Another Scraphappy Chair Makeover, Approved by Inspector Wilma.

So I bought this little chair a couple of weeks ago 

at a thrift store in Charlottesville:

 Is this striped gold chenille the only fabric 

people used back in the 70's?

 It's everywhere, and boy did it make for some funky looking furniture.

But I guess in its day, it was all the rage!

 This is why I bought the chair: 

These marvelous urn legs!!!!!!!

 I can't wait to get the paint on her..

ASCP Louis Blue is calling my name!

 Here it is painted...

 Doesn't look like much now, but it will…...

 I did this chair when I was in Greenwood a couple of weeks ago, 

so I had limited fabrics with me... 

I used this toile remnant to do the seat.  

Wish I could do the whole chair in it, 

but I just had one designer sample of the fabric.

 And for the chair front…..hmmm….

How bout…

a sweater!??

 I pulled the sweater tight and stapled all along the perimeter of the back 

and then trimmed the access.

 Hey, you gotta work with the tools you have………

Wilma seems pretty impressed with the fabric choice.

Here she is eyeing all that great crewel work.

Now for the back…

My options were limited, but I did have a pair of

seersucker striped valances that I had just taken out of my booth.

So…that's what I used….

The valances had a ruffled bottom edge.

I cut off the ruffles, turned in the raw edges and ironed.

Then I doubled them and hot glued them

 for the edging.

Once again, approved by inspector Wilma!

 Now for those delicious legs…..

 Here they are after I distress sanded the edges

and applied stain to punctuate all the detail.

 This bizarre little chair awaits its new home... 

in my booth at Greenwood Antiques & Uniques...

In all it's scrap happy glory…$158.

Traditional Chest-of-Drawers to Quirky Piece with Owl Knobs………Hoo woulda thought?

I run across these pieces all the time.

Traditional wood chest of drawers...

With the "flying eagle" hardware. 

Yuk. I really cringe when I see these pulls…

 I picked this up last week, 

and within an hour, it was base coated…

and those flying eagles had flown, baby!

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

in Louis Blue for the main body,

and Old White for the drawer fronts.

 Then I wood filled the holes I didn't need……..

Here is the piece after two coats of paint, 

then distress sanding and waxing.

 I did this when I was in Greenwood last week, 

so I didn't have a lot of hardware with me...

 But I did have 8 of these great owl knobs, 

in various colors.

 The scale is a little small, 

but I think they'll work 

because they're so whimsical.

 Besides…

"hoo" doesn't like an owl?

 ..or two…

Love the patina on these.

 I used red on the top drawer, 

then turquoise, 

then yellow, 

then red again.

Here it is in my booth at Greenwood.

$219.

Good thing I did the assembly line painting last week…

cuz there's NO WAY

 I'm getting out there now in single digits.

Forgetaboutit!!!!!

Simulated Verdigris Patina on a Chandelier and Frame

I love distressed turquoise, 

and I love verdigris patina, 

that wonderful thing that happens in nature 

when copper is oxidized……

However, I have zero patience, so sometimes, 

I must take matters in my own hands!

 I've been admiring this lilly pad chandelier lately 

in a fellow dealer's booth at Greenwood Antiques and Uniques.  

Not that I needed a chandelier. 

I just needed to transform it!

So now it's mine…….

 It has great leaves………

that look like lilly pads…

Sort of Arts & Crafts/Art Nouveau inspired, 

but I wasn't digging the paint...

 From Day 1, I saw this in a verdigris patina, 

so here's how I transformed it:

I first mixed up a combo 

of Annie Sloan chalk paints

in antibes green/greek blue…

I dry brushed on layers, 

splotchy is okay.

Then I added a little Old White to the paint mix, 

and continued dry brushing...

 Next, I took some turquoise spray paint, 

sprayed it in a little dish, 

and then with a chip brush, 

I continued the dry brush technique.

See how I'm "building" the patina?

 The final step is staining. 

I used a dark Minwax stain, Jacobean, 

and brushed it on,

 then with rags, wiped off excess.

 The stain accentuates all the "leaf lines" and details.

 Here it is all finished. 

It's for sale in my booth. 

$98.

This technique also works great 

with gold detailed frames, 

such as this one I got at a thrift store.

Just dab/dry brush color here and there, 

and after it dries,

add the stain, and then wipe off.

I also added a tad of King Gold gilding wax 

here and there.

Framed art: $45

Now get out there and play!!

Old Louvered Closet Door becomes Headboard

Last week, I blogged about my friends, Rachel and Nathan, 

who just moved into their first house! 

They had a kingsized bed and frame, but no headboard……….

So I went to my garage to see if I could find anything that would work.

I spied this old louvered bifold door 

I had picked up from an alley awhile back…..

 It had some chipped areas but was in good structural shape.

I removed the hinges 

and used small metal plates on the backside to attach the doors together.

  I sanded down some of the peeling paint, 

and then added dark stain to the slats. 

Afterwards, I wiped the excess off with rags.

  I love how the stain finds all the exposed raw wood and darkens it…..

and gets in all the nooks and crannies.

 Then I added this fun doggy head knob to the existing hole……

matches the finish perfectly.

Ta-dah!!!!!!

Eclectic Makeover: Using Men's Suits to Upholster a Set of Dining Room Chairs

This might just be my favorite make-over of the year….

and it's only January 8th!

My client, Patty's, daughter & her boyfriend were moving 

into their very first house right after the new year.

Isn't this the sweetest house you've ever seen?

I just love a yellow house. 

(I have one.)

For Christmas, 

Mom & Dad wanted to give them a set of dining room chairs, 

but just wasn't sure exactly what they wanted.

I happened to have this set of chairs in my storage unit 

awaiting a future makeover.. 

Presently, they are covered in a gold vinyl with a zillion nail heads. 

(I know this because I removed every single one of them!)

Since we weren't exactly sure of direction- 

and didn't want to spoil the surprise by asking-

we decided I would do just one chair as a prototype 

to put under the tree for Christmas. 

And then after Christmas, I would finish them up, 

change, whatever, based on their direction.

 BEFORE chair.

 Step one: 

Yep, remove all the nail heads.

 I sanded, primed and painted the chair 

in Benjamin Moore Stone Harbor.

 Next, I distress sanded. 

Here's a close up.

 Next, I brushed on a mixture of stains, 

and then wiped off the excess.

See the difference in the finish after the stain?

Now….for fabric.

We didn't want to get too "frou-frou" with the fabric, 

since it was a "his and her" gift.

I went to some thrift shops 

and purchased several men's wool suits.

 I used these to upholster...

 …the seat...

 …the back...

 …and the front….

different fabrics for each area.

Pockets, buttons, and all.

Afterwards, I added gimp along the chair front,

with a couple of the nail heads I had salvaged.

 And on the back, for another "twist," 

I used the lining of one of the suits for edging.

 The front pocket is the perfect place...

..for a Christmas tag!

Here it sits under the tree on Christmas morning…

They LOVED it.

So after Christmas, 

I finished the other three chairs.

 Assembly line painting...

 The arm chair...

 …and the last two.

 I think this is my favorite one. 

I even used the "Harris Tweed" tag and lining pocket.

 Each is totally different

but together they make such a statement!

And the backs...

 So fun!

And here's their new home….

with this wonderful old tiger oak table.

A totally unique dining room for a totally unique couple!!

Congratulations

and pass the potatoes!