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Do you believe people derive more satisfaction from being an intricate part of the process of having a piece of furniture recovered rather than buying a piece at a furniture store.

https://search.google.com/local/posts?q=Ladd+Upholstery+Designs&ludocid=13017239816277656305&lpsid=4839578296395298502

It's been awhile. I'm not sure if y'all remember the church job I started Nov 2015. The church was destroyed when they set an over weight steeple on the roof. It crushed the roof and bowed the walls. With the help of some church members we striped the pews. While I was there I could see much work was needed on the building before I could began to cover them. They were sure they would be in by Christmas but I didn't think so.

The contractor kept screwing up and finally they had to fire him. And the church sat unfinished for a while. We drove by a last march and a lot of work was still needed. I honestly thought we would never finish this job.

They called this week and said the church is almost finished. Rose told them we could start in July. :)

So for supper tonight Rose made hamburger patty, sweet potato and asparagus. Just wondering how many spears of asparagus before my pee starts smelling funny.

Something weird happened last week. The bottom rim of my eye got sore. I don't remember getting anything in it. I don't remember scratching it or anything else. When I pulled the rim back it was red and after a while a bruise formed under my eye. It got sore enough that I said something to Rose about it. Admitting my aches and pains to Rose is something I rarely do.

She suggested Goldenseal herb drops and a hot compress for 15 minutes. Twice a day. And two days later the pain was almost gone. So I stopped the treatment. That was a mistake because the pain came back. So I started the treatment again and now I am pain free.

Goldenseal, who would think?

Two years ago my ex-boss stopped by and asked if I was interested in coming back to work for him. Even though I declined it always feels good to be wanted.

Yesterday Rose's past place of employment (Fl Dept Of Revenue) called and asked if she would be interested in returning. One main reason she left is the state of Florida has a freeze on all pay raises. A person can stay in the same job for 10 years and never get a raise. No mater how proficient you get in that job. She was flattered they called and for a minute I wondered if she would accept. We are very busy and some good things have been happening lately. But I wonder if we were in the middle of one of those bustle back recliner jobs if she would have a different view point. I'm glad she is staying, I hate that (running the business) part of upholstery.

Speaking of recliners, We did this one about 3 weeks ago and Rose told me, that's the last one, we'll never do another. Tuesday a couple stopped by in need of a roomful of furniture recovered. And yes one piece is a recliner. Rose sent an email quote and bid the recliner high. They wrote back and said they were looking for fabric. :o

https://photos.app.goo.gl/X8vnx2BixZLU5aW22

Happy Easter y'all. I'm going to Tallahassee to visit mom for the day. She'll be 86 this year. :)

I think this has happened before but I cannot remember how to fix it.

The words on the answer page run off the page to the right. Of course there is a scroll bar at the bottom of the page that allows me to read the rest of the answer but that is annoying. How do I change it back so the answer is all in one frame without running off the page?

What is the deal with Zekerburg and facebook that took data from 50 million Facebook users to target voters with ads and misinformation.

Is this kinda creepy?

Could this be the down fall of facebook?

Is this one more reason to get off facebook?

The new FB algorithms make it almost impossible to get information out to my customers. What is the point.

Kim Kamando is feeling queasy about Facebook right now after what transpired between them and Cambridge Analytica.

We have a customer who is into natural. She wants us to rebuild the marshal cushion units on her loveseat that are wrapped in cotton. Rose says yes, I say no.

I've never rebuilt a cotton wrapped marshal unit. I cant even imaging how to stuff it without it getting all bunched up.

I took a strong stance and said, this is something I do not want to do. She says she will show me how.

Yes, this is a domestic dispute. Yes we have been through this before. Somebody help me.

Just got the go ahead on 10 dining chairs. The chairs seats are 27" wide.

This is a new customer and she is working with a flamboyant male decorator. 

The fabric is something I've never seen before. It is a chenille type fabric that resembles Moray eel. When you view it from different angles it changes color. It runs up the bolt. The fabric color is mostly royal blue with a silver "spine" that repeats across the bolt. The first spine starts 10 inches in and repeats every 10 inches.

They want a spine to run down the center of each seat. To cut the fabric I will have to center the seat 20" into the bolt. This will put the edge of the cut at 34". These seats cannot be cut side by side. When we pointed out the waist the customer was concerned. The flamboyant decorator called the supplier and ordered 7 yards at $200/yd.

We bought this steamer trunk from a customer. The bottom has damage from a leaky washing machine. The plywood is week. I am wondering what is the best way to fix it. I'm thinking about gluing a piece of lauan to it and painting the bottom black. Any better ideas?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hR1zceRvmeLYIpH03

Now that the shop has been moved our furniture for sale is taking up the space in our garage. It didn't take long to fill it up. Last Saturday we delivered 2 reupholstered chairs to a long time customer. A little old black lady in her 80's. While we were there she asked if we would look at this steamer trunk she wanted to sell. She said it belonged to her father. We put the age of the trunk at around 80 years old. It was in her laundry room and she said she needed it gone. She said she would sell it for $25. We emptied it and put it in the van. She said god told her to ask us if we wanted it. There is some damage on the bottom from moisture. We will try to sell it for around $60-$70.

Anybody else have some neat finds lately. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fj1u5lzI8uT2jcQO2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tbC2Wfm0aDEj0noy1

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/market-meltdown-heres-why-you-shouldnt-panic-just-yet/ar-BBILcw0?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3r4543UELo59djP92

Last Setember I found a new feature on Google my Business called Posts. I guess its like a blog. I take posts that rose has created on our fb business page and repost them onto this Google my Business page. It shows a running total of people who are viewing these posts. And people are looking.

https://search.google.com/local/posts?q=Ladd+Upholstery+Designs&ludocid=13017239816277656305&lpsid=5868562509443258262

I checked my mail this morning and found this in my inbox from Manta. The first thing I thought was, oh boy I wonder what I'm doing wrong?
The good thing is I do most of these already. It's just common sense. And Rose keeps me on a short leash when were in public.

THE DO'S & DON'TS OF WORKING IN A CLIENT"S HOME

https://www.manta.com/resources/small-business-advice/dos-donts-working-clients-home/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email_Marketing&utm_campaign=SBT&utm_term=20171201&utm_content=SBT_Template_Boom&bt_ee=KHkFSnUTWApl/n1EJGl/6gvlqhXX0Zrj4huJzAO/xcWrhupIk9ulHTRtEqpEFTYm&bt_ts=1512127847868

The only one I disagree with is number 4

"Don't: Ask for Payment Before the Job is Complete
You wouldn't pay for a meal at a restaurant before your food even got to your table. The same principle applies when it comes to home services. Many homeowners would like to oversee the job being done and make sure it is up to their standards before any transactions occur. You should want your client to see your work in action before you discuss payment."

About 15 years ago we started asking for half down. And for things like dinning seats that have no value to anyone but the owner we ask for full payment. And if a customer is moving out of town we may ask for full payment. We have had problems with people moving and changing bank accounts. We have found asking for a down payment motivates the customer when Its time to deliver the piece.

When we were having our shop built the contractor split the price into 4 payments. Every time a phase of the project was finished he sent us a bill. And we immediately payed it to keep the ball rolling. We were glad to do it.

I wrote this several days ago when we received our insurance bill. I wrote this from the heart on Word but wasn't sure what I would do with it. Until Steve made a comment on another post. I don't mean this to be political but more about the business of insurance. Something not often talked about on this forum.

Affordable Care Act

Before government's involvement in health insurance there was never an enrollment period. We could buy or cancel our insurance whenever we pleased.

Before government's involvement in health insurance the monthly premium for the two of us was $600 a month. We just received our policy from Blue Cross. Our monthly premium is $2300. We were promised our premiums would go down but instead they have gone up 4 times.

Of course we cannot afford $2300/mo. so we have two choices. Do without which is a bad idea. Or apply for subsidies (ACA). So let me get this straight, the Government has rigged ACA so I am forced to take money from someone else to help pay my insurance premiums. My entire life I have never asked the government for money but now I am forced to be on welfare. I'm taking money from strangers, friends and family to help pay for my insurance. This makes me feel bad.

This year Blue Cross raised our premiums. But that's okay because the government is going to cover it. So every time Blue Cross (a private company) raises their rates the government (tax payers) pays for it? How is this a good idea?

When I was growing up I was told if I ever need assistance from the government I needed to get off it as soon as possible. Makes sense to me. It has something to do with pride. ACA does not give me this option.

Some folks tell me ACA is a good plan and besides nobody has a better idea. Then they tell me what we really need is a single payer system. Single payer gives even more control to the government. Single payer would be a complete government takeover of our medical system.

There are other ideas out there. Among them are Medical Savings Accounts and Medical Co-Ops. These two options would take medical decisions away from the government and put it back into the hands of doctors and patients. I would be able to choose my doctor. I would be able to shop for the best medical deal. It would make buying health insurance easier and more affordable and it would get me off welfare.

Using the foam cutter today. I set it by the edge of the table and turned around to grab some dacron. I somehow managed to step on the electrical cord which caused the foam cutter to fall off the table, blade first. The foam cutter is okay. My calf slowed its downward movement. But what saved it from total destruction is when the blade hit my heal cushioning the impact to the floor. I'll spare the photo. It really looks a lot worse than it is. Hurts like hell. 

This is the built in channel back job I've been working on the last two weeks.  No we did not do the leather recliners. I had no way to transport the set of two to my shop, nor did I want to. So the channels and deck were done on site. We patterned the cushions and built them at the shop. The cushions are stapled to plywood.

Finished, I couldn't get back far enough to get both in the same picture. The following photos will give a better idea of whats going on.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iMYUAfHMXm8cjIYs2

Start
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BM8AgRt7phsiRzeO2

Numbered
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HB9l6M4NG6kI6V0F3

Channels Half Done
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kRlgAyizPmciqJxy1

Finished
https://photos.app.goo.gl/G05rCbhztANxD4dZ2

Me thinks Kens upgrade allowed much spammers