A look back

The great thing about being a "newbie" to the blogging community is that I have a lot of past projects to blog about.  Since I do most of my creating in the summer, this will give me quite a few goodies to share over the next few months. 

We built our house eight years ago.  At that time, I bought two bar stools.  I think I was in a hurry and we were running short on money, so I bought a couple of stools that I didn't love. 



 

They are nice bar stools.  I ordered them from JCPenney.  They are metal, very heavy, and they swivel.  I think the problem is that they are a tuscan style and I was wanting more of a "cottagy" look.  Looking back on it, I think just about everything was tuscan in 2004.

To get that comfy, cottage look, I spray painted like crazy!  I think I used about 6 cans of a soft green spray paint.

But you can't leave furniture all shiny and new.  It has to look like it's been around for years and has a great story to tell.  I used a light gray acryclic paint and very lightly drybrushed over the green paint.  Then I sanded everything down.  I really went crazy on some parts.

Unlike our dining table and chairs, these barstools get used a lot.  I have reupholstered the seats several times over the years.  I had read about using a drop cloth to cover furniture.  What a great idea.  I spent $9 on a drop cloth, and I was able to cover both stools and a bench for Megan's room.  All I had to do was wash it three or four times and it was ready to go.  I thought a nice full ruffle would be fun, and cottagy (is that really a word?).

I love the way they turned out.  I was concerned that the spray paint might chip off  the metal, but it's been seven months and they are holding up great.