Sweet Child's Chair

I found this sweet little chair at a local thrift store/salvage yard.  It was outside with more weather-proof industrial salvage, so I decided to rescue it from our rainy Pacific Northwest weather and bring it home!

It's a sturdy little chair, but the wood was pretty rough and worn.  Someone had made the webbing seat with care but now the velvet and corduroy fabrics were dirty and faded.

I decided on freshening up this sweet little chair with a coat of white paint and mattress ticking fabric to integrate it into the other items in my stash.  I also added a removable pillow to make a soft backrest for the little backs I hope will soon enjoy it!

After removing the old seat and giving the chair a light sanding and wipe down, I brushed on two light coats of a flat white paint, then sanded the paint down to the raw wood.  It is sealed with polycrylic.  

For the seat, I sewed 2 inch wide strips of cotton mattress ticking and wove them across.  They are simply stapled on the underside of the chair.  The pillow has sweet little trim and ties.

I had so much fun styling this chair with a teddy and boho-inspired bunting.  Its ready for some teddy bear tea parties!

My Nod to Boho Chic

I've always been drawn to the bohemian chic look, both in decor and fashion.  In fact, the wedding dress that I just can't get over is boho chic...but, at the end of the day, it just isn't me (and I do want to resemble myself on our wedding day!) or my design sensibility in general.  Buuuuuut, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't love to have some items of that style in my booth at The Blend.

So you can imagine my excitement when I spotted this vintage rattan peacock chair at a local thrift store - like careening across a four lane road to make the turn kind of excitement #safetyfirst.  The rattan is in great condition.  All this chair needed was a good cleaning and a colorful pillow.

I adore this pillow.  I say again, I ADORE this pillow.  I pieced a striped fabric together to make the square design and used couple different crocheted trims to make the trim and tassels. 

Those little rustic wood boxes will be available in my booth as well.  They a make perfect caddy for crayons or silverware.

Campaign Desk Revived

I call this furniture makeover a revival because this campaign desk went from dark and dingy to bright and lively.  I found this desk by Lane Furniture at our town's annual "world's largest garage sale."  I got it for a steal, especially given how popular campaign furniture is right now, because it weights a ton and the seller didn't want to cart it back home! The seller was a real estate agent and he used it for staging homes.  Over the years the finished got dinged, scratched, and stained from all the moving it in and out of homes, but the hardware and drawers stayed in perfect condition because it didn't receive day to day wear and tear.

The drawer fronts were in great condition, but the veneer on the top was a mess with some gouges in it and the veneer on the desktop and sawhorse legs didn't match.  So, this desk was the perfect candidate for a blended paint and stained wood treatment.

I removed all the hardware and spray painted it a soft brass.  I had hoped to polish the hardware but I realized that wasn't going to resort in the luster I wanted.

The desk body and legs got a rough sanding to prep for paint, and the deepest scratches filled, while the drawer fronts got a careful sanding to remove the current finish.  The top has vertical bands of the same wood veneer on the drawer fronts so I opted to paint around them to add in some contrast on the desktop.  

I primed the desk and legs and painted it in a custom color. Its a slate-y blue with gray undertones.  Its all sealed with polycrylic.  The drawer fronts' original stain color was grayish and drab so I used Minwax Red Oak to give them a warm, honeyish tone.  They are finished with a wipe-on polyurethane.  

I love how the cool blue paint and warm wood tones compliment each other.  I think my favorite feature is how the hardware now pops.

Actually, nope, my favorite feature are the new drawer liners - maps from Hertfordshire, England!

This campaign desk will be one my featured items at The Blend in August.