These chairs started out as a kind of rusty and brown with green coming through. I picked them up at a garage sale to the chagrin of John, and I really worked to improve them. I primed them, and spray painted them in bright blue, bright purple, and bright pink. Yes, that middle one was bright pink. It may have been the only water based spray paint that I used on the chairs, so I guess those toxic based paints have more staying power, but still no award for longevity. You can see they are all down to the primer on the seat where the water sits after a rain.
We had a yard sale and John couldn't believe I wasn't going to just give them away. But I liked the bones, as they say. So here we go again
I scraped the loose paint chips off and sprayed the chairs with bleach trying to remove some greenish mold off them. Then I started painting them with Barcelona orange Annie Sloan chalk paint. I was basically going for coverage, nothing fancy, just coverage.
The first coat skipped the legs because I didn't want to deal with the gravel, and could not lift up wet chairs. Second time around I flipped the chairs over and did the legs first, and then was able to grab the now dry chairs, set them upright, and give the main part of the chairs their second coat. John says the color makes his teeth hurt because they look so sweet. I like that they look sweet!
After two coats, they
look pretty good, but I noticed that after rain sat on one chair,
there are some rust or mold spots coming through the seat. I think I am going to have to sand it and spray it again with bleach, hoping to get a good finish. But that's just one chair. I also gave the legs their second coat, just painting them in place and not doing the underside of the legs.
Two finished or almost finished chairs remain out on the gravel facing the mobile outdoor fireplace, while one finished chair sits in the yard under the apple tree and across from the fountain. It is here where I like to sit, because it is in the shade and a bit cooler than the patio which is almost always sunny after having to remove a tree which had shaded it. According to what I have read, Annie Sloan chalk paint does very well outside. It doesn't peel, but rather just fades as it gets worn. Hope that's the case and that it lasts a couple of years. I did read that sitting water will diminish the life of the paint job, so I have to be sure and wipe the water off the seat after a rain. Another project done and another small feeling of accomplishment in turning real eye sores into a pleasant addition to the yard.
When I decided to do this post on mirrors, I didn't think about a few things, the number one being, how do you photograph a mirror without getting yourself reflected in it? and how do I avoid getting the messy workshop/studio captured in the mirror? Not easy, and the result not always pretty.
This metal framed mirror is my favorite of the moment: hammered metal with bamboo beveled mirror. It is a nice size, 28.5" X 22.5", and it can be hung vertically or horizontally. It looks old on the back, but the little philips head screws tell you it is not older than the 30's, and in fact, I am sure it is much newer than that.
But Just A Second is just as much about decor as it is about antiques, maybe more so.
The next one is more of a cottage style, white with aqua stencil and 22.5" square. Someone said it may be from IKEA, and that may be so. I don't get to IKEA that often. At any rate I could see it in any number of settings, including bathroom or bedroom. It, too, is beveled.
The last one is older, varnished wood, needs some touch up, and will most likely be painted.
I am thinking white or silver or something else. It will come to me. All will be showing up at Stella & Notte sometime in the near future. Check us out on Facebook, to keep up with our event schedule.
