1st, I digress.
I love to peruse the scrap remnant piles in fabric stores. You never know what you might find. But it truly sucks when you find something you love–and that’s all there is. It’s the laaast cookie in the jar.
Back to my project—At one of those St. Vinnie’s ½ price sales,
I saw this old coffee table, $20 $10
Since I’m over the moon for any Chippendale-style Ball & Claw foot–– of course, it was Mine!
Instinct said it would make a great bench!
So, although ↓ this ↓ is basically what everyone saw at the sale. . .
. . . this is what I was seeing!
I ran to my fabric stash, praying for my small’ish 99¢ scrap to be large enough (please-please-oh please!)
JUST. BARELY.
I was on the fence to paint it, live with the blonde wood, or
strip it and start over–?
I popped the top off right away and got it upholstered. –Only enough fabric for BUTTON TUFTS, but it still looks so beautiful! And, with the top done, I could re-place it, making it easier to choose the finish!
It looked horrible with the blonde wood, and worse as I began painting—so off to the strippers!
A note on delegating work:
- I hate stripping. And while the professionals do their thing—I can work on another project!
- I’ve developed a good rapport with these guys because I’ve taken a lot to them!
- I’m generally only looking for stripping, am completely flexible to their schedule, and always negotiate $$!
- And, I’m not above bribery–I go in armed with DQ Blizzards for both guys!
I really have to laugh at myself–What. Am I. Going To Do. With. One. More. Bench?
I love to use different mediums to oxidize a piece of furniture.
Glazes, dark waxes, stains, paint. In this instance, I used a paint color called Pecan Sandie! It’s the absolute, most perfect paint color I’ve ever found to use as a “light” oxidizer! It seems to work well with any color and/or finish!
–I oxidized this piece both sparingly, and deliberately. You can see it most visibly at the feet.
Sorry, I can’t remember which paint fan-deck it comes from–but I can search through for it if you want to know!
Catherine
It looks great Catherine. Nothing wrong with a litter bribery. lol
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I have (or rather had) a table like that, painted rusty red. I really liked it, but I should have know it was too delicate for a family of boys. I think it can be repaired, but it is not going back in the house (I’m saving it for my daughter’s first apartment). Fortunately, I found a heavy rock maple table at my favorite thrift store to replace it. The guy who sold it to me said, “If your boys break this one, I want photos.”
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Your bench is gorgeous!! I couldn’t see the detail carving until it was stripped & redone. Love it!
Blessings,
Cindy
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Lovely! I’ve done a few similar benches. I’d love it if you’d share this at my Saturday Splendour Party which is still open: http://www.megandmums.com/2011/12/saturday-splendour-no-3_10.html
Megan 🙂
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so pretty and your writing made me laugh! I’m one of those bribery girls too, haha!
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Yep! Men and their stomachs!
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Beautiful! I definitely never knew I could get someone to do my stripping for me. So far, I don’t have any projects that are quite along the lines of what you just made, but when I do. I’m gonna find someone to strip it for me.:) Thanks so much for letting me know!
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I used to do it myself–but I always dreaded it. And it brought the continuation of other projects to a halt because of the fumes. –AND, I always struggled with the open-end-grain of carved pieces.
I just decided I’d rather pay an expert, and have my end project look great!
If you build a good relationship with your stripper, they’ll be more amenable to sharing expert tips on your DIY finishing! At least, mine do!
Catherine
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i love those tufts and LOVE those legs!!!
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Looks fabulous! I need t find one of those. Thanx for coming to the party!
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So loving the bench, I wish I had room for one in my home, but don’t. I think I might do this and sell in my shop. I know what you mean by finding the perfect fabric in the remnants pile,only to find it wasn’t enough, UGH! I’ll have to try those DQ blizzards for bribery, thanks for the advice! Thanks for sharing over at Sunday’s Best, and for sharing your creativeness.
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Wow! What a difference a 99 cent piece of fabric can make! (and a lot of talent)
Thank-you so much for joining our Pin’Inspiration Party today. Your creativity is very much appreciated.
Would love for you to pop by to grab a button and become a follower 🙂
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That’s Behr paint – 700C-3 Pecan Sandie
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