Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The little chair that could....

Oh my friends, my friends.  Today was FUN!  It was busy and tiring, and I had no time to eat (this is a bad thing?) but SO worth it.

My crafty BFF Kalli and I decided that today was the day we were gonna re-do our chairs.  She has like 3 chairs and 20 tables to repaint.  That's cause she's out to make a buck.  I just had my one lil ol' chair to do, but she did NOT disappoint.

After meeting up at Home Depot and procuring the needed materials we headed to her house to get our paint on.  You guys, I have FINALLY met someone with less patience than me.  It's amazing!  She couldn't wait a full 10 minutes before she started painting.  It was awesome!  I knew I loved her.

While the kids played, complained, made messes, watched a movie and played, we primed, painted and re-upholstered.  GOOD TIMES!

Just wanted you to believe the mess part.
Meet Gavin, Kallis little man.

So, first I'm gonna show you Kalis chair, cause it's adorable.  AND, she's terrible about taking before and afters, so I did it for her.  AND, she got this chair for FOUR DOLLARS.



What is not to love here? And it was sooo easy.
Spray paint and a little staple gun.
The hardest part was taking off the old upholstery.  YIKES!


Introducing....KALLI!
(don't hate me girl for posting this)
She's adding these cute ruffles she's making to her thriftstore lampshade.
LOVE!

Anywho............

Remember this guy?


He's so cute. 
And as I took him apart, even cooler.
Pretty sure I have a real antique here.
the upholstery was done all in nails, and there was part of an old label on it.  And I just fell more in love with it as I worked on it.


 

Taken apart........primed.

Aaaaaaaaand here SHE is.

I say this though....pictures just DO NOT show this right.  You can't really see the color.  I painted it the same color as my nightstand and mirror.  And the glazing/distressing turned out sooooo great.  Not that you can really see it.  So, seriously, just come to my house, I'll gladly show you everything in person.







I LOVE my fabric.  I found it for $2.99 a yard in a big bin at SAS.  It was a remnant piece and it turned out perfectly.
In fact, kalli used it on her chair too.

Final price:
$15.00
Chair - 3.99
Material - 2.99
Batting - 4.00
Spray primer - 3.97

Funny story:
All was done and I went to screw the seat back on.  Unfortunately, the new batting and thick material made it much thicker than the original paper thin leather.  So, the screws couldn't reach and grab.  So, Kalli suggested we just hot glue the seat down.  I busted out laughing and said "Of COURSE you'd say that."  She laughed and said "i'm sort of serious."  Which made me laugh more.  Then, we hot glued the seat down.

We rule!
And the chair is SOLID!

So, I have a little trunk to re-work.  Looking for another lamp, and something for over the window.  Plus, I've decided to paint the closet knobs in the same black/metallic paint I did the dresser pulls in.

It's all coming together.

Craftily yours,

Allyson




8 comments:

LadyCarma said...

Amazing. Great work and great price. You are my kind of girl.

Sabes said...

It's been too long since I've graced the Van Patten house with my presence and I need to rectify this. The new decor is good motivation to get up and get over there! Hopefully soon! I am loving the pictures!!

Tucker said...

I didn't know you were certified to give chair sex changes on the black market! Way to go Doctor Van Patten! ;)

Kristina P. said...

I really need you to come to our place and work your magic. I have a dresser I would love to paint white.

DianD said...

Definitely shabby chic! :) Love that you are keeping a total of the costs, too! Be sure to hang on to those. You'll be amazed even more as time goes by! :)

Jen West said...

seriously cute! how brave do i have to be to just go for it?

AiringMyLaundry said...

Wow, great work.

I wish I were crafty.

erin said...

love all this craftiness that is happening!! ps. the lamp in your bedroom...soo pretty!