Toile Chairs

 I finished these slipcovers on my english roll arm chairs a couple of years back.  It took me forever (as in a good year forever) to make them.   This was partly due to procrastination, pregnancy, and my old sewing machine that worked some days and not so much on others.

 

  I chose Toile because not only do I love toile, but I love how it looks paired with so much stuff; it's such a great neutral.  Not for everyone, I know, but definitely for me.  Even better, it has been surprisingly forgiving and kid friendly.   The only problem with this print is if you want to turn the cushion over, the inset panel is upside down.  Didn't figure this out until I recieved my fabric shipment in the mail. It's a good thing to note:)
 

 

 Velcro Closures on the back.

 

 

 Well, this close-up shows my not-so-fabulous sewing skills!  We had to take the wheels off of the feet because the kids jump to sit and the wheels will tear up the floor.  This way the chairs also stay in place.   A little function before form here!
 

 

 

Here is a chair pre-slipcover. 

 I have a sofa to match these that I have yet to start a slipcover for.  I am currently on the hunt for fabric and it will be my summer project.

These chairs are so comfortable to snuggle up in!

 

Link Parties:

savvysouthernstyle

French Country Cottage

Shades of Amber

No Minimalist Here

My Romantic Home

Miss Mustard Seed

Jennifer Rizzo

Common Ground

Cabinet Makeover

I bought this little table a few years back at Home Goods. The lines are sweet, but I was over the baby blue.  Not to mention the top was ruined.

 

before

 

 

  

after


Using paint I had on hand, I painted the whole piece in Annie Sloan Country Grey, and then used Old White on the details.

 

I distressed a little and applied clear wax.

 

 

 

I love how it looks with the cymbidium orchid and the marble tile on the fireplace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I have a small cabinet for the family room and a place to put cards and games!

 

 

  Linking up to

Jennifer Rizzo

French Country Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

 My Romantic Home

 Finding Silver Pennies
Shades of Amber

 

 



Using Beet Juice to Paint: Easy Tutorial

 

Two bunches of Roasted Beets for just my husband and I is, as it turns out, one bunch too many!  The beets sat it my refrigerator for a week.....when I had an idea...why not 'paint' book pages? 

 

So I took the beets out of the refrigerator and MASHED them. I added about a tablespoon of water to move the process along....

 

I ripped pages out of old books and placed them on a cookie sheet.  I used white and 'aged' to see what the result would be. 

 

I thought the 'Dedication' would be sweet since it is a Valentine's project, after all.  I brushed on the beet juice with a Purdy paint brush.  Some bits of beet got in there, but I just took them off when it dried. 

 

 

The book pages took the beet juice differently, the white creating a brighter fuchsia and the more yellow, 'aged' pages were more of deep raspberry red.

 

I let them dry in the kitchen window.  You can see how those little bits of beets add nice spots of color.

I then cut out hearts and sewed them together with a straight stitch on the machine.

 

 

I hung one over the fireplace and one over my glitter LOVE banner on

my mirror.

 

 

I love the color of the natural paint/dye.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a fun, easy project.  A great way to add some Valentine's Day color!  I  may have to roast two bunches of beets from now on.....

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Link Parties:

 

French Country Cottage

Savvy Southern Style

Jennifer Rizzo

 

 

 

 

Simple and Pretty Bench

This is one of those projects that I'd put off, but now that it's done, I wish I'd done it months ago.  It only took me a few hours for paint, wax and a slipcover.



 The end result is so simple and pretty.

 

 Here it is in all it's previous glory.   It is so versatile and has been all around our house, but I had kept throws over it to hide it.  It's great in the hall, at the foot of the bed, subbing as a coffee table, or at the breakfast table.

 

Now it will be much prettier as it moves around.

 

I used Annie Sloan Country Grey and Old White, with a coat of clear wax and then a coat of dark wax.

 

I pulled some trusty drop cloth out to make the slipcover. 

 

Its just one piece for the top, piping and a knife pleat ruffle.

 

Sweet and Simple.

 

Linking up to

French Country Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

 

Chalk Paint Test Piece

 

 

 

When I set up my french armoire and it was time to start painting, I got a little nervous since I hadn't used Chalk Paint before.

 

So I pulled out this old table and decided to test the three colors I'd bought:  ASCP Coco, Country Grey and Old White.  For those of you unfamiliar with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, the great thing about it is that there is no sanding, priming or prepping, even for this table; look at the lacquer and shine on the top of this desk! 

 before

after

 

The great thing about testing out paint on a table I was otherwise going to throw away is that I had the guts to do a little decorative design on the front. 

 

 

 

I like how it turned out but I don't really have a place for it in my house.  Right now it is in a little corner near the TV.

 

Playing with the styling to try to make it functional and pretty.

 

 

Not sure if I will keep it, but I liked the freedom of painting without worrying about how it turned out.  It's something I need to remember for all my projects!

 

Linking up to

 

Jennifer Rizzo

 

Miss Mustard Seed

 

 

My First Milk Paint Project

Milk Paint Mission Chairs, Part One

Four chairs and three Milk Paint colors later, I have almost finished these chairs!

 

I've had four of these chairs for a while.  They are sturdy and great with the kids, but really not my thing in their orginal Mission style state.    So I thought I'd see what a couple coats of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint could do.

I'd never used Milk Paint before, and knowing that it can be quite unpredictable, I started with just two chairs.

   I have to admit, after the first coat...I hated it, but after the second coat...when the chipping started happening....I was falling in love!  This paint is so fun!  I can't believe how much it transformed these chairs. 

 I applied Miss Mustard Seed hemp oil to one chair.  (the chair on the right) I noticed it made Lucketts Green slightly more blue.  So I used Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax on chair number two.  The color stayed more the same, and I love the subtle variation of the two chairs. 

I painted two coats of Miss Mustard Seed Linen on the last two chairs

 

 

 Ok...confession.  First three chairs, I wiped down with cleaner on a cloth.  Number four.....not so much.  I am assuming that is why I had the mass adhesion problem!  Looking back at this picture, I kinda wish I would have kept the linen chair with just the little bit of chipping.  But I didn't......

I decided to try out French Enamel.  I love this blue!  I applied two coats and gently scraped off the chippy areas. 

I lightly sanded to reveal some if the Linen paint underneath.

I then applied 2 coats of Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax.  I think they are still going to need another layer of wax.  The paint is rather thick on them!

 

The seats on these chairs really need to be replaced.  They are the orginals and a couple have holes and springs popping through. 

 

 

So for now I am making slipcovers.  Since I now LOVE these chairs,  I wanted something that wouldn't cover too much of the chair, and also something that would add a

 little femininity to all the straight lines. It also had to be kid friendly, washable, and something that when it did get ruined (an assumption that must be made with a 2, 5, and 7 year old), I could make another. 

 

This slipcover is so simple to make.  I used a dropcloth and cut it to the size of the chair.  Then I used the scalloped stitch on my sewing machine and stiched around the perimeter of my square.

 

Then, using emboridery scissors, I carefully cut along the edge, cutting off the excess and creating the scallopped edge.

 

 I found the tie ribbon for 99 cents a yard at Joann Fabrics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing what a little paint and a scallop edge can do!

 

Linking up to

 Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Friday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

French Country Cottage