Tuesday, January 17, 2012

~chair makeovers~

Hello my friends!!

Happy Tuesday to you!

It's snowing here in the northwest....
crazy!!  we really haven't gotten too
much but they got 6 inches in Seattle!!
but the kiddos are bummed since they've missed
no school yet.....


here's what I've been working on....


{I played with Picasa for different tones
of sepia & black and white}

I've been working on 
~chair rehab~

that's what's been happenin' here
while I've had time off from the

you may recall a few hundred years ago
my crazy chair extravaganza via craigslist??
no?

I was actually relieved to see it has only
been a little over a year since I bought them....
phew....wouldn't want to be seen as a
procrastinator or anything like that....
I have a reputation to uphold ya know....

here is my dining room filled with all chairs
and no table a year ago....
see now you may be intrigued....no table?
what did she do with it???


well since I had some time off from sewing
& such ~ thought it'd be a good time
to finally tackle these guys....

so here's the before!


a big part of the problem is the
gaping hole in the seats...
ya see it there? he he he

I really wasn't quite sure how to fix it
(only 2 needed the holes "filled" thankfully!)
but I did figure it out~
since the chairs (6 of them) all came with
these lovely & fashionable seat cushions


so purdy.....;)

we cut a piece of plywood & secured
it to the seats ~ no one will   e  v  e  r   know....

I decided to try a homemade chalk paint
recipe since I didn't want to spend much
 $$ for the Annie Sloan chalk paint...
{although I really do want to try hers soon}


I can't take credit for the homemade stuff ~
definitely not that smart....
It was Joy over at Savvy City Farmer
who posted on it awhile back...



you mix about a third of plaster of paris
{available for about $3 or 4 or 5? can't quite remember! at Lowe's or Home Depot}
with regular paint & start painting!

so I mixed some white (on hand) with
some beige (on hand) with a little grey
(yep on hand as well....) along with
some artist tints I had laying around...

came up with a nice creamy grey tone...
then I went over it with an antiquing glaze from
Lowe's....{American Tradition Antique Glaze ~ about $8}


I did 2 coats of paint & then the glaze...
& then used a dry and a wet rag to take
off the glaze ~ you just have to play with it...

I have to apologize for my picture quality...
my camera is officially broken & I'm looking
into what to buy....meanwhile it's the.........

shhhhhhh don't tell....

cell phone camera....
yikes.

well I had to show you something right??? :)

here's a couple shots in b & w


wow way to stage a shot with
no props....whoops!

sepia....gotta love picasa!


glazing works best (in my humble
non-professional opinion....)
when there are grooves & such
in the furniture....
it gets in those little cracks & crevices & stays...
gives it a nice aged look...

so next is the cushion recovering....
I've gone back & forth with the idea
of using my antique grainsacks....


or a yummy french linen sheet...
or painter's dropcloth...

the grainsack is so beautiful but very
thick.....and the chair cushions have piping
so I'm not so sure it'll work....


thoughts????
anyone ever tried to make piping out of that amazing
luscious fabric??

so there ya have it!
the chairs are painted & ready for seat cushions....
yay!!

next the dining table gets an overhaul as well....
here's a sneak peek at what we have in there
now.....
{don't mind that beautifully upholstered chair there! I know you all
love green upholstery but no I'm not selling it!!}


so it's just a queen anne style table that I picked up
at goodwill.....{spent like $10 and you'll recall if you went back and read my insane post we had n.o.t.h.i.n.g. in there! what a mom I am!}

I'd really like to build a farmhouse
table like I've seen around but for now ~ I'm thinking
just doing the same paint treatment on the legs &
maybe a natural bare wood finish on top ~

ya??


I'll be sure to update you on my cushion progress...
it's on the agenda this week!


oh, and a little sidenote....

open again

so take a look if you like!


Hope you all have a fantastic week!


xoxo,



Shellagh







33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm in chair love! So beautiful! Sorry I can't give any advice on the fabric...whateva you pick, it will be very purdy! Much love, Lisa

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

Love the chair painted...looks great! Not sure on the fabric choice, however I do like grain sack look. Good luck!

Debra@CommonGround said...

They're fabulous, Shellagh, great job and thanks for the paint technique tips!!! xoxo

Small Holdings Farm said...

I like the paint technique used on the chair. Looks just right. I have a guest post on my blog right now from a blog called Shabby Loco. She did a chippy paint desk tutorial that is just super...check it out if you get a chance. By the way, I am your newest follower and would love it if you would follow me back. Sherron
http://smallholdings.blogspot.com

Blessed Serendipity said...

Hi Shellagh,
I LOVE your chairs painted! I have some caned backed chairs and have debated whether or not to paint or leave them alone. Yours look so wonderful. I think I am going to paint mine now.

xo,
Danielle

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Oh my gosh I am in LOVE with those chairs!!

Blondie's Journal said...

You did a wonderful job on the chair...all that mixing and adding this and that and the waxing...you are like a chemist! lol! I could never attempt this. I love it! I know that any fabric you use will be fantastic. I can't wait to see it all finished!

I read on the news that your area is supposed to get hit with the snow tonight. Let us know!

XO,
Jane

Rachel Noelle Pallas said...

I LOVE them! :) You did an amazing job..wish I had some!! xo

Yayi said...

La silla es un trabajo fantástico.Cuando acabes las demás quedarán muy bonitas.
Besitos.

Susan EvelynAndRose said...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these chairs! They are Darcy chairs all over (Shabby Chic).
You did a great job painting them, and I know what you mean about projects taking a while to tackle. I've got a garage with some projects awaiting.
However you choose to cover them, I'm sure they'll turn out great!

It's me said...

Wowwwww you did a great job darling !!!....love it !!!.....xxx...

Heaven's Walk said...

GORGEOUS, sweetie pie! I lurve the patina they now have ~ very French chic! Sorry that I can't tell you anything about piping. I barely know how to wind the little wheel dohicky (I think it's called a bobbin?) on my sewing machine. lolol! If it were my chair and I was keeping it in my dining room....I'd definitely try to use the grain sacks. (Warning: This advice comes from a Grain Sack Addict.) LUV LUV LUV, Shellagh!

xoxo laurie

The Sterling Cherub said...

Shellagh, you did a great job on the chair, I love nothing more than a gorgeous French caned chair! The paint finish is sublime.

I would *LOVE* to see more pics of your Queen Anne table and chairs, as I swear I have the EXACT SAME set! (Should take pics of mine and send them to you!) I got mine off Craigslist, from a lady who refinished furniture in the shabby chic style, but she was pregnant with her fourth child and could not take on the task of refurbing the set, so I bought it from her for $250 (she was in Beverly Hills, considering that, the price was a steal!).

It's in my dining room (it's WAY too big, and that is without the two leaves that make the thing pull out to over 10 feet long!) and I have done nothing to refurb it as I cannot figure out what I want to do with it. I am thinking Annie Sloane Chalk Paint, but I also wanted to put some appliques on it. Anyhow, would LOVE to hear your plans for your set, maybe we can bounce ideas off each other?

Take care,

Kimber

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Hi Shellagh!

You did such a great job!!! :) LOVE it! And I know how you feel with having to sometimes take pics from your phone...but thank goodness for editing sites - the sepia tone pic looks great! :) Thanks for the inspiration...I've yet to do anything remotely as crafty & talented as this. :) Take care and have a great week.


XO's
Jessie

Anonymous said...

I love the chairs and the ideas for the fabric..It would be hard to decide..I think your idea for the table is awesome..Can't wait to see what ya decide..

NanaDiana said...

Shellagh- You have been a busy girl. I LOVE your chairs painted with your homemade chalk paint...and you are right- I do think glazing works best with a project like this.

I love the grain sacks but, like you, don't know if I would want to use them on the seats. Can't wait to see them all done~

I think the table would be perfect with painted legs and wood top. xo Diana

Anonymous said...

Oh, such pretty chairs! And I missed your chair saga, so I went back to read that. Cracked me up! I too love chairs! I see so many great ones on our large metro craigslist, and so many of them are priced so well. I want to buy them all!

Studio Shambora said...

They look fantastic! The patina is perfect and good for you on making your own chalk paint. I haven't had much luck with it, but I'm going to keep trying!
xo
Jackie

summersoul said...

You did a great job. I am just about to post about my canes chairs that I painted. I used annie sloans. It was my first time. I like it but it is costly. I did not know about your trick. Thanks. I will certainly try it. I recovered some cane backed chairs in grain sack material but no piping so I am not much help.

MC

Anonymous said...

LOVE!! And I am so jealous that you have those amazingly beautiful chairs!!!
I think you did an incredible job Shellagh, they are awesome!!
*SIGH*
Hope you have a great day with my dream chairs! :)
Sincerely,
Melinda

Laurie said...

Nice work Shellagh! Love the home made chalk paint. I am going to try it! Happy painting and upholstering :)

Unknown said...

I'm really loving the chairs Shellagh!

I'm going to vote for the linen. I can't believe you got so much snow on that side...WOW. It's super snowy and ICY on this side tonight.

hugs,

Cori

Pansy Cottage Girl said...

It looks like a terrific project, coming from one chair junky to another!

Privet and Holly said...

I DO remember
that crazy chair
post! And I think
one year is WELL
within the statute
of limitations for any
rehab work: ). Your
finished one looks
amazing!

xx Suzanne

DownTheLaneWithDaisy said...

I read your previous blog about buying and selling chairs...very, very funny!!! My hubby has a chair fetish and I'm not far behind.. I counted all our chairs and came up with 70 plus. Yes, I counted everything you can plant your tush on. At least you sell yours! We plan to do that as soon as we finish construction and final decorating. I can't wait. In the meantime, I'll follow your chair stories. Thanks

Bristol said...

What a makeover to those chairs. Love the tip on the paint! Can't wait to check back on the chairs~
Bristol

Kim said...

Love the chairs! Have you found an online source for any grainsack-type fabric? I'm about to resort to using fabric paint on a painters drop cloth to create the look, but I would much rather buy something with the stripes already there.

Thanks for the help! and good luck with the winter weather!

Red River Interiors said...

I'm comming to the party late but can't wait to see the results. The chairs are beautiful. I'm on my way to look at 4 free chairs from Craig's List.They're a faux bamboo hope they work for me. Love your blog... Fay

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arrielle_p said...

Amazing paint you have made in here. Nice work! It's beautiful!

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