Reviving an Heirloom Rocker

Hi friends!

I recently had a classmate from high school contact me. She was expecting her first baby, and had a rocking chair she wanted refinished.  This is what it looked like when I got it.  It looked like someone had previously stripped it. So it needed a good sanding before I could get started.

 It has this beautiful carved detail on the back, but the carvings are not in wood.  It looked like plaster, or something similar, and had cracks throughout.  I didn't worry too much about the cracks.  I think it added to the charm of this piece.

 I think there have been a lot of babies rocked in this chair.  It was passed down through my client's husband's family.

My client/classmate was not finding out the baby's gender, and wanted a bright, bold color that would work for either a boy or a girl.
We decided to go for a color like Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk. It's been a long time since I painted anything red.  In fact, it had been long enough that I had somewhat forgotten (OK, really completely forgotten) how HARD red can be!  I wanted to give my local Sherwin Williams a shot. So I chose SW Positive Red in their All Surface Enamel (Acrylic Latex in Satin finish).
Here's what it looked like at first. Uh Oh. Someone forgot to get a tinted primer.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to the paint counter I go.
One can of pink primer later (they tinted it as dark as they could - thank you to my trusty old Home Depot paint folks) things were looking better. You can see where I added the primer, on the right side. On the left, you can see how transparent the red went on.  Yikes.

In order to achieve the deep, rich red in this paint, the base has to be translucent. Which means the paint is not opaque.  Which means you have to keep adding coats, and adding coats, and adding coats.

Which is exactly what I did.
So... 17 coats of red paint later.....

Positive Red was actually looking positively great.
I wish I could tell you there was some other way.  I can't speak to other kinds of paint (AS Chalk Paint, etc.) but for regular old latex, that is what you can expect.
LOTS of coats.

I added a coat of wax when I felt the color was even enough.  And here we are.
Now, for the glamour shots.
:-)

 I foresee many, many snuggles happening in this chair.

There is something special about the things passed down.
Thank you to my client Jessica for trusting me with this piece.
And best wishes for that little one!

XO,
Anne

What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week - First edition in 2014

Happy New Year!!

I hope you have been savoring winter break as we have - with lots of family, friends, food, church, naps, football, and presents. Not necessarily in that order. :-)

There are some cool finds this week…here we go! (If you are visiting for the first time, I live near Cincinnati, Ohio, so these items are all local to me.)

1. Vintage white cabinet listed for $250.

I know that's more than I usually spend on Craigslist items, but I like this one for its size, its condition, and its flexibility. Here's why.
First, its size - dimensions are 70 " tall, 30 " wide, 12" deep. You can fit a lot of stuff in that.
Second, its condition looks good - not perfect - but not like it would need a complete overhaul before you could put it in your house.
And third its flexibility. I love this for a kitchen or bath, as the listing suggests, but I think you could also store extra linens, books, or household supplies in it.
Here are a few pics to get your juices flowing.

Midcentury Home Office by Other Metro Media & Bloggers Aesthetic Outburst

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I'm not sure, but this may be an old medical cabinet, and my Uncle Dan & Aunt Pat (who are walking encyclopedias of furniture knowledge and have a booth here in Lexington, KY) just told me that medical items are hot right now. 
(READ: I think this could easily sell for more than it's listed.) 
I can't tell whether it's metal or wood, but if I had room for it, I'd buy it.

2. "Old school" desk chairs or office chairs. I love 'em. Metal, wood, doesn't matter… they are just SO superior to those newfangled things they make now. (wink) So, that said, go scoop these up. 
Cosco Propeller Chair $35

Vintage wood chair

Think about how cool they'd look in a boy's room!

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3. How cute is this old toy piano? 

It looks beautiful and would make an adorable addition to a nursery or playroom. 

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The two like it on Etsy are more expensive than this one. They are asking $45. Go for it!

4. OK this item has been on Craigslist for a while now. In my mind's eye there is a boy (what is it with boys rooms in this post?) who has an awesome vintage-y train room. 
Maybe like… this one.  
(Because HELLO it has a train track running around the top of the room. Please don't tell my son. Thank you.)

And in this mythical train room, folded over the back of a cozy chair, you'd find this cool blanket.

It's from a Pullman sleeping car!

I totally have a movie-like image of men dressed in suits and women in pearls taking a trip, eating and sleeping aboard a train in the heyday of rail travel. 

That's the era these blankets belong to! 
It's stuff like this that takes a room from catalog-designed to uniquely personal. They are conversation pieces, and they are a way to pass on some history to the next generation. 
So someone please buy this cool blanket and do up an awesome vintage train room.  Again, thank you.

5. Last, here's a gal after my own heart. Cute side table, all painted and ready to go. Would make a great addition to a living room near you! $80

This winter weather and ridiculously cold temperatures have me dreaming of yard sale weather….

Just saying.

:-)
Anne

What I'd buy on Craigslist this week and two awesome thrift store finds

Hi friends!

Made my first pot of chili... I love fall.  But it's also the time of year that yard sales tend to start winding down where I live. So, besides the thrift store, Craigslist is my fix. :-)

So here goes:

1. This adorable white spindle table.  It has great lines and detail.  And it's $35.

Put it in a girls room.  Or the guest room.  Or the bathroom.  Or the living room.

I think I'd leave it white, although this looks awesome painted bright blue.

2. This $25 planting table/workbench.  If you have room for it, please buy it so that when I build my garage I can buy it from you.  :-)  

This one is featured at HGTV.com

I must be feeing lazy this week because I actually like this just the way it is, too, although this one in white is so great.  Doesn't it just make you want to plant something??

I just love the idea of a place to store your tools, and pots, and watering can and cute garden gloves.  Organize it all this fall so that when spring comes, you're ready to roll.

3. Pick up this very vintage 70's looking queen/full size headboard for $30.

Don't make that face.  I'm telling you, bad 60's and 70's furniture with all the carvings and turned posts on it is the BEST stuff to paint.  Looks fabulous.
Don't believe me?  Now, it's not identical, but our friends over at Pottery Barn would ask you to cough up $1500 for their white version, the Caroline bed.

But if you don't want to use it as a headboard, you can do what this brilliant woman did and turn it into a fantastic front porch welcome sign.... what?! I love that!!!

Heck this other headboard is a measley $10.

Paint the panel with chalkboard paint and rotate messages.  Seriously? People are so smart.  This is just adorable.

4. These $6 footstool legs are so great (so long as they are sturdy - and I'd ask when I contact the seller.)

Besides having a pretty footstool around to look at,

I think it's great to have in case a little one would like to pull a chair up to the coffee table and color or something.  Get a piece of plywood, some foam and batting and cover it in anything you want! You could easily add higher sides to it like this one, also.

I also think it would be cute to put next to a kid's bed if the bed sits up high.  Sooo cute.

5. I think this is a very old antique rocking chair.

And I bet it would look amazing recovered and updated in a very special little one's room.  Can you see it?  I sure can.  That's exactly what these people did.

What a cool piece!

As I mentioned up top, I went thrifting this week (to escape the madding news coverage of the government shutdown #furious) and scored two great pieces...one for me!

Here they are - a vintage 60's or 70's coffee table (remember? great pieces to paint) and this unusual arm chair.

It was the woodwork on the front of this chair that had me at hello. SO cool!! I cannot wait to see it in a fresh new fabric and a coat of paint. Those turned legs and carvings are just going to pop!

And I am keeping the coffee table.  More about that later.
Remember, friends, if you decide to buy something on Craigslist, BE SMART.  I do not know any of these sellers - and I always try to make my Craigslist interactions as transparent as possible... take someone with you.  If the piece isn't huge, you can ask to meet in a public place like a grocery store parking lot.  If your gut tells your something isn't right, listen to it.

Now, that said, get out there and do something awesome!

XO,
Anne