Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Nearly Trash to Treasure


Last fall I went to my grandma's yard sale ~ and came home with two children's chairs in the back of my car.  They were a cute pair, but in need of a little love.  I took them home with good intentions, but after my attempts to fix them didn't work as well as I'd hoped, I set them aside (and eventually outside) for another day. 

Another day came yesterday, when, after finding inspiration (thank you Lori!) I finally figured out what to do with one of the chairs... the one that had really fallen apart & was actually heading for the curb this week!

Here are some pictures taken throughout the process:






First I sanded away the old, peeling varnish, and wiped the chair clean.  Next I found paint* in a pretty autumn color ~  and used a foam brush to apply it in light coats.  I then positioned a large vase under the chair and filled it with hydrangeas.  The sign placed across the back was from an old fruit crate... added to cover the empty space and add interest.

*I used a mis-tinted (oops!) latex paint sample from a home improvement store (only 50 cents!) from my mother-in-law ~ thanks Nida! 

After it was finished, I moved the little chair back inside to a place where it'll be safe from the curb ~ for hopefully some time now.  Just glad I didn't throw out this little chair... it just went from nearly trash to treasure! 


Creativity is contagious
    Pass it on.”  

~ Albert Einstein


4 comments:

  1. I have a confession to make...I would have thrown the chair out:) I really like the chair but I also love the background! Is this at your place? I think some day I need to hop on the truck when Jim comes to Ohio. the colors you use are perfect, and the weathered look is so nostalgic. The thing I love about your projects is that they require a keen eye, a mind out-of-the-box, and not a lot of money! I'm still trying to find a clever way to use something old that I have. soon, hopefully there will be a little more time.

    May you have a day brimming with joy and the peace of God!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Megan, this is definetly a treasure! Looks like something you bought out of one of those pricey decor magazines. Its scary to think you almost threw it out, LOL! Thanks for the call out, it really turned out wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Janet ~ thank you! Yes, the background is my home... a work in progress itself. The pictures with the brick-colored tile are from my porch (the white cabinet and barrels were left in the garage by the previous owners!) and the pic at the top is in my kitchen. The blanket chest was my high school graduation gift :) I really like anything with a worn, weathered look... but that chair was pushing it!

    I wish the same joy and peace to you :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lori ~ thanks so much for the inspiration! Glad you liked the way it turned out too... I have a 'thing' for chairs, so I'm happy to keep this one around for a little while longer :)

    ReplyDelete

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless.”

~ Mother Teresa