give old things a new life.
In their digital design studio at the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta, they fashioned a huge conference table from plumbing pipes and recycled barn wood. The upcyclers, who met and worked at homedepot.com, also crafted desks from vintage sewing machine treadles.
Then Javier found a pair of Cerwin-Vega speakers and an old Sony receiver on Craigslist and some vintage suitcases at a thrift store. After some tinkering, the guys came up with an idea for a new business – and some functional art.
In May, they launched the Thumper, a one-of-a-kind rechargeable boom box made from a vintage suitcase and hi-fi speakers. Portable and rechargeable, the cases, which come in a variety of colors, designs and sizes, are custom wired and sealed for safety.
Prices range from $590 to $790. Find the suitcase boom boxes at www.curiousprovisions.com. Also stop by their booth Nov. 17-18 at The Revival of Vintage Marketplace at Tannery Row in Buford (www.therevivalofvintage.com)
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If so, please share them with us. Send your suggestions to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. Please include your name and contact number.
About the Author
