Antique Rocker Turned into Flower Display

Picture this. I am driving my daughter home from school when I see this garage sale being held by this busy street where I am driving. I immediately activate my garage sale radar to look for things that interest me in the few seconds I have as I drive by. I was almost reaching the inevitable "it is all junk" conclusion, when I see something wood. I abruptely pull my car into this house's driveway, open my window and ask the guy: "how much for the rocking chair?". He replies "ten". I reach for my wallet, find 7 bucks and we had a deal. I put the chair in my trunk and go back excitedly to tell my daughter: "yeah, mommy bought a chair!". She laughs with me.

The picture below is pretty much the before, minus the wicker already removed and the vase inserted.

I had seen this idea to transform an old vintage chair into a flower display a long time ago and since I have been dreaming of finding one serendipitously, just like I did.

Rather than flowers I decided to use succulents as I love their different colors and shapes and they are pretty low maintenance (bonus!).

It took me literally ten minutes to put this look together. I had kept the chair unpainted for a while but you all know I have a problem with unpainted furniture. It was Saturday night, I was drinking a beer with my husband, the kids were playing around us, I grabbed a paint brush a mixture of glazing and white paint and applied painterly strokes to the chair. The kids even helped.

What a nifty idea for an easy vintage look?

Demilune Console

It was meant to be. Her owner saw my post for this dresser on Craigslist but when she came over to see it, she fell in love with the color of this one. She loved it so much that she was determined to find a piece that would deserve similar treatment and metamorphosis. Please meet Ms. Demilune before.

There was nothing wrong with her. In fact, there were so many things right with her that one could say "why would you ever paint it?". She was delicate, gracious, refined and well polished. So by accepting to work on it I accepted a challenge: give the piece a unique and updated look, while keeping its timeless charm.

The reveal...

When working on it, I knew I wanted the beautiful wood underneath to peak through to give depth to the color, so I distressed some of the decorative details

It was so rewarding working on ithis piece and seeing how each coat of paint, each coat of wax, would accentuate its lines and give this darling Demilune its fullest potential.

The composition of these pictures were all part of the project. The picture frames were all brought to me in different conditions and all underwent tranformations of their own. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of their before but you can imagine a white frame around the pink flower art and an off white plaster for the picture frames.

I am immensely grateful for this experience and for having met someone who believed in me and who encouraged me to be creative. An angel sent from Heaven. I love all pieces that I have worked so far but these ones have a special meaning for me. I applied paint, wax and a whole lot of love and joy, so I know these pieces will always shine wherever they are. All made In Joy!

Technique:
- Demilune: two coats of Annie Sloan French Linen chalk paint. Light sanding. One coat of Annie Sloan clear wax. One thick coat of Annie Sloan dark wax, followed by another coat to accentuate certain details.
- Greenish picture frames: -two coats of Annie Sloan Chateau Grey. A coat of a mixture of glazing and Behr Navajo White paint. One coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.

Little Things

You name it. I chalk it.

Cheap vases that come with flower delivery? No problem. Add a little chalk paint and they become fun vessels and decorative pieces.

Vintage picture frame? Add two tones of chalk paint, antique handles to each side and voila. A chalk tray (yes, the white part serves as a message board).

Your average mugs? With chalk callout labels and you are off to a great day.

And how adorable are these? Little chalky things which can be used as favors, photo props, party signs, door sign, kitchen menu, or just a place to share what is in your mind.