my “Adirondack” chair

This truly was
a FUN project—
but challenging.
It tested my carpentry skills throughout.  I cut MORE compound cuts 
(explained way below)
over the last 2 days
than all of last year!

THIS carcass used to look much like the chair below.  Just not nearly so nice as it came to me.
(a be-gloved, take a long hot shower at the end kind-of-knock-down chair!)

–

I actually only wanted it for PARTS, and the man giving it to me volunteered to knock it down (because it was gross).

Oh, I didn’t get off scott-free—I still had about 2K tacks to pry out.  Back in April.

Adirondack chairs don’t LOOK that complicated–but looks can be VERY deceiving!  Lesson learned.

Back in April,

–

sitting in the warmth of a beautiful, blindingly sunny Spring day, listening to the birds chirping

and prying out all those tacks—I was struck by how interesting the frame was and the idea of an Adirondack chair hit me.  For the Nellie’s Barn Sale.

I had a loooong and ambitious project list for the sale, so the chair only got a little of my time here & there.  The frame needed a LOT of reinforcement and repair and I needed to stew on the HOW-to of doing this.

Friday, with only 6 days left to packing-driving-off loading & setting up–I stopped everything else to give this my full attention.  I’d already been thinking about and formatting the seat slant, I just needed to commit and cut the wood.  The first of MANY challenges I would face.  

I used a lot of OLD deck boards.
1- because they were well dried for stability.
2- because it’s going to be an OUTDOOR chair.

I ended up creating the seat structure in pieces because of the numerous angles and cut outs–and because I didn’t have any BIG enough material at hand!.  Then I used my pocket screw jig to join them all FIRMLY.

I quickly realized that it’d be advantageous to sand & paint at each step!

-Saturday-

This was one L-O-N-G day of construction.  A day of compound cuts.
8am-9pm  with nary a break, and I was exhausted.

The slatted back—
CURVED at the top and STRAIGHT at the bottom.
The outdoor-use deck boards were only ¾” but not long enough to “force” the “twist.”  So I cut a lot of angles and doweled the boards in place at the bottom before nailing at the top.
I also ran ALL edges through the router table to restore the factory-rounded over edges.  Hence the 13 hour day.

The “worst” was fitting in the boards at and below the wings.  WoWza!
I patted myself on the back for my level of perseverance & tenacity, quietly thanking a lot of carpenters who generously shared their knowledge with me along my travels.
That hands-on learning helped me problem-solve these issues with confidence.

–

AGAIN- I sanded and painted before moving on.

Consumed by the challenges, I guess I forgot to take progress pictures for you to follow along- sorry.

∗ Incidentally- I worked on the back before the seat because of all the angles and doweling.  I needed that open space to work.

The seat—

I secured the 3 seat supports in place with 3″ countersunk screws.
I glued in plugs to conceal the screws then cut them flush.

The seat is wider at the front than back, so, MORE angles.  I started with the front-most board because of all the notches.

Both of those notches are ALSO compound cuts—the frame they abut is curved.

–

Okay– so without the progress pictures to share, you now see a “finished” chair.

A  D E E P  27″

Too deep- actually.
Normal would be 17″.
I fetched our 5’10” neighbor-lady to gauge the situation from a taller standpoint.
Yep~ still way too deep.

I grabbed a back cushion from one of the deck chairs–it made a huge difference.
It also changed my FINISH direction.  I planned on a navy & white cabana stripe theme, and an accent pillow!

So NOW I’ll stick with a clean white chair & stained seat.  Today I’ll go in search of a stylish back cushion!

Above is the “before I skirted the sides.”  See why?

I ripped leftovers to skirt the sides and a face plate,
plus a transition piece for the curved bottom-front.

Here are the detail shots-
hope you like LOVE IT -as much as I do!
Catherine

sorry about the length of this post—

-here are some details-

-and here’s an early FAIL.  The fully stained seat did NOT look good!

And you can take a seat in it this Friday & Saturday at
Nellie’s Barn Sale!

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Uncle Fred’s bed

So, long story short~

This was part of my late uncle’s bedroom furniture at Grandma’s house wAy down in IL.  I know –somewhere– there’s got to be a picture showing its original severely dark stain~but I can’t find it.

When we cleared out grandma’s in the sale to cousins, I brought it back to change things up in one of mom’s guest bedrooms, and painted both bed and dresser a soft white.  Seriously– this was already old hand-me-down stuff that moved from Grandma’s farm, up to her hill house, and then to mom’s.

It had a 1904 date on the back side of the headboard I’d never noticed before.

Above, painted a soft white for a lighter, shabby chic look in the guest bedroom.  Eventually, it got bumped for another 1930’s set.

Below, painted something funky for a teenage nephew to use for a while. . .

And then it all came back –again.  With no one else in the family having need of it—I gave the dresser a total makeover and sold it in the antique mall.  Remember this project?  (it’s near the end of the post link)

And finally– I’ve pulled the bed from storage for

one last REinvention before Nellie’s Barn Sale!

 

I padded and upholstered the headboard with one of my vintage grain sacks.  The foot board is just REpainted, but I did add vintage wood wheels—
I LUV them, they’re just fun, and it’s SO much easier moving a bed around!

I also added a padded back rest and tied-on seat cushion to this petite rocker (the neighbor gave me) with the leftovers from my
bed project—I think they look really cute together!

They’re already getting great attention and feedback from the Nellie’s Barn Sale pages and on instagram!
OMG–I’ll be packing Wednesday, driving & setting up Thursday!
Hope to see you at the show
Friday or Saturday!

Catherine

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Nellie’s Barn Sale!

OMG!  I don’t feel totally ready yet—about 80% there.

If you’re in the Chicago area, sure hope to

see and meet you there!

Catherine

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another serpentine dresser project!

I love this style of dresser, they’re just so pretty!

Uh. . . well. . .
they CAN be so pretty.
OMG is THIS one sad.
What was someone thinking here–???

–

The problems.

I’m just speculating, but, did someone streak a brush full of stain through the wet paint to get this look?  Ugh.

The wheels were toast.

The hardware was just  W R O N G.

It needed several repairs and one drawer bottom needed replacing.

And O-M-G it STUNK.  The car (and my nose) needed serious venting out.

–I took it to the strippers first thing Monday.  It wasn’t going to be a “pretty” wood so I opted for my UNorthodox strip job—“…just wreck the top please, and I’ll go from there!”  Stripping solution was also used to kill the horrible smell, and I pressure washed EVERYthing CLEAN.
(above & below- the top “stripped”)
I bought a new set of wood wheels before I left and –GOT. BUSY.

The Top.  The wood was that REALLY heavily grained oak.  I’m not a fan.  So we left the stripper on to melt-bubble-crackle the paint, then lightly rinsed it off trying to NOT disturb the effect.  I left it to dry in the sun -THEN- hit it with course sand paper to get a VERY chipped up paint effect.

I was only looking for TEXTURE at this point.  I sprayed the top with primer to seal in my chippy effect, then added Floetrol to a simple white paint so I could brush paint the top and body and not have obvious brush strokes in the end.

I had several ideas for the end product.  When I decided on using some of my collected vintage ’40’s wallpaper, I found the white was TOO much and over-sprayed with Rust-Oleum’s Chiffon Cream Chalk paint.  It gave a much softer, off white that worked much better with my wallpaper!

WoW!  NOT easy to get a picture of the top for the end effect.  Trust me—it looks authentically chippy-layered old!  I waxed the top and buffed it out 4 times.  It is absolutely smooth as silk!

I pried off the old broken and missing wheels, and replaced them with an almost 2″ reproduction wood wheel.  It raised the height to 27½”.  I’m thinking this would be better as a night stand/extra storage dresser.

I added an orphaned mirror.  I like the scale and height but wish it was oval to go better with the curvilinear serpentine-front.

Now 5’7″ in its overall height!

I waxed the wallpaper with the rest of the dresser—yes, it did alter the softer yellow color, but will give it more durability.
I added back the missing drawer stops, gave it appropriate hardware, and put the whole piece back together again—with the additional mirror!

I love the detail of the string of pearls!

Isn’t she beautiful now? ♥

Catherine

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garden candles!

–

A friend’s long-time family farm house is being sold–

circa 1870’s.

They invited me to come see some of what needs to be cleaned out, and–

do I want anything?

Seriously–

did you REALLY need to ask?

 

Like these old porch posts.
On the whole—No Interest.
HowEVer, in parts—yes, yes & Yes!

I liked varying SECTIONS of the turnings–and cut them up to capture 3 of them.
I thought they could be aMAZing as

garden candlesticks!

–

–

–

Below shows my vision—

Do you see it?

I cut them up, cleaned them up, sanded them, and clear-coated one set.

I also had a big shock/surprise working on them.  They are ONE piece of wood—NOT boards glued together then turned.  But to stabilize the solid wood from twisting-wracking-cracking out, the posts are totally augered out!  Hollow!

HOW did they do that?  The posts are 8ft in length!  I’m still trying to figure out how to just drill a hole from top to bottom through a lg newel post for a project!

And here’s MY INTERPRETATION of the cut posts made into

Garden Candlesticks!

Plus—they’re just COOL!   ; D

–

I’ll be selling them at Nellie’s—in sets of 3!

The sets range in height from  21½”–17″  &  30½”–26″

and will accommodate a  2″–3½” column candle.

–

Catherine

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a quickie!

∗ My mother’s OLD neighborhood is at the end.  The woman who’s family farmed all this land, and then sold to be developed into all these area neighborhoods long-long ago~ passed on Mother’s Day morning.

OUR family was the last to settle into this street of 11 families with 27 kids.  I was 6½ when we moved to this state-city-street.  And now my mother is the last of all those parents.  (my dad left the Air Force, and this put us about half way between grandmas)

As her daughter wraps up cleaning out the still-there old farm house (it’s already sold) I got a call to come look at some things~if I’d be interested!        ♥ RIP Marie ♥

I was gifted 2 chairs, 2 tables!

–

I really thought this small plant stand-side table was such a Cutie-pie!  But I could DEFINITELY improve upon it!  Beginning with a little extra zhoosh in the form of some small fleur dis lis appliqués.

–

I reached for my newly concocted “terracotta” paint!  I LUV it and will get some color-matched to keep as a staple.  Actually- I primed it before painting because it was one of those pieces that would bleed-through pink’ish.  NOT in a good way.  That white primer absolutely showed me that it needed a BURST of color!

A bit of sanding, appliqués, primer, 2 coats of paint, and a little distressing!

Doesn’t it look FABulous?!?

And it will be at Nellie’s!

Catherine

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is it a Trunk or a Foot locker?

I can’t believe there are still a few pieces remaining from the Ottilia Catherine’s Estate Sale a year ago.  Pieces I thought would have been 1st to sell.

This –trunk?– is one.

I’ve seen these things sell in the blink of an eye—but not this one.

So let’s FIX that.

It was scrubbed really well the first time around, but you still felt like you wanted to wash your hands touching it–yuck.  And maybe why it didn’t sell.

So THIS time around I wasn’t worried about detracting from its authenticity—I took it apart, cleaned it with another degreaser, and sanded.

And the yellow paint was still at hand (am I becoming a yellow-girl?).

 

Even after all that prep, this piece SUCKED UP PAINT

like a magic show!

But I persevered, was patient—and won the battle!  With about 5 coats of paint working clockwise around the trunk, on to the drawer, then the top–

× 5 in steady repetition.  ON PURPOSE.

I was painting in hot, humid conditions.  Just touching the trunk STILL made my hands “black.”  Whatever was STILL in the wood was soiling the brush and contaminating my paint.  But experience told me that if I kept layering on the paint while it was only tacky-dry, the multi-layers would fuse and it might seal in the film.  AND ultimately get me to the effect I wanted.  IT DID!

After the bleed-through stopped, and all the coats of paint–I left it alone for about 30 minutes.  THEN came some sanding with course paper around a sponge block.

The softer flexibility let me control the pressure to distress and “peel” paint off.  But now it will have to sit for quite a while to truly cure.  I may seal it right before taking it to Nellie’s Barn Sale.  It will have had 22 days to cure by then.

It’s a really cool trunk, but it’s kind of low—so I also went dragging through my wheel collection. . .

 

The color and the wheels definitely ADD TO ITS APPEAL!

I’m absolutely CONFIDENT it will FLY out of our space this time!

A NEW look for an OLD trunk!

It could even become a coffee table now!

Catherine

Hope to see you at the show!

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a shallow console

Remember these?

80’s era consoles?

I found one of these cheap (several years back already) to build up & around for extra hall storage in a niece’s home.  Although it wasn’t going to look like THIS at the end–they couldn’t SEE it and didn’t like it.

So there it sits, parked in my stashes gathering dust.

UNTIL NOW.

I muscled it out from the thick of things, cleaned it up, and started planning.

Not into the pseudo-Spanish style, I ALWAYS knew things would start with the doors.  My initial thought was to create a tall flat back and create open shelving.  I even toyed with making that Window Hutch top for this cabinet.  Ehh~too much??  IDK. . .

. . . let’s just start dealing with those doors & see what it tells me. . .

–

That cool drop hardware was added to my stashes–to be exchanged for something smaller.  Then I pried off that center medallion, but it “wasn’t enough.”  So I knocked out the whole panel and considered options to REfill it.

Caning… tiny chicken wire… wall paper or decoupage… square off the frame?  –TIN.

I had some pieces that were about the right size and honestly, were so deteriorated and not good for anything else–so why not?

I cut them to size, sealed in the chippy state so if I opted to paint them it would show through.  But since I liked the existing chippy patina and colors, I chose paint based on the tin as is.

Then I repaired and glued and sanded.  Finally- I got busy painting a base coat on the cabinet.  I was so done in by the end of my loooong day that I just walked away from it.  It laid on the sawhorses outside overnight.  And dried REALLY well—maybe I should always do that!  ; D

Yesterday I painted the finished color in a dry-brushing technique so it has a textural fabric effect.  I selected drop handles in a smaller scale and simpler style, and installed the tin!

Done!  Fini!  Stop there!  NO top or ANYthing else.

I love it as is!

I kind of wish I had squared off the doors though. . .

Catherine

33″ wide  ×  12½” deep  ×  30″ tall

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life. (aka~multi-tasking)

–

We’re in the countdown to Nellie’s.

23 days away.

My project list is ambitious—and loooong.

I’ll have some pretty AWEsome things to sell! (even if I do say so myself)  But they aren’t all finished yet~YIKES!  So I’m crazy busy!

Can I offer you a few pretty FILLERS?

Things are flowering again and greening up—YaY!

THIS is my kind of Purple ♥

~and those yellow “flowers” are back, ugh.

Yes~ Spring has Sprung!  But the clean up has to wait for the show.

Here’s a tease of just a few present projects—

I’ll share shortly!

–

–

But this guy-

he waits for no one

and nothing!

(he’s my surrogate dog)

Catherine

 

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closer to finished~and OMG!

Some projects just “come together!”

THIS is one of THOSE!

And I’m totally

in love with it!

—too many exclamation marks ?

I DID decide on tin for the back boards—but found myself struggling with, “What COLOR goes with RUST?”

I dug through the random quarts on the shelf and pulled a few that could be mixed to create something.  I landed on this shade of a Dusty, Muddy, Coral-y, Pink’ish color.  And it looks great with the Rusty tin!  Like how Pink & Orange are complimentary to one another!

I took great pains to “interpret” the antique tin to each section and love how the pattern lines up with all the shelves!

It turns out the bookcase needs some repairs—it got roughed up in storage.  So I guess it’ll end up being one more way these two disparate pieces will be brought even closer together.  *The “dots” are from the countersunk screws–they’ll be plugged today before painting.  And I’ll REstain the top darker.

And THIS is one more piece ready for

Nellie’s Barn Sale!

Catherine

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